Torta alle olive e prosciutto
Italian cooks are renowned for their ingenuity born out of necessity. In an Italian kitchen nothing should ever be thrown away. A good Italian cook should be able to recycle everything in the kitchen and prepare delicious fare with leftovers and those parts of the produce most people would dispose of. This philosophy has created a whole department in Italian cuisine called “la Cucina del Riciclo” which translates literally as Recycle Cuisine. This cake is just an example; you can substitute the cheeses and the prosciutto with any other hard cheese or cold meats (salumi) you may have left over in the fridge.
If you’d like to learn how to cook Italian cakes and dishes take a look at Sandra’s cooking courses in Melbourne.
Savoury cake ingredients (for 6 people)
250 gr of strong flour for bread and pizza
60 gr of Gorgonzola cheese
60 gr of Gruyere cheese
60 gr of Provola or hard mozzarella cheese
150 gr of Prosciutto in small cubes (not in slices) – you should be able to buy the bottom end of Prosciutto in most Italian delicatessens
160 gr of pitted mixed green and black olives
4 and 1/2 tsp of baking powder
125 ml of dry white wine
125 ml of extra virgin olive oil
A pinch of salt
Savoury cake cooking method
You will need a 20 cm spring form round cake tin, buttered and dusted all over with flour.
Warm the oven to 180° static.
Grate the Gruyere cheese and the Provola using the coarse setting of your grater. Crumble the Gorgonzola in small pieces.
Chop the Prosciutto in very small cubes. Slice the olives in small pieces.
In a large bowl mix the eggs, add the flour and the baking powder that you will have sifted together. Using a spatula to amalgamate the eggs with the flour until well combined.
Add the cheeses and mix well together with the flour mixture.
Drain the pitted chopped olives and add them to mixture, blend with the other ingredients. Finally add the prosciutto and mix with the spatula to distribute all the ingredients evenly.
Add the wine and olive oil and continue to blend with the mixture. Incorporate the liquids perfectly, so stir vigorously until you have obtained a smooth consistency.
Transfer the mixture to the cake tin and bake in the oven at 180° for 40 minutes to one hour. Check the cake is cooked testing with a toothpick after 40 minutes. You may need to cover it with aluminum foil if the top is too dark.
Allow the cake to cool before removing it from the tin. You can serve it warm for a light lunch with a salad or cold in small pieces for a party. It is delicious warm or cold.
