Parma Ham

[sceadugenga]

How do you eat Parma ham?

I bought some today on another board members recommendation and I'm not sure if it has to be cooked or not... it seems a little.... uncooked.

The Mrs, who's lived in Europe, helped herself to a slice and said it was arroy so I gave the deciding vote to the dog who said it was the best he'd ever eaten.

So I made a sandwich and it was very nice but I was wondering if it's used in cooking.

[Tatler]

Good in salad's and also in pasta!! doesn't needed to be cooked

[lifeisrandom]

personally i find it and all other cold cuts over rated

i used to love them before i came here but now i guess my tastes have changed

gobba gol for instance loved it previously now cant even get it down my throat

[LaoPo]

How do you eat Parma ham?

I bought some today on another board members recommendation and I'm not sure if it has to be cooked or not... it seems a little.... uncooked.

The Mrs, who's lived in Europe, helped herself to a slice and said it was arroy so I gave the deciding vote to the dog who said it was the best he'd ever eaten.

So I made a sandwich and it was very nice but I was wondering if it's used in cooking.

You don't eat real Prosciutto di Parma..... you consume it...preferably with closed eyes whilst the ca. 10,000 taste buds on your tongue produce heavenly signals to the brain...

Oooohhhhh..real Italian Prosciutto di Parma.......you have my permission to wake me any time at night for a thin slice.

No cooking....!!! it's an air dried finished product and NEVER feed your dog Parma Ham....it's strictly forbidden; if you do that in the Region of Parma - Italia you will be locked in a dark prison for a minimum of 7 years...beware !

The so called Parma Ham you will find in most places in Thailand are copies and likely made in Australia ...nice, but not the real Prosciutto di Parma which comes with stamps and labels and is quite expensive as well, even in Europe.

LaoPo

[sceadugenga]

How do you eat Parma ham?

I bought some today on another board members recommendation and I'm not sure if it has to be cooked or not... it seems a little.... uncooked.

The Mrs, who's lived in Europe, helped herself to a slice and said it was arroy so I gave the deciding vote to the dog who said it was the best he'd ever eaten.

So I made a sandwich and it was very nice but I was wondering if it's used in cooking.

You don't eat real Prosciutto di Parma..... you consume it...preferably with closed eyes whilst the ca. 10,000 taste buds on your tongue produce heavenly signals to the brain...

Oooohhhhh..real Italian Prosciutto di Parma.......you have my permission to wake me any time at night for a thin slice.

No cooking....!!! it's an air dried finished product and NEVER feed your dog Parma Ham....it's strictly forbidden; if you do that in the Region of Parma - Italia you will be locked in a dark prison for a minimum of 7 years...beware !

The so called Parma Ham you will find in most places in Thailand are copies and likely made in Australia ...nice, but not the real Prosciutto di Parma which comes with stamps and labels and is quite expensive as well, even in Europe.

LaoPo

This was from Don's Foods Chiang Rai outlet. At 260B for 500gms I thought it was good value considering how many slices you get.

[JohnBKKK]

At first, at B 250,00 for 500G it won't speak Italian - Parma Ham takes up to 1 1/2 years or more to first salt and than air dry. Parma Ham has to be cut very very thin and usually is not cooked although its fantastic when used for Carbonara -

Real Parma Ham will be a lot mor expensive and better with a nutty flavor or even better Spanish Black Foot Pig Serrano Ham a true delicacy ... starting to salivate ..

For real Parma ham Just get some good country bred put real Butter on and lots of thin slices of Parma Ham and enjoy

[sceadugenga]

Thanks John.

When are you going to start a branch of your business in the far north?

[marcus]

This was from Don's Foods Chiang Rai outlet. At 260B for 500gms I thought it was good value considering how many slices you get.

I know Don's so called "parma ham". It is one of the better locally produced hams over here, but doesn't come close to the real stuff.

[bkkjames]

How do you eat Parma ham?

I bought some today on another board members recommendation and I'm not sure if it has to be cooked or not... it seems a little.... uncooked.

The Mrs, who's lived in Europe, helped herself to a slice and said it was arroy so I gave the deciding vote to the dog who said it was the best he'd ever eaten.

So I made a sandwich and it was very nice but I was wondering if it's used in cooking.

Don't cook it!

Best way to eat parma ham (IMO) is to get some nice bread (tops silom recommend), some nice imported tomatoes topped with sea salt, President Brie, some EV olive oil and balsamic vinegar mixed together in a small bowl), add a nice pate and place all on a big wooden cutting board.

Open a nice bottle of chardonay and indulge yourself on your balcony on a nice evening.

[Patsycat]

I love to eat it with melon

[bonobo]

I went to a trade show in Dusseldorf last May, and a booth close to me had a Serrano ham each day (along with wine and bread). There was an American there at the booth, so I gave him one of our Trader Joe's shopping bags. After that, each afternoon when it quieted down a little, I would sit with him while the server sliced the ham, and we would chat, drink some wine, eat some bread, and let that glorious ham enrapture my taste buds.

