Thread: Fried Prosciutto

Mark Thorson <nos...@sonic.net> wrote:
>
> So I was surprised when I saw something very
> interesting. *One of their people made a BLT
> sandwich, but substituted fried prosciutto for
> the bacon. *I'd never thought of frying prosciutto
> before. *It sure looked good on TV.

I think I've seen it on Iron Chef America and Good
Eats. I've fried prosciutto and loved it.

> At Trader Joe's, I bought a package of a cheap
> prosciutto (Stockmeyer's, from Germany). *I've
> eaten this prosciutto often, and while not the
> best, it's a very good value. *You get a lot
> for your money.

Every once in a while Costco carries a Canadian
prosciutto that are sized like quarter hams. Very
good. One thing I learned is slice them as soon as
I buy them - I froze one whole and it wasn't easy to
come up with a recipe that could handle a giant
piece of cured ham like that.

"Mark Thorson" wrote:
>
> One of the biggests wastes of TV is Martha Stewart's
> Everyday Food show. It's always the most mundane
> stuff, like Sloppy Joes, lettuce and tomato salad
> with dressing, sugar cookies, etc. It's not like
> Lidia Bastianich or Jacques Pepin where I'm being
> shown stuff I've never done or don't know how to do.
> If there's nothing else food-related on TV, I'll
> turn on Everyday Food while doing something else.
>
> So I was surprised when I saw something very
> interesting. One of their people made a BLT
> sandwich, but substituted fried prosciutto for
> the bacon. I'd never thought of frying prosciutto
> before.

Very culinarilly ignorant... cooking prosciutto ruins it, frying destroys
it. And prosciutto is not smoked so it can't work for a BLT. Prosciutto is
all about texture and visual/presentation, it has no distinguishing flavor
of it's own, it takes on the flavor of whatever it's paired, prosciutto is
the dago tofu of ham. Perhaps

prosciutto
[proh-SHOO-toh]
The Italian word for "ham," prosciutto is a term broadly used to describe a
ham that has been seasoned, salt-cured (but not smoked) and air-dried. The
meat is pressed, which produces a firm, dense texture. Italy's Parma ham is
the true prosciutto, although others are also now made in the United States.
Italian prosciuttos are designated prosciutto cotto, which is cooked, and
prosciutto crudo, which is raw (though, because of its curing, ready to
eat). This type of Italian ham is also labeled according to its city or
region of origin, for example prosciutto di Parma and prosciutto di San
Daniele. Prosciutto is available in gourmet and Italian markets and some
supermarkets. It's usually sold in transparently thin slices. Prosciutto is
best eaten as is and is a classic first course when served with melon or
figs. It can also be added at the last minute to cooked foods such as pastas
or vegetables. Prolonged cooking will toughen it.

Perhaps pancetta will work for a BLT, cooking won't destroy it, however it's
not smoked either... only American style bacon will work for a BLT.

pancetta
[pan-CHEH-tuh]
An Italian bacon that is cured with salt and spices but not smoked.
Flavorful, slightly salty pancetta comes in a sausagelike roll. It's used in
Italian cooking to flavor sauces, pasta dishes, forcemeats, vegetables and
meats. Pancetta can be tightly wrapped and refrigerated for up to 3 weeks,
or frozen up to 6 months.



© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

Mark Thorson wrote:
> One of the biggests wastes of TV is Martha Stewart's
> Everyday Food show. It's always the most mundane
> stuff, like Sloppy Joes, lettuce and tomato salad
> with dressing, sugar cookies, etc. It's not like
> Lidia Bastianich or Jacques Pepin where I'm being
> shown stuff I've never done or don't know how to do.
> If there's nothing else food-related on TV, I'll
> turn on Everyday Food while doing something else.

Maybe, but have you considered the population that think you need
"sloppy joe mix"? If it gives anyone a start it isn't so bad.

