There’s prosciutto – and then there’s Carpegna.
Carpegna prosciutto is now available in Australia and it’s delicious! To celebrate, we’re looking at a few ways you can use it to spice up your dishes.
About Carpegna
A handful of top chefs around the world have been quietly working with this prestige prosciutto for quite some time now – but soon their closely guarded secret will be out. Carpegna, home of the prosciutto, is a small village in central north Italy, in territory which stretches between Emilia
Romagna, the Marche and Tuscany, where its production dates back to the 1400s.
Carpegna prosciutto is aged for around 20 months, tended to and tested by hand to ensure the highest quality. Created from a special blend of lard, salt and secret spices, and informed by the micro-climate of the Italian mountains, the result is a distinctive, delicate meat which is full of flavour. Here’s three ways you could give it a try:
Quick and easy crostini
For a great snack or entree, place a slice of Carpegna prosciutto and a little rocket on a crostini. This allows that delicate flavour to shine against the bitter rocket, which is what I loved most about this dish. You could also add a little chilli honey for a pop of sweetness to help balance out the flavours further.
Strawberry and Prosciutto salad
I wanted to recreate those fresh, fruity salads that are so abundant in Italy, but with something in season in Australia. I settled on strawberries as right now they’re perfect, and they’re a fruit I love adding to salads for their pop of colour and fresh taste. I paired them with mixed leaves, going heavier on the bitter leaves such as rocket and radacchio to help counterbalance the strawberry. I topped this with some torn mozzarella, a drizzle of olive oil and of course plenty of prosciutto for a delicious summery salad. I loved the subtle saltiness the meat added to this dish.
Prosciutto Carbonara
I love a good homemade Carbonara, and prosciutto is perfect for this as it crisps up nicely and has such a lot of flavour that blends through this otherwise simple dish. To make the carbonara sauce, I use 3 eggs whisked well, 75g grated parmesan and black pepper for 2-3 serves.
Chop and fry the meat, cook the pasta (I like a long pasta such as fettucine), drain the pasta and stir in the sauce and the meat. The trick to making sure it works is to ensure you sauce is well mixed, the pan is off the heat, and to work quickly! I add a little extra cheese and pepper on the top, but you don’t need much else as the flavour of the meat will carry this one.
If these have got your taste buds tingling, head to selected independent and Woolworths supermarkets to pick up your own Carpegna prosciutto (look for the yellow packet!).