Hellooo, hall of prosciutto. [Photograph: Sara Rosso] Sara Rosso of Ms. Adventures in Italy recently toured a prosciuttificio (prosciutto-making establishment) during the Festival del Prosciutto di Parma currently taking place in and around Parma, Italy. She's writing a serious of posts (accompanied by beautiful photos) in her blog to give readers a glimpse into the prosciutto-making process, the first one being about the preliminary salting process. Related Photo of the Day: Army of Orecchiette Photo of the Day: Italian Gelato in a Brioche Coffee Crack, an Espresso Drink in Italy...
Continue reading »
"There are a number of seriously delicious artisanal hams being made all over this pig-happy country of ours." That is the porcine question of the day. It all started with Italian prosciutto di Parma, progressed to Serrano ham from Spain, and then of course moved to the ne plus ultra of European ham, the black-footed (patenegra in Spanish), called Jamon Iberico. But now American artisanal ham makers are getting in on the act. Herb and Kathy Eckhouse started making extraordinary La Quercia prosciutto in Des Moines, Iowa. How extraordinary? Italian chefs in America who worship at the feet of Parma ham like Mario Batali started taking notice. Now third generation curemaster Sam Edwards working with Heritage Foods USA and Newman...
Continue reading »
Sky Full of Bacon's Michael Gebert posted this video of his visit to La Quercia in late May, but we haven't blogged it yet, and like all his videos, it's definitely worth watching. Says Gebert: Iowa fills the supermarkets with generic produce and meat... but a few people are trying to show that it can be capable of world-class cuisine, too. That's the mission of La Quercia, whose prosciutto made in a suburb of Des Moines has been raved about by top chefs and food writers. The video, after the jump....
Continue reading »
Ah, prosciutto di Parma, prosciutto di San Daniele, and prosciutto di Carpegna: three hams from three places, each with its distinct flavor and yet similar technique. In each locale, the hams are salted for 30 to 45 days and then hung in the vaulted rooms and halls to cure for as little as 400 days and as much as 3 years to achieve the delicate balance of pure porcine pleasure and the fragrance of the wind and the dew of the specific geography. I have always found the sweetest hams to come from Friuli, (prosciutto di San Daniele), where I think that the cooler climate allows them the use of a little less salt (in fact, the only ingredient other...
Continue reading »
In this week's Eat for Victory in the Village Voice, Jonathan Gold outlines in mouthwatering detail his last meal, which features a whole prosciutto roasted and rubbed with spices at Hostaria Costachiara in Tuscany. It has me thinking about hopping the next cheap flight to Florence, which probably won't be until September....
Continue reading »