>
> So I was surprised when I saw something very
> interesting. One of their people made a BLT
> sandwich, but substituted fried prosciutto for
> the bacon. I'd never thought of frying prosciutto
> before. It sure looked good on TV.
>
> At Trader Joe's, I bought a package of a cheap
> prosciutto (Stockmeyer's, from Germany). I've
> eaten this prosciutto often, and while not the
> best, it's a very good value. You get a lot
> for your money.
>
> I fried two batches, one on moderate-low and
> another on moderate. They were okay, but not
> really exciting. I saved the rest of the
> prosciutto to eat in the usual way.
>
> However, something unexpected developed later
> in the day. I noticed an unpleasant odor.
> At first, I couldn't say what it was. I was
> thinking it might be dead animal, but it didn't
> really smell like a dead animal.
>
> Then, I hit on what it really smelled like.
> It smelled exactly like fried fish. The last
> fish I made was in soup a few days earlier,
> but fish soup never stinks up the kitchen.
> It's probably been 10 or 15 years since I
> fried a fish.
>
> Bingo! I know what it is. It's the prosciutto.
> That must be why Stockmeyer's is so cheap.
> They must be feeding fish waste (heads, tails,
> etc.) to the pigs. I've never noticed a fishy
> flavor in their prosciutto when eaten fresh
> out of the package. But frying it released
> these odors.
>
> That's not to say there's anything wrong with
> feeding fish waste to pigs. It might even be
> healthful because of the omega-3 fatty acids.
> And I've never noticed any off-flavors in the
> prosciutto. Still, it came as a surprise that
> such a strong and unpleasant odor would be
> released.

On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:04:25 -0700, Mark Thorson wrote:

> So I was surprised when I saw something very
> interesting. One of their people made a BLT
> sandwich, but substituted fried prosciutto for
> the bacon. I'd never thought of frying prosciutto
> before. It sure looked good on TV.

Proscuitto wrapped around asparagus and sautéed in a little EVOO.
It really concentrates the salt, though.

> Bingo! I know what it is. It's the prosciutto.
> That must be why Stockmeyer's is so cheap.
> They must be feeding fish waste (heads, tails,
> etc.) to the pigs. I've never noticed a fishy
> flavor in their prosciutto when eaten fresh
> out of the package. But frying it released
> these odors.

I've heard about the practice before, but this is all I can find on
the subject right now. Please forgive me that it's from an
Australian newspaper.

-sw

On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:09:40 -0500, Sqwertz wrote:

> I've heard about the practice before, but this is all I can find on
> the subject right now. Please forgive me that it's from an
> Australian newspaper.

[http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news.../1342227.aspx]

ObFood: I'm downloading Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Remember the
opening scene? (I think I do).

-sw

On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:04:25 -0700, Mark Thorson <[email protected]>
fired up random neurons and synapses to opine:

>One of the biggests wastes of TV is Martha Stewart's
>Everyday Food show.

<snippidy>

I've never been a fan of MS, esp. her cooking. When she first
published _Entertaining_ years and years ago, my SIL gave me a copy
and I tried maybe a dozen recipes before I decided the woman is long
on appearance and short on edibility. More than one dish had me
scratching my head wondering if she'd actually *tried* the recipe or
just thought it *read* well and would look pretty. One that I recall -
and, mind you, I was a fairly inexperienced cook at the time - was an
appetizer of cherry tomatoes with the pulp scooped out and replaced
with a cream cheese mixture, topped with red or black caviar. Tasted
awful and, after about 15 mins., looked worse, as the caviar bled into
the cream cheese. My then-four-year-old daughter said they looked like
"monster eyeballs."

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

--

"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret had been as
old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had been as full as the
waitress's, it would have been a very good dinner."

- Duncan Hines

To reply, replace "meatloaf" with "cox"

On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:13:52 -0700, Terry Pulliam Burd
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:04:25 -0700, Mark Thorson <[email protected]>
>fired up random neurons and synapses to opine:
>
>>One of the biggests wastes of TV is Martha Stewart's
>>Everyday Food show.
>
><snippidy>
>
>I've never been a fan of MS, esp. her cooking. When she first
>published _Entertaining_ years and years ago, my SIL gave me a copy
>and I tried maybe a dozen recipes before I decided the woman is long
>on appearance and short on edibility. More than one dish had me
>scratching my head wondering if she'd actually *tried* the recipe or
>just thought it *read* well and would look pretty. One that I recall -
>and, mind you, I was a fairly inexperienced cook at the time - was an
>appetizer of cherry tomatoes with the pulp scooped out and replaced
>with a cream cheese mixture, topped with red or black caviar. Tasted
>awful and, after about 15 mins., looked worse, as the caviar bled into
>the cream cheese. My then-four-year-old daughter said they looked like
>"monster eyeballs."

