This past September we were on a day sail with Society of Broken Souls musicians, Lauryn & DJ. Having played on the rooftop of the Metropolitan the night before and gifting us their soulful music, I knew we should make them something special. Hmm. But Lauryn is one of those gluten-free types. Yeah, you galley chefs have been there before, right? I thought of making those great Asparagus Prosciutto Rollups that someone always brings to a party…the appetizer with all the necessary food groups but carbs in one delicious bite. Perfect! But it wasn’t asparagus season. So here was my improv, using all fresh ingredients…

Zucchini Prosciutto Rollups with Pesto

3 cloves garlic
2 cups basil leaves
1/2 cup pine nuts (pignolis)
1 cup EVOO
2 cayenne peppers
1 teaspoon salt
1 lb thinly sliced, but not shaved, Prosciutto (about 16-20 slices)
2 zucchinis
1/2 cup cream cheese

Not having shore power I made the pesto by chopping the first 6 ingredients in a hand cranked food processor. I find it best for pesto to press your garlic cloves first to ensure that the flavor spreads easily through the sauce without any signs of garlic chunks. I also mince up the cayenne pepper as best I can before throwing that in the processor as well. This hand cranked chopper is one of my all time favorite galley gadgets. It even comes with an attachment that can whip cream faster than it takes to chill your bowls and beaters at home.

Grind away like you’re hoisting your captain up the mast. (I know…it’s usually the other way around, isn’t it?) Try to get the pesto minced up as fine as possible. You would typically add grated Parmesan Cheese to pesto, but since I’ll be adding cream cheese to the rollups I’ll use that as a substitution. You can certainly add Parmesan if you’d like. (you just might want to cut the salt back a bit)

Slice the zucchinis into long thin spears, about the size of asparagus.

Now begin to assemble. Spread the cream cheese on a slice of Prosciutto, then smear on the pesto, length-wise.

 Lay on a zucchini spear and roll. Continue with the rest of the zucchinis and serve immediately.

Our musician crew was very appreciative of the sail and the food and the great weekend overall. We hope they come back and play again! Check out their music and their schedule. Maybe they’ll be playing in a city near you!