Hand on heart, I’ve never seen so many hams in my life, even at a rugby international. Wall to wall and floor to ceiling, the curing rooms at Salumificio Viani were ham-packed. (Sorry.)
It’s a colossal investment – and yes, I did check whether they have back-up generators in case of a power cut.
I’ll write more about my visit to their production facility in a later post but suffice to say they are a family business in San Gimignano near Siena, making a vast range of meaty delicacies, of which the star of the show is denomination-controlled Prosciutto Toscano.
The family were kind enough to give me some to bring home from my recent press trip to Tuscany. This is one of the dishes I made … so quick, so easy and so very delicious.
Cod Wrapped in Prosciutto with Asparagus
Ingredients:
2 cod loins (thick fillets), skinned
2-3 tbs basil pesto
4-6 slices of prosciutto
About 300g asparagus, tough ends snapped off
1 tbsp olive oil (Tuscan, naturally)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.
Toss the asparagus with the oil and season with pepper and a little salt.
Lay two or three slices of prosciutto (depends how big they are) flat on a work surface, overlapping them slightly. Put a cod loin in the middle and spread its top with a tablespoon of pesto. Wrap the ham around the fish and repeat with the second cod loin. You don’t need to salt the fish as the ham will do the job for you.
Brush with a scrap of oil, place on top of the asparagus and roast in the oven for 15-18 minutes. The cod should be cooked but pearly and the asparagus tender-crisp. If the asparagus spears are very fat and aren’t done enough, remove the fish parcels and keep the warm and give the asparagus a few more minutes in the oven.
Then eat and enjoy. This is very good with baby new potatoes or simply some decent bread, perhaps ciabatta.
Our asparagus is just about enough to make this. Thanks for the inspiration!
You’re welcome, so pleased you like it. Lx
Oh yes………….
You sound like Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally. 😀 Thanks, Margaret, glad you like the look of it. Lx
Brilliant – and have not quite made it this way, but . . . ! Well, the olive oil will be Australian and the fish will be caught in Aussie waters and the prosciutto . . .guess you know . . . 🙂 Thanks for a very elegant dish . . .
Glad you like it, Eha. And of course we all work with the lovely, fresh ingredients we have to hand. All the best, Lx
Sounds delicious! I usually fold the cod in bacon instead, but with prosciutto I bet it’s heaven!
Thanks! We really enjoyed it.
oh wow this looks so delicious linda. yum yum! looks like a wonderful combo of flavours. cheers sherry
Thanks, Sherry! Much appreciated. Lx
Made this during the week – simple but very, very good. Thank you!
Simple but very, very good could be said to define me. 😀 Thanks, Penny, I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Lx