All that you will ever need to know about "Speck": Italian Speck has some similar characteristics to smoked bacon. However unlike American bacon that comes from belly portion of the hog (same as Pancetta), Speck is made from hog legs. Speck originates from the Alto Adige region where it is still a home made process protected by a PGI designation. The meat is seasoned with salt and spices that include pepper, laurel and juniper berries before being allowed to rest for about a month. Speck is then smoked using flavorful beechwood, ash or juniper for ten days. The meat is then aged for months to produce a smoky and slightly spicy product with a distinct pink/red interior with a small amount of fat. Speck is often served sliced thin or diced but can also be used to cook with, easily replacing bacon or as a smoky alternative to Pancetta.
I must admit - my prediction was wrong. I never thought Derek would actually want to make this frittata for dinner, especially not on a Friday night! However, he took the liberty to go to the store and select some tasty ingredients to suppliment our current collection of vegetables and then proceeded to whip up one heck of a good creation. I give him full credit for the fritatta - and will give myself full credit for the hashbrowns that were only partially successful.
Speck and Vegetable Frittata
4 t. butter, divided
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
8 white button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 medium broccoli crown
1 slice of speck (1/8 in. thick), diced
4 eggs
2 egg whites
scant 1/4 cup milk
2-3 sprigs chives, minced
2-3 sprigs thyme, leaves separated
1/3 cup sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper
Melt 2 teaspoons of butter in an 8 or 9 inch nonstick, ovenproof skillet over low heat. Add the leek and garlic and cook very slowly, stirring frequently, until soft and golden, about 10 minutes, then remove from skillet and set aside.
Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with water and ice cubes and set aside.
Bring a skillet of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the broccoli crown and cook until blanched, about 5 minutes. Immediately drain the asparagus in a colander, then plunge into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain broccoli again.
Separate broccoli crown into bite sized florets. Set aside.
Heat remaining 2 teaspoons of butter in the saucepan. Add the mushrooms and speck. Cook until the mushrooms have released their water and are soft.
Add back to the pan the leeks and broccoli. Add chives and thyme.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place the eggs and milk in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add chives and thyme and season with salt and pepper.
Add the egg mixture to the skillet with the vegetable mixture and cook, without stirring, over medium-low heat until the bottom and sides have set, about 4 minutes. The top of the frittata will still be wet.
Sprinkle the cheese over the frittata and place in the oven to finish cooking - about 7 minutes. Remove from oven and let it rest for 2 minutes.
Run a heat-proof rubber spatula or small knife around the edge of the frittata to release it from the skillet. Slide it onto a serving plate. Cut into 4 wedges and serve hot.
Turnip and Potato Hashbrowns
1 medium turnip, peeled and grated, excess water drained
1 medium potato, peeled and grated, excess water drained
1/2 tsp. paprika
pinch nutmeg
salt and pepper
EVOO/Butter
Mix turnips, potatoes, and spices in a bowl.
Coat bottom of a skillet with a mixture of butter and EVOO (need a decent amount so the hashbrowns do not stick. Heat over medium-high heat.
Place the vegetable mixture in the pan and flatten so that the vegetables are evenly dispersed in a pancake-like form. Cook for 6 minutes without stirring.
Once the bottom is golden brown, flip hashbrown "patty" to the other side (may have to break it up in order to flip). Cook for 6 more minutes or until golden.
Voila. Turnip Hashbrowns.
The GOOD: Frittata - the whole thing. Honestly. It was seasoned to perfection, and that's not something that I can describe how to do since I do not know precisely how much of each spice Derek put in. But to not need any salt or pepper added after the fact is quite amazing. REALLY good - quick too!! The speck was a great addition, it was smokey but not greasy and overpowering, it added a nice round characteristic to the egg dish.
The Good Enough: Turnip Hashbrowns. This was an idea that came into my head without any previous recipe searching. The concept itself - fantastic. You really couldn't even tell that the hashbrowns were about 60-70 percent turnips, they blended right in. They do have a slightly bitter taste but to an unknowing person, these would be passed off as potato hashbrowns. The issue, however, was the soaking up of oil from the pan. I put a decent amount to coat the pan (but not FRY) - but after the flip, the oil seemed to dry up a bit, lending way to sticking and blackening of the vegetables. I had to break up the hashbrowns to unstick them from the pan, so there wasn't an even crust. It did look like some hashbrowns that I've seen before - a little dark in some places, still clear in others. Despite the looks - they tasted really good!
