Italy’s Ham What Am Finally Arrives

As if there weren’t enough hams in L.A. already, Italy’s famed prosciutto di Parma --Parma ham--has hit town again . . . at last.

The importation of Italian prosciutto was banned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1967, after Italian pigs were exposed to African swine fever. It has taken more than 20 years for (a) Italy to eradicate the disease, (b) Italy to persuade the USDA that it has done so and (c) Italy and the USDA to agree on conditions under which the ham may now be brought into America.

One of these conditions is that the ham must be aged a minimum of 400 days, instead of the 300-day minimum imposed by the Italian government. Thus, though the deal was struck more than a year ago, the first prosciutto di Parma has just now reached these shores in late September.

What do the proprietors of several prominent local Italian restaurants think of the new ham, and how are they using it?

Piero Selvaggio, of Valentino in Santa Monica and Primi in West Los Angeles, says, “At least three importers are bringing it into this area, and they’re all good--but one is exceptional. And the nice thing is that the prices, which we were afraid were going to be so high, aren’t really that bad at all--around $11 to $12 a pound wholesale.

“They say this is just an introductory price, of course, but if they’re smart they won’t go too much higher. As to how we use it, it’s so good, we like to just serve it by itself. But we also do it with purees of fun things--like sweet peppers, or mostarda di Cremona (sweet-and-sour pickled and candied fruits). We also serve it sometimes with smoked salmon, which might sound strange but is a wonderful combination.” Valentino charges $9 for a plate of unaccompanied prosciutto di Parma .

At Trattoria Angeli in West L.A., chef and co-proprietor Evan Kleiman serves the new ham with melon or figs, and plans to offer it on rosemary-and-garlic-flavored focaccia bread at lunchtime and as a dinner entree with a green salad, focaccia and a glass of red wine--”a little country meal.” She will offer it, too, on the bar menu at the soon-to-open Angeli Mare in Marina del Rey, and will introduce it later at Caffe Angeli in Hollywood.

Kleiman--who notes that she continues to use domestic prosciutto for pizzas and in other cooked forms--was one of the few local chefs who attended a seminar presented locally by the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma to accompany the introduction of the product--an event she calls “very educational.” She is training her service staff, she adds, so that they’ll understand what prosciutto di Parma is and why it’s so special. “It’s incredible,” she says. “The product is just so good.” Prosciutto with melon or figs is $9.50 at Trattoria Angeli.

Kleiman applauds the USDA’s 400-day rule because it ensures that the prosciutto is well-aged by the time it gets here. On the other hand, Mauro Vincenti, proprietor of Rex Il Ristorante downtown and Pazzia on La Cienega, says, “I don’t think what we’re starting to get here is old enough. If it’s firmer, it’s a lot better. Four hundred days is nothing. We should be eating prosciutto from three or four or five years ago. Maybe we should try to age it further when it gets here--but you couldn’t do it in L.A. You need someplace not too hot, with good air. Probably the foot of the mountains after Fresno would be a good place. Maybe we should send our prosciutto there.”

Vincenti adds, “This prosciutto is in another class altogether from what we have been using. It’s a hundred times better. It melts in your mouth. The best adjective you can use is ‘sweet.’ ” At Pazzia, prosciutto is served alongside polenta with mozzarella melted on top, garnished with sweet peppers and asparagus; it’s also sometimes used to “wrap” a savarin or mold of rice.

“And,” says Vincenti, “at last we can make real saltimbocca alla romana (braised, thinly sliced veal topped with ham and flavored with sage). The old prosciutto was too salty for the dish.” At Rex, the prosciutto is used mostly by itself, as an appetizer. A serving of unaccompanied prosciutto di Parma costs $9 at Pazzia, $10 at Rex.

One restaurateur who is less than enthusiastic about Parma ham is Jean Leon, whose old-line La Scala and La Scala Boutique have just reopened in handsome new quarters in Beverly Hills. “I have the ham here,” he says, “but I can’t use it. At the price it was offered to me, I would have to charge twice what I do for domestic prosciutto--and the domestic product, from Citerio, is really very good.” Leon adds, though, that he has not yet been offered prosciutto di Parma for the same wholesale price the aforementioned restaurateurs have paid. “If I can get it for that,” he says, “then I will be able to serve it.”

WHERE THE GRILLS ARE: Usually, you’ve got a choice: Cook something on the barbecue, or go out to dinner. If you happen to live in or near Wheeling, Ill., though, you can now do both at the same time--at the Weber Grill Restaurant. Eschewing Italian-made wood ovens, Texas-built mesquite grills and the like, the Weber Grill cooks food on, yes, a half-dozen oversized Weber Grills--indoors. The restaurant has developed a special ventilation system and their own method of keeping the briquette fires burning. Kebabs, steaks and trout are among the specialties. Best of all, customers are not required to wear aprons or silly hats.

BIRTHDAY BARGAINS: The Studio Grill in Hollywood celebrates its 19th anniversary on Thursday. In honor of the event, it’s serving a special three-course dinner featuring some of the restaurant’s original menu items--beef and black mushrooms in oyster sauce and chicken curry among them--for $11.95 per person. This is said to be “approximately (the items’) original cost to you.” (“Approximately” can be a big word, of course. A copy of a Studio Grill menu from May, 1972, lists beef and black mushrooms at $5.25 and chicken curry at $4.50, with the most expensive appetizer and dessert priced at $2.25 and $1.25, respectively.) . . . Meanwhile, Le Biarritz, which bills itself as “Newport Beach’s longest-established French restaurant” celebrates its 15th anniversary. In honor of the occasion, weekly discount dinner specials (i.e., broiled swordfish for $12.95 instead of the usual $21.95) and a selection of Southwestern French dishes in the $9.95 to $11.95 range (including soup or salad) have been added to its regular menu. . . . And, to celebrate its first anniversary, From Spain in West L.A. serves four-course regional Spanish dinners for $14.95 apiece. Madrileno food is being served this coming week, Catalan cooking is planned from Oct. 23-28, and Galician specialties the week after that.