D is for Dinner: Roasted Chestnuts

As a bambino in Italy, Luciano Pradal would stuff his pockets with hot chestnuts to keep his hands warm on the way to school. He describes chesnuts as his miracle food.  

Now he's roasting chestnuts, and even trying to grow his own chestnut trees here in Ottawa. 

Luciano shared a recipe below that he uses to make "ancient power-bars" using chestnut flour.

You can check out Luciano's custom-made roaster on Saturday, October 22nd.

He'll be roasting nuts as part of Oktoberfest in the Byward Market.  You can find him outside La Bottega at 60 George Street. 

Catagnaccio (Tuscany)

Ingredients:

500g Chestnuts flour                                               

500 ml of water                                        

a handful of Sultan raisins (soaked in warm water or in Zibibbo, white wine.)

100g Pine nuts                                                       

100g Walnuts pieces                                                    

6-7 tbsp Olive oil                                         

Fresh rosemary's leaves 

(You can add salt, honey or maple syrup, small pieces of nuts, pistachio or any of your favourite nuts)

Fresh rosemary leaves and a few little branches on top for decoration and flavor 

Procedure:

Soak the sultan raisin in warm water for half an hour.

Sift the chestnuts flour into a bowl; add the water until you obtain a liquid mixture.

Strain the raisins. Add to bowl, along with the pine nuts, pieces of walnuts, the leaves of rosemary and the olive oil; make sure you keep some for the final decoration.

Mix well until you obtain a very smooth mixture, pour it, one centimeter thick, in a previously well oiled pan, decorate the surface with the pine nuts, the raisin, the walnuts pieces and little branches or leaves of rosemary, sprinkle some olive oil on top.

Put it in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (400 F) for half an hour or until the castagnaccio starts to get dry and form some cracks.

A legend that dates back to 1449, says that the man that eat Castagnaccio offered to him by a lady, will fall in love and marry her.

 

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