torta alla zuppa di pomodoro / tomato soup cake

just my cup of tea

Reading one of M.F.K. Fisher's books is like listening to a marvelous story-teller: you lose yourself in her stories and lose track of time. How to Cook a Wolf, published in 1942, is my favorite among the books by Fisher that I've read so far.

James Beard described it as "her brilliant approach to wartime economies for the table," but that description, notwithstanding the adjective "brilliant," only describes the surface. As usual with Fisher’s books, the food at hand provides the springboard for reflections on topics ranging from the balanced diet to the choice of a drinking partner.

Nine years after the book's publication, Fisher went back to it and annotated it. The notes, printed within square brackets in the North Point Press edition, provide a running commentary on her earlier ideas and assertions. Sometimes she stands by her words:

In other words, never throw away any vegetable or its leaves or its juices unless they are bad; else count yourself a fool. [That’s right!]

Sometimes she amends her previous opinion:

There are two ways to boil rice correctly. [How arbitrary can you be? I should have said: 'I think there are...!' I still think so, but am open to persuasion now, being older and hopefully wiser.]

And sometimes she admits that she has changed her mind:

When you are really hungry, a meal eaten by yourself is not so much an event as the automatic carrying out of a physical function: you must do it to live. [I now disagree completely with this, and could and probably will write a whole book proving my present point, that solitary dining, no matter what the degree of hunger, can be good.]

looks like gingerbread...

Each chapter of How to Cook a Wolf presents Fisher’s thoughts on a topic: "How to Boil Water," "How Not to Boil an Egg," etc., and includes some recipes. In the chapter "How to Comfort Sorrow" there is the famous War Cake, in which bacon grease can be used, "because of the spices that hide its taste." I was never tempted to try it.

The recipe that follows, on the other hand, Tomato Soup Cake, sounded quite intriguing:

This is a pleasant cake, which keeps well and puzzles people who ask what kind it is. It can be made in a moderate oven while you are cooking other things, which is always sensible and makes you feel rather noble, in itself a small but valuable pleasure.

As the name suggests, tomato soup is one of the ingredients of the cake. Please, suspend your disbelief. Read the recipe and my experience realizing it, and then decide for yourself whether you want to give this cake a try.

but it isn't

The ingredients I used:

• 1 cup chopped mixed dried fruit : figs, dates, plums, apriums
• 1/2 cup (2 oz. / 56 g) chopped toasted walnuts (the way I prepare walnuts for use is described in the recent post on walnut cake)
• 3 tablespoons (1.5 oz. / 42 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup wholo-wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) low fat and light in sodium cream of tomato soup
• 1 teaspoon soda

The most important change I made to the original recipe (if you follow the link, then scroll to the bottom of the page to get to the recipe) is a drastic reduction of the amount of sugar, from 1 cup (200 g) to 1/4 cup (50 g): the dried fruit (frutta secca), in particular figs (fichi) and dates (datteri), provide enough sweetness to the cake. I was concerned that the batter would end up slightly dry because of this amendment, but that was not the case.

I listed the dried fruit first because you want to prepare that before you start working on the cake. Fisher is not specific in the choice of dried fruit ("raisins, nuts, chopped figs, what you will"): choose according to your taste and what you have available.

My instructions (a bit more detailed than those provided by Fisher):

Preheat the oven to 325 F. I used the convection option.

Cream the butter, then add the sugar and blend well.

Sift flours and spices in a bowl.

Open the soup can, place it in a bowl, add the soda and stir. The mixture will bubble up and that is why you want to place the can in a bowl.

Add some of the soup to the butter and sugar, then some of the flours, stirring after each addition. Repeat until all the soup and all the flours have been added. Finally, stir in the dried fruit and walnuts (noci).

Spoon batter into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper or greased (mine measures 9" x 5" at the top). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. In my case, it took 75 minutes for the cake to bake.

Place loaf pan on a rack to cool slightly, then remove the cake from the pan and place it on the rack to cool. Slice and enjoy.

Fisher states that the cake is good

plain with coffee, or frosted with a covering of cream cheese and powdered sugar and a little rum if possible

I ate some with tea. I have a fundamental objection against frosting, so I did not consider that option. This cake is good as is. It is moist, has the color of gingerbread and a flavor that, though it reminds me of gingerbread (pan di zenzero) because of the spices, is all its own.

And believe me, it is quite sweet, but not overly so, basically, my idea of a cake. After dinner, as I was cleaning up, I had a morsel of my homemade Manchego cheese left on the plate. I cut a sliver of the cake and ate the two together: they were perfect. I wished I had some fresh chèvre on hand. I will update the post as soon as I have the chance to verify my hunch that the two will get along well.

wood type print by Simona

If you have never read anything by M.F.K. Fisher, I recommend How to Cook a Wolf as the best introduction to her writing. And if you have, I recommend it with the same fervor: Fisher writes about food and the scarcity thereof, about war and peace, about life and living it fully no matter what the circumstances are, and she does so with grace of both words and feelings.

