A torta in Mexico is a sandwich made with bread like the baguette-like bolillo. In the Philippines, torta is a different animal. It is most often made with ground beef mixed with beaten duck egg (duck egg rises and incorporates more air than chicken egg) and fried with lard on both sides. What I made here is actually more like a frittata, an Italian omelet, served sunny-side-up, topped with grated Cheddar cheese and finished by broiling in the oven.
I love the linguistic connections of food, how similar culinary creations are prepared in different ways in different cultures, the differences owing to cultural preferences and more important available ingredients. The torta I most often make combines various cooking styles. I fry sliced Spanish onions in olive oil, add julienned potatoes and raisins, then in the same cast-iron pan, pour in the potato mixed with beaten egg and cook until the sides are almost set. I transfer the pan to a 350° oven and bake until the center is set and the top is golden.
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