When I am in the US, my favorite sandwich is to take a fresh baguette, split it, and put olive oil, balsamico, and marinated artichoke hearts on it. Then I take a nice prosciutto and layer the slices on. This is a great, great sandwich.

[dotcom]

Foodland sell a reasonable facisimile. About 1000 baht a kilo. Comes sliced paper thin. Excellent on Pizza.

It will likly say "Parma Ham" but we know that's Prosciutto. Foodland have a German sausage maker on the payroll.

[NanaFoods]

try it in a creamy Fiesole sauce over fettuccine.... mmmmmmm good.

[bkkjames]

try it in a creamy Fiesole sauce over fettuccine.... mmmmmmm good.

Now you do realise that you will have everyone asking what "Fiesole" sauce is?

[JohnBKKK]

try it in a creamy Fiesole sauce over fettuccine.... mmmmmmm good.

Now you do realise that you will have everyone asking what "Fiesole" sauce is?

well lol its a bechamel sauce with cream added - to make things simple I call my gnochis with Gorgonzola sauce - Gnochies with Gorgonzola sauce

"gnochies nel fiesole del gorgonzola" sounds more exciting though

Edited October 16, 2008 by JohnBKKK

[NanaFoods]

try it in a creamy Fiesole sauce over fettuccine.... mmmmmmm good.

Now you do realise that you will have everyone asking what "Fiesole" sauce is?

well lol its a bechamel sauce with cream added - to make things simple I call my gnochis with Gorgonzola sauce - Gnochies with Gorgonzola sauce

"gnochies nel fiesole del gorgonzola" sounds more exciting though

Pasta Fiesole : a creamy white sauce with prosciutto (most often green peas are added as well); often served over penne or other short pasta (but I also like it over a [green] spinach fettuccine).

You can Goggle it and find several recipe versions.

It's usually not seasoned with nutmeg as an Italian béchamel sauce might (but not always) be.

Edited October 16, 2008 by ChefHeat

[JohnBKKK]

yea but the sauce is basically a bechamel with flour butter ... in the orignal bechamel you add onion with cloves and nutmeg ... not fiesole and you use cream instead of milk or a mix if you want to keep it a bit lighter - from that base sauce you can create lots of different sauces, just like from the original bechamel like Gorgonzo sauce, or as in your example parma ham sauce .. even smoked salmon cut into it makes a great sauce different from the bechamel which is served with potatoes, pasta, ..... Fiesole is usually served with pasta or gnochies ... a lot of people don't even know they've had it and think they had Carbonara where Carbonara uses egg yolks as a thickening agent

either sauces - here is a little recpe with parma ham or local cheaper versions

make your sauce Fiesole or Bechamel but julienne parma ham and add to the sauce when finished - let it absob the flavors for 20 minutes - poach 3 eggs until still very soft in the center - place the eggs into a small heatproof dish and cover with the sauce - add more julienned parma on top - add a thick layer of any good soft, mild cheese over the top and place under the salamander until golden brown -serve with fresh baguette - it will tingle you taste buds - not pushing my product but any very good dry cured smoked bacon thinly siced will also do a great job here

Edited October 16, 2008 by JohnBKKK

[LaoPo]

Real Parma Ham will be a lot mor expensive and better with a nutty flavor or even better Spanish Black Foot Pig Serrano Ham a true delicacy ... starting to salivate ..

You mix two different kind of Spanish hams in one sentence here John !

1. Jamon Serrano - Serrano ham

&

2. Black foot Ham; better known as Pata Negra or Jamon Iberico; a very rare, exclusive and extremely expensive ham which may cost as much as € 25 -and up- per 100 grams (Baht 1.150 per 100 gram).

Jamon Serrano is a lot less expensive and more common.

LaoPo

[JohnBKKK]

Real Parma Ham will be a lot mor expensive and better with a nutty flavor or even better Spanish Black Foot Pig / Serrano Ham a true delicacy ... starting to salivate ..

You mix two different kind of Spanish hams in one sentence here John !

1. Jamon Serrano - Serrano ham

&

2. Black foot Ham; better known as Pata Negra or Jamon Iberico; a very rare, exclusive and extremely expensive ham which may cost as much as € 25 -and up- per 100 grams (Baht 1.150 per 100 gram).

Jamon Serrano is a lot less expensive and more common.

LaoPo

oooops forgot to place a dash inbetween parden me spelling - your right of course and I would considre selling the missus for a whole black foot ham

[bkkjames]

Real Parma Ham will be a lot mor expensive and better with a nutty flavor or even better Spanish Black Foot Pig / Serrano Ham a true delicacy ... starting to salivate ..

