How to prepare The whole secret of cooking fresh chestnuts successfully rests in learning how to cut their shell, so that when they are cooked both the shell and the tough thin skin beneath will easily come away.
• After washing the nuts in cold water, soak them in lukewarm water for about 20 minutes; this step softens their shell and makes it easier to slash.
• When the nuts have finished soaking, make a horizontal cut that partly rings the middle of each one, starting at one edge of the flat side, circling the bulging belly side of the chestnut, and stopping just past the other edge of the flat side. Do not cut into the flat side itself, and keep the slash shallow so that you do not dig into the chestnut meat.
Monte Bianco—Puréed Chestnut and Chocolate Mound
ON THOSE DAYS when Milan’s veil of gray air miraculously dissolves, and through gaps in the city skyline one can see the mountains lined up on the horizon, the eye is irresistibly drawn up to the perpetually white summit of Mont Blanc, gleaming like a frosty mirage in the northern sky. Monte Bianco, to call the mount by its Italian name, has a namesake that, in the fall, makes its appearance on demand on Milanese tables: It is a pyramid of dark chocolate and pureed fresh chestnuts, topped by a snowy peak of whipped cream. We can be deeply—even if only momentarily—consoled for the end of summer and the approach of winter by the heartwarming aroma and flavor of fresh chestnuts, and in monte bianco they find their most succulent employment.
For 6 servings
1 pound fresh chestnuts, soaked and gashed as described
Milk
Salt
6 ounces semisweet chocolate in drops or chopped squares
A double boiler
¼ cup rum
A mixing bowl kept in the freezer
2 cups very cold heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1. Put the gashed chestnuts in a pot, cover amply with water, put a lid on the pot, bring the water to a boil, and cook for 25 minutes after the boil begins. Scoop the chestnuts out of the water a few at a time, peeling them while still very warm. Make sure you remove not only the outer shell, but also the wrinkled inner skin, but do not worry about keeping the chestnuts whole because you’ll be pureeing them later.
2. Put the peeled nuts in a saucepan with just enough milk to cover and a pinch of salt. Cook at a steady simmer without covering the pan until all the milk has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.
3. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler as described.
4. Puree the chestnuts into a bowl, passing them through a food mill fitted with the disk with large holes. Add the melted chocolate and rum, mixing the ingredients well. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
5. Pass the chestnut puree and chocolate mixture through the food mill, fitted with the same disk, letting it drop onto a round serving platter. At first hold the food mill close to the edge of the dish; as you pass the mixture through it and as it piles up, bring the food mill gradually toward the center of the dish in an upward spiral direction. What you want to do is distribute the chestnut and chocolate on the platter so that it forms a cone-shaped mound. Do not pat it, or shape it in any way, but leave it looking exactly the way it did when it dropped from the mill.
6. Put the cream and sugar in the bowl you had been keeping in the freezer and whip it with a whisk until it stiffens. Use half the whipped cream to cover the top of the chestnut mound, coming about two-thirds of the way down. It should have a natural, “snowed-on” look, so let the cream come down the mound at random in peaks and hollows.
7. Serve the dessert with the remaining whipped cream on the side for those who would like their monte bianco with a little more “snow.”
Ahead-of-time note The chestnut and chocolate mixture can be prepared up to this point a day in advance and refrigerated until you are ready to proceed.
Ahead-of-time note The monte bianco can be completed as described above, and served up to 4 to 6 hours later. Refrigerate it, but do not cover it. Also refrigerate the remaining half of the whipped cream.
Chestnuts Boiled in Red Wine, Romagna Style
How PROVIDENTIAL of chestnuts to be on hand when days are short, and evenings long and cold. As a university student living in an unheated room, I remember almost looking forward to winter, to those days that would end sitting by a fireplace with friends, a pot of boiled chestnuts, and a flask of rough, young wine. My father would say that chestnuts and wine make one tipsy. It hasn’t been demonstrated that the nuts make wine more inebriating, but it is true that a taste of one leads irresistibly to a sip of the other, and vice versa, and it may take a long time to decide, while you continue to try both, whether you want to bring the evening to a close with a bite of chestnut or a swallow of wine.
For 4 servings
1 pound fresh chestnuts, soaked and gashed as described
1 cup dry red wine, preferably Chianti
Salt
2 whole bay leaves
1. Put the gashed chestnuts in a pot with the wine, a tiny pinch of salt, the bay leaves, and just enough water to cover. Put a lid on the pot, and turn on the heat to medium.
2. When the chestnuts are tender—it depends greatly on the freshness of the nuts, it may take 30 minutes or 1 hour—uncover the pot, and allow all but 1 or 2 tablespoons of wine to simmer away. Bring the chestnuts to the table at once, preferably in the pot, or in a warm bowl. Everyone will peel his or her own, which is part of the fun.
Roasted Chestnuts
THERE MAY BE no food scent more enticing than that of chestnuts roasting over hot coals. Unfortunately, the roasted chestnuts most of us are acquainted with are of the street corner variety, hard, dry, half-cooked, and often as not, cold. Yet it is easy to roast chestnuts at home in the oven that will taste just as good as they smell.
