The savory tart with pumpkin and speck is a pumpkin recipe that is simple and tasty to prepare. It has a soft and tasty filling with two contrasting flavors that make it truly unique: the sweetness of the pumpkin and the savory taste of speck.
The savory tart with pumpkin and speck is very quick to prepare and is perfect to prepare in advance for a quick dinner, but it is also a perfect idea for a hearty appetizer or to accompany a rustic meal, perhaps together with a good white focaccia, Barese focaccia or other types of homemade focaccias.
For the sake of time, I made this pumpkin and speck quiche with a store-bought roll of shortcrust pastry, but if you prefer to make the savory tart shell at home, you can use the wine dough for savory tarts, which is prepared in minutes with just a few ingredients, or yeast dough. If you prefer puff pastry, try also my rustic pizza with pumpkin, ricotta and sausage.
As for the type of pumpkin to use, you can use whichever you have available, they are all fine.
Without further ado, let’s see the recipe for the savory tart with speck and pumpkin, but first I’ll leave you with some other tasty ideas to try, especially if you like the combination of pumpkin with speck.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 8Pieces
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
- Energy 290.53 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 17.87 (g) of which sugars 2.37 (g)
- Proteins 12.87 (g)
- Fat 18.39 (g) of which saturated 5.27 (g)of which unsaturated 3.67 (g)
- Fibers 1.10 (g)
- Sodium 370.11 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 150 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients to prepare the savory pumpkin and speck tart
- 1 roll shortcrust pastry
- 2 cups g pumpkin
- 2/3 cup g cow ricotta (or lactose-free)
- 3/4 cup g mozzarella
- 3 tbsps g grated Parmesan (about 3 tablespoons)
- 3.5 oz g diced speck
- 1 white onion
- 1 egg
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste chopped parsley
- to taste breadcrumbs (to sprinkle on top)
- to taste water
Tools
- Baking Dish 9.5 inches
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Frying Pan
Steps to prepare the savory pumpkin and speck tart
Let’s see together how to prepare this delicious savory pumpkin, ricotta, and speck tart.
Clean the pumpkin and cut it into cubes of roughly the same size to ensure even cooking.
Coarsely chop the onion and place it in a pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Turn on the heat, let it warm up, then add the pumpkin pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
Add a little water to the pan.
Lower the heat and cook for about ten minutes with the lid on, until the pumpkin and onion are soft and well cooked and the added water is completely absorbed. If needed during cooking, add more water, but by the end, there should be no broth left, otherwise, the filling will be too moist.
Once ready, mash them with a fork until you have a kind of puree. If you prefer the pumpkin in pieces in the savory tart, skip this step.
Let it cool.
Place the cooled pumpkin in a bowl. Add the speck, ricotta, mozzarella cut into pieces, and grated Parmesan.
Add the egg and another pinch of salt and pepper. If you like, you can also add a bit of chopped parsley to the mixture.
Mix all the ingredients well until you have a homogeneous and creamy mixture.
Unroll a sheet of shortcrust pastry in a 9.5-inch baking dish (but a classic cake pan or any baking sheet of this size is fine). Leave the edges outside the cake pan. Fill the shell with the filling you’ve prepared and fold the edges of the shortcrust pastry over the filling.
I further enriched the surface of the savory tart with a few cubes of raw pumpkin, some chopped parsley leaves, and a bit of speck.
Sprinkle with some breadcrumbs, drizzle with another dash of oil, and bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes.
Since the filling is quite moist, to ensure perfect cooking of the base, move your savory pumpkin and speck tart to the lowest rack of the oven in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
When the edges are well-cooked and the surface is gratinated, take the savory tart out of the oven, let it cool slightly, and then serve it.
Storage, notes
– The savory pumpkin and speck tart can be prepared a few hours in advance or, at most, the day before. When ready to eat, just reheat it in the oven at 320°F for about ten minutes.
– If you have leftovers, I recommend consuming them within 24-48 hours and storing them in the fridge. Avoid freezing it, as the filling, being quite moist, would lose its initial texture.
– If you have leftovers, I recommend consuming them within 24-48 hours and storing them in the fridge. Avoid freezing it, as the filling, being quite moist, would lose its initial texture.
– If you have leftovers, I recommend consuming them within 24-48 hours and storing them in the fridge. Avoid freezing it, as the filling, being quite moist, would lose its initial texture.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Can the savory pumpkin and speck tart be made vegetarian?
Yes, just omit the speck. If you want to make your pumpkin quiche more flavorful, replace the Parmesan with grated Pecorino Romano, which is more flavorful.
If I don’t like speck, what can I replace it with?
You can replace it with other cured meats such as diced pancetta, prosciutto, or salami. For a more delicate flavor, choose cooked ham.
Can I eat the savory pumpkin and speck tart if I’m lactose intolerant?
It depends on the severity of the intolerance. If you can digest aged cheeses and lactose-free products don’t cause issues, you can use these to prepare the savory tart and eat it without any problem.
