Puff Pastries with Speck and Black Kale

The puff pastries with speck and black kale are a dish that combines the delicacy of puff pastry with the robustness of speck and the slightly bitter taste of black kale. Here’s how you could prepare them, enriching them with an Italian touch:

Ingredients

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

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
2. Clean the black kale by removing the toughest stems 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 kale cut into strips. Cook until it becomes soft and slightly crispy, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Unroll the puff pastry and cut it into squares of about 10 cm per side.
5. Place some cooled black kale and a slice of speck on each puff pastry square.
6. Fold the puff pastry like a wallet or roll it onto itself, depending on the shape you prefer to give the pastries.
7. Beat the egg in a bowl and brush the pastries to make them golden during baking.
8. Bake the pastries 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 let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Trivia

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