The Neapolitan cake it is a preparation very similar to casatiello. Both are mainly prepared for Easter and made on Holy Thursday to be eaten on Saturday. The difference between casatiello and tortano is very simple: the casatiello has eggs on the surface, while the tortano provides that the eggs must be hard-boiled, shelled, cut into wedges and added to the filling. For this reason, tortano can often be even tastier than casatiello, even if all families have their own version of the recipe and, obviously, their preference in the choice of ingredients. Although many are intimidated by this preparation, actually the tortano is very simple to make: just mix the flour, yeast, water, salt, lard and pepper, leave it rise for 3-4 hoursstuff it, leave it rest for another 1 hour and then put it in the oven. Tortano is good when cooked, but we advise you to resist and wait: the next day it will be a real treat!

Preparation

1

Melt the yeast in a glass bowl with the water. Do not use aluminum bowls. Add half the sifted flour and mix with a fork to create a batter.

2

Add the lard and mix with a fork to melt it. Add salt, black pepper and mix everything.

3

Add the last part of the sifted flour and start kneading with your hands. Then transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and continue to knead it.

4

As soon as you have obtained a smooth and compact dough, transfer it to a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 4 hours at room temperature.

5

Prepare the hard-boiled eggs: place a saucepan with the eggs on the heat, covered entirely with cold water. Turn the stove on to medium heat and cook the eggs for 9 minutes from the start of the boil. Once cooked, let them cool under running cold water. Peel them and cut them into wedges.

6

Cut the cooked ham, salami and provolone into cubes.

7

After the 4 hours of leavening, pick up the dough and roll it out with your hands on a pastry board, forming a rectangle.

8

Sprinkle the rectangle with salami, ham, provola, eggs and grated pecorino. Roll up the dough and place it in a round pan previously greased with lard. Brush the surface with soft lard and let it rise for 1 hour.

9

Turn on the oven to preheat it to 200°. As soon as the dough has risen, put it in the lower part of the oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and serve warm or cold.

Advice and tips

The leavening time varies according to the season. In winter it will take longer, while in summer your cake it will rise in about 2 hours.

You can add other cured meats to the filling, such as chopped mortadella. Some also use thegreaves” of pork, or fried and dried pork fat, which you can find at the supermarket.

You can replace the sweet provolone with a spicy provolone.

We advise you to use Pecorino Romanoa more savory cheese than Pecorino Sardo.

Round the torteno loaf well with the ingredients, so that they remain inside, releasing all their flavour.

If you want, you can increase the quantity of the filling: the tortano is even better if rich in salami and cheese!

storage

The tortano is kept covered by a clean cloth for about 4-5 days. Can be frozen for up to 1 month. You can let it defrost at room temperature and put it in a hot oven for a few minutes to give it warmth again.

History

Tortano is actually a real ancestor of casatiello: its conception is even older and dates back to times when the population was very poor and Easter was one of those moments when all the ingredients available were put together to create cottages that could satiate, celebrate the family moment and last for several days. In fact, the original recipe of the tortano included, as ingredients, only flour, lard, water, pepper, eggs and pork cracklings. The custom of also adding cold cuts and cheeses came later and now the tortano is similar to the casatielloexcept for having hard-boiled eggs inside and not outside the filling.