Prosciutto Wrapped Mozzarella
Mike was recently at The Capital Grille in Orlando. It’s an upscale Steak House with some of the best appetizers, including lightly sautéed Prosciutto Wrapped Mozzarella Sticks.
I was recently at our local Italian Market, and they were featuring Prosciutto di Norcia. A ham cured for 18 months at altitudes of 1000 meters on the Sibylline Mountain peaks overlooking the medieval village of Norcia, (southeastern Umbria).
Prosciutto Wrapped Mozzarella
So, it makes sense we had to make this outstanding appetizer. It easily serves 2 or 4, depending on your appetites. You can wrap the Prosciutto and Mozzarella earlier in the day if you wish. Toss the tomatoes and make the crostini just before serving.
Ingredients
Tomato Salad
- ½ lb. (227 gr) cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 TBSP Edible Gardens Special Reserve Balsamic Reduction
- 1 TBSP Olive Oil
Crostini
- *Mini Artisan Baguette sliced ½ inch thick
- ¼ cup Olive Oil
- 4 TBSP (18 gr) Parmesan cheese
Prosciutto Sticks
- 1 large (240 gr) fresh Mozzarella ball (not Burrata)
- 6 – 8 pieces Prosciutto
- Basil to garnish
- Olive oil to Garnish
- 1 TBSP Balsamic Reduction
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 400.
- Cut tomatoes in half. In a small dish blend the olive oil and balsamic reduction. Toss with the tomatoes and set aside.
- Cut Mozzarella into sticks of 30 grams each (as best you can). Depending on the width of your Prosciutto, wrap each mozzarella stick lengthwise and tuck in sides of Prosciutto to cover the entire Mozzarella stick with 1 layer of Prosciutto. Can be covered and refrigerated at this point if you like.
- Cut baguette into slices and using a pastry brush, spread olive oil on one side of bread. Place in oven for about 2 – 3 minutes, (oil side up), remove from the oven and brush remaining olive oil on the other side of the crostini. Add a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and bake until golden and cheese has melted.
- Remove from oven and set aside.
- When crostini are done, melt the butter in a large skillet over high heat. Spread the butter evenly over pan and add Mozzarella sticks. Cook for 1 minute, flip and cook another 1 minute.
- We prefer cooking 2 sides so that the Prosciutto is still tender and the cheese warm. Cook another minute if you prefer, but the goal is to have warm cheese and not a molten mess.
- Quickly toss tomato salad again, and place in the centre of a large serving platter.
- Add cooked Prosciutto and Mozzarella to the platter over lapping with some of the tomatoes.
- Garnish with a drizzle more Balsamic Reduction and Olive oil.
- Sprinkle chopped basil and serve immediately.
- *If serving Gluten Free, use Udi’s hotdog buns. They seem to hold up better compared to dinner rolls or GF French baguette. CHO dependent on your product.
Notes
An Italian red wine pairs beautifully with this appetizer! Sometimes we find a cellared bottle that works perfectly, no longer available. However, this wine is really good – any year produced!
We’ve paired:
- Il fauno Di Arcanum Toscana 2011 – this wine is an Italian super blend
- Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Riserva 2018 – this wine is almost too good to be true for the price point (under $15.00)