Lambie-licious

Mario's dad does it to me again.

Armandino Batali, a retired Boeing process-control engineer, started making charcuterie out of his shop, Salumi, in Seattle in 1999. He turned it over to his daughter, Gina, and her husband, Brian D'Amato, in 2007, and they've continued making the traditional and New World cured meats that draw lines around the block to the postage stamp-sized store.

A couple of weeks ago I spied some lamb prosciutto in the case at Foster & Dobbs and bought a few slices to try. After one bite I couldn't believe I'd missed this Salumi standard. Rich and dry, it's intensely lambie without being funky, and with a salty edge that cries out for a pint of beer to have with it. As part of an antipasto platter the other night it got raves, especially with a bit of stone ground mustard on the side.

A slice of this on a salad with a mustard vinaigrette would be awesome, so if you like lamb and want to try something completely different, go get some.

Details: Lamb prosciutto from Salumi in Seattle. Available at Foster & Dobbs, 2518 NE 15th Ave. 503-284-1157.