Arcobaleno rustic cake

Beatriz, the author of the blog To Be Gourmet , has made our mouths water with a cake that you will enjoy both hot and cold. She has followed one of the recipes found in a book known to all lovers of Italian gastronomy, The Silver Spoon . Enjoy this delicious cake!

Italian cuisine is much more than pasta and pizza. Last year Italy was a guest country at the San Sebastian Gastronomika congress and I had the opportunity to see for myself. Massimiliano Alajmo, Massimo Bottura and Niko Romito offer incredible cuisines with that Mediterranean inspiration that makes their cooking so appetizing.

So when I heard about the book The Silver Spoon, “Il cucchiaio d'argento” , known as the bible of authentic Italian cuisine, I immediately knew that sooner or later it would become part of my culinary library. This book incorporates more than two thousand recipes and is a true source of inspiration. It also includes a section where authentic recipes from prestigious chefs are incorporated, such as the first two.

These are some of the reasons why I love this big red book , and after making some of its recipes like this delicious “Torta rustica arcobaleno” or rustic rainbow cake, I know that it will be one of those books that will not stay on the shelf but will be permanently in my kitchen.

I love savory tarts that can be prepared in advance and eaten warm or cold. The arcobaleno cake owes its name to its colorful ingredients. A delicious and very nutritious recipe.

Ingredients

300gr of flour
200 ml dry white wine
A tablespoon of olive oil for the dough
300gr of spinach
25gr of butter
100 ml of liquid cream 35% mg
A small piece of Parmesan cheese
200gr of cooked ham
2 red peppers
2 yellow peppers
200gr of sliced ​​cheese
1 egg yolk
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil

In the photo, a knife with a Pallarès boxwood handle and the book The Silver Spoon

Preparation

First of all, we are going to roast the peppers, which takes some time and they have to cool down before we can peel them and cut them into strips. So we wash and dry them, then we coat them with olive oil and place them on a baking tray and put them in the oven at 150º until the skin is charred (we turn them halfway through the process, which can take about 45 minutes).

Let them cool and then start making the dough. To do this, sift the flour, mix it with the white wine and a little salt, and begin to knead. If necessary, add a little water so that at the end you have an elastic ball that doesn't stick to your hands.

We wrap it in cling film and leave it in the fridge for thirty minutes. Meanwhile, in a saucepan with a little water, we boil the spinach for about 5 minutes. We drain it, cut it into smaller pieces, and sauté it for another five minutes in a pan with butter. Then we add the cream and the grated Parmesan cheese , stir to combine everything well and add salt.

We peel the peppers that we had set aside and cut them into strips, separating them by color. To work at home, I like the iron knives from Pallarès , they stay sharp longer and work wonderfully.

We take the dough out of the fridge, divide it in two and roll out the first half. We place it on a mould. I have chosen a ceramic mould which I love for serving on the table and it is very convenient not to have to transfer the cake to another plate, with the risk of it getting damaged when moving it.

On the dough we place the sliced ​​cooked ham, on top of that the spinach and on top of that a layer of pepper, for example red pepper. On top of that another layer, this one of sliced ​​cheese. The book recommends an Italian cheese, Fontina, but I have used the Edam variety and it goes very well with it too. The next layer will be yellow pepper and then cheese again.

To finish, we spread the second part of the dough and cut it with a knife into long strips on the cake to close it. In the recipe they are placed intertwined, but I have been a bit lazy and I have simply placed one row first and then another one crossed over the top.

To finish, we spread the dough with beaten egg yolk so that it has a nice golden colour and bake at 180º for about 45 minutes.

A delight!

Beatriz