Cantaloupe Recipes and Facts: Cantaloupe with Prosciutto and Basil Oil

Cantaloupes are not a new, modern fruit that has recently made it into the diets of people. They have been cultivated as early as 2000 B.C. in Egypt, and are in the same gourd family with other melons, squashes and cucumbers, according to Cantaloupe.org.

They tend to require warm temperatures to grow, and are available all year-long, but the peak growing season is in the summer months. Texas, California, and Arizona produce the majority of the United States' cantaloupe crop.

Nutrients in cantaloupe

High in vitamin C and low in calories, cantaloupes are also a good source of vitamin A, beta-carotene, and potassium, as well as other nutrients, many of which can also be found in the rind. Though not edible, the rind and seeds can be juiced to be able to take advantage of all the cantaloupes nutritional advantage.

Before cutting any melon, wash in warm soapy water to get rid of any harmful bacteria, such as salmonella.

Choosing a ripe cantaloupe

Cantaloupe.org has taken the guess work out of finding a melon to your liking.

If you like a heavier musk flavor with a softer flesh, choose a melon grown further east, with no stem, and with a rind that is more yellow in color, which has a heavier musk aroma. Melons coming from California with a milder odor and no stem will appeal to those who prefer a crisper sweet melon. If the preference is a melon without the musk, then look for a melon without aroma that might have the stem still attached.

Once a melon is chosen and washed properly, it can be served in a variety of ways: Halved, quartered, wedged, cubed, or scooped out in ball shapes with a tool called a "melon baller." They can also be served as rings by cutting the melon into slices through the whole fruit, and then removing the seeds and rind after cutting.

How to eat a cantaloupe

Cantaloupe is certainly delicious eaten alone, or in fruit salads. Many a young child remembers the scoop of vanilla ice filling the half-cantaloupe "bowl" for a special dessert. But it can be eaten in a variety of ways.

It might be as simple as wrapping a wedge of cantaloupe in a slice of prosciutto for a delicious salty and sweet addition to an antipasto platter.

Or with a little more preparation, try Adriana's Italian recipe for Cantaloupe and Prosciutto with Basil Oil from CookiesfromItaly.com.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cantaloupe
1/2 lb thinly sliced prosciutto
2 ounces crumbled ricotta salata (salted ricotta cheese) or feta cheese (about 1/4 cup)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. On a baking sheet toast pine nuts until golden, about 5 minutes, and cool.
3. In a blender puree basil with oil until basil is minced.
4. Pour puree through a very fine sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on solids, and discard solids.
5. Halve and seed cantaloupe.
6. Cut melon into 1/4-inch-thick wedges and discard rind.
7. Spoon basil oil onto 4 plates.
8. Arrange melon decoratively over oil and top with prosciutto.
9. Sprinkle melon and prosciutto with pine nuts and cheese. Serves 4.

Dried cantaloupe

Cantaloupe is one fruit that is not typically thought of as something to be dried, but can be purchased in many health food stores.

If you have a food dehydrator, it can also be done for pennies at home. Mark's Daily Apple is a good resource for learning how to dry fruits.

Sources

Cantaloupe.org
CookiesfromItaly.com
Mark's Daily Apple