Platter of Cured Meats
Photography by Vanessa Wu.
Use a selection of any or all of these cured Italian meats and salamis. Good delicatessens will slice these to order, but many can be found ready-sliced and vacuum-packed in specialty food stores and supermarkets.
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS
prosciutto bresaola mortadella with green olives hot and/or mild sopressata salami coppa prosciutella
½ a rockmelon
100 grams wild rocket
extra virgin olive oil
½ lemon
Parmesan or pecorino cheese, thinly shaved
METHOD
Arrange the meats on a large platter. Slice the rockmelon and place between the meats. Pile the rocket on top and drizzle with olive oil and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and scatter over the shaved Parmesan. Serve with grilled bread that has been rubbed with a cut clove of garlic.
Prosciutto: also known as Parma ham – a ham that has been seasoned, salt-cured and air dried. It must be sliced very thinly, after the rind has been removed.
Bresaola: dried, salted and aged beef fillet. It is sliced thinly and is delicious drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice.
Mortadella: a large smoked sausage from Bologna made from beef and pork. It is recognisable by the cubes of pork fat scattered through the sausage.
Sopressata salami: a dry-cured salami from southern Italy with a characteristic flattened shape and an uneven, “rustic” appearance when sliced. It often includes hot pepper and lots of garlic. Slice thinly.
Coppa: dry-cured pork shoulder or neck, lightly seasoned with red wine or white wine, garlic and herbs, salted, then stuffed (as a whole joint) into a natural casing and hung for up to six months to cure.
Prosciutella: a type of sausage, similar to mortadella but with cubes of prosciutto thoughout.

Keep up to date with
dish weekly recipes,
food news, and events.
latest issue:
Issue #120
As the days become shorter, and the nights cooler, the latest issue is perfectly timed to deliver delicious autumn dishes. From recipes using fresh seasonal produce such as feijoas and apples, to spectacular soothing soups and super-quick after-work meals in our Food Fast section, we’ve got you covered. With Easter on the horizon, we feature recipes that will see you through breakfast, lunch and dinner over a leisurely weekend holiday, and whip up chocolatey baking treats sure to please. We round up delicious dinners for two and showcase a hot new Korean cookbook before heading south to Dunedin to check out all that’s new in food and dining.The latest issue of dish is on sale NOW at all good bookstores and supermarkets – don’t miss it!