Cream of escarole with Speck and croutons is a perfect idea for warm dinners in the first cold days of autumn. Being vegetable-based, the cream itself is naturally gluten free and has very low carbohydrate content, possibly offset by the addition of fragrant and tasty croutons.
Escarole cream is very much appreciated by those who like slightly bitter flavours, while it might not appeal to children who are not used to these notes: my children love it and enjoy alternating Speck with cubes of sweet Salame Felino (something that Parma’s homes almost always have in stock) which helps to balance the dish.
The version I propose is also lactose and egg free. If you like, and always lactose free, you can also season it with Parmesan cheese slivers and a few walnuts for a completely different taste.
In the calculation of carbohydrates, I have not considered croutons because the amount added to the escarole cream may vary greatly, as can the type of bread we decide to use to prepare them: personally, I am partial to wholemeal bread, such as the Dark bread with flax seedswhich allows us to obtain very fragrant croutons.
So with the cold weather approaching, be prepared that we won’t run out of creams and soups!
Escarole Cream with Speak and croutons
2.70g carbohydrates per 100g without croutons
Ingredients for 4 servings
- 1kg escarole
- 300g leek
- 300g vegetable stock
- 120g Speck in strips*
- 30g extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
Ingredients for croutons
- 3 slices of wholemeal bread**
- 30g extra virgin olive oil
- salt, pepper, dried marjoram
Preparation
- Slice the leeks and sautée them in a large saucepan with extra virgin olive oil and a few whole chilli peppers, which you will then remove before blending; add the escarole cut into strips, allow it to take on flavour for about 5 minutes, then add 2 ladles of stock, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Transfer everything into the jar of a food processor and blend to a fairly thick cream; season with salt and pepper. Should the cream be too runny, return it to the heat and let it thicken.
- Meanwhile, prepare the croutons. Cut the bread slices into 2cm pieces. Heat extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the bread pieces and let them toast slowly until crispy. Towards the end, season with salt, pepper and a sprinkling of marjoram, then leave to season and turn off the heat.
- Serve the escarole cream in soup plates and complete with the Speck in strips, croutons and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Version with gluten of Escarole cream with Speak and croutons
The recipe contains only naturally gluten free ingredients except for the croutons, so replace the gluten free croutons with standard croutons.
