As many of you know, I often post these
video recipes on YouTube well before I get around to writing the post,
and this roasted asparagus with prosciutto and poached egg is no
exception.
One advantage of this modus operandi is
that the initial comments I get will often help shape the blog post's
theme. This time the controversy revolved around the wisdom of cooking
prosciutto. I knew this was going to come up, and even joked about it in
the video (parental warning: I used the word, "ass").
Even though I acknowledged the fact that
cooking prosciutto is very much frowned upon, and that this was done
using scraps from the shank end of the ham, I still was viciously
attacked.
First of all, there are exceptions to this no-cook rule, even in Italy. Saltimbocca
is a classic dish that features veal cooked with prosciutto and sage,
and I've seen more than one Italian chef use cooked prosciutto in things
like frittatas and salads.
The opponents of cooking prosciutto
point to these main issues: Prosciutto gets intensely salty when cooked,
it smells less than appetizing, and it's basically a waste of good pork
to eat it any other way than thinly sliced in its natural state.
I basically agree with all of that.
Frying prosciutto isn’t a great smelling food, but the taste doesn't
match this "wet pork" aroma, and is actually quite mild and pleasant to
my palette. Besides, where are these people when broccoli is being
cooked? That doesn't smell like freshly cut flowers either.
Yes, cooking prosciutto does make it
salty, which is why I didn't use any salt in the dish. Anchovies are
unbearably salty too, unless used properly. Finally, I LOVE traditional
sliced prosciutto, and agree that's the best way to enjoy, but that
doesn't make this wrong. I think fresh raw oysters are the best, but
once in a while I want Oyster Rockefeller.