Just 'nother Brilliant Idea From the Condiment Queen
(Not Local)

Prosciutto and melon or prosciutto and figs are common antipastos. Anyone ever think of prosciutto and papaya? Well my wife did.

The other day, when we were on Da'Bomb, we picked up some very ripe papaya. Somehow in this lean time for fruit (yea apples do get boring), a papaya seemed more in the spirit than international berries. And now that Ms. VI came up with the idea of combining it with prosciutto, well I have a noted exception.

Add a course. We have realized that one of the best ways to enhance a family meal, to make it elegant, is to have a first course. And we have realized that first courses are easy. Sometimes we just open a container of olives. With nearly every meal lately, we have tried to have a first course. Yesterday's papaya with prosciutto was one of the best (not counting my wife's home made soups). It also set up well against our second course, pasta with freezer pesto (whew, I did not think there was something local in the meal*.) The funky yet sweet taste of the papaya contrasted exactly right with the funky yet salty taste of the prosciutto. If anything, the more intense papaya works as a better foil than the relatively mild cantaloupe. Do try.

Make sure you give credit where credit is due.

*Actually, the meal also included local green beans from the freezer, and the freezer neither ruined the texture for the pasta dish, nor sapped any flavor.