What is it about tortas de aceite? Everyone who tries these crispy cookies—or are they pastries?—is hooked. They are hand-made pastry discs very lightly flecked with aniseeds and sesame. Although they somewhat resemble "pie-crust cookies," these are made with olive oil and are leavened with a touch of yeast.
In the US, you can order tortas de aceite from La Tienda, importers of Spanish products (2 packets of 6 cookies each for $19.00). Or you can make them yourself.
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| Tortas de aceite are crispy pastry cookies with aniseed and sesame. |
A COOKIE FOR EVERY MOOD
February, 2018
Tortas de aceite are the “little black dress” of cookies, because you can dress them up or down. Wear your pearls, sip cava and heap the crisp crackers with caviar. Or, get cozy in your jammies and spread them with peanut butter and jelly. Serve them for breakfast with coffee or tea, for dessert with cheese and fruit compotes, or, accompanied by a mellow muscatel wine, on a rainy afternoon with classical guitar music playing.
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| These tortas can be sweet or savory. Serve them with fruit, cheese, nuts and a mellow, medium-dry muscatel wine or sweet Sherry. |
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| Tortas are studded with sesame and aniseed. This version has toasted almonds too. |
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| Serve tortas alongside fruit compote (this is apple-raisin-cinnamon). Or heap the fruit right on the torta for a quickie "pie." Go ahead and add a dollop of ice cream. The tortas are equally good with springtime strawberries. |
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| Goat cheese and crispy tortas, a perfect pairing. |
Crispy Olive Oil Cookies/Crackers
Tortas de Aceite
Tortas de Aceite
Use bread flour or all-purpose flour for the dough. You will not need to flour the board for kneading this dough or for rolling out the tortas, as the oil keeps the dough from sticking.
The cookies are not overly sweet, with only a coating of sugar on the top. Make them sweeter with a honey glaze, made by boiling 1/3 cup honey with 2 tablespoons water for 6 minutes, then brushing it on the tortas when they come out of the oven. For savory crackers, omit the sugar and top the rolled tortas with flaky salt.
The olive oil is “infused” with lemon zest, aniseed and sesame. Heat the oil on a low fire—don’t allow the seeds to fry. Discard the lemon zest. Let the oil cool slightly before adding the yeast to it. The water for dissolving the yeast should be very warm, not hot (105ºF/ 40ºC).
Makes 12 (4-inch) cookies.
Warm water (105ºF/ 40ºC), ¼ + ¼ cups
1 envelope active dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
6-inch strip of lemon zest
1 tablespoon aniseed
2 tablespoons sesame seed
2 cups bread flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup finely chopped toasted almonds
2 tablespoons sugar (optional)
Salt flakes (optional)
Place ¼ cup very warm water in a small bowl. Add the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Stir to combine. Allow the yeast to proof 10 minutes, until it bubbles.
Place the oil in a small pan with the lemon zest, aniseed and sesame seed. Heat on low heat for 4 minutes. Cool slightly. Skim out and discard the strip of lemon zest.
Place the warm oil and seeds in a bowl. Add ¼ cup of warm water and the yeast mixture.
Combine the flour, salt and almonds. Beat them into the oil-yeast mixture in the bowl. When the dough is too stiff to mix, turn it out on a board. Knead the dough until very smooth and stretchy, 5 minutes. Gather the dough into a ball.
Place the ball of dough in an oiled bowl, turning it to coat both sides. Cover with a damp cloth and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 450ºF/ 230ºC. Line two or more baking sheets with baking parchment.
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| Roll balls of dough out very thinly. No flour needed on the board, as oil keeps the dough from sticking. |
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| Sprinkle with sugar. |
Punch down the dough and gather it into a ball. Divide the dough into 12 golf ball-size balls (about 1 ¼ ounce each). Roll or pat the balls as thinly as possible into 4-inch (approx.) circles. Place them on baking sheets.
For sweet cookies, sprinkle the tops of the tortas with 2 tablespoons sugar, pressing it lightly into the dough. For savory crackers, omit sugar and sprinkle tops with salt flakes.
Bake the tortas (in two or three batches) until they are browned on the edges, about 8 minutes. Cool them on a rack.
Store the tortas in a tightly covered container.
For sweet cookies, sprinkle the tops of the tortas with 2 tablespoons sugar, pressing it lightly into the dough. For savory crackers, omit sugar and sprinkle tops with salt flakes.
Bake the tortas (in two or three batches) until they are browned on the edges, about 8 minutes. Cool them on a rack.
Store the tortas in a tightly covered container.
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| The recipe for tortas de aceite also appears in my newest cookbook, FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS, a collection of 120 recipes that have roots in Moorish Spain. (See below for where to order.) |
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These are another type of torta de aceite:
Or, tortas de manteca, Crispy Lard Cookies
FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS
The Culinary Legacy of Spain
FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS, The Culinary Legacy of Spain. Here's a fresh angle on the traditional cooking of Spain, with 120 recipes that trace their roots to Moorish Spain. See below for where to order.
This cookbook explores the fascinating story of the deep and lasting influences that Islamic culture has left on modern Spanish cooking.
Author and Spanish cooking expert Janet Mendel tells the story of the Moorish influence on Spanish cooking through 120 recipes and photographs for modern-day dishes, from salads and vegetables to fish, poultry and meat to sweets and pastries, that trace their heritage to foods served in medieval times. Dishes from this era include exotic spices such as saffron, the use of fruits and almonds with savory dishes, and honeyed sweets and pastries. The flavors of al-Andalus live on in modern Spanish cooking and are what makes Spain’s cuisine distinctive from the rest of Europe. (Hippocrene Books)
Order on IndiePubs (USA)
Use PROMO CODE HIPPOCRENE40 for 40% off on all Hippocrene titles at IndiePubs online bookstore.
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(If you order on Amazon, please give my book a review!)
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