You mix two different kind of Spanish hams in one sentence here John !

1. Jamon Serrano - Serrano ham

&

2. Black foot Ham; better known as Pata Negra or Jamon Iberico; a very rare, exclusive and extremely expensive ham which may cost as much as € 25 -and up- per 100 grams (Baht 1.150 per 100 gram).

Jamon Serrano is a lot less expensive and more common.

LaoPo

oooops forgot to place a dash inbetween parden me spelling - your right of course and I would considre selling the missus for a whole black foot ham

How about your daughter? haha, if anyone has seen John's daughter you will know what I am talking about. She is about 6 feet tall, totally blonde blue eyed and you couldn't tell that her mom is Thai. No wonder John has to keep a big stick around the restaurant to chase of the Thai boys.

Back to ham, black foot ham sounds intriging.

[JohnBKKK]

How about your daughter? haha, if anyone has seen John's daughter you will know what I am talking about. She is about 6 feet tall, totally blonde blue eyed and you couldn't tell that her mom is Thai. No wonder John has to keep a big stick around the restaurant to chase of the Thai boys.

Back to ham, black foot ham sounds intriging.

sorry, daughter not for sale lol - well she's about 5'8 now and hope she'll stop growing soon but you are right, my gen-pool has completely overpowered the thai genes .. and the stick is there lol am foreseeing a nightmare in a coupple of years when she's 16 .....

To the Ham, only had it once in Barcelona and it is to ham what blue mountain is to coffee or cold water brittanie oysters to oysters... or alaskan crab is to crab... there is simply no competition ...

Edited October 17, 2008 by JohnBKKK

[thaigerd]

Foodland sell a reasonable facisimile. About 1000 baht a kilo. Comes sliced paper thin. Excellent on Pizza.

It will likly say "Parma Ham" but we know that's Prosciutto. Foodland have a German sausage maker on the payroll.

I hope Christian does not read this, that u call him a sausage maker

Gerd

[bkkjames]

Foodland sell a reasonable facisimile. About 1000 baht a kilo. Comes sliced paper thin. Excellent on Pizza.

It will likly say "Parma Ham" but we know that's Prosciutto. Foodland have a German sausage maker on the payroll.

I hope Christian does not read this, that u call him a sausage maker

Gerd

One thing about the above is hard to understand...what does a German sausage maker (sorry John) have to do with making Parma Ham?

[Sarge]

talking of prosciutto, here a variation on the theme: prosciutto cotto. Have you guys sampled it (either plain and aromatized with herbs)?

Edited October 31, 2008 by Sarge

[dotcom]

I hope Christian does not read this, that u call him a sausage maker

Gerd

What do you call him?

[thaigerd]

I hope Christian does not read this, that u call him a sausage maker

Gerd

What do you call him?

He's a master butcher.

Gerd

[sceadugenga]

talking of prosciutto, here a variation on the theme: prosciutto cotto. Have you guys sampled it (either plain and aromatized with herbs)?

Now that does look nice. What's the idea of the clamp thingy?

[LaoPo]

talking of prosciutto, here a variation on the theme: prosciutto cotto. Have you guys sampled it (either plain and aromatized with herbs)?

Now that does look nice. What's the idea of the clamp thingy?

The 'clamp thingy' is called a Ham Stand; mostly with an iron claw and wooden base, to hold the ham on it's place, leaving both hands free, cutting.

Makes it easier to cut the ham, mostly done in restaurants by the Chef or assistant with sharp knife.

In Mediterranean countries it's considered almost as a sin to have (expensive) ham cut by a machine, rather than by hand.

LaoPo

[Sarge]

sceadugenga, LaoPo has been quicker on the mark in answering your question. I'd like to expand a bit on his reply. Any meat is more flavoursome when still on the bone, therefore you can't use an electric slicer with that prosciutto cotto shown here. Having said that, nowadays most of deli shops and restaurants, everywhere in the world, use hams already de-boned for easier and quicker cut. In the case of expensive hams like San Daniele & Pata Negra, they come on the bone and you have to use a stand. These meats will be cut in front of customers (in delis or at restaurant tables), by a trained person using a specialist long and slender knife. The beauty of these hand cut hams is that you get a slice of variable thickness and none slice is the same, unlike when using an electric slicer

[sceadugenga]

In Australia it was always traditional to buy a leg of smoked ham at Christmas. This was to supply the cold meat for salads over the holiday period along with the roast turkey left overs.

The butcher's shops and markets would be full of them the week before Christmas but it was still advisable to order them ahead. We used to have a "ham bag", a well worn pillow case, to keep the ham in.

Carving the ham was an art, always cutting across the grain towards the bone and nothing was wasted! The bone was always made into pea soup regardless of whether the temperature was 40 in the shade.

Edited November 3, 2008 by sceadugenga