<  FRANCA'S STORY

Castagnaccia

Chestnut flour is a healthy, nutritious food – now difficult to find and expensive.  During the war, when neither eggs nor sugar were available, the natural sweetness of it was enhanced with raisins and a little rosemary or lemon zest to make a tasty baked treat.

Franca's Recipe for Castagnaccia:

Ingredients: 1 lb. 2 oz. of chestnut flour, a pinch of salt, and enough water to convert the flour into a rather liquid dough.  Add 2 teaspoons olive oil, a few fresh chopped rosemary leaves, and a teaspoon of lemon zest.

How to Mix: Put the flour in a mixing bowl and slowly add the water, stirring all the time.  When it is in a consistency to pour easily, add the olive oil and mix well.  Prepare a shallow cake tin and grease it with olive oil.  Pour batter in, about 3/4" deep.  Sprinkle with rosemary and lemon zest before you put it in the oven.

Optional: add raisins, pine nuts.

Bake: 350°F oven until you can smell a delicious scent and the top is nice and brown (about 30 minutes).