Prosciutto

When we returned after being away on vacation for several weeks, some good friends suggested that we all catch up by having a pizza supper together. The hosts offered to pick up several varieties of pies from a local pizzeria (one that specializes in inventive creations) and to make a couple of sorbets for dessert. I volunteered to be in charge of the salad. At first I was going to toss together my mainstay "insalata" of mixed greens coated with a red-wine dressing, but in the back of my mind was the memory of an unusual recipe for a salad of arugula and baby spinach dressed in sherry vinaigrette garnished with thinly sliced cantaloupe and prosciutto.

Some restaurants just feel comfortable. E.W. Beck's Pub is one of those places. From the food to the service, dinner at the restaurant is easy, fun and enjoyable. Scene A Sykesville staple since 1992, E.W. Beck's occupies a large building right on the town's charming Main Street. The restaurant includes a bar and tons of dining space - most of which was filled during our Thursday night visit. E.W. Beck's is popular, and rightfully so. Between the friendly, prompt service and well-prepared takes on classic American food, it's no surprise that locals keep the restaurant busy.

I am a bona fide food magazine junkie. Not only do I enjoy a number of American monthlies, but I'm also crazy about foreign publications. I read French culinary magazines during stays in France, and lately have been purchasing English and Australian issues at local bookstores. I'm always on the lookout for new trends in food and entertaining that can be turned into ideas for this column or for new recipes. My curiosity usually pays off, as it did a few weeks ago. While leafing through an Australian glossy, I spotted a potato salad with arugula and pancetta accents.

Dinergram lets you share images of your latest Baltimore restaurant experiences. Submit your photos via Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #bmorediner, and you could see your photo in the Sunday Baltimore Sun. See more submissions at baltimoresun.com/dinergram. Charm City Gourmet "Seared Scallops w sweet cream corn and prosciutto bacon #BmoreDiner #FoodTruck. " Submitted by user Will C Thames Street Oyster House "Lobsta Roll! #bmorediner #nofilter. " Submitted by user Scott Cover

Every summer our calendar is usually marked with weekend after weekend of family or friends coming to visit us in New England. This year, though, since we have been living and working in Paris in a small apartment, the tables have been turned, and we have been asked to be week- end guests ourselves. Several thoughtful friends have invited us to come for weekends in the French countryside. During these visits I have been impressed by the ease and simplicity with which our hosts have entertained us, especially at the table.

For more than a decade, my husband and I have invited a small group of friends to dinner on New Year's Eve. It's my favorite night of the year to entertain, and, typically, I spend the days before cooking and preparing for this celebration.This year, however, we will be out of town up until the day of the fete, so I need to prepare as much as possible in advance.As a main course, I've decided on a vegetable couscous served with cumin and pepper lamb chops. The vegetables for the couscous can be made ahead, frozen and reheated at serving time.

The first time I encountered the savory pleasures of chicken breast, ham and cheese was at my high school's honor society dinner in 1972: Chicken Cordon Bleu. It seemed so exotic: chicken pounded thin, stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese, then breaded and deep-fried. Then again, I was only 17. These days, I still like the combination of lean chicken breast, salty ham and creamy cheese. But I'm just as likely to use prosciutto and the creamy Italian cheese Taleggio, as this recipe does, and I wouldn't even dream of breading and deep-frying.

Apple pie lovers, this stuffed chicken breast, filled with chopped apple and apple pie spice, is for you. Prosciutto, the meat in the stuffing, is an Italian salt-cured ham. Should prosciutto be unavailable, you can substitute thin slices of boiled ham. Serve the chicken with apple slices, Italian-cut green beans and rice.Apple-Prosciutto Chicken2 whole large chicken breasts, skinned, boned and halved lengthwise1/2 cup finely chopped apple1/8 teaspoon apple pie spice4 slices prosciutto or boiled hamApple pie spice2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion1 tablespoon margarine or butter1 tablespoon all-purpose flourDash pepper1/2 cup milk1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese (2 ounces)

A few days ago, I taught a cooking class to a group of students who belong to the Amherst College Gourmet Club. Because it was right before the holidays, I chose a menu which I thought they might enjoy making at their own homes during this festive season.For appetizers, there were Italian dumplings called gnocchi. The main course was a ragout of chicken and caramelized onions served with pasta and a mixed greens and cucumber salad. For dessert, we baked a gratin of fall fruits.These young people, all enthusiastic cooks, worked in small groups, selecting a dish and preparing it from start to finish.

In yesterday's A La Carte section, an incorrect amount of vinegar was listed in the recipe for Potato Salad and Prosciutto. The correct amount is one-quarter of a cup.The Sun regrets the error.Pub Date: 7/11/96

Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis says that her mother would make frittatas, the Italian egg dish, with whatever leftovers she had in the refrigerator. " That was the joke," she tells viewers in segment of her cooking show. "What's in the frittata today, Mama?" What better dish to serve Mom on Mother's Day? A frittata is quick and easy, and the kids can help. As a bonus, Mom wakes to a clean fridge. An omelet without the fold and a quiche without the crust, the frittata has its own selling points: It can be sliced and eaten, hot or cold, with a fork or fingers.

