Tuesday, June 7, 2011

QUICK BITE: Bresaola Salad

It's a perfect flavor combination -- a concept which appears in Italian cuisine so frequently. Think about it: who first conceived of tomato, mozzarella, and basil together? Genius! And so it goes with bresaola, rughetta, e parmigiano. Bresaola is prosciutto's beefy cousin, cut from the lean top round of the cow, and salted and air-dried. It hails from Valtellina in Lombardy's northern alps, but is eaten all over the Italian peninsula. When sliced extra-thin and arranged on a plate, it's topped with peppery arugula tossed in extra-virgin olive oil, and shavings of parmigiano reggiano cheese. Drizzle a bit of a balsamic vinegar reduction on top, and via! You've got an amazingly flavorful light lunch that delights the eye and the palate. And it's much better for you than pizza -- though, admittedly, it makes a great sandwich stuffer nestled inside a piece of warm Roman pizza bianca

Perfetto!