Puff Pastry Roll with Zucchini and Speck

I can share with you a recipe for a delicious puff pastry roll with zucchini and speck, a simple and tasty recipe that can be served as an appetizer or as a main dish. Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients

• 1 rectangular puff pastry sheet
• 2-3 medium zucchini
• 100 g of sliced speck
• 100 g of spreadable cheese or ricotta
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 egg (for brushing)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Wash the zucchini and slice them thinly lengthwise. You can use a mandoline to get even slices.
3. Heat a drizzle of oil in a pan and grill the zucchini for a few minutes per side until they become soft. Season them lightly with salt and set aside.
4. Roll out the puff pastry on a sheet of baking paper and spread the spreadable cheese or ricotta over it, leaving a border of about 1 cm on all sides.
5. Distribute the speck slices over the cheese.
6. Lay the grilled zucchini over the speck, creating a single layer.
7. Roll the puff pastry up from the longer side, making sure to keep the filling inside.
8. Seal the edges well and brush the surface of the roll with a beaten egg.
9. Bake the puff pastry roll in the hot oven for about 25 minutes or until it is golden and crispy.
10. Once cooked, let the roll cool for a few minutes before cutting it into slices and serving.

Tip: If you want to add a touch of freshness, you can enrich the filling with some basil or mint leaves, which go well with the sweetness of the zucchini and the strong flavor of the speck.

Curiosity

Speck is a typical product from Alto Adige; it is a smoked cured ham that, with its distinctive taste, gives dishes a unique and unmistakable flavor. This blend of flavors between zucchini, creamy cheese, and speck is a perfect example of how Italian cuisine can create harmony even among simple ingredients.