Prosciutto e Melone
Friday, 10th July 2009 | 8 Comments
Earlier this week at my friend Petulia’s engagement party, I was reminded what an amazing combination prosciutto e melone (cured ham and cantaloupe) can be. Since moving to Italy, I have come to love the savory-sweet contrast that typifies so many dishes. It’s not that I didn’t like it before, I just never had a reason to look forward to it until I came here. Prosciutto e melone is exclusively a summer dish, and it is eaten only when the melon is ripe and super sweet. The same is true for prosciutto e fichi (figs), another favorite treat. Don’t bother asking for them before July, though this dish is best at the end of the summer, when the late maturing settembrini figs are ripe and so sweet they give pure sugar a run for its money.
July 10th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
That looks so good
July 10th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
You know, I always pass up this dish whenever I see it on a menu (whether stateside or in Italy) because it reminds me of dinner at Mike Garzilli’s Pine Springs in the Catskill’s, NY, where it was a staple antipasto. We used to stay there every summer for two weeks when I was a kid in the late 1960s/early 1970s. Pine Springs was like the resort in the movie Dirty Dancing, only Italian-American (and without a very hot Patrick Swayze!).
I guess I’ll have to give prosciutto and melon another try!
July 11th, 2009 at 8:55 am
Wow! I’ve just put together a dish with the two. Melon sous vide, melon gelee, shaved prosciutto, crispy fried prosciutto, wild arugula,and aged balsamic. I thought i was being to old school but damn it’s good! how are you?
July 11th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
I defeninily agree
July 13th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
this is without a doubt my fav summer antipasti or lunchtime meal! that is until figs are in season and then it’s prosciutto & figs on pizza bianca! is there a tastier food combo?
July 15th, 2009 at 12:29 am
I miss prociutto e melone!!! I’ve tried getting some in the states and its just not the same!
July 15th, 2009 at 12:44 am
just had some tonight at Roma Sparita in Piazza S Cecilia in Trastevere. It never ceases to amaze me what a perfect pair ham and melon can be. The key is having the melon in season! On an unrelated note, did I see on Facebook that you are married??? Congrats!
October 2nd, 2009 at 6:16 pm
i liked this it told me wat it was about because my geography was to make an Italian menu explaining what the food was like