Close your eyes and picture this: The sun is setting. The air is balmy and you’re sharing a laugh with friends. Aperitivo hour is ending, and it’s time to get dinner on the table. But who needs to cook? Not you, of course. After all, one of the most popular Italian appetizers only requires 5 ingredients and 5 minutes (or less) to prepare. A Prosciutto and melon salad, so to speak, drizzled with premium olive oil and a sprinkling of fresh basil leaves. The saltiness of Prosciutto di Parma and the sweetness of cantaloupe melon is the ultimate marriage of complementary flavours.
Keep thinly-sliced Prosciutto di Parma on hand, as well as fresh basil. To make sure your cantaloupe, look at the colour of the rind – it should be a golden colour – and test it by adding a bit of pressure. The texture should feel slightly soft, not mushy. The best way to make sure your melon is ripe? Smell it – it should have a musky, sweet aroma.
Prosciutto and Melon Appetizer
Ingredients
- 1 ripe cantaloupe
- 200 g thinly sliced prosciutto
- handful basil leaves
- olive oil
- freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Halve cantaloupe and scoop out seeds; remove rind. Cut each half into eight half-moon slices.
- Arrange melon on platter and drape with prosciutto. Top with basil, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with pepper.
