Torte de Calabacita (Courgette Torte)

There is a fair amount of confusion when it comes to words like torte, especially when people use it when they mean tart (a baked pastry case with a sweet or savoury filling that is open topped, instead of having a pastry lid). Torte is a Central European term for a round cake rich with eggs but containing little or no flour (and from the Italian torta meaning round bread or cake).

This savoury torte is actually a Mexican recipe, and is similar to the Courgette budin I've posted previously. It has a moist, firm texture with less of a quiches 'wobble'. It's also really easy to make, and behaves well in the oven (no bubbling over the dish or refusing to set in the middle). It's also really good topped with a handful of grated cheese before going in the oven, or with 50g of pumpkin seeds or some finely chopped garlic stirred into the batter.

Torte de Calabacita

100g butter
2 eggs
450g grated courgette (see! It uses up lots of courgettes!)
1 cup brown rice flour (or white rice flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 1lb loaf tin, springform cake tin, ovenproof dish or whatever you're planning on using (I used a cazuela, being awkward and all).
Beat the butter in a bowl until light & fluffy. Beat the eggs in one at a time, adding a little of the rice flour with they need encouragement. Add the flour & baking powder & mix. Next goes the grated courgette & salt. Mix & pour into the prepared dish. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the torte is firm to the touch & golden on top.
This is traditionally served with creme fraiche whipped with salt & pepper (but then again traditionally this dish also has an unnerving amount of sugar in it too), but tomato salsa & black beans also works well too.

Om nom nom!