Puff Pastry Leaves with Speck and Black Cabbage

Puff Pastry Leaves with Speck and Black Cabbage is a dish that combines the delicacy of puff pastry with the robustness of speck and the slightly bitter taste of black cabbage. Here’s how you could prepare them, embellished with an Italian touch:

Ingredients

• 1 roll of puff pastry
• 150 g of thinly sliced speck
• 200 g of black cabbage
• 1 clove of garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil as needed
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg (for glazing)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
2. Clean the black cabbage by removing the toughest ribs and wash the leaves well.
3. In a pan, sauté the garlic in a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and then add the black cabbage cut into strips. Cook until it is soft and slightly crispy, then salt and season with pepper to taste.
4. Unroll the puff pastry and cut it into squares of about 10 cm per side.
5. Place a bit of cooled black cabbage and a slice of speck on each square of puff pastry.
6. Fold the puff pastry like a wallet or roll it up on itself, depending on the shape you prefer to give the leaves.
7. Beat the egg in a bowl and brush the leaves to make them golden during baking.
8. Bake the leaves on a baking tray lined with parchment paper for about 15-20 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden and crispy.
9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Curiosity

Speck is a typical cured meat from northern Italy, particularly from Trentino-Alto Adige. It is produced through a process of light smoking and curing that gives it a unique and characteristic flavor. Paired with black cabbage, it creates an interesting contrast of flavors that enhances the simplicity of the preparation.