360/365 Chestnuts
Once cooked, chestnuts acquire a sweet flavour and a floury texture similar to the sweet potato. The cooked nuts can be used for stuffing poultry, as a vegetable or in nut roasts. They can also be used in confections, puddings, desserts and cakes. They are used for flour, bread making, a cereal substitute, coffee substitute, a thickener in soups and other cookery uses.
Roman soldiers were given chestnut porridge before going into battle and because of this the Romans planted sweet chestnut trees across all of conquered Europe. They also carried flat chestnut flour cakes to sustain them during long marches. An update of that cake is called castagnaccio.
Here's a recipe for castagnaccio.
3 cups chestnut flour / 10 walnut kernels minced / 2 cups pine nuts / 1 cup raisins / 2 twigs fresh rosemary /2 cups water / 4 tbsp olive oil extra virgin 1 pinch sea salt.
Pre-heat the oven to 180° C (356° F) and soak raisins in warm water for about 10/20 minutes.
Sift the chestnut flour in a bowl and add a pinch of sea salt.
Add the water and mix slowly with a whisk. Add a tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and keep whisking.
Put a baking sheet into the baking tray and grease it with oil.
Add a fistful of raisins (previously squeezed), pine nuts and walnut kernels, and mix.
Pour the dough in the baking tray and flatten it. Add the remaining walnuts, pine nuts and raisins and the two rosemary twigs. Sprinkle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil the surface of the dough.
Bake for about 25/30 minutes until you see small cracks on the surface and till it gets a chocolate brown colour.
Cut in slices and serve.
360/365 Chestnuts
Once cooked, chestnuts acquire a sweet flavour and a floury texture similar to the sweet potato. The cooked nuts can be used for stuffing poultry, as a vegetable or in nut roasts. They can also be used in confections, puddings, desserts and cakes. They are used for flour, bread making, a cereal substitute, coffee substitute, a thickener in soups and other cookery uses.
Roman soldiers were given chestnut porridge before going into battle and because of this the Romans planted sweet chestnut trees across all of conquered Europe. They also carried flat chestnut flour cakes to sustain them during long marches. An update of that cake is called castagnaccio.
Here's a recipe for castagnaccio.
3 cups chestnut flour / 10 walnut kernels minced / 2 cups pine nuts / 1 cup raisins / 2 twigs fresh rosemary /2 cups water / 4 tbsp olive oil extra virgin 1 pinch sea salt.
Pre-heat the oven to 180° C (356° F) and soak raisins in warm water for about 10/20 minutes.
Sift the chestnut flour in a bowl and add a pinch of sea salt.
Add the water and mix slowly with a whisk. Add a tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and keep whisking.
Put a baking sheet into the baking tray and grease it with oil.
Add a fistful of raisins (previously squeezed), pine nuts and walnut kernels, and mix.
Pour the dough in the baking tray and flatten it. Add the remaining walnuts, pine nuts and raisins and the two rosemary twigs. Sprinkle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil the surface of the dough.
Bake for about 25/30 minutes until you see small cracks on the surface and till it gets a chocolate brown colour.
Cut in slices and serve.