Recipe · Toscana · