Drained of enthusiasm for all things culinary after Christmas, I spend the first few weeks of January relying on fallback, quick fix suppers and snacks. I don’t know about you, but I ate far too much. I have Post Traumatic Dining Syndrome, and simply cannot face big meals for the first few weeks of the New Year.
My default “Scooby Snack” does not require anything more than a few moments assembly, mere minutes on a red hot griddle, and as quickly as you can say “Roberto’s your Uncle” this snappy little Umbrian supper is ready to eat. Cut into wedges and eat as a finger food; you won’t even need cutlery.
Torta al Testo (which translates as Cake of the Tile) is a tasty savoury Panino, and even quicker to prepare than a shop bought Pizza. In Umbria, this bread is cooked on a terracotta tile over an open fire, but thankfully, a ribbed griddle on the stove is equally effective if a little less authentic.
It’s essentially a stuffed flatbread, and you may use any variety of cheeses and cold meats. I chose Ricotta, Rocket & Parma Ham for my recipe; a flavor combination that is distinctly Italian. For an extra zing, I like to use Lemon Olive Oil if I have it in the larder.
You may wish to consider making your own dough, but in all honesty, this snack will not suffer from using a shop bought flatbread, namely a tortilla (which incidentally are just the best food shop staple; a packet of 20 lasts for ages in the fridge and they are incredibly versatile). As the inspiration behind my recipe is ease, speed and lack of any effort whatsoever, I do not feel at all guilty in suggesting that you cheat with a pre-made ingredient.
Ingredients:
Tortilla flatbreads
Parma Ham
Rocket
Ricotta
Olive oil
Optional – Pecorino (grated)
Method:
1. Heat a heavy frying pan or griddle over medium low heat until very hot.
2. Smear Ricotta Cheese generously over a flatbread, and top with Parma Ham, and a mound of rocket leaves (a little grated Pecorino on top of the rocket is wonderful, if you have it).
3. Season with salt & pepper, and lightly dress with olive oil.
4. Gently fold the flatbread in half, drizzle one side with a touch of olive oil and pop into the hot pan, oiled side down. After a few minutes, add a little more oil on top of the uncooked side, and flip over for a few minutes until crisped and lightly browned.
5. Remove, cut into wedges and for a light supper, serve alongside a big salad. Alternatively, eat as a finger food snack.
Tip:
Alternative flavor combinations: Do you enjoy the classic Pizza flavours ? Use mozzarella, tomato and basil leaves drizzled with olive oil as your ingredients. Try Camembert, Baby Spinach & Crispy Bacon, or perhaps Goat’s Cheese & Chorizo.
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