Holy ham hocks – this American Tamworth prosciutto by La Quercia is delicious! I tasted four different prosciuttos from all over the world and La Quercia completely killed the competition! Seriously, the amount of richness and depth of flavor packed into an oh-so thin slice of La Quercia prosciutto, is just ridiculous. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about an American cured meat product. And no, I am NOT a spokesperson for the company, although maybe I should be, La Quercia is an interesting family run operation with exceptional animal welfare standards and a serious commitment to excellence in product – of which, there are many.

La Quercia American Tamworth Prosciutto with Plum & Pluot Salad

With a prosciutto this delicious, I recommend serving as-is with something complimentary that accentuates it’s natural nuanced nutty flavors without overpowering. I’ve opted for a refreshing summer salad of juicy pluots & plums with mildly bitter frisée & wild arugula, a few ethereal curls of shaved sweet fennel lightly dressed in a puckery red wine vinaigrette. Throw in a little torn mint and some chives plus a handful of toasted hazelnuts and some crumbled blue cheese, and you’ve got a beautiful complimentary summer salad.

What elevates this dish from just another ho-hum light dinner (besides the Prosciutto) is the dukkah spiced flatbread. Whaaat!?!?!? You’ve never heard of dukkah??!!!! Oh my GAWD! Okay, so you need to add this little nutty spice mix to your repertoire because it is great on so many dishes including chicken and fish. And yes, you can buy it in stores (Trader Joe’s carries it) although I think homemade is the best. Dukkah is an Egyptian spice blend of nuts (including hazelnut which really picks up the nuanced acorn flavor of the prosciutto) plus a bunch of toasted spices, a pinch of red chili flake for heat and dry mint which is like a subtle cool breeze to the tastebuds.

Prosciutto draped around plum and pluot Salad with dukkah Spiced Flatbread

This prosciutto find came my way when my Canadian bestie and foodie/chef friend, Ivan Shaw, treated me to a prosciutto tasting when visiting for Layla’s birthday. He of course had heard of La Quercia and I had not. But we were both surprised to see how it stood out against French and Italian products. The subtle acorn and delicate fennel really came through, especially in the fat, while the others were mostly one note.

Get out there and try some American prosciutto!

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Plum & Pluot Salad with La Quercia Prosciutto and Dukkah Spiced Flatbread

Ingredients

  • Prosciutto:
  • 3/4 - 1lb La Quercia American Tamsworth Prosciutto
  • Salad:
  • 1 Plum and 1 Pluot, sliced (pick what looks AWESOME!)
  • 1 head frisée lettuce, the inner chartreuse yellow leaves only
  • 3 cups (loose) or 1 small bag wild arugula
  • 1/2 fennel bulb, shaved thin (go buy a mandolin please)
  • A sprig of mint leaves, torn
  • 4-5 sprigs chives, chopped
  • Garnish with toasted hazelnuts and blue cheese crumbled
  • Salad Dressing:
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • Flatbread:
  • use any pizza dough recipe you like, or buy store-bought fresh dough.
  • Dukkah Spice Mix (you will have extra)
  • 1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted
  • 1/4 cup pistachios, toasted
  • 1/4 sesame seeds, toasted
  • 3 tablespoons coriander seeds, toasted
  • 3 tablespoons cumin seeds, toasted
  • 3 tablespoons fennel seeds, toasted
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon dry mint
  • A few pinches red pepper chili flakes

 

Dukkah Spice mix: Toast all ingredients lightly– lightly–don't burn! Then put all the spices in a Vitaprep and pulse a few times to finely grind. Next add nuts and sesame seeds and pulse only a few times. This is a rough spice mixture, not a finely ground nut butter, so seriously, just a few pulses okay? 

Roll out pizza dough like a pizza pie and bake at 425F until just about done. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle dukkah spice mix all over and bake for another two minutes. Cut flatbread into wedges and serve warm with salad. 

Salad Dressing: whisk olive oil in to the vinegar in steady stream to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reserve. 

Salad: Frisée can sometimes be sandy, hopefully yours is not – if it is, wash it well in cold water. I only use the inner chartreuse leaves because the outer ones tend to make me choke (like I've swallowed hair). Toss a 1/4 cup of the salad dressing with all the salad greens reserving the plums to dress separately because they will stain the salad pink. 

Presentation: drape La Quercia Prosciutto elegantly around a plate. Pile salad high in the center artfully placing plums and pluots all around. Garnish with crumbled blue cheese and toasted hazelnuts. Serve warm wedges of dukkah flatbread alongside