Italian Recipe: Parma Ham Scotch Eggs

Feeding the Family

Recipes

Published on Wednesday, 26 June 2019 10:02

Last Updated on 26 June 2019

Monica Costa

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After a rather gloomy start to Spring, the weather is finally improving just in time for National Picnic Week, which is being celebrated across the UK from the 21^st – 30^th June 2019. As an Italian, opt for Italian picnic recipes. This recipe for Parma Ham Scotch Eggs is the first of two yummy recipe ideas for food on the go donated by by the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma. 

As British picnics become more elaborate, with sausage rolls and sandwiches being replaced by pricier options like hummus and olives, we’re not surprised that Prosciutto di Parma is becoming increasingly popular with British picnickers. With its full-bodied flavour, smooth texture, and all-natural production process, Parma Ham is an excellent option for al fresco dining, as it is perfectly paired with other popular picnic foods like avocados, artichokes, and ricotta.

This recipe serves 5.

INGREDIENTS:

• 7 Large free-range eggs
• 5 Slices of Parma Ham
• 500g Sausage meat
• Plain flour
• Panko breadcrumbs
• Sea salt, to season

METHOD:

1. Bring water to the boil and gently place 5 eggs into the water. Leave to boil for 7 minutes and then remove and peel. 
2. Lay out a slice of Parma Ham on a chopping board and place an egg at one end. Roll the egg with the Parma Ham until fully covered. Repeat with 4 more eggs.
3. Weigh out 100g of sausage meat per egg, place on the board and flatten out to a thickness of around 1cm. Wrap around the egg until fully covered, working out any pockets of air and ensuring that the sausage meat is even all the way around.
4. Set up your breading station with a bowl each of plain flour, egg wash, and panko breadcrumbs. Season the flour and egg wash with a small pinch of salt and mix in.
5. Place a scotch egg into the flour and roll around, ensuring it is completely coated to help the egg stick.
6. Shake off the excess flour and place the scotch egg in the egg wash, again rolling around to ensure it is fully coated.
7. Finally place the scotch egg in the panko breadcrumbs and roll around until fully coated. Repeat these steps with the remaining scotch eggs, cover, and place in the fridge.
8. To cook the eggs, heat a frying pan with sunflower oil to 170?C.
9. Using a ‘spider’ strainer or spoon, lower up to 3 coated scotch eggs gently into the oil. Rotate them occasionally to ensure even cooking. Cook for 8 minutes until golden brown on the outside, and the layer of sausage meat is fully cooked.
10. Carefully remove the scotch eggs from the oil and place onto a tray covered with kitchen towel to soak up the excess oil.  

This recipe for Parma Ham Scotch Eggs was developed by Micah Carr-Hill and Brandt Maybury, Co-Founders of Tastehead. Photography by Steve Lee Studios.

Parma Ham is a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product and is 100% natural. The drying process that Parma Ham goes through creates a ham that is very low in fat content, with many mineral salts, vitamins, antioxidants and easily digestible proteins. This means that Parma Ham is truly a food for everyone.

Prosciutto di Parma is produced in the hills surrounding the Italian town of Parma.

The unique taste of Parma Ham is dependent on the traditional production process passed down from Roman times, carefully controlled by the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma. Only hams that have passed stringent curing regulations approved by the EU can be awarded the stamp of the Ducal crown – a five-pointed coronet logo with PARMA in the centre which is branded onto the ham’s skin. The Ducal Crown is now a certification trademark.

In 2018, the production of Prosciutto di Parma saw a considerable growth of 4.8%, with a global production of 8.5 million legs of ham. The United Kingdom market for Prosciutto di Parma generated a €32 million revenue with 17,540,000 pre-sliced packs sold – this is the largest amount of pre-sliced packs of ham sold anywhere in the world.

 

Related features: 

Travel: A day visit to Parma

Recipe: Tomato, Parma Ham & Asparagus Pizza