Cantaloupe, prosciutto mashup is bright and delicious
The sweet and juicy melon balances the saltiness of the dry-cured ham in a simple and refreshing, two-ingredient appetizer. It’s a popular antipasto in Italy, where prosciutto originated.
This bright and dramatic-looking salad builds off of that base. It comes from the new “Deliciously Dairy Free” cookbook by Lesley Waters and features rind-on wedges of melon and ribbons of paper-thin prosciutto.
Cantaloupe, with its aromatic flesh, is the star; it’s the largest ingredient in the colorful mélange. High in vitamins A and C, the musky melon is also low in calories.
French Charentais melons are similarly sweet but less musky and could also be used in this recipe, which possesses a delightful deconstructed quality and diversity of textures and flavors.
There’s so much more to this salad than the beautiful simplicity of traditional, prosciutto-wrapped melon. Still, the additional ingredients stick with the theme: uncomplicated, and both savory and sweet.
Arugula’s earthy spiciness offsets the savory slices of meat and tropical, floral notes of the fruit. The dish is rounded out by the crunch of toasted pine nuts and sweet char of orange bell pepper. A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar (I used a syrupy black walnut-infused variety) provides a hint of richness and zing. Freshly cracked black pepper plays off of the spiciness of the arugula and adds a bit of a bite. (But that might just be me; I do like a lot of pepper.)
The presentation is a little chaotic and quite striking. There’s certain chunkiness to it. The boxy bell peppers and crescent moons of melon are weighty anchors in a sea of delicate leaves, arranged on a large board or tray like some abstract painting.
I suppose you could scoop the cantaloupe into little melon balls, but the effect would certainly be less dramatic.
Though messy-looking, the dish also appears somehow refined. It’s a lovely first course to a long and lazy Sunday brunch with friends, which is the way I served it – after all, it comes from the book’s “Weekend Delights” chapter. It would also make a light but flavorful starter to an end-of-summer al fresco dinner.
The first time I made it, I followed the instructions. But then I thought: Why not add even more textures and flavors? I experimented, including avocado and roast figs and peaches. It was delicious.
It also had me dreaming of cheese. I realize this goes against the premise of the book, but next time, I might add some chevre, shaved Parmesan, feta, fresh mozzarella or burrata.
Serve the cheese on the side for your dairy-free friends or family members. Let guests sprinkle or schmear if they so choose.
It might also be fun to experiment with different melons: honeydew, galia, yellow watermelon.
Meantime, when choosing cantaloupe, select firm fruit whose rough, almost pumice-stone-like skin, exhibits a little bit of give. Stay away from the squishy ones, which are most likely overripe.
Melon, Ham and Pine Nut Salad
From “Deliciously Dairy Free” by Lesley Waters
3 large orange bell peppers, halved, cored and seeded
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small cantaloupe or Charentais melon
12 1/2 cups arugula leaves
Slices of air-cured ham
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 tablespoon good-quality balsamic vinegar
Pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the peppers in a roasting pan and drizzle over 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set to one side to cool.
Cut the melon in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut each half into 4 wedges.
Arrange the melon on a large board and season with pepper. Trickle over remaining olive oil, then sprinkle with the arugula, roasted peppers, prosciutto and pine nuts. Finish with a generous grinding of black pepper and drizzle of the balsamic vinegar.
Yield: 4 servings
Note: Maybe my guests were saving room for the second course, but I found this recipe served 6 people with adequate portions.