Speck. Lightly smoked, spiced and seasoned: These are the characteristics of one of the most appreciated cured meats in the kitchens of North Italy – and beyond. The result of great processing and the particular climate of a splendid region like Alto Adige, speck enriches many recipes with its aroma and flavor. These are our top suggestions.
Household spaetzli
This recipe – typical of the South Tyrolean tradition – is a family dish to enjoy on cold winter evenings. Preparing it is simple and provides a lot of satisfaction. To begin, mix 3 eggs in a bowl with 9 oz flour, 2 oz minced bacon, a pinch of salt and a cup of milk. The mixture will be thick and compact. Grate it over a pot of boiling water to make spaetzli. As soon as the spaetzli come to the surface, drain them and transfer to a saucepan with melted butter. In another pan, sauté the chopped shallots, salt and pepper with a knob of butter. Once the shallots are tender, pour the spaetzli and some grated Montasio cheese over them. Serve immediately with chopped parsley and chopped bacon.
Risotto with speck
Make the risotto according to the classic recipe. At the end, add the speck cut into strips. Add salt and mix with a knob of butter and a tablespoon of mascarpone cheese. In summer, you can add a melon gelée – prepared by blending the pulp of a Mantuan melon with mineral water. Add a sheet of soaked and squeezed fish glue to the mixture and once cooled (in the fridge), serve the gelée cut into discs on top of the risotto with bacon. The mix of sweet and smoked flavors will surely win you over!
Asparagus salad with speck carpaccio
For this quick starter, boil the asparagus and then sauté in butter with a pinch of salt. Julienne the asparagus and place them on a plate. Add some fresh spinach leaves, slices of thinly cut speck and garnish with parmesan flakes and a vinaigrette.
Speck rolls with porridge
These rolls can be a rich one-course meal and you can make them in a very short time. Cook some crespelle made with chickpea flour and stuff with sautéed escarole, wrapping them in slices of speck. Season the rolls with an emulsion made by blending extra-virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.
Cold appetizer
Ideal for an informal buffet. Roast two fillets of trout in a pan with the skin on. When they are ready, skin them and cut them into chunks. Arrange a mixed salad on a plate with the chopped the trout fillets and bacon cut into strips. Season with an emulsion made of oil, a teaspoon of mustard, salt, pepper, a few drops of lemon juice and chopped dill.
Mixed skewers
Skewers are ideal for entertaining even the youngest children. To make them, alternate slices of speck and pieces of peeled apple on a skewer. Roast them in a saucepan with a drizzle of oil. Separately, fry chopped escarole with chopped carrot, celery and onion. Once browned, add 4 oz cream and let it thicken. Serve the hot skewers on the bed of escarole.
Sunday meatloaf
A classic family meal – maybe for Sunday lunchtime. Preparing it is simple, but not very quick. Start by mixing bread, speck (soaked in milk and chopped), minced veal or pork meat (or both together), chopped rosemary, bacon, egg, grated cheese, ricotta, salt and pepper. Mix all the ingredients together to form a meatloaf that you will wrap with slices of bacon. Cover everything with tinfoil and bake in the oven at 350°F for an hour. Remove the tinfoil and sprinkle the surface with white wine and cook for another 20 minutes. Let the meatloaf cool and serve it on a bed of songino salad.
Semolina croquettes
Easy to make, these croquettes will satisfy anyone’s taste. Add the semolina, half a tablespoon of sugar, salt and milk to a saucepan and cook for about 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat and mix in some chopped speck and one egg yolk. Make some meatballs and dust them in flour, then in the beaten egg and finally in the breadcrumbs. Fry them in plenty of hot oil and serve with a mixed salad.
Speck stew
It's a revised version of the usual stew. Instead of meat, dice the speck and brown it with chopped onion, celery, carrot, pepper, plenty of paprika, thyme, bay leaf and a tablespoon of flour to be diluted with wine. Add some broth, cover and simmer for about an hour, then add some potatoes (cut into slices) to the stew and let cook for another 30 minutes. Serve hot.