Montadito de Jamon Batido Aragones

Montadito de jamon batido is Aragones, and Zaragoza knows exactly what it is: cured ham chopped very fine, beaten with softened butter, then smoothed over small warm toasts. It is not pate, though it eats like one. It is ham and butter, plain as that, and the better the ham, the better the montadito.

The method that decides it is the chopping. The jamon must be cut small before it goes anywhere near the butter, almost a rough paste, so the fat of the butter carries the salt and cured sweetness through every bite. Leave the ham in thick pieces and you get butter with bits in it. Chop it right, then beat it well, and it turns spreadable and clean.

In Aragón, jamon de Teruel is the one to look for, mild, cured, and not too aggressive. If you are far from Teruel, use good jamon serrano. Prosciutto is softer and sweeter, so it will work at a pinch, but the spread will taste rounder and less dry-cured. No hace falta haber pisado España. You do need decent ham, unsalted butter, and bread warm enough to wake them both.

Serve it in small montaditos, open-faced, before lunch or as a quick supper with olives and something sharp to drink. My Margin beside this one says only: chop finer than you think. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.