18 carrot gigione (carrot prosciutto bruschetta)

Like a hammy actor (gigione) this recipe will take center stage and take home the gold!

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ lb Carrots
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil for cooking
• ¼ lb prosciutto (3”x4”x1/2” piece) finely minced
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 small shallot finely minced
• 1 rib of celery finely minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons of finishing olive oil

Steps:

1. Finely chop carrots. The size of the chop should be the size of a lemon seed – a little bigger and a little smaller. Don’t stress if they aren’t uniform – that’s actually a good thing. I like that the pieces cook differently – it make for a variety of texture and for this it’s perfect! You just want to avoid having big chunks.
2. In a food processor, process the prosciutto until it’s finely ground. You could just cut it into really small pieces – resembling the carrots.
3. Finely mince shallot and celery.
4. In a skillet heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add prosciutto and with a wooden spoons – mix and breakup the meat until it is just browning. Think fine ground beef.
5. Add 3 tablespoons of butter allow to melt and add the shallot, celery and sage. Cook for 2-3 mins.
6. Add carrots to the skillet. Cook for 5-8 minutes. The carrots should be al-dente. Not soft – they should have a soft outside and the center should still have body.
7. Salt and pepper to taste.
8. Stir in 2 tablespoons of high quality olive oil.
9. Serve warm or room temperature.

Serve atop crostini bruschetta style.