Coca de pimiento, atún y tomate —Bell pepper, tuna and tomato torta— and Holy Week
On this Holy Week, a very appropriate dish, coca de pimiento, atún y tomate, bell pepper, tuna and tomato torta, a dish that is so idiosyncratic of my hometown that I am surprised I haven’t posted the recipe before.
Coca de pimiento, atún y tomate, bell pepper, tuna and tomato torta, is not only made at basically every family house in my home region, Valencia, and my hometown, Onteniente, but can also be found at every single bakery in the region. Getting a slice of it at the corner bakery, or better yet, arriving home after school to find a fresh slab of it on the kitchen counter, waiting for the four of us sisters to devour it, was always a highlight of any school day.
The torta is made in an oven dish called llanda, a rectangular tin pan with straight 2 inch high sides. Since I haven’t found llandas in the US, a rectangular cookie sheet will do. The torta is usually cut in squares to eat with your hands —but I promise you, you will eat more that one! A fabulous pick me up in the morning or nutritious afternoon snack. Even a light lunch!
I know what you’re thinking, it looks like a pizza, but there are some differences. For starters, the crust is different, a bit thicker than a regular Italian pizza crust, lightly crunchy on the outside but softer to the bite. Unlike pizza, bell pepper, tuna and tomato torta is eaten at room temperature – not warm and not at fridge temperature. It is obviously tastier on the day it’s made, but next day bell pepper, tuna and tomato torta is still very good.
There’s one variation to bell pepper, tuna and tomato torta and that is, you can omit the tuna and make it vegetarian. A perfect lunch one way or another!
ABOUT HOLY WEEK
I started this post with On this Holy Week, and the reason is simple: bell pepper, tuna and tomato torta is a perfect Friday dish. Meatless but with enough protein, nuts, vegetables and carbs to make it complete. Appropriately, I accompany this post with some photos from the last time I was in Valencia for Holy Week, or at least for part of it.
I talked extensively about Holy Week in Spain in other parts of the blog, and you can check it here and here. I don’t know anywhere in the world where Holy Week and Easter are celebrated with such passion and reverence as in Spain. Valencia, Murcia, Sevilla, Málaga, Zamora, Toledo, and all the towns and cities in between, will recreate the Lord’s Passion and Resurrection with great devotion, the most beautiful anthems, majestic processions, exquisitely dressed people and delicious meals and sweets. If you ever have the chance, visit Spain during holy week.
As for the bell pepper, tuna and tomato torta, try making it both ways, with or without tuna, and don’t forget the pine nuts, a delicious touch.
And to finish your meal, try any traditional Spanish Lent and Easter sweets:
Have a blessed Holy Week and Easter!
BELL PEPPER, TUNA AND TOMATO TORTA
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 3.5 cups flour sifted
- 2 eggs
- 1 pouch yeast
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
For the filling:
- 2 Lbs tomatoes
- 2 bell peppers I used 1 red and 1 yellow
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 5 oz tuna in olive oil 1 can
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
Instructions
Make the filling:
- Chop the peppers into 1/2 inch pieces. Peel and slice the garlic cloves thinly. Peel and chop the tomatoes.
- In a skillet add 1 Tbs olive oil and add the pine nuts. Toss gently over low heat, being careful not to burn them, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pine nuts from the skillet and set aside.
- In the same skillet, heat the remaining olive oil. Sauté the peppers until soft, tossing once or twice. Add the sliced garlic and fry, tossing, 1-2 minutes.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and cook over medium heat until the mixture reduces slightly and some of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add the salt and sugar and mix. Add the tuna, flaked, and the pine nuts. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat source and reserve.
Make the dough:
- In a small saucepan, warm up the milk and dissolve the yeast (don’t heat it up too much or the yeast will not rise).
- In the bowl of a stand up mixer, add all the liquid ingredients: the milk with the dissolved yeast, the orange juice, the olive oil and the 2 eggs. Stir until well mixed.
- In a separate bowl, mix the salt and sugar with the flour.
- With the mixer running, add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture, one tablespoon at a time, making sure the flour is well incorporated before adding the next spoonful of flour.
- Flour a work surface.
- Rub the palms of your hands with a couple of drops of olive oil to handle the dough. Place it on the floured surface and knead it 2 or 3 times.
- Line the llanda with parchment paper. Place the dough on it and roll it into a rectangle, first with your fingers, then with a small roller if necessary.
- Turn the oven to its lower temperature setting (in my oven, this would be on the “warm” option, or 150ºF. I prefer a lower temperature so I used the warming drawer and set it at 120ºF). Place the llanda in the oven or warming drawer for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the oven and raise the temperature to 350ºF
- Spread the tomato mixture evenly over the dough, leaving the edges free to form a crust. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove coca from the oven and let cool.
Notes
- You can add the pine nuts at the end, when the coca is finished, like I did, or spread them over the tomato mixture before placing the tray in the oven
- Coca is traditionally enjoyed at room temperature, but if you refrigerate for some period of time, make sure you tempre it for at least 30 minutes before consuming it
