Summer of 60 Pins, #45: Sausage and Cheese Torta

Since this recipe for Sausage and Cheese Torta has been around long before Pinterest or even the internet, I don't have a pin, but I do have good memories. My mom used to take cooking classes from Mackie Bobo, and she amassed quite a collection of very good recipes from those outings. This is one of the first things Mom made when Jim met the family.

Jim is back at work now, and he asked me to make the torta. It's not a really difficult recipe, but it is time-consuming, so it's not usually on our menu. Here's why Jim likes it:

It's kind of like a double-crust pizza without the sauce.

The other day, I made 30-Minute Rolls and used yeast in a different way than I was used to. For this dough, I also used my KitchenAid dough hook and King Arthur Flour, but I brought out the thermometer to test the water temperature for the yeast. Both worked.

I heated the water to 115 degrees and stirred in the yeast. To proof, my mom taught me to throw in a little sugar, but I was totally out, so I used powdered sugar. I'm sure my mom never ran out of sugar. Anyway, the yeast didn't exactly proof like I expected, but it still bubbled enough for me to use. There are a few bubbles, and the top is foamier than the bottom.

Dough Recipe

2 envelopes active dry yeast

1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)

1/2 cup butter, melted

3 eggs

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon salt

4 cups flour

Sprinkle yeast over warm water and stir (I use a fork to break up any clumps). Add about a teaspoon of sugar. Let set until yeast bubbles.

In mixer, combine butter, eggs, sugar and salt with yeast mixture. Add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix until a smooth dough forms. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours (I only refrigerated for 1 1/2 hours). The dough can be made 1 day ahead.

Filling

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 small onions, thinly sliced (I used 1/2 onion because of a picky family)

1/2 cup red pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup Mexican blend cheese with Monterey Jack

1 lb. cooked and drained sausage

Saute onions and peppers until translucent (I added in mushrooms). Cool vegetables and meat completely. Mix together.

Grease a 14-inch pizza pan or baking stone and sprinkle with cornmeal (I just do the cornmeal). Roll out one-half of the dough and lay on pan. Sprinkle Parmesan over the dough. Top with sausage-veggie mixture. Cover with cheese.

Roll remaining dough into a circle and cut into lattice strips with a pastry cutter. Arrange on top. Let dough rise about 20 minutes. Mix one egg and 1 tablespoon milk and brush on top for a glaze. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes.

NOTE: The whole torta can be assembled and then refrigerated for up to 5 hours before baking.

Here is a picture of the lattice strips. Basically, just cut the dough with a pastry cutter and then put the strips on over the meat and cheese using an over-under pattern. I bet my mom's strips were straighter. And she probably didn't have stray cheese on the edges.