Parma al Verde, our prosciutto sandwich

Prosciutto di Parma is a cured ham from the province of Parma, in Emilia-Romagna, made from a leg of pork and salt and then left to age. It is never cooked. Italians call this style crudo, raw, to separate it from cotto, the cooked ham that goes into a ham-and-cheese. The two taste almost nothing alike, and the reasons are in our guide to prosciutto crudo and cotto.

The part to pay attention to in a good slice is the fat. Thin, pale and almost translucent, it carries much of the sweetness, and it softens on the tongue. It is also the reason crudo is handled gently.

Put prosciutto under a hot press for long and it changes: the fat renders out, the meat tightens, and the salt comes forward. Ours comes on toasted focaccia, which gives the sandwich its warmth and crunch.

A salty ham needs company that pushes back. Arugula (rucola) brings a peppery bitterness that cuts through the fat. The pistachio pesto, made in-house with Bronte pistachio, does the opposite: it is round and gently sweet, and it softens the salt. Fior di latte, the cow's-milk mozzarella, sits between them and keeps each mouthful moist.

The same pesto runs through the Pistacchione, where it meets mortadella and burrata instead. That one is richer; this one is sharper.

If you are choosing between our two ham panini, here is how they differ. Il Classico is the cooked-ham panino, with fresh mozzarella and dried tomatoes on pane & olio. It is mild, soft and familiar. Parma al Verde is drier, saltier and more aromatic, with the greens and the pesto doing the talking. If you like the edge of a cured ham, order this one; if you want comfort, order the other. Both are on our panini menu.