Martha Stewart and her recipes are totally useless. I have a friend
who runs an upscale nail salon. I stopped in and witnessed a Martha
bash. They all liked looking at the pictures but not one of the dozen
women would ever use any of her recipes ever again. The consensus was
"they never work."

Emeril gets bashed here big time but at least his recipes produce
edible food for the everyday cook. I've learned enough over the years
that I use recipes mainly for inspiration. I find nothing inspiring
about MS recipes.

Lou

Lou wrote:

> Martha Stewart and her recipes are totally useless. I have a friend
> who runs an upscale nail salon. I stopped in and witnessed a Martha
> bash. They all liked looking at the pictures but not one of the dozen
> women would ever use any of her recipes ever again. The consensus was
> "they never work."

I use her recipe for turkey gravy; it's always worked perfectly for me.

Bob

On Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:04:32 -0500, Lou Decruss
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I have a friend
>who runs an upscale nail salon. I stopped in and witnessed a Martha
>bash. They all liked looking at the pictures but not one of the dozen
>women would ever use any of her recipes ever again. The consensus was
>"they never work."

I can't say I've actually tried a "Martha" recipe, but they've
certainly inspired me. I think that's the general idea.... prod
readers to do something, anything - just do it! I can't fault "them"
for that concept.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"Mark Thorson" ha scritto nel messaggio


> At Trader Joe's, I bought a package of a cheap
> prosciutto (Stockmeyer's, from Germany). I've
> eaten this prosciutto often, and while not the
> best, it's a very good value. You get a lot
> for your money.

You get crap for your money. Don't fry prosciutto crudo. The only reason
to ever do that is to flavor some oil you will use to make something. There
is nothing in the nature of prosciutto crudo that lends itself to frying.
It turns boardy and fibrous if cooked in oil and turns back to pork if
boiled.

Each proscoitto crudo from various regions has its own flavor. My favorites
are San Daniele from Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Parma from you know where.
They are less salty. Anyone who thinks prosciutto crudo needs to be cooked
should stop cooking-- including Martha-- and anyone who thinks it has no
distinctive flavor of its own has just signed his own certificate of TIAD.

"Terry Pulliam Burd"ha scritto nel messaggio
One that I recall -> and, mind you, I was a fairly inexperienced cook at the
time - was an
> appetizer of cherry tomatoes with the pulp scooped out and replaced with a
> cream cheese mixture, topped with red or black caviar. Tasted> awful and,
> after about 15 mins., looked worse, as the caviar bled into> the cream
> cheese. My then-four-year-old daughter said they looked like> "monster
> eyeballs."
>
> Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

I like your kid.

On Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:10:44 +0200, "Giusi" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Anyone who thinks prosciutto crudo needs to be cooked
>should stop cooking-- including Martha-- and anyone who thinks it has no
>distinctive flavor of its own has just signed his own certificate of TIAD.

OMG... where does that put those of us who have never heard of it?

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"sf" ha scritto nel messaggio >
"Giusi" > wrote:
>
>>Anyone who thinks prosciutto crudo needs to be cooked >>should stop
>>cooking-- including Martha-- and anyone who thinks it has no >>distinctive
>>flavor of its own has just signed his own certificate of TIAD.
>
> OMG... where does that put those of us who have never heard of it?

On parole until you figure out that what you call prosciutto is actually
prosciutto crudo. Prosciutto cotto is what one calls ham in the US. Now ya
gottit? I wish I had some at the moment.

brooklyn1 wrote:

> Very culinarilly ignorant... cooking prosciutto ruins it, frying
> destroys it. And prosciutto is not smoked so it can't work for a
> BLT. Prosciutto is all about texture and visual/presentation, it has
> no distinguishing flavor of it's own, it takes on the flavor of
> whatever it's paired, prosciutto is the dago tofu of ham. Perhaps

Instead of buying crap-ham and then whine, fork out the money for a good
one. You're right, anyway, about frying prosciutto: it's nonsense, ruins it
and makes it way too salty.
--
Vilco
Mai guardare Trailer park Boys senza
qualcosa da bere a portata di mano

Giusi <[email protected]> wrote:

> Each proscoitto crudo from various regions has its own flavor. My favorites
> are San Daniele from Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Parma from you know where.
> They are less salty.

