Use prosciutto and be reminded of summer

Many of us think of prosciutto as a store-bought ham strictly for summer meals. However, prosciutto is actually easy to make yourself and is a terrific ingredient for year-round cooking. Chefs Clark Fraiser and Mark Gaier, owners of Arrows restaurant in Ogunquit, Maine, were invited on the “Today” show to share tips on how to prepare this delicacy. Here are the recipes:

Curing Prosciutto
Commercial prosciutto makers use temperature- and humidity-controlled rooms to ensure consistency with every batch. You won't have that advantage at home, but here’s a way to approximate the perfect environment with an electric fan and a common light timer, available at any hardware or discount store. It's not strictly necessary, but it dries the ham faster and requires little attention once you've set it up.

1 fresh ham, about 15 pounds
1 cup brandy
1 box kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 head garlic, cut crosswise in half
1/4 cup freshly ground black pepper

Special equipment needed
A plastic tub larger than the ham, such as a restaurant bus tub or a large dish basin
A clean stainless-steel oven rack that fits over the tub and will support the ham.
3 square feet of cheesecloth
Kitchen string
Electric fan
Common light timer

Set the fresh ham on a large cutting board. At the widest part of the ham, where the meat is exposed, there is a small flat pelvic bone protruding. Using a sturdy boning knife, cut around this bone and remove it from the ball joint of the femur, directly underneath. Carefully sprinkle 1/2 cup of the brandy over the exposed meat, including the top pointy part of the ham, and massage it in thoroughly.

In a large bowl combine the salt and sugar. Position the rack on the tub and set the ham skin side down on the rack. Pack the salt mixture onto every place the meat is exposed, as opposed to the fat, completely covering the meat with salt. If some of the salt mixture is left, save it for later.

Once the ham is prepared, it is placed in a tub in a very cold, dry room, 38 to 42 degrees F: an unheated garage, porch, or attic in winter works well, as long as the ham is protected from animals. Check the ham each day for 3 days, repacking the salt mixture. This goes on for 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, clean the salt off of the ham and sprinkle it with the remaining 1/2 cup brandy and garlic. Cover the exposed meat with the pepper and wrap a double layer of cheesecloth around the ham. Hang the ham in a cold room. Position the fan to blow on the ham for about 6 hours a day. Check the ham once a week. After 6 months, the ham should have lost about half its original weight and be ready to eat.

New Zealand Cockles With Chinese Dark Wine and Prosciutto Sauce
This recipe is not a direct translation of any dish, but more an impression of the spicy and intense flavors of northern China. It's also a good way to use up the small ends of prosciutto hams (you can substitute good Virginia ham). It bears a resemblance to clam chowder, which traditionally includes bacon, but the black beans, dark wine, and soy sauce give this dish a heartier flavor.

The world can't seem to agree on what constitutes a cockle. In New England they are tiny sea snails picked from the rockweed at low tide, but in New Zealand cockles are buttery-tasting clams with very little sand and no neck. (They are one of the so-called Venus shells, a group of clams that includes the larger and more familiar quahog.) If you can't find New Zealand cockles, littlenecks or other small clams work well.

Makes 6 servings
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 ounces prosciutto
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped Chinese fermented black beans (available at Asian and specialty markets)
2 teaspoons chili paste (available at Asian and specialty markets)
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup Xiao Xing wine (available at Asian markets) or dark beer
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped gingerroot
3 pounds cockles or small clams (about 15 per person), scrubbed clean
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup tomato concasse
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 scallions, light and dark part, thinly sliced

In a large stainless-steel pot, warm the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the prosciutto, garlic, beans, and chili paste, and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, wine, soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

Increase the heat to high and return to a boil. Add the cockles, cover and cook, shaking the pot, until the cockles open, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cockles and divide them among 6 warm soup plates or bowls.

Whisk the butter into the sauce a tablespoon at a time. Stir in the tomato concasse and turn off the heat. Whisk in the sesame oil. Ladle the sauce on top of the cockles. Sprinkle with the scallions and serve at once.

Asparagus With Mizuna, Blood Orange Vinaigrette and Prosciutto
Makes 6 servings

5 blood oranges
Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 bunches (36 spears) large asparagus, tough ends trimmed
12 very thin slices prosciutto, preferably Parma or homemade
4 ounces mizuna or other field green (about 4 handfuls), washed and dried

Squeeze the juice of 3 of the blood oranges through a fine sieve into a medium stainless-steel saucepan. Use a peeler to remove the zest of 1 blood orange, avoiding the bitter white pith, and then finely chop the zest with a sharp knife. Add the zest to the juice and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Set aside to cool.

Section the remaining 2 oranges.

Combine 2 teaspoons salt and the pepper in a medium bowl. Add the reduced juice and the vinegar. Whisk in both olive oils and set the vinaigrette aside. The vinaigrette will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

In a large pot bring 2 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Fill a medium bowl halfway with ice water. Add the asparagus to the pot and cook for 30 seconds. Drain the asparagus in a colander, then immediately plunge it into the ice water. Allow the asparagus to chill completely, then remove from the water and wrap in a clean kitchen towel to dry.

Toss the asparagus in a bowl with half of the vinaigrette. Arrange 2 slices of prosciutto on each of the 6 chilled plates and place 6 asparagus spears on each plate. Toss the mizuna with the remaining vinaigrette and divide among the plates. Sprinkle the plates with orange sections. Serve at once.

Fennel Salad With Prosciutto
You can cook fennel many ways, but this is one of our favorites at Arrows. None of its powerful, anise-like flavor is lost, and it never has that mushy texture you sometimes get with other methods. Serve it as a first course, or for lunch with other salads.

Makes 6 servings
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large bulbs fennel
12 thin slices prosciutto, preferably Parma or homemade

In a medium bowl combine the lemon juice and zest, olive oil, and garlic; season with salt and pepper to taste. The vinaigrette will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Halve the fennel bulbs lengthwise and cut out the cores. Slice crosswise as thin as possible. Toss the fennel with the lemon vinaigrette to coat.

Arrange 2 slices prosciutto flat on each of 6 plates. Mound the salad on top and serve.

NOTES

• This dish can be garnished with lemon wedges and fennel tops if desired.
• A mandolin works well for slicing fennel.
• The prosciutto can be rolled into rosettes, if you prefer, and placed on top of the salad.

Persimmons With Prosciutto and Pomegranate Syrup
Makes 6 servings

18 thin slices prosciutto
2 large ripe persimmons
Seeds of 1 pomegranate
Pomegranate syrup
2 ounces rocket (arugula) or other green
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Arrange 3 slices of the prosciutto on each of 6 plates. Slice the persimmon thinly and arrange on the plates. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds on the prosciutto. Drizzle a small amount of the pomegranate syrup over the persimmons.

Toss the rocket with the white wine vinegar and olive oil, and add salt and pepper to taste. Arrange on the plates and serve at once.

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