Brunch - Chorizo and Manchego Cheese Savory Cake

Why is it that a recipe comes to mind and there is always 1 ingredient not easy to find. For some reason, finding the right type of chorizo for this recipe was not easy for me. I think the area a person lives in defines how easy certain ingredients are to come by. I wanted fully cooked and smoked chorizo. I did not think I was asking for a lot, but I guess I was because tracking the ingredient down took 2 days. I found a market on the outskirts of Seattle, WA, in Shoreline, called Central Market. Unfortunately, other great ingredients hard to come by were also purchased, like fresh fish scraps to make fish stock with; a dehydrated San Francisco style sour dough starter, and authentic Italian pasta. Some items found a home in my pantry while others have already been used. I now have fresh fish stock in the freezer. All anyone needs is a good 45 minutes, start-to-finish, to make homemade fish stock. I will have to blog about how very soon.

The cake is a lot like a scone, but packed with savory ingredients, hence the name. The recipe is fun because the ingredients can be changed up to whatever is on hand in the refrigerator. Manchego cheese, made from sheep's milk, is a new favorite. Not overpowering but definitely a mild and tasty flavor all its own. The cheese is solid and easy to cut into matchstick size pieces so no worries.

Chorizo and Manchego Savory Cake
(adapted from Bon Appetit)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. fine sea salt
1 t. baking powder
1 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 t. baking soda
4 green onions, thinly sliced (about 2/3 cups)
8 ounces fully cooked smoked chorizo, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
6 ounces Manchego cheese, cut into matchstick-size pieces
1 c. part-skim ricotta cheese
3/4 c. buttermilk
2 large eggs
6 T. olive oil
1 t. whole grain Dijon mustard
2 t. smoked paprika

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut out a large piece of parchment paper to go into a removable bottom, tart pan. I used a 9-inch tart pan with 3/4-inch high sides.
Whisk first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Add green onions, chorizo, and Manchego cheese; toss to distribute evenly. Whisk ricotta cheese, buttermilk, eggs, oil, and mustard in medium bowl. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture; stir just to blend.




Press parchment paper into pan. Spoon batter into parchment. Using damp knife, spread batter evenly in pan. Sift 1/4 teaspoon paprika over batter.





Bake cake until deep golden brown and center springs back when touched lightly, about 30 minutes. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

The cake has a moist texture and easy to eat...I know =).