UPDATE: Since our original post of this article on 9/21/2005, we've changed menus a few times. The prosciutto panini is now available on Mondays and Tuesdays (it comes with sundried tomato and garlic aioli, ripe tomato, mozzarella and fresh basil on a paesano roll).
Also, we'll note that the slices from PennMac have become a bit more uneven (depends on who you get to slice) while the slices from Uncommon Market have been amazing thin - translucent almost - and uniformly superb. Same price, $19.99/lb at both places (unless they're near the heel in which case, negotiate). The slices from McGinnis have gotten better as well. They're $1.00 more for the Parma. Choice here is Uncommon Market unless you find yourself needing to go to PennMac for other items.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE from September 21, 2005:
We use Prosciutto di Parma in our Antipasto Aldo and in our Monday and Thursday panini specials. We usually buy some every five or six days.
We hand-carve our turkey and Angus beef and all our deli meats, in part because we think the texture of our panini is better with a thicker slice. And the hand-carving fits in with our "rustic" country Italian atmosphere. It makes a different sandwich and our customers like it.
But it would be foolhardy for us to try hand-carving prosciutto. The flavor and texture of good prosciutto is enhanced in part through the art of slicing, which is a separate skill from most other meat cutting. We don't have a meat cutter due to space constraints in the kitchen. And it would be silly to spend $800 on one just to slice prosciutto. So we buy ours pre-sliced every few days.
When we can combine our prosciutto shopping with other errands in the Strip, we will make a stop at the PennMac deli counter. They understand the importance of the slicing. After some quick trimming to remove unnecessary fat, their butchers get down to the serious art of perfecting the prosciutto slice.
Each slice is cut thin enough to be almost translucent. Slices are lain side by side, barely overlapping, on deli paper. Once one sheet is covered with a single layer of ham, another sheet is lain on top and the process repeats until the desired weight of the order is achieved.
The overlapping and thinness are vitally important. The thinness is what gives a good prosciutto its texture, which is silky and unlike any other deli meat. The overlapping is what makes it possible to work with in the kitchen.
As the meat is sliced so thin, the individual slices are exceptionally delicate. When there is too much overlap, the slices will stick together and become difficult to separate without tearing. When you work with prosciutto every day, you really learn to appreciate the art of slicing and packaging so that the individual slices maintain their integrity.
Unfortunately, we don't always get to the Strip when PennMac is open. So we've had to figure out where to buy closer to home. We have found two viable options: The Uncommon Market and McGinness.
Of the two, the Uncommon Market is the more consistent. This is probably because the same two meatcutters have been on duty every morning we've shopped there. The slices are almost as thin as PennMac, although they tend to do a bit more overlapping - although you can tell them to make sure the slices barely touch one another.
At McGinness, it's more luck of the draw. It seems everyone there has a hand in the meatcutting operation. And the results show it. We've had some great examples of slicing and some less than great. Our general advice would be to never have your prosciutto cut by anyone with blond hair.
One last note, if you're in the Strip and PennMac is closed (which means all the other delis are closed), resist the temptation to try Wholey's. We did once back in April. While Wholey's had Prosciutto di Parma, they don't know how to slice it. Our order was sliced thick and piled high on a single sheet of deli paper. It was impossible to work with. In fact, Dr. Good next door actually suggested that we were using an inferior brand because it "didn't look like di Parma" and "felt different". It wasn't the ham, it was the slicing. That's how important it is to get it right.
And that's probably more than you'll ever need to ever know about prosciutto.
FRIDAY: Now for something completely different... Satin Steel, a local steelpan duo featuring Fauna Solomon (her dad makes the steelpans) and Mat Doktor, said they plan to cover just about every musical genre, including jazz, calypso, reggae and adult rock on their custom-built pans. Satin Steel has played at many music festivals around town the past couple of years, and were performing at this July's First Friday. 
SATURDAY: Audiojunkie thought they were playing at the Cheesecake Factory. For some reason that gig fell through. So the duo asked us if we'd host them on short notice. Kayti (aka Vicious) says they're somewhere in between Tom Petty and Green Day, basically "eclectic acoustic". 
I-Factor
Recent Comments