Ever tried culatello (di Zibello)? It can be sublime (and mighty
expensive). See
<http://www.consorziodelculatellodizibello.it/ita/consorzio.html>

Victor

"Twilly Turkey" wrote:
> Lou wrote:
>
>> Martha Stewart and her recipes are totally useless. I have a friend
>> who runs an upscale nail salon. I stopped in and witnessed a Martha
>> bash. They all liked looking at the pictures but not one of the dozen
>> women would ever use any of her recipes ever again. The consensus was
>> "they never work."
>
> I use her recipe for turkey gravy; it's always worked perfectly for me.
>
> Boob
>

What would one expect, you're a turkey! LOL

On Jul 23, 5:51*pm, George <geo...@nospam.invalid> wrote:
> Mark Thorson wrote:
> > One of the biggests wastes of TV is Martha Stewart's
> > Everyday Food show. *It's always the most mundane
> > stuff, like Sloppy Joes, lettuce and tomato salad
> > with dressing, sugar cookies, etc. *It's not like
> > Lidia Bastianich or Jacques Pepin where I'm being
> > shown stuff I've never done or don't know how to do.
> > If there's nothing else food-related on TV, I'll
> > turn on Everyday Food while doing something else.
>
> Maybe, but have you considered the population that think you need
> "sloppy joe mix"? If it gives anyone a start it isn't so bad.
>

A friend of mine taught an nightschool "intro to cooking" course at
community college and started with how to crack an egg.

John Kane, Kingston ON Canada

"ViLco" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:Pwgam.42369$[email protected]..
> brooklyn1 wrote:
>
>> Very culinarilly ignorant... cooking prosciutto ruins it, frying
>> destroys it. And prosciutto is not smoked so it can't work for a
>> BLT. Prosciutto is all about texture and visual/presentation, it has
>> no distinguishing flavor of it's own, it takes on the flavor of
>> whatever it's paired, prosciutto is the dago tofu of ham.
>
> Instead of buying crap-ham and then whine, fork out the money for a good
> one.

I do buy good ham, but I don't buy prosciutto, I don't like it and it's
certainly not worth the big bucks. I'm not a big fan of cured ham anyway,
for my money cured ham is a waste of fresh ham... it came about because
folks had a glut of pork but had no refrigeration, and was far less labor
intensive than preparing fermented sausage. When I'm in the mood for cured
meat I'd much rather something that also tastes good, like a fine Genoa
salami, a sopressata, a mortadella, even a good tube steak is a better
choice than prosciutto, at least tube steak is smoked... I'd much rather
spend $7/lb on quality natural casing tube steak then $20/lb on prosciutto
that's really just a form of decorative salt and fat. Italy is noted for
some fine cured meats but prosciutto is not one. I spend a lot of money on
quality cold cuts but cured ham is not one of my favorites, and I don't buy
prosciutto... I think Spam is a much better choice, it's tastier, makes a
good sandwich, can be cooked, and used in many recipes... prosciutto is
really like wrapping paper, makes simple foods look nice, and adds calories
is all.

> You're right, anyway, about frying prosciutto: it's nonsense, ruins it and
> makes it way too salty.
>
>
I don't care that proscuittos have pedigrees and fancy schmancy labels and
packaging, they are all no more tasty than chewing salt pork. I've been to
affairs where proscuito is served wrapped around melon and asparagus, I peel
it off and leave it behind... to me it's as an inedible garnish as the wax
on cheese. Uncooked bacon is a better choice, at least it's smoked, and
slab bacon can be sliced just as thin

Lou Decruss wrote:

> Stewart and her recipes are totally useless. I have a friend
> who runs an upscale nail salon. I stopped in and witnessed a Martha
> bash. They all liked looking at the pictures but not one of the dozen
> women would ever use any of her recipes ever again. The consensus was
> "they never work."
>
> Emeril gets bashed here big time but at least his recipes produce
> edible food for the everyday cook. I've learned enough over the years
> that I use recipes mainly for inspiration. I find nothing inspiring
> about MS recipes.

Martha bashing has become de riguer, or seems to me anyway. Having said
that, I do have one of her cookbooks and in its case, at least, Lou's
first sentence is spot on. It's one I'm going to give away, maybe
someone else can find something redeeming and/or useful in it.

I've watched a few episodes of Everyday Cooking and find it to be useful
at times. And there are many folks, myself included at times, who need
the KISS of shows like this. What's the harm? I'd far rather watch EC
than most anything on Food Network.

TammyM