I believe that one of the most dignified ways we are capable of, to assert and then reassert our dignity in the face of poverty and war’s fears and pains, is to nourish ourselves with all possible skill, delicacy, and ever-increasing enjoyment. And with our gastronomical growth will come, inevitably, knowledge and perception of a hundred other things, but mainly of ourselves.

This is my contribution to the current edition of Cook the Books, hosted by Simona of briciole. You can find the guidelines for participating in the event here, and here is the announcement.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

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And I am submitting this recipe, bookmarked in M.F.K. Fisher's How to Cook a Wolf to Bookmarked Recipes #26, an event originally started by Ruth of Ruth’s Kitchen Experiments and now hosted by Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

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Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

torta alla zuppa di pomodoro

or launch the torta alla zuppa di pomodoro audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

cake, tomato soup, gingerbread, dried fruit

Comments

[Merisi in Vienna]

Simona, that truly sounds like an intriguing recipe!
I have read several books by MFK Fisher, even managed to not lose at least three of them during the move across the Atlantic, but I think I missed "How to cook a Wolf" - something in the back of my mind says it was out of print or such, back when somebody else recommended it.

Saluti da Vienna,
Merisi

P.S.: The paperback edition seems to be available, put it on my wish list. ;-)
Do you have any plans of traveling to Venice?

[Debra]

Some of the heirloom recipes have soooo much sugar in them. Kudos to you for decreasing it. Great book. Thank you for suggesting it and hosting.

[Claudia]

One day, should I happen to have a can of tomato soup around (not the norm here), I should make this interesting cake. Yours looks delicious.

[Alicia (foodycat)]

I am so intrigued by this recipe! I am glad you made it. Since cheese (specifically Wensleydale) is a traditional accompaniment to Christmas cake in some parts of the UK, I can well believe the manchego was a good match!

[Rachel]

Mmmmmm! I love your posts - I always learn something new about food and writing! Thanks for letting me play as well, friend!

[A Canadian Foodie]

Love the idea = but would rather use homemade soup.
XO
V

[Simona Carini]

Ciao Merisi. I hope you'll get How to Cook a Wolf and you'll enjoy reading it. I wish I could say that I do, but unfortunately, my summer plans are dictated by the need to be with my father for two weeks in August. I won't be in Italy in October, like I have in the past few years. So, I am afraid my nostalgia for Venice won't get any relief any time soon. I'll let you know if my plans change.

Thank you Debra for the kind words. I am glad you enjoyed the selection.

Thanks Claudia. I bought the can I used on purpose. Canned food is not the norm in our house either (though I have a stash for earthquake preparedness' purposes). I admit though that when I travel or go camping, I resort to prepared organic soups, the ones sold in cartons, as they are a good solution for a quick and nourishing meal.

Thank you so much for the bit about Wensleydale and Christmas Cake, Alicia. I must admit I am loving the combination of my cake with cheese more and more. I am also wondering if another type of soup would be good as well.

Thanks to you, Rachel: I am so glad you joined this edition of the Club!

Hi Val. You make a good point and I have a confession to make: much as I love tomatoes, I am actually not fond of tomato soup. But maybe your gently nudge will make me try again a homemade version out of which I can take enough to make the next cake.

[Paz]

I will certainly keep an eye open for this book. ;-) I'd love a taste of this cake. Mmm!

[Rachel @ The Crispy Cook]

Thanks so much for picking this great book for our little foodie book club. I really enjoyed reading it.

[Tina]

When I think cake, I think sweet. But I enjoy savory breads such as zucchini. This would feel more like a veggie bread and I know it would be good with a bowl of soup. Very nice. I loved the selection for CtBs.

[Simona Carini]

Ciao Paz. I think you'd enjoy it (both the book and the cake).

You are more than welcome, Rachel. I am glad you did.

Hi Tina. It may go well with soup: I hope you give it a try. I am glad you liked the book.

[Deb in Hawaii]

First Simona, thank you for the book choice. I had been meaning to read some of Fisher's work but CTB is the push I need sometimes. ;-) I look forward into delving into some of her other works. Lovely review post and I am glad you made the cake. Your version is studded with all the fruit and nuts and doesn't need the frosting--so much more fun than the version I made a few years ago. I love the cheese pairing idea too--perfect! It is an intriguing cake--I thought for sure I would be able to taste the soup. ;-)

[Simona Carini]

Dear Deb, I am so glad you enjoyed the book! It remains my favorite of all the Fisher's book I've read, though I liked also the other ones I read and I have a couple yet to read. I think she is like a trusted friend: you can always count on her to make you smile, think, forget everything else for a bit. I was not very convinced the cake would turn out good, so it was a nice surprise. I hope you'll give it another try.

[Jacqueline]

I am intrigued by this and nervous of it at the same time. I just can't imagine how it tastes.

Thanks for submitting it to Bookmarked Recipes, the roundup is now live.

Jac
:)

[Simona Carini]

I was nervous too, Jac, but I am glad curiosity won. Thanks!