Hungry Sam Goes to Law School; Makes Parmesan Puff Pastry Pinwheels

BAM. Hope that picture whets your collective appetite. But first, the news.

In case you hadn't heard -- and why would you have -- I am embarking on another adventure. Not, as over the summer, to destinations international; rather, I am now a law student.

Ayuh -- as they say in the land of my birth. Maybe I'll do food law. Lawyer for the chefs. Representing contestants on Hell's Kitchen in their suits for intentional infliction of emotional distress.

What this means for you, dear reader: Mostly I'll now have an onoing excuse when I'm late with posting some new delicious recipe. I'll try not to sound like a broken record.

This may also mean that my posts will have less of a "what to make when you have tons of time on your hands" flavor and a bit more of a "fast -- cheap -- awesome" vibe to them. AND SO, in that spirit:

Parmesan Puff Pastry Pinwheels with Mustard and Genoa Salami! (Click through for recipe.)

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Prosciutto Wrapped Melon: Ham and Interns

What a confusing title for this post, Hungry Sam! you might say. Ham and Interns? Shigawhat now?

I'll explain. First things first -- I ate prosciutto-wrapped honeydew melon the other night, and it was super.

This tasty treat was the fortunate, shotgun marriage between two strokes of luck: I had found a truly superb honeydew (I know!) and Kevin (the roommate) had picked up a small package of tasty, smoky, nutty, sweet prosciutto.

The Melon: I have a friend who (accurately, I think) calls honeydew the "intern" of melons. Like interns, honeydews are so often useless. It's so hard to choose good ones -- there are so few exterior signs that the particular one you've chosen is worth it. More often than not, they're just not ready. But.

But.

When you find a good honeydew/intern, it's fanTASTIC. Both improve any project they touch, whether a fruit salad, position paper, or ham-based hors d'oeuvre (had to look that spelling up).

*Caveat: if my organization was a fruit monger, we would ALWAYS have good honeydews. We're just that good at picking interns.

**I wish there were more opportunities in English for use of the word "monger." Or that its standalone usage were more appropriate.

The Ham: Prosciutto is Italian for ham.

Ok, I'll provide more detail. In English, Prosciutto refers to cured ham, often very thinly sliced and eaten as antipasto (appetizer) or in a Caprese salad. The curing process involves salt and a long hang in a cool, ventilated area for nine months to two years. The salt does the "cooking," if you will. By the time it's wrapped for our enjoyment, it takes on a ripe, heavy scent and tastes quite intensely rich and sweet.

Now, next time we'll try to get our hands on some Prosciutto de Parma, cured ham from the city of Parma, Italy.