Grilled Melon Pasta Salad with Crudo & Gorgonzola is a take on a classic summer Italian appetizer – melon wrapped in crudo ham. This pasta is always a winner, especially in the summer: tasty, quick and with little cooking required, which is great considering we have temperatures of 100 F°+ here in Dubai these days!
I must confess that there are many pasta salad recipes with grilled fruit, of which one of the most interesting is from Giada De Laurentis, whom I personally admire for the way she shares her Italian heritage.
My own personal take on this recipe is unique in that I use gorgonzola cheese and a lemon-garlic vinaigrette. The sweetness of the melon pairs well with the ham’s saltiness and the spiciness of the gorgonzola cheese, creating an explosion of flavors in every bite.
Let’s discover more about the ingredients of Grilled Melon Pasta Salad with Crudo & Gorgonzola.
Grilled Melon Pasta Salad with Crudo & Gorgonzola recipe ingredients:
Prosciutto Crudo:
Prosciutto crudo is one of the tastiest Italian cold cuts. What is Prosciutto Crudo? It is a salty and dry cured ham aged between 8 and 16 months. It has a reddish-pink color and a rich taste. The meat is salted when raw and then aged until ready. That’s where the name comes from – “prosciutto” means dried thoroughly and “crudo” means raw. Also known as crudo ham, it is one of the most lean and healthy cold cut meats, with a much lower percentage of fat as compared to others.
The highest quality of prosciutto crudo you will find is from Parma, which is an amazing city in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna that has had a serious influence on Italian gastronomy. I previously shared the origins of Parmigiano Reggiano and the role that Parma has in its production. Well, Parma is also very important in ham! Crudo di Parma is a D.O.P. (Denomination of Protected Origin) product, which means that its production follows certain specific rules.
There are two other varieties of crudo that I would like to mention. Crudo from San Daniele (in the region of Friuli) is usually saltier than crudo from Parma due to a longer aging period and to a pressing process that is done on the meat to allow the salt to penetrate thoroughly. Another category of crudo which is quite unique is the Speck from South Tyrol, a province in the most northern part of Italy. Speck is also a dry cured ham, but unlike the crudo from Parma and San Daniele, it is going through a smoking process.
You can enjoy crudo on its own with some breadsticks, or also wrapped around pieces of melon. You can also use Crudo Another way to enjoy Crudo to add a special taste to pasta and risotto dishes with spring vegetables such as peas and asparagus.
Gorgonzola
Gorgonzola cheese is named after a city in Lombardia, in northern Italy. It is a blue-veined cheese with origins dating back to the XI century. Gorgonzola is a crumbly cheese that is made from cow’s milk, and its veined texture depends by its aging process. It typically takes 50 days to label a cheese Gorgonzola.
There are 2 kinds of “Zola”: dolce and piccante, which mean “sweet” and “spicy”, with the difference brought about from the aging. Dolce zola is aging for a shorter period (around 50 days) and has a creamier consistency and slight herbal flavor. Piccante zola is instead aging for a longer period (around 90 days), is more crumbly and has a more pungent taste. While I prefer eating piccante zola on its own or as part of a cheese platter, I choose to use dolce zola in this recipe so as not to overpower the other flavors.
Gorgonzola is delicious by itself, or combined with pasta or risotto or in pizza with four cheeses.
Cantaloupe (a/k/a Sweet Melon or Rock Melon)
Cantaloupe (a/k/a Sweet Melon or Rock Melon) is a fruit that is sweet and thirst-quenching. When it is grilled it takes on a caramelized taste that pairs well with the saltiness of the crudo and the cheese.
Pasta
For this salad, I recommend using fusilli (corkscrew) pasta, as it will bind with the bits of ham and cheese. In addition, it will give a more elegant look to the plate as compared to other shapes.
How to make Grilled Melon Pasta Salad with Crudo & Gorgonzola
First, heat a pot of water to cook the pasta and add salt. This is one of my tips – you always have to add salt to the pasta water, or otherwise your entire dish will be tasteless.
Heat a grilling pan and, when hot, grill the melon on both sides until it has the nice grilling marks. Your slices of melon should be between around ½ inch in thickness. Do not make them too thin, as they will not keep their shape and they will melt while grilling. Once the melon slices are grilled, chop them into medium sized pieces.
Cut the cheese in small cubes and place them in the refrigerator until you need them. This tip will avoid the cheese to become too soft in case you will leave it at room temperature.
Cut the ham into small squared pieces. Set aside.
Prepare your vinaigrette by whisking together all the ingredients.
When the water begins to boil, add the pasta and cook it according to the instruction on the package- as usual until it is al dente (to the tooth). Drain the pasta, rinse it with cold water to cool it down and add some EVOO to ensure it is not sticking.
Now combine in a serving bowl the pasta, ham, cheese, rocket and vinaigrette. Toss it together, top with crusted pistachios and serve it!
Grilled Melon Pasta Salad with Crudo & Gorgonzola substitution and variations
For gluten-free diets, use a gluten-free version of fusilli.
For vegetarians, omit the crudo.
This pasta salad can be varied accordingly to your taste. There are other combinations that I suggest and that can be great for your summer picnic! You can try this recipe with goat cheese instead of the gorgonzola. If the dish is too subtle, you can use speck instead of crudo, which will add more character to the dish. Another great combination to try is with grilled peaches, speck and shaved pecorino cheese.
Which wine to pair with Grilled Melon Pasta Salad with Crudo & Gorgonzola
For this dish, with its summer combination of flavors, I recommend Ribolla Gialla, a white wine from Friuli that has notes of exotic fruits and flowers. It tastes fresh and complements the caramelized flavor of the grilled melon and the saltiness of the ham and cheese.
Another good pairing is a Sauvignon, a white wine from Trentino whose fruity notes will be a great match.
Ingredients
For the Pasta Salad
- 6 cup pasta fusilli, uncooked
- 2 cup Parma ham
- 1 cup gorgonzola cheese dolce variety
- 2 cup cantaloupe grilled
- 1 tsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tbsp pistacchios chopped
For the dressing
- 4 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp black pepper crushed
Instructions
For the Pasta Salad
- First, heat a pot of water to cook the pasta and add salt. ( see notes)
- Heat a grilling pan and, when hot, grill the melon on both sides until it has the nice grilling marks ( see notes).
- Once the melon slices are grilled, chop them into medium sized pieces.
- Cut the cheese in small cubes and place in the refrigerator, until you will need it ( see notes).
- Cut the Parma ham in smaller pieces.
- When the water begins to boil, add the pasta and cook it according to the instructions on the package until it is al dente (to the tooth). Drain the pasta and rinse it with cold water to cool it down and add some EVOO to ensure it does not stick.
For the dressing
- Whisk together all the ingredients
Assembling
- Place the pasta in a serving bowl, add all the ingredients, the dressing and toss it until combined. Serve it ( see notes).
Notes
Nutrition
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