The Tuscan castagnaccio is a dessert traditionally made in those places where chestnuts have always been present in abundance. Its origins are popular, as are its ingredients: castagnaccio has little sugar, no eggs and no butter.

Chestnut flour is obtained by grinding dried chestnuts, gives a sweet taste to recipes and allows you to lower the amount of sugar added to the dough.It has a starch percentage of 25% (higher than potatoes) and a composition very similar to cereal and gluten-free.

It is rich in folic acid, potassium, zinc, iron, vitamin E, B vitamins and has a high nutritional and energy value.

How to choose and store chestnut flour

Choose it of quality, chestnut flour has a light beige color or just more accentuated, some flours that are too dark are also very bitter because they can be obtained from chestnuts that are not completely devoid of the external pericarp or with defects.

It is best to eat it fresh because it spoils easily. If in doubt, try a little bit of it even raw, if it is bitter, unfortunately it can no longer be used.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6)

400 g. Chestnut flour.
550 g. Cold water.
60 g. Sugar.
1 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
70 g. Raisins.
50 g. Pine nuts.
1 sprigs of rosemary.
1 pinch of salt.

PREPARATION:

Let’s start by leave the raisins to soak in lukewarm water or white wine.

Heap the chestnut flour on a bowl, pour the oil ①, and gradually the water ②, then add the salt and the sugar ③ and stir it all until the mixture is smooth and fluid ④.

Add the pine nuts and the raisins ⑤ and mix them in ⑥.

Put some parchment paper in a cake pan and pour the mixture inside, and spread it until it becomes flat. Pour in the mixture so that it is 3 cm deep.

Add the whole rosemary, or if you prefer scatter, it in tufts over the cake, the pine nuts that you have kept aside, and finally moisten the surface with a few drops of oil.

Put it into the oven which has been preheated to 180°C – 356°F. Let it bake at this temperature for 45 minutes or so, and let it cool in its dish.