Luigi's Italian Deli opened Thursday in Hampden. It's on that block of front-porch businesses, just a few doors down from the Verandah. The owners are Jeanine and Ryan Little of Reisterstown. This is a counter operation, with some seating inside and outside on the porch. On the menu are specialty sandwiches like the Isabella with prosciutto di Parma, soppressata, dry-cured coppa, Asiago, green olive spread and tomato, and Luigi's Italian Cold Cut with mortadella, salame, capicollo, prosciuttini and provolone.

Kit Waskom Pollard reviews Hersh's Pizza & Drinks in South Baltimore, which took over the old Rub space in November. The owners are brother and sister Josh Hershkovitz and Stephanie Hershkovitz. He's the chef, she runs the front of the house. On the menu at Hersh's: Thin-crust pizzas with plain toppings and fancy ones like prosciutto and argula or kale and pistachio; salads; a handful of small plates and a selection of fritti, fried treats like sage and anchovy fritters and prosciutto balls.

I didn't know it was Eat a Peach Day. But indefatigable Dara Bunjon over on Dining Dish did. She posted a great looking recipe for grilled peaches with arugula, prosciutto and ParmReg by Riccardo Bosio of Sotto Sopra . Seems to me we just did something about peaches here at the Baltimore Sun. Speaking of which. Even though we said that peach cakes were something one bought in bakeries, now we're looking for home recipes.

So many taverns/sports bars serve the same popular menu within the same quality range — from palatable in a pinch to decent comfort food — that you can describe the kitchen as "good enough" and go on to the other attractions. Drink specials and big-screen TVs draw the target clientele. If the chow is presentable and familiar, that's enough. Frank & Nic's West End Grille serves wings and all the popular tavern fare. But it isn't your typical sports bar. Billed as a "casual restaurant and sports bar" and located more or less in the shadow of Camden Yards on Pratt and Paca streets, the vibe suggests it intends to take the flip-flops out of casual and the excess out of sports bar. Not only could you take your mom here, you could take a client.

Since we are in the thick of the "R months" - September through April - my biological clock tells me it is time to eat oysters. I like them raw, fried or steamed. The other night I discovered that I also like them when they are "saltimbocca." Saltimbocca is a traditional Italian cooking treatment that means "jumps in the mouth." It involves stuffing an entree - usually veal but sometimes ham or chicken - with a mixture of sage and prosciutto. I never thought of applying this treatment to oysters but, thankfully, Lisa Grant did. Grant won the 2007 National Oyster Cook-Off in Leonardtown recently with this dish.

Some of the most dreaded words in the English language in dual-income household are, "Honey, I'm bringing so and so (the boss, a client, etc.) home for dinner tonight."Whether "honey" is a male or female cook, the sudden announcement of a dinner guest is an equal opportunity headache.A good solution comes from Michael Dresser, Sun wine columnist, who often brings visiting winemakers home for dinner so he can sample their wines without too much time away from his family. His wife, Sheila, who also works full-time as an editor, never flinches at one of these visits because the Dressers have solved their after-work dinner problems with a quick, tasty and easy-to-make dish -- angel hair pasta with prosciutto and pine nuts.

Kit Waskom Pollard reviews Hersh's Pizza & Drinks in South Baltimore, which took over the old Rub space in November. The owners are brother and sister Josh Hershkovitz and Stephanie Hershkovitz. He's the chef, she runs the front of the house. On the menu at Hersh's: Thin-crust pizzas with plain toppings and fancy ones like prosciutto and argula or kale and pistachio; salads; a handful of small plates and a selection of fritti, fried treats like sage and anchovy fritters and prosciutto balls.

When we returned after being away on vacation for several weeks, some good friends suggested that we all catch up by having a pizza supper together. The hosts offered to pick up several varieties of pies from a local pizzeria (one that specializes in inventive creations) and to make a couple of sorbets for dessert. I volunteered to be in charge of the salad. At first I was going to toss together my mainstay "insalata" of mixed greens coated with a red-wine dressing, but in the back of my mind was the memory of an unusual recipe for a salad of arugula and baby spinach dressed in sherry vinaigrette garnished with thinly sliced cantaloupe and prosciutto.

Tourists may think Baltimore's most noteworthy culinary achievements are crab cakes and the food in Little Italy, but local foodies point to Cindy Wolf and Tony Foreman's restaurants as proof that their city has sophisticated eating places to rival any in the country. Now diners will have an ambitious new restaurant and upscale wine bar to try when the couple's latest venture, a Northern Italian restaurant called Cinghiale (pronounced ching-GYAH-lay), opens across Lancaster Street from their signature establishment, Charleston.