South Tyrolean Bacon Noodles

South Tyrolean Speck Pasta from Eggerhof with Speck in the Dough

South Tyrolean Speck Pasta from Eggerhof are ribbon noodles made from egg pasta dough, into which finely diced cured ham is incorporated. Salt, smoke, and juniper permeate the semolina during cooking, seasoning the tagliatelle from the inside out, long before any sauce is added.

South Tyrolean Speck Pasta are tagliatelle from Eggerhof in Aldino made from durum wheat semolina, fresh free-range eggs, parsley, and PGI South Tyrolean Speck. A small proportion of soft wheat flour makes the dough more supple than pure semolina could, and keeps the wide ribbons in shape during cooking. The package contains 310 grams.

Smoke, Salt, and Juniper in the Ribbon Noodle Dough

The speck is present as fine cubes in the dough, not just as flavoring. While cooking, it releases its fat into the semolina, giving the ribbon noodle a seasoning that cannot be rinsed away.

Juniper, pepper, and salt are part of the classic seasoning of the cured ham and move into the pasta with it. Parsley is also added, which remains visible as a green speck in the yellow dough and makes the smoky note seem a bit fresher.

In the mouth, you first encounter the soft, springy egg pasta, followed by the salty bite of the meat in individual spots. This alternation between mild and hearty makes the tagliatelle a pasta that constitutes a dish even without sauce.

Brown Butter, Gray Cheese, and a Game Ragu

Tossed in brown butter and sprinkled with Parmesan, the ribbon noodle hardly needs any accompaniment, as it brings its own seasoning. A splash of dry white wine, reduced briefly, brings out the smoky note even more clearly.

It becomes heartier with gray cheese and fried onions in the style of a South Tyrolean alpine hut, or with a robust game ragu such as the Venison Ragout from the same producer.

Those looking for a second rustic variety will find it in the Schüttelbrot (rye flatbread) noodles; and what else the farm makes from semolina and egg is shown in the Eggerhof Pasta collection.

A cold pasta salad also works well, because the fat of the cured ham still carries flavor even when cooled. Shaved mountain cheese, pickled onions, and chives are enough for this; anything else would just mask the smoke.

Twenty-two Weeks of Maturation, Then Into the Dough

South Tyrolean Speck has carried a Protected Geographical Indication since 1996, which dictates how it is made: little salt, little smoke, plenty of cold mountain air. A side must age for at least twenty-two weeks before it can even be sold.

This aging period is the reason why a single spoonful of cubes characterizes the entire dough. Young, moist ham would become watery in the pasta dough, whereas the long-dried version releases its aroma in a concentrated form.

The Type 0 soft wheat flour in Eggerhof’s recipe is the second trick. Durum wheat semolina alone would produce a hearty but brittle dough that would let the speck cubes break out during rolling; the finer flour makes it stretchy enough to hold them firmly.

At Eggerhof in Aldino, the farms are situated at a good 1,200 meters, where the same dry cold that allows the cured ham to ripen prevails in winter. The speck and egg thus come from the same landscape, and the pasta brings both together.

Speck Cubes in the Pan Enhance the Smoke

Boil the ribbon noodles for seven minutes in bubbling salted water and then toss them in a pan with brown butter. Briefly sautéed speck cubes and a ladle of pasta water further enhance the smoky aroma and bind the sauce. Stored in a dry, dark place, the package keeps for many months; once opened, it is best kept tightly sealed.