Melons are in their peak season right now, inexpensive, plentiful, and full of sweet promise. The cantaloupes I’ve lugged home for the last two weeks have been wondrous—intensely floral, sugar-sweet juice bombs that are an easy way to flex some Italian muscle. Italians have a particular fondness for cantaloupe and its cousins. A large platter of fragrant, sliced melone is a popular and refreshing end to a meal in just about every region. In Lombardia or Emilia Romagna it may be garnished with a grind of aromatic nutmeg or a dribble of aceto balsamico; in Rome, it might receive a shower of fresh mint, and in Sicily, a sprinkle of sea salt. The classic pairing before dinner is prosciutto...
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