ScarlettCastagnaccio (Tuscan Chestnut Cake)
May 8th 2008 14:20
Castagnaccio (Tuscan Chestnut Cake)
About Castagnaccio
This unusual flat cake comes from Tuscany where it is popular in late fall when the new season’s chestnuts are in.
About sweet chestnut flour
The sweet chestnut flour has the particularity of not containing gluten, contrary to the flours made of cereals. Today this flour is being rediscovered by a great number of bakers, pastry cooks and others cooks for its taste.
About extra-virgin olive oil
Olive oil is a fruit oil obtained from the olive, a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps. Olive oil is considered a healthy oil because of its high content of monounsaturated fat (mainly oleic acid) and polyphenols.
Extra virgin is the highest quality olive oil – characterized by “perfect flavour an odour, max acidity (oleic acid) of 1gm/100gm – 1% with maximum peroxide value mequiv 02/kg of 20”. In some regions, extra virgin oil is judged by a panel of experts for taste, mouth feel, and aroma. This oil tends to be most delicate in flavour, and is preferred for salads or served at the table with bread for dipping, or added to soups and stews.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 4
2 ¾ cups sweet chestnut flour
1½ cups water
⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
pinch of salt
½ cup small seedless white raisins, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes, drained and squeezed
⅓ cup pine nuts
a few young, tender rosemary leaves
1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
2. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, make a well in the center and pour in the water, 1 tablespoon of the oil, and the salt.
3. Stir well to obtain a thick, lump-free, pouring batter.
4. Stir in the drained raisins and the nuts and then pour into a 9 X 13 inch baking pan greased with 2 tablespoons of the oil.
5. Sprinkle with the rosemary leaves and drizzle with the remaining oil.
6. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a thin crust has formed.
7. Serve hot or warm.
**From “The Encyclopedia of Italian Cooking” and “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”**
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