CASTAGNACCIO (MY WAY)
One of my favourite 'sweets' of the Christmas period and autumn in general. It is not really a cake, as no sugar is included in its preparation, but Castagnaccio is typically considered a traditional Tuscan folk cake.
The Castagnaccio is a very simple cake made with chestnut flour and a few other ingredients, typically autumn. Moist and compact, but suitably soft, castagnaccio has a delicate and unmistakable flavour.
In this version I add orange zest, which I think gives an even more Christmassy flavour to the dessert.
This dessert is vegan-friendly and lactose-free.
INGREDIENTS
500 g chestnut flour
480 g cold water
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
40 g sultanas
40 g pine nuts
40 g of walnut kernels
2 sprigs of rosemary
Orange peel
1 pinch of salt
METHOD
First wash the sultanas under fresh running water and then soak them for 10 minutes in a bowl with cold water. Chop the walnut kernels with a knife and then chop the fresh rosemary.
Sift the chestnut flour into a large bowl and add the water a little at a time, stirring with a spoon; when you have obtained a smooth and homogeneous mixture, add some of the chopped walnuts and whole pine nuts, but keep a small amount aside that you will need later to sprinkle over the surface of the castagnaccio before baking.
Squeeze and dry the sultanas, add them to the mixture, set aside some of the sultanas to add to the surface before baking; add a little salt and mix the mixture well.
Take a cake tin and grease it with oil. Pour in the mixture, levelling it with the help of a spatula. Sprinkle the surface of the castagnaccio with the pine nuts, walnuts and sultanas, distributing them evenly.
Finally add the rosemary needles and orange peel, drizzle with a little oil and bake in a static oven preheated to 200° for about 35 minutes. When a crust with cracks has formed on the surface and the dried fruit has taken on a nice golden colour, take it out of the oven and let it cool.
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