I attended the Underground Cookery School in Central London for a Parma Ham Master Class hosted by the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma and under the watchful eye of head chef Carlos Toban.
The selection of canapés immediately demonstrated the breadth at which Prosciutto can be used in cooking; from on its own with olive oil & cracked black pepper to wrapped around pear or with Parmigiano Reggiano crisps to a Parma Ham tortilla (my favourite).
To begin with we made the pasta that would be used for the Tagliatelle with White Truffle Dressing, topped with twirls of freshly sliced Parma Ham and Parmigiano Reggiano – a classic combination of cheese and ham from the same region (Emilia Romagna).
This was followed by some basic butchery of a chicken where the breasts were removed and butterflied in order to create chicken wrapped in Parma Ham, stuffed with a Tarragon and Cream Cheese filling on top of a bed of New Potatoes, Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Spring Onion.