prosciutto Archives - Very EATalian

Pink Winter Salad with Radicchio, Prosciutto, Pink Lady Apple, Asiago Cheese & Roasted Pine nuts

March 6, 2020 By very EATalian Leave a Comment

We’re approaching the end of winter, we’re still in Italy, and today the mountains look more beautiful than ever, covered with a layer of fresh snow. I don’t think I’m ready to put away my beloved yellow wool sweater and my favorite leopard-print scarf…but I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the days get longer and the flowers and leaves come out again. Olivia and I planted a few wild flower seeds and they sprouted just few days ago. She is all into it, checking on her little “piantine” every day. I’m hoping we’ll be here when they turn into full blown flowers (unless we manage to kill them first!). Either way, it’s a wonderful way to learn how to take care of a living thing!

This might be our last month in Italy. SIGH. I’m really trying to savor every moment we have left here, but I’m a bit worried about Olivia’s transition back to the States. She’s been showered with love by the whole family during these past months and she’s got so much going on for her here: a huge yard, pets, chickens, an orchard, the view of the mountains, cousins to play with, a great school and a loving teacher, awesome chocolate gelato and pastry shops everywhere, and so much to explore! It’s really a perfect place for her to thrive in. The idea of starting all over again and the prospect of moving twice (first in a temporary furnished apartment, and then finally into a house) aren’t very appealing.

Stability, one day I will find you, I promise. Meanwhile, in an effort to feel a little less anxious about this transition, I started:

Planning Olivia’s future room. It gave me something to look forward to and the biggest inspiration came from Anna’s IG account @Zenos_room — please do check it out because Anna was able to outfit her son’s room all by herself, with amazing taste! #playroomgoals.
Using more color both during our activities (watercolor, homemade playdough, rainbow rice, etc), and while I cook (Pink Chocolate-dipped Cookies, anyone?). I even bought for the first time ever some edible flowers! Color can really soothe your soul.

You can finally CUE IN my Pink Winter Salad. You may call it my signature mood-booster salad. I promise it works for worried mothers like me, who need a little pink in their daily life. LOL.

A few good reasons to make it:

It’s oh-so-pretty and chic with its ton-sur-ton hues.
It’s a delicious combination of amazing ingredients: pink radicchio, San Daniele prosciutto, Pink Lady apple, Asiago cheese & roasted pine nuts.
It’s light and texturally satisfying.
It’s also super easy to make!
It’s definitely trendy (Have you seen Lady Gaga’s insanely gorgeous pink hair lately?).
Last but not least, it makes you FEEL GOOD.

Just one last note, before I leave you to the recipe. To make this salad I used a particular kind of pink radicchio, called Rosa Del Veneto. If you can’t find it, the more classic red radicchio will work. Remember, you can still get pink from prosciutto & the apple. 😉

I hope this Pink Winter Salad can brighten your day, too. If you make it, please share your photos and tag me with #veryeatalian. Grazie!!

PINK WINTER SALAD WITH RADICCHIO, PROSCIUTTO, PINK LADY APPLE, ASIAGO CHEESE & ROASTED PINE NUTS

Course Salad

Servings 4

Author Very EATalian

Ingredients

1 head Radicchio (Rosa del Veneto Pink Radicchio, or Red Radicchio), torn into bite-size pieces
1 Pink lady apple sliced thinly
1 or 2 thick slices of Prosciutto (better if San Daniele Prosciutto)
a few slices of Asiago Cheese cut into smaller pieces
a handful of Pine nuts roasted
a drizzle of Balsamic vinegar
a drizzle of Extra-virgin Olive Oil
Salt
freshly ground Black Pepper
gourmet seed crackers (optional)

Instructions

COMBINE the first five ingredients in a bowl.
WHISK together the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl, until the dressing is fully emulsified. Pour on the salad and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve with seed crackers, if you like, and enjoy!

Prosciutto and Burrata Cheese Crostini

June 8, 2015 By very EATalian 3 Comments

Hey guys–I’m back! Moving overseas is NO JOKE. I’ve done it before but this time was definitely more …”intense”. We had to deal with lots of sorting, tossing, packing, cleaning all kinds of stuff and arranging all the details to make this move happen — in a VERY short time. Thankfully, I survived all the craziness and I can formally announce I’m writing you from my favorite place in the world: ITALY. Oh yeah. I wish I could tell you I’m nothing but happy to be here in my homeland, but the truth is a big part of me is sad. It will be a loooong time apart from my husband. *big tear*

OK. Switching back to happier thoughts… how about I give you an easy and quick recipe? What if it was an appetizer that could also become a light dinner? The magic word is CROSTINI! The ones you see in the pictures are very fresh and quite satisfying. I LOVE dining off appetizers–they’re more fun to eat than a regular meal and they’re SO easy to prepare. You’ll only need 5 main ingredients, one non-stick pan and 15-20 minutes of your time.

