Description
A festive, delicious one-bite party appetizer made with arugula and prosciutto. Easy to throw together and a big crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 thin slices of good quality Italian prosciutto - approximately 4 ounces. (see notes below)
- 2 1/2 ounces of baby arugula (half a box)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (Grey Poupon is my favorite)
- 4 tablespoons good quality imported parmesan (such Parmigiano Reggiano), divided
- A pinch of salt
- A few grinds of black pepper
Optional Topping
- A few fresh basil leaves or un-dressed arugula leaves, finely chopped or slivered
- Additional black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper to make the dressing.
- In a large bowl, gently toss the arugula with the dressing. Add 3 tablespoons of the parmesan and toss gently.
- Slice a piece of prosciutto in half length-wise so you have two strips of prosciutto, each about 1 - 1 ½ inches wide by 4-6 inches long. Place a small bunch of arugula salad about an inch from the end of a prosciutto strip - the end closest to you, making sure that some of the leaves stick out about 3/4 of an inch on each side of the prosciutto. Fold the prosciutto - about an inch of it - over the arugula and press down on it to flatten the leaves. Then, using both hands, start rolling from the bottom (where the prosciutto was folded) and keep going, until you have a tight bundle of prosciutto wrapped arugula. Slice the bundle in half across the middle. Repeat with the rest of the prosciutto and arugula.
- Arrange the prosciutto arugula bundles on a platter. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of parmesan, additional black pepper, and chopped basil or arugula leaves, if desired, and serve.
Notes
How to choose the best Prosciutto for this recipe
- For best results in taste and texture, buy good quality imported Italian prosciutto such as Prosciutto de Parma, and look for the thinnest possible slices of prosciutto that can still be handled without tearing. In other words, don't buy prosciutto that is sliced paper thin because it will easily tear. But don't buy hard thick prosciutto that will be difficult to roll. Something in between, such as Citterio, is best.
- If you have access to a deli counter that will slice prosciutto for you, you'll want them to slice it so you get approximately 2 slices for every ounce of prosciutto. So If you're buying 4 ounces of prosciutto, ideally you'll have 8 slices of prosciutto.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: no cook
- Cuisine: Italian