Tortas De Aceite | Guest Recipes | Nigella's Recipes (2024)

These crisp biscuits, made largely with extra virgin olive oil, are a legacy of Spain’s Moorish heritage. Arabs ruled the south of the country for a long time, during the period of Al-Andalus, until 1492, when Catholics conquered the Kingdom of Granada, the last Moorish state. During this period, the settlers came up with many inventions that have had a lasting impact on Spanish culture, but perhaps the most important was the Almazara (oil press) system – or, as I like to say, the extraction of liquid gold from olives.

For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

These crisp biscuits, made largely with extra virgin olive oil, are a legacy of Spain’s Moorish heritage. Arabs ruled the south of the country for a long time, during the period of Al-Andalus, until 1492, when Catholics conquered the Kingdom of Granada, the last Moorish state. During this period, the settlers came up with many inventions that have had a lasting impact on Spanish culture, but perhaps the most important was the Almazara (oil press) system – or, as I like to say, the extraction of liquid gold from olives.

For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

As featured in

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  Andalusia: Recipes from Seville and Beyond

1. Grease two large baking trays (pans) with olive oil and dust with caster sugar and 1 teaspoon of the demerara.
2. Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F/Gas 7).
3. Toast the fennel seeds in a dry frying pan for 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Remove from the heat.
4. Mix the yeast with the warm water and half of the caster sugar. Set aside to froth a little. Stir through the extra virgin olive oil.
5. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, fennel seeds and salt. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast mixture. Slowly incorporate it into the flour with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth dough that feels a little greasy.
6. Dust the work surface with flour and separate the dough into six 50 g (2 oz) balls. Roll each out to a disc about 12 cm (4. in) in diameter and lift onto the prepared trays, leaving a little space between each disc. Brush the tops with egg white, then sprinkle with a little more caster sugar and the remaining demerara. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Swap the trays around halfway through cooking if the top one is browning quicker than the one below it.
7. Use a metal spatula to lift the discs off the trays and place them on a wire rack to cool and crisp up a little. Serve warm or at room temperature.

1. Grease two large baking trays (pans) with olive oil and dust with superfine sugar and 1 teaspoon of the demerara.
2. Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F/Gas 7).
3. Toast the fennel seeds in a dry frying pan for 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Remove from the heat.
4. Mix the yeast with the warm water and half of the superfine sugar. Set aside to froth a little. Stir through the extra virgin olive oil.
5. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, fennel seeds and salt. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast mixture. Slowly incorporate it into the flour with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth dough that feels a little greasy.
6. Dust the work surface with flour and separate the dough into six 50 g (2 oz) balls. Roll each out to a disc about 12 cm (4. in) in diameter and lift onto the prepared trays, leaving a little space between each disc. Brush the tops with egg white, then sprinkle with a little more superfine sugar and the remaining demerara. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Swap the trays around halfway through cooking if the top one is browning quicker than the one below it.
7. Use a metal spatula to lift the discs off the trays and place them on a wire rack to cool and crisp up a little. Serve warm or at room temperature.