For 4 servings
1 pound fresh chestnuts, soaked and gashed as described
1. Preheat oven to 475°.
2. Spread the gashed chestnuts on a baking sheet, and when the oven reaches the preset temperature, put it in on the middle rack. Turn the nuts over from time to time, but not so often to lose heat in the oven.
3. When the chestnuts are tender—it will take between 30 and 45 minutes, depending on their freshness—take them off the baking sheet and wrap them tightly in a cloth towel. They will steam a bit inside the towel, causing the skins to come loose much more easily. After 10 minutes, unwrap and serve.
Roasting Chestnuts over a Fire
IF YOU HAVE the perforated skillet made for the purpose, or a similar pan, you can roast chestnuts over a gas flame or a charcoal fire. Don’t put in any more at one time than will fit without stacking. If you are doing it over the stove, use medium heat; if it is over charcoal, there should be enough very hot, but not flaming, coals to provide constant heat for about 40 minutes. If the heat is too hot, the nuts will be charred on the outside, and undercooked on the inside. If there is not enough heat, they won’t be cooked at all. Move the chestnuts around frequently to prevent their being burned on one side.
They are done when tender all the way through, when their centers are no longer floury and dry. It will take from 30 minutes to 45 minutes, depending on the freshness and size of the nuts. When done, wrap them in a cloth towel for 10 minutes to help the skins come away easily.
Almond Cake
THE ALMOND is by a wide margin the most favored nut in Italian cakes, particularly in the Veneto, and a comprehensive anthology of Italy’s almond desserts would require a substantial volume. There are no egg yolks and there is no butter in this recipe, which uses only the whites instead of whole eggs, and produces a firm, but fairly light cake.
For 6 to 8 servings
10 ounces shelled, but unpeeled almonds, about 2 cups
1⅓ cups granulated sugar
8 egg whites
Salt
The peel of 1 lemon grated without digging into the white pith beneath
6 tablespoons flour
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An 8- or 9-inch springform pan
Butter for greasing the pan
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Put the almonds and sugar in a blender or food processor and grind to a fine consistency, turning the motor on and off.
3. Beat the egg whites together with ½ teaspoon salt until they form stiff peaks.
4. Add the ground almonds and the grated lemon peel to the egg whites, a little bit at a time, folding them in gently, but thoroughly. The whites may deflate a bit, but if you mix carefully there should be no significant loss of volume.
5. Add the flour, shaking a little of it at a time through a strainer, and again, mixing gently.
6. Thickly smear the pan with butter. Put the cake batter into the pan, shaking the pan to level it off. Place the pan in the middle level of the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour. Before taking it out of the oven, test the center of the cake by piercing it with a toothpick. If it comes out dry, the cake is done. If it does not, cook a little longer.
7. When done, unlock the pan and remove the hoop. When the cake has cooled somewhat, and it is just lukewarm, loosen it from the bottom of the pan. Serve when it is completely cold. It will keep quite a while if stored in a tin biscuit box.
Walnut Cake
For 8 servings
½ pound shelled walnuts
⅔ cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened at room temperature
1 egg
2 tablespoons rum
The peel of 1 lemon grated without digging into the white pith beneath
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 cup flour
An 8- or 9-inch springform pan
1. Preheat oven to 325°. When it has reached the preset temperature, spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and place in the middle of the oven. After 5 minutes, take the walnuts out of the oven and turn the thermostat up to 350°.
2. When the walnuts are cold, put them in a food processor together with 1 tablespoon of sugar, and grind fine, but not to a powder, turning the motor on and off. Take them out of the processor bowl and set aside.
3. Set aside 1 tablespoon butter for smearing the pan later. Put the remaining 7 tablespoons into the processor together with the rest of the sugar and process to a creamy consistency. Add the egg, rum, lemon peel, and baking powder, and process briefly until all ingredients are uniformly combined. Transfer the contents of the food processor to a mixing bowl.
4. Add the ground walnuts to the bowl, working them uniformly into the mixture with a spoon or spatula. Add the flour, shaking it through a strainer and combining it with the other ingredients to form a fairly compact and evenly blended cake batter.
5. Smear the cake pan with the 1 tablespoon butter, sprinkle lightly with flour, then turn the pan over, tapping it against the counter to shake off excess flour. Put in the batter, leveling it off with a spatula. Place the pan in the upper level of the oven. After 45 minutes, before taking it out of the oven, test the center of the cake by piercing it with a toothpick. If it comes out dry, the cake is done. If it does not, cook 10 minutes or so longer.
6. When done, unlock the pan and remove the hoop. When the cake has cooled somewhat, and it is just lukewarm, loosen it from the bottom of the pan. Serve after 24 hours, when its flavor has fully developed. It will keep quite a while if stored in a tin biscuit box.
Note The concentrated flavor of this walnut cake makes a modest slice amply satisfying. It goes perfectly with tea or coffee in the morning or afternoon. If served after dinner, it should be topped with freshly whipped cream.
