Prociutto-Wrapped Shrimp

Prociutto-Wrapped Shrimp with Basil, Mozzarella, Extra Vecchi Balsamico & Aïoli
by Chef Marcel Biró

This Italian-inspired dish is deceptively easy to prepare and is an excellent prelude to most any meal. It is one of only a few items that appears on our menu season after season and is so popular that any time I even hint that I may take it off the menu, the staff and guests rally to its defense. It’s one of the very first dishes I prepared in the U.S. and I suspect I will be making it daily for the rest of my career.
I use red or pink Mediterranean prawns for this recipe, such as the Italian gambero rosso, as they yield the best flavor and have a beautiful color. You may also use tiger or banana prawns, but I don’t suggest using common, or brown, shrimp. They’re awkward to work with due to their small size, they aren’t substantial enough for the dish, and they yield a brown color that will get lost against the Prosciutto.

Serves 4

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
12 gambero rosso shrimp, peeled and cleaned
12 large basil leaves
12 slices prosciutto ham
1 tablespoon saffron seeds
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 cups loosely packed spring greens
12 slices fresh mozzarella
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into 12 slices
Aïoli (see below))
Extra Vecchio Balsamico

1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the shrimp and sauté until red, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
2. Wrap each shrimp in one basil leaf and then in a slice of the Prosciutto ham.
3. In sauté pan, heat the remaining oil and butter, saffron seeds, and garlic over high heat until the garlic is softened but not browned, about 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and sauté until Prosciutto is golden brown, about 1 additional minute.
Presentation
Place spring greens in the center of each serving plate. Place a slice of mozzarella at the 12:00, 4:00, and 8:00 positions of each serving plate. Place one Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp, tail side standing up and facing inward, on each slice of mozzarella. Place a vine-ripe tomato slice at the 2:00, 6:00, and 10:00 place positions and cover with a dollop of aïoli. Drizzle Extra Vecchio Balsamico over the dish.

Quick Tip: What is Extra Vecchio Balsamico?

True balsamic vinegar is made from concentrated juice from the Trebbiano white grape. When shopping, you’ll know if a bottle of balsamic vinegar is authentic if it is marked Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale on the bottle. If not, the bottle most likely contains red wine vinegar fortified with grape juice, caramelized sugar, and sometimes even artificial flavoring and coloring. Most true balsamic vinegars widely available in the United States are aged four to twelve years.
Extra Vecchio Balsamico is true balsamic vinegar that has matured in wooden casks for at least thirty and as many as a hundred plus years. It has a much richer flavor and full body than even true balsamic vinegar and can command prices into the thousands per small flask. If you don’t have access to the real thing, or don’t wish to spend the money to get it, you can do a fair job of mimicking the sweet tang and thicker consistency of true Extra Vecchio Balsamico by creating a Balsamic Glaze.

Wine Pairings

2003 Leeuwin Estate
Chardonnay
Margaret River, Australia

NV Bodegas Hidalgo
Manzanilla La Gitana
Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain

© 2005 Marcel Biró and Shannon Kring Biró.
From Biró--European-Inspired Cuisine cookbook (Gibbs Smith).

Aïoli

Makes about 2 cups

8 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 large egg yolks
1 _ cups extra virgin olive oil
4 _ teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon warm water
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Make a paste of the garlic and salt in a mortar and pestle, working the pestle slowly and always in the same direction. Place the paste in a medium-sized bowl. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, finely mince the garlic and then transfer it to a medium-sized bowl and add the salt. Mash the garlic and salt together with a wooden spoon until it makes a rough paste.

2. Whisk in the mustard and then the yolks until blended with the garlic paste. Slowly pour in _ cup of the oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly until the mixture becomes thick. Don't add the oil too quickly or the mixture will not emulsify.

3. Add the juice and water, whisking constantly; then add the remaining 1 cup oil very slowly, whisking constantly. The Aïoli will gradually thicken to the consistency of a light mayonnaise. If it becomes too thick for your application, add additional warm water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it reaches the consistency you desire. Season with salt and pepper. Use immediately.

© 2005 Marcel Biró and Shannon Kring Biró.

From Biró – European-Inspired Cuisine cookbook

(Gibbs Smith).

Cookbook Available Here

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2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
12 gambero rosso shrimp, peeled and cleaned
12 large basil leaves
12 slices prosciutto ham
1 tablespoon saffron seeds
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 cups loosely packed spring greens
12 slices fresh mozzarella
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into 12 slices
Aïoli (see below))
Extra Vecchio Balsamico

1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the shrimp and sauté until red, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
2. Wrap each shrimp in one basil leaf and then in a slice of the Prosciutto ham.
3. In sauté pan, heat the remaining oil and butter, saffron seeds, and garlic over high heat until the garlic is softened but not browned, about 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and sauté until Prosciutto is golden brown, about 1 additional minute.
Presentation
Place spring greens in the center of each serving plate. Place a slice of mozzarella at the 12:00, 4:00, and 8:00 positions of each serving plate. Place one Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp, tail side standing up and facing inward, on each slice of mozzarella. Place a vine-ripe tomato slice at the 2:00, 6:00, and 10:00 place positions and cover with a dollop of aïoli. Drizzle Extra Vecchio Balsamico over the dish.

Quick Tip: What is Extra Vecchio Balsamico?

True balsamic vinegar is made from concentrated juice from the Trebbiano white grape. When shopping, you’ll know if a bottle of balsamic vinegar is authentic if it is marked Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale on the bottle. If not, the bottle most likely contains red wine vinegar fortified with grape juice, caramelized sugar, and sometimes even artificial flavoring and coloring. Most true balsamic vinegars widely available in the United States are aged four to twelve years.
Extra Vecchio Balsamico is true balsamic vinegar that has matured in wooden casks for at least thirty and as many as a hundred plus years. It has a much richer flavor and full body than even true balsamic vinegar and can command prices into the thousands per small flask. If you don’t have access to the real thing, or don’t wish to spend the money to get it, you can do a fair job of mimicking the sweet tang and thicker consistency of true Extra Vecchio Balsamico by creating a Balsamic Glaze.

Wine Pairings

2003 Leeuwin Estate
Chardonnay
Margaret River, Australia

NV Bodegas Hidalgo
Manzanilla La Gitana
Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain

© 2005 Marcel Biró and Shannon Kring Biró.
From Biró--European-Inspired Cuisine cookbook (Gibbs Smith).

Aïoli

Makes about 2 cups

8 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 large egg yolks
1 _ cups extra virgin olive oil
4 _ teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon warm water
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Make a paste of the garlic and salt in a mortar and pestle, working the pestle slowly and always in the same direction. Place the paste in a medium-sized bowl. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, finely mince the garlic and then transfer it to a medium-sized bowl and add the salt. Mash the garlic and salt together with a wooden spoon until it makes a rough paste.

2. Whisk in the mustard and then the yolks until blended with the garlic paste. Slowly pour in _ cup of the oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly until the mixture becomes thick. Don't add the oil too quickly or the mixture will not emulsify.

3. Add the juice and water, whisking constantly; then add the remaining 1 cup oil very slowly, whisking constantly. The Aïoli will gradually thicken to the consistency of a light mayonnaise. If it becomes too thick for your application, add additional warm water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it reaches the consistency you desire. Season with salt and pepper. Use immediately.

© 2005 Marcel Biró and Shannon Kring Biró.

From Biró – European-Inspired Cuisine cookbook

(Gibbs Smith).