italian sushi

Italian Sushi

This recipe has been floating around for quite a few years. The first time I had it was in the Bronx at an Italian deli. The owner was giving it out for free to showcase the meats and cheeses he sells. Genius actually. My daughter was with me and loved it so of course she asked me to recreate it at home. Hence, this is not my original idea but you can fill it with a number of different things. If memory serves, he used sun dried tomatoes but I prefer some marinated cherry tomatoes. You can also use different kinds of cheese. He didn’t provide a dipping sauce but balsamic vinegar works perfectly as it looks like soy sauce and who doesn’t like to dip their sushi. I freeze them as well because it helps them hold together, especially if you want to serve these with chopsticks, which I think you should because when you commit to the bit, you should commit 100 percent.

1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

6 slices of prosciutto

½ lb fresh mozzarella, cut into long strips

1 cup arugula

½ cup aged balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Place the cherry tomatoes in a bowl with 1 teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil and salt. Mix to combine.

Place a large piece of cling film on a cutting board. Lay 3 slices of prosciutto out in a row vertically and then 3 on top of them horizontally.

Lay the mozzarella down the middle of the prosciutto, lengthwise. Place the tomatoes down on top and then the arugula. Season with a bit more salt, pepper and olive oil, if desired.

Roll the prosciutto over the fillings in a tight tube using the cling wrap to lift the ingredients. Seal the ends and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Remove from the freezer and carefully remove the plastic. Using a very sharp knife, cut the roll into two inch pieces.

Serve with the balsamic vinegar, seasoned with the remaining salt, pepper and oregano.