You already know how much I love prosciutto crudo, but I don’t think I’ve ever told you how much I love burrata cheese. Oh my. It’s creamy cheesy goodness. You absolutely need to try it. Burrata is simply a shell of mozzarella holding a soft, buttery heart of fresh cream, mixed with soft stringy flecks of curd (scraps of mozzarella bits, also called rags). It’s just plain delicious.

The ingredient sequence to prepare these crostini is as follows:

toasted bread + burrata + prosciutto (from San Daniele!!) + seared cherry tomato + basil + balsamic glaze.

How simple is that?? Little effort for a delicious and quick dinner. I love that.

Prosciutto and Burrata Cheese Crostini

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

20 mins

Recipe type: Appetizer

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

a small ciabatta baguette (about 5 oz)
8 oz burrata cheese, sliced
2-3 oz (about 4-5 slices) San Daniele prosciutto
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
12 basil leaves
balsamic glaze
extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt

Instructions

Slice ciabatta baguette into 12 slices. Drizzle each slice with extra-virgin olive oil.
Place slices of bread on non-stick pan, over medium-high heat. Toast them on both sides until they reach a golden brown color (don't lose sight of them or they'll burn).
In the same skillet, add another bit of oil over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add tomatoes halves cut-side down and sear them for 1 minute, briefly turning them. Sprinkle some salt on top and remove from the heat before they get too soft, placing them on a separate small dish.
Break prosciutto with your hands, in smaller pieces.
Assemble crostini: place a slice of burrata on each crostino, add a piece of prosciutto as a second layer; top with a cherry tomato and a basil leaf.
Drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve.

Tagliolini with Prosciutto di San Daniele

March 22, 2015 By very EATalian Leave a Comment

One way to make my husband really, REALLY happy is to prepare this pasta dish for him. He adores prosciutto di San Daniele and I’m pretty sure my family’s love and massive consumption of this amazing cured meat rubbed off on him. Since I can remember, we’ve always kept a whole prosciutto in our basement fridge and, when needed, we simply pulled it out and sliced it up. The standard way to receive guests has always been to serve a huge platter of freshly sliced prosciutto, with some bread sticks and a glass of Prosecco or Friulano wine. What’s called prosciutto here is actually called “prosciutto crudo” in Italy. It’s a genuine, high-quality and dry-cured meat, simply made of Italian pork and sea salt. Unlike many other cold cuts, you won’t find any other ingredients such as nitrates, water or sugar on the prosciutto label. This wonderful pasta recipe calls for Prosciutto di San Daniele. Although Parma ham is probably more available here in the States, I highly encourage you to go out of your way and find San Daniele instead. There’s also no other prosciutto that combines salty and sweet in the amazing way that San Daniele does. It just melts in your mouth. Make sure you ask for paper-thin, but not shredded slices! Maybe if you’re lucky, the person working the slicer will offer you a free sample as they get the thickness right. It happened to us at Whole Foods and I clumsily dropped half of the slice as my husband handed it to me. I nearly cried.

TAGLIOLINI WITH PROSCIUTTO SAN DANIELE
Servings: 2 generous portions | Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 4-5 min

INGREDIENTS
200 g (7 oz) tagliolini (or taglierini) egg pasta
one 1/8 inch-thick slice (about 100 g–a little less than 1/4 lb) of Prosciutto di San Daniele, coarsely minced
2 paper-thin slices Prosciutto di San Daniele to lay on top
20 g (1 1/2 Tbsp) butter
100 ml (1 scant half cup) heavy cream poppy seeds (optional)
chives to garnish

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Heat butter in a pan, add minced prosciutto and let it saute for 1-2 minutes, until it changes color. Add heavy cream, stir and remove from heat.
3. Add tagliolini in boiling water and cook until al dente, for 3-4 minutes. [If the pasta is homemade, cooking time may vary based on how thin you rolled it; if the pasta is store-bought, follow the cooking instructions on the package. The best way is to always test-taste it before draining it.]
4. Drain the tagliolini and pour them in the pan with the sauce. Stir and let it saute for few more minutes, until sauce is partially absorbed.
5. Serve tagliolini on a plate and sprinkle some poppy seeds on top. Arrange a thin slice of prosciutto on top and garnish with chives.

Buon appetito!

-Lisa