Savory Sbrisolona

The Savory Sbrisolona is a variant of the traditional Sbrisolona cake, a typical dessert from Mantua. The savory version is a versatile and tasty recipe, great to serve as an appetizer or as a snack. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 200 g of corn flour
• 100 g of all-purpose flour
• 100 g of roughly chopped almonds
• 100 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• 100 g of cold butter, cubed
• 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk
• Salt to taste
• A pinch of black pepper
• (Optional) Aromatic herbs such as rosemary or thyme

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. In a large bowl, mix the corn flour with the all-purpose flour.
3. Add the grated Parmesan, the chopped almonds, salt, and pepper to the flour mixture and mix well.
4. Add the cubed cold butter and work the mixture with your fingertips until it achieves a sandy consistency.
5. Incorporate the whole egg and the yolk, working the dough quickly to avoid overheating the butter. If desired, you can also add finely chopped aromatic herbs to give your Sbrisolona a special aroma.
6. Transfer the mixture into a cake tin, preferably one with a removable bottom, without pressing it down too much. The dough should remain crumbly and “coarse” to maintain the characteristic consistency of the Sbrisolona.
7. Bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes or until the surface becomes golden and crispy.
8. Let it cool before gently removing the cake from the tin.

Serve your Savory Sbrisolona in pieces as a rustic snack or pair it with cold cuts, cheeses, or a vegetable cream.

Curiosity

The Savory Sbrisolona lends itself to numerous variations. For example, you can enrich it with the addition of chopped olives, chopped sun-dried tomatoes or cubes of Parma ham to attain an even richer and more decisive flavor. Additionally, some variations replace butter with lard to achieve a more rustic flavor and an even more crumbly texture.