CASTAGNACCIO (CHESTNUT PIE) – Recipe by Piero Benigni – This is a typical pie of autumn and winter in Italy, simple and delicious. It is made with chestnut flour, pine nuts, raisins, rosemary, milk and water.
Ingredients for 8 persons
- 250 gchestnut flour (9 oz)
- 230 mlmilk (1 cup)
- 30 graisin (1 oz)
- 30 gpine nuts (1 oz)
- 3 spoonsolive oil
- 1 sprigrosemary
- 1 pinchsalt
- q.s.water
Tools for the castagnaccio or chestnut pie
- Oven
- Mold (10″ diameter)
- Bowl
- Whip (hand or electric)
- Spoon
Recipe by Piero Benigni
The raisins should be soaked in advance for at least half an hour. You can use either an electric or a hand whisk for mixing, also a spoon but avoid leaving lumps. Pour into the bowl 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the chestnut flour, a cup of milk e a pinch of salt. Start mixing with a wooden spoon, that add half a cup of water and mix again.
Start mixing with the whip now, adding more water, 1/4 a cup in a time, until you get a fairly fluid dough. It is ok when a spoonful falls off the spoon by itself if tilted. Add half of the well-squeezed raisins and a little rosemary leaves to the mixture, than mix again. Pour a spoon of olive oil into the mold and spread it all over. Pour in the mixture and level it with a spoon kept wet underneath. Spread over the surface the pine nuts, the remaining raisins and some more rosemary.
Place in preheated oven at 350 °F (170-180 °C) and cook until the top turns to a beige to brownish color, with cracks on the surface and lightly toasted pine nuts. It will take about 40 minutes, but keep checking after 30. When done, remove the pie from the oven, let it cool some minutes and remove from the mold. Enjoy it warm or cold, possibly with a dessert wine. It will last up to 3 days in the fridge. It’s better not to freeze it.
The raisins should be soaked in advance for at least half an hour. You can use either an electric or a hand whisk for mixing, also a spoon but avoid leaving lumps. Pour into the bowl 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the chestnut flour, a cup of milk e a pinch of salt. Start mixing with a wooden spoon, that add half a cup of water and mix again.
Start mixing with the whip now, adding more water, 1/4 a cup in a time, until you get a fairly fluid dough. It is ok when a spoonful falls off the spoon by itself if tilted. Add half of the well-squeezed raisins and a little rosemary leaves to the mixture, than mix again. Pour a spoon of olive oil into the mold and spread it all over. Pour in the mixture and level it with a spoon kept wet underneath. Spread over the surface the pine nuts, the remaining raisins and some more rosemary.
Place in preheated oven at 350 °F (170-180 °C) and cook until the top turns to a beige to brownish color, with cracks on the surface and lightly toasted pine nuts. It will take about 40 minutes, but keep checking after 30. When done, remove the pie from the oven, let it cool some minutes and remove from the mold. Enjoy it warm or cold, possibly with a dessert wine. It will last up to 3 days in the fridge. It’s better not to freeze it.
Adding raisins and rosmary to the mix
The pie ready for the oven