Panzanella Salad with Prosciutto di Parma and Endive

Contributor: Chef Kyle MacDonald, Artesa Vineyards and Winery

Born and raised just outside of Boston, Kyle MacDonald began cooking as a youngster alongside his mother and grandfather. "They were both great cooks," he recalls, "always in the kitchen." When Kyle was in high school, a friend introduced him to a local chef who took on an inexperienced but eager apprentice. "I washed dishes for two weeks, then went to the pantry, and spent three years there," Kyle says. "When I left, I was running the line." Kyle's culinary career has taken him from upscale restaurants in the Boston area to Northern California, with stops along the way in the British Virgin Islands, Boulder, Tucson, and Phoenix. He has cooked alongside notables like Julia Child and Bradley Ogden, and has prepared meals for celebrities including Ted Kennedy, Lady Diana Princess of Wales, and Queen Elizabeth. Kyle has been working as a chef in the California Wine Country for the past nine years, and is currently the executive chef at Artesa Vineyards & Winery in Napa, CA. At Artesa, Kyle creates menus to pair with the wines on a daily basis, and is also responsible for showcasing Artesa's wines to some of the nation's top restaurateurs and critics. Panzanella salad was created in Tuscany in the 1500's to make use of garden-fresh vegetables and leftover, stale bread. Kyle MacDonald's version features California Endive and makes for a beautiful presentation in a small "bowl" of Prosciutto di Parma.

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Ingredients:

• 8 ounces red or white California Endive
• 2-1/2 cups croutons (1/2 inch)
• 8 ounces grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 large cucumber (about 1-1/2 cups), peeled, seeded, cut in 1/2-inch dice
• 1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, torn
• 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, slivered
• Champagne-Mustard Vinaigrette (Recipe below)
• 8 thin slices (about 4 ounces)Prosciutto di Parma

Instructions:

1. Cut off endive tips (about 1-1/2 inches); set aside. Slice the remaining endive in thin crescents (makes about 2 cups). In a large bowl, combine the sliced endive, croutons, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, basil and olives. Add Champagne-Mustard Vinaigrette; toss. Let salad stand at least 10 minutes.
2. To plate each serving: Lightly pack a cup with one quarter of the mixture; invert onto center of plate. Wrap one slice of Prosciutto di Parma part-way around salad (leaving top exposed); overlapping ends of the ham, wrap another slice around the rest of the salad to form a cylinder (about 4 inches in diameter). Garnish with reserved endive tips and, if desired, grape tomato halves. Serves 4.

Champagne-Mustard Vinaigrette

In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons champagne vinegar, 2 teaspoons finely chopped shallot, 2 teaspoons honey, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Whisk in 1/2-cup extra virgin olive oil. YIELD: 2/3 cup

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