A Farm Wife’s Fresh Pear Tart
THIS TENDER, FRUITY CAKE has been described as being so simple that only an active campaign of sabotage could ruin it. It is indeed simple, but the choice of pears will considerably affect its flavor. It is not half so appealing when made with Bartlett pears as it is when made with a winter variety such as the Bosc or the Anjou. In Italy one would choose a long, slim brownish yellow pear known as Conferenza.
For 6 servings
2 eggs
¼ cup milk
1 cup granulated sugar
Salt
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 pounds fresh pears
A 9-inch round cake pan
Butter for greasing the pan and dotting the cake
½ cup dry, unflavored bread crumbs
OPTIONAL: 1 dozen cloves
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Beat the eggs and milk together in a bowl. Add the sugar and a tiny pinch salt, and continue to beat. Add the flour, mixing it in thoroughly to produce a compact cake batter.
3. Peel the pears, cut them lengthwise in two, scoop out the seeds and core, then cut them into thin slices about 1 inch wide. Add them to the batter in the bowl, distributing them evenly.
4. Smear the pan generously with butter, sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs, then turn the pan over and give it a sharp rap against the counter to shake loose excess crumbs.
5. Put the batter into the pan, leveling it off with the back of a spoon or a spatula. Make numerous small hollows on top with a fingertip and fill them with little bits of butter. Stud with the optional cloves, distributing them at random, but apart. Place the pan in the upper third of the preheated oven and bake for 50 minutes, or until the top has become lightly colored.
6. While it is still lukewarm, carefully loosen the tart from the bottom of the pan, lift it with spatulas, and transfer to a platter. It is very nice served while still a little warm, or at room temperature.
Polenta Shortcake with Raisins, Dried Figs, and Pine Nuts
WHEN JAMES BEARD sojourned in Venice many years ago, he was fascinated by this local specialty, whose nuts and dried fruits are redolent of imperial Venice’s trading days with the Near East, and he asked me to provide the recipe.
Jim was surprised to find it contained only one egg, but it does rise to about 2 inches, which is not inconsiderable for this rich and dense dessert. It can be quite good served with a dollop or two of fresh whipped cream, but, then, what isn’t?
For 6 to 8 servings
1 cup coarse cornmeal
Salt
1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Heaping ½ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup pignoli (pine nuts)
⅓ cup seedless raisins, preferably of the muscat variety
1 cup dried figs, cut into ¼-inch pieces
2 tablespoons butter plus more for smearing the pan
1 egg
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
1 cup all-purpose flour
A 9-inch round cake pan
Fine, dry, unflavored bread crumbs
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan, then adjust heat to medium and add the cornmeal, pouring it in a thin stream. Let it run through the fingers of your partly clenched fist. With your other hand, stir constantly with a wooden spoon. When all the cornmeal is in, add the salt and the olive oil. Continue to stir for about 15 seconds until the mush thickens and pulls away from the sides of the pan when you stir it. Take off heat.
3. To the cornmeal mush add the sugar, pine nuts, raisins, figs, butter, egg, and fennel seeds, and mix thoroughly to combine all ingredients uniformly. Add the flour, and mix well to form a smoothly amalgamated cake batter.
4. Smear the cake pan with butter, sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs, then turn the pan over tapping it against the counter to shake off excess bread crumbs. Put in the batter, leveling it off with a spatula. Place the pan in the upper level of the oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes.
5. While the cake is still warm, loosen its sides from the pan with a knife, and invert the pan over a plate, shaking it a little to cause the cake to drop onto the plate. Then turn the cake over again onto a serving platter. Serve when it has become completely cold.
Pisciotta—Olive Oil Cake
IN THE COUNTRY north of Verona, the grape and olive growers sh
are the hills with the stone cutters, the latter taking the elevations too high for the vines and olive trees to thrive. Many of the farmers and stonemasons also share a table at the Trattoria Dalla Rosa, in the ancient town of San Giorgio, perched under the brow of one of the tallest hills. Alda Dalla Rosa, the matriarch, is in command of the kitchen, but her daughter Nori is the baker. This surprising and savory cake that uses only the local olive oil—possibly Italy’s finest—for shortening comes from an undatable recipe Nori salvaged from the family’s few preserved written records.
For 6 servings
2 eggs
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
The peel of 1 lemon grated without digging into the white pith beneath
Salt
⅓ cup dry Marsala wine
⅓ cup milk
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil for the batter plus more for the pan
1 tablespoon baking powder
1½ cups all-purpose flour
A 2¼-quart tube pan
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Break the eggs into a bowl and beat them with all the sugar until they become pale and foamy.
3. Add the grated lemon peel, salt, Marsala, milk, and the ¾ cup olive oil.
4. Mix the baking powder with the flour, add to the other ingredients, and mix thoroughly.
5. Smear the inside of the pan with a thin coating of olive oil, pour the batter into the pan, and bake in the upper third of the preheated oven for 50 minutes.
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking Page 65