Restaurant Bice's Chef John Zoumis Truffled Dwarf Peaches Recipe

CARPACCIO MANZO
Thank you Bice Restaurant and Chef John Zoumis for this beautiful light meal: the Carpaccio Manzo garnished with Truffled Dwarf Peaches.

Ingredients:

• Pepper crusted tenderloin
• Truffled lemon emulsion
• Baby arugula
• Shaved radishes
• Shaved truffled peaches
• Parmesan shavings
• French shallot rings

What could be better than a fresh carpaccio for this hot season, I might go try it there this week!

Not being a chef myself, I am always very amazed at what chefs can create with a few  ingredients. I visited a few of my favorite blog/websites to see what the owners have created with prosciutto.
Here are the results of my research! Enjoy!

By La Tartine Gourmande:

• Prosciutto, St Maure and Pear Tartines
• Black Raddish and its Proscuitto Rose
• Prosciutto, Radish and Honey Tartine, Fennel and Zucchini Salad

By Donna Hay:

• Prosciutto-wrapped leek

By Smitten Kitchen:

• Fennel, prosciutto and pomegranate salad

By Traveler’s Lunch Box:

• Prosciutto e Melone, Kicked Up a Notch

If you know of interesting prosciutto recipes, or have  your own, don’t hesitate to post the links in reply to this message.

If you ever try any of ther recipes above, please let me know if it tastes as good as it looks! I will be trying a few myself. And I will update you on the matter.

Have a great week-end!

When I mentionned we were covering Prosciutto di Parma this week, Stefano Leone so kindly sent me these pictures of one of his culinary creations with Prosciutto di Parma:

Ossobuco, sweetbread terrine wrapped in Prosciutto di Parma with orange sauce verrina, mostarda.

Stefano loves pairing this dish with a Gabriel Meffre, Cotes du Rhône AOC – Expression Pierres Brisées, 2006 France which is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault, a crimson robe with purple nuances, an enticing nose of fresh fruits and spices notes. Savory and elegant, finishing by a charming spicy sensation.

Comfort food – Soul satisfying
Cooking and music are alike, in that a finished dish and a performance depend on an element of improvisation which is never part of the recipe or score. When this goes right, the results are magical.

It is the magic that matter!

This is for you!”

Stefano Leone

At home, Paolo is the one that enjoys cooking the most. I am usually the designated assistant and assembler, and of course the eater!

This evening, Paolo and I made this very homey pasta dish with prosciutto di parma. Nothing too fancy, a nice feel good meal, but soooo tasty!

Since it is prosciutto week on the blog, I decided to snap some pics, and share the recipe with you.

Appetizer:

Prosciutto wrapped around hand rolled grissini’s on a bed of mixed greens and Dwarf Truffled Peaches.

Pasta: Fusilli with peas, cubed prosciutto “crudo” (raw) and Burrata.

1. Fusilli were tossed in onions sauted in butter
2. We added steamed peas, cubed Prosciutto and Burrata
3. and served immediately!

As for wine, we like them with a lot of  “body” and depth. Most of the times we find one that we like and we drink it with all of our meals until we find something that we like again so we move on to the next one. Presently the Barbaresco is what we have been enjoying accompanied with our meals, and that is what we had tonight.

Since prosciutto is so salty, salt is not something or rarely something that needs to be added. the beauty of prosciutto is that it is so versatile and very easy to cook with, it works practically with any vegetable, with cream sauce, wine sauce and even in tomatoe sauce.

A Macchi tradition is also to stuff the Christmas turkey with prosciutto, we always fight over the prosciutto as soon as we sit down on the table. Unfortunately, Paolo and my brothers-in-law usually get the most of it. I am not good at fighting, but I do have other qualities

Traditionally cantaloupe and figs are served with prosciutto but since we are such huge fans of the truffled dwarf peaches we tend to use them every chance we get. When there is match of course! Fresh peaches too are a very nice companion to prosciutto. If you wanna be fancy, marinate the quartered peaches in cognac, top with some ricotta cheese and wrap the proscuitto around it. It makes a perfect hors d’oeuvre.

Buon Appetito!

Here are some tips and tricks about prosciutto that I learn over the time and through my experience working with it over the years. I decided to share these with you, as before I came into the business, I would ask myself these questions everytime I find myself in front of a deli counter.

1. How to store prosciutto?

• If the prosciutto is sliced, keep it in the coldest part of the fridge (usually in the bottom), make sure it’s well wrapped/air tight (preferably in plastic) so the edges do not dry.
• For a full piece (not sliced) you can either refrigerate it in fridge or in the freezer. Always make sure the piece is well wrapped to avoid mould in fride or freezer burn.