TORTA DI SEMOLINA

Today's post is dedicated to semolina cake (torta di semolina), another lovely recipe by Pellegrino Artusi. Semolina-based desserts are the highlight of Middle-eastern cuisine but the finely milled wheat grain is also used in Europe for binding custards and puddings. Earlier on, Roman and Greek chefs of the Antiquity used semolina for thickener and making 'fyllo' pastry. The oriental version of semolina cake is much more dense than Pellegrino Artusi's specialty, with added flour and/or ground nuts, and invariably drenched in syrup.

 

Peasant woman binding sheaves - Van Gogh, 1889

 

'Torta di semolina' from Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well (1891) is not exactly a pudding because it's sliced with a knife. It's not a festive cake either. Ricotta, potatoes, and semolina appear interchangeably in the category of light desserts by Pellegrino Artusi that may be either 'torta' or 'budino'. So there is both ricotta cake and ricotta pudding, semolina cake and semolina pudding etc. Recipes by Pellegrino Artusi are nearly unsweetened and 'torta di semolina' is no exception. Half a glass of sugar is too little in proportion with the other ingredients but milk, semolina & almonds are naturally sweet.

In fact, Pellegrino Artusi was very keen on healthy eating and suggested moderation in all things. Heavy cream was practically non-existent in his recipes, chocolate a rarity, eggs and butter used in moderation, sugar often replaced with fruit preserves. Fillings and glazings, if added, were never complicated. Portions were relatively small and desserts relatively flat. Everything was lighter than its modern version, whether Italian or foreign.

 

 

TORTA DI SEMOLINA

The very cake by Pellegrino Artusi - with the addition of 2tbsp each of semolina, sugar and butter. The ingredients are mixed in slightly different order, chiefly because we have electric gadgets to do the job more quickly.

I n g r e d i e n t s

100g almonds without skins

150g caster sugar

150g finely ground semolina

1tbsp grated lemon zest

a pinch of salt

1lt whole milk

50g melted butter

4 eggs, separated

M e t h o d

1. Grind the almonds in a food processor, adding the sugar little by little. Combine with the semolina, lemon zest and salt. 2. Add 1-1 1/2 cups of milk, the butter and the egg yolks one by one, whisking all the time or beating with a mixer. 3. Add the rest of the milk, stir very well and transfer to a heavy-bottomed cookpot. Heat very gently, stirring the mixture continuously. 4. Remove from the stove when the custard bubbles and pass through a sieve. Leave to cool for a while. In the mean time, beat the egg whites stiff. 5. Fold the meringue into the custard and pour the mixture into a greased and floured 25cm round baking pan. 6. Bake in a moderate oven for up to an hour or until the surface is golden brown. 7. Leave to cool for a while and turn upside down onto a plate, if liked. To serve, divide into lozenges.

N o t e

'Torta di semolina' is best eaten warm.