I must admit - my prediction was wrong. I never thought Derek would actually want to make this frittata for dinner, especially not on a Friday night! However, he took the liberty to go to the store and select some tasty ingredients to suppliment our current collection of vegetables and then proceeded to whip up one heck of a good creation. I give him full credit for the fritatta - and will give myself full credit for the hashbrowns that were only partially successful.
Speck and Vegetable Frittata
4 t. butter, divided
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
8 white button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 medium broccoli crown
1 slice of speck (1/8 in. thick), diced
4 eggs
2 egg whites
scant 1/4 cup milk
2-3 sprigs chives, minced
2-3 sprigs thyme, leaves separated
1/3 cup sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper
Melt 2 teaspoons of butter in an 8 or 9 inch nonstick, ovenproof skillet over low heat. Add the leek and garlic and cook very slowly, stirring frequently, until soft and golden, about 10 minutes, then remove from skillet and set aside.
Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with water and ice cubes and set aside.
Bring a skillet of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the broccoli crown and cook until blanched, about 5 minutes. Immediately drain the asparagus in a colander, then plunge into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain broccoli again.
Separate broccoli crown into bite sized florets. Set aside.
Heat remaining 2 teaspoons of butter in the saucepan. Add the mushrooms and speck. Cook until the mushrooms have released their water and are soft.
Add back to the pan the leeks and broccoli. Add chives and thyme.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place the eggs and milk in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add chives and thyme and season with salt and pepper.
Add the egg mixture to the skillet with the vegetable mixture and cook, without stirring, over medium-low heat until the bottom and sides have set, about 4 minutes. The top of the frittata will still be wet.
Sprinkle the cheese over the frittata and place in the oven to finish cooking - about 7 minutes. Remove from oven and let it rest for 2 minutes.
Run a heat-proof rubber spatula or small knife around the edge of the frittata to release it from the skillet. Slide it onto a serving plate. Cut into 4 wedges and serve hot.
Turnip and Potato Hashbrowns
1 medium turnip, peeled and grated, excess water drained
1 medium potato, peeled and grated, excess water drained
1/2 tsp. paprika
pinch nutmeg
salt and pepper
EVOO/Butter
Mix turnips, potatoes, and spices in a bowl.
Coat bottom of a skillet with a mixture of butter and EVOO (need a decent amount so the hashbrowns do not stick. Heat over medium-high heat.
Place the vegetable mixture in the pan and flatten so that the vegetables are evenly dispersed in a pancake-like form. Cook for 6 minutes without stirring.
Once the bottom is golden brown, flip hashbrown "patty" to the other side (may have to break it up in order to flip). Cook for 6 more minutes or until golden.
Voila. Turnip Hashbrowns.
The GOOD: Frittata - the whole thing. Honestly. It was seasoned to perfection, and that's not something that I can describe how to do since I do not know precisely how much of each spice Derek put in. But to not need any salt or pepper added after the fact is quite amazing. REALLY good - quick too!! The speck was a great addition, it was smokey but not greasy and overpowering, it added a nice round characteristic to the egg dish.
The Good Enough: Turnip Hashbrowns. This was an idea that came into my head without any previous recipe searching. The concept itself - fantastic. You really couldn't even tell that the hashbrowns were about 60-70 percent turnips, they blended right in. They do have a slightly bitter taste but to an unknowing person, these would be passed off as potato hashbrowns. The issue, however, was the soaking up of oil from the pan. I put a decent amount to coat the pan (but not FRY) - but after the flip, the oil seemed to dry up a bit, lending way to sticking and blackening of the vegetables. I had to break up the hashbrowns to unstick them from the pan, so there wasn't an even crust. It did look like some hashbrowns that I've seen before - a little dark in some places, still clear in others. Despite the looks - they tasted really good!
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