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 flavorful recipe that can be served as an appetizer or as a main course. Here’s how to prepare it:

Ingredients

• 1 roll of rectangular puff pastry
• 2-3 medium zucchini
• 100 g sliced speck
• 100 g 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 cut them into thin slices lengthwise. You can use a mandoline to get uniform slices.
3. In a pan, heat a drizzle of oil and grill the zucchini for a few minutes on each side until they become soft. Lightly salt them and set aside.
4. Roll out the puff pastry on a sheet of parchment paper and spread the spreadable cheese or ricotta on top, leaving a border of about 1 cm free on all sides.
5. Distribute the slices of speck over the cheese.
6. Place the grilled zucchini on top of the speck, creating a single layer.
7. Roll the puff pastry onto itself starting from the longer side, being careful 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 a preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until golden and crispy.
10. Once cooked, let the roll cool for a few minutes before slicing it and serving.

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

Fun Fact

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