Tortas de Aceite
By Rachel Davies
I was asked to run a few sessions for Gefiltefest this year, and Diana Lipton, my tutor at University, suggested that I make Tortas de Aceite while she speaks about the launch of her new project for charity, linking biblical commentary and food to benefit a soup kitchen.
So far so good.
In London Bridge’s Brindisa I bought a packet of traditional Tortas de Aceite. I tried one and it tasted good.
Once I was home, I opened a second and nibbled on it as I worked, the delicate aniseed flavour and slight sweetness were growing on me.
A little while later I opened a third… Wait a minute, what was going on here? These are addictive…
So I developed my recipe knowing that this could be a dangerous project.
You might like to know that my first batch looked less than perfect, and they set the fire alarm off. But I adjusted the cooking time, and they improved, and then I tasted a few. Just as a scientific experiment to compare them to the shop bought one, you understand? And then I couldn’t stop…
Tortas de Aceite are Spanish olive oil wafers, traditionally from Andalusia – flaky, light, sweet, and completely moreish.
So here they are. They’ll keep for a while if you have self-restraint.
Enjoy
Tortas de Aceite (Spanish Olive Oil Cakes)
Makes 20-24
Ingredients
400g plain flour
100g caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons aniseed
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted
150ml water
150ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon aniseed liqueur
Extra caster sugar for dusting
Method
- Preheat the oven to 220C.
- Combine the flour, sugar, salt, aniseed and sesame seeds in a bowl, and stir to combine.
- Make a well in the centre, and pour in the water, olive oil and liqueur. Using a dough scraper or a wooden spoon, combine the ingredients and mix until a dough is formed.
- Tip the dough onto the work surface and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth.
- Divide the dough into walnut sized pieces and roll out each one as thinly as possible, about 1mm thick. You can lightly flour the work surface if necessary, but the oil in the dough should stop it from sticking.
- Put the rolled out pieces onto lined baking trays, and brush with a little water. Sprinkle a light layer of caster sugar and bake in batches for 8-10 minutes or until golden around the edges with some caramelised sugar. Keep an eye on them as they burn easily.
- Allow to cool before serving. These will keep in an airtight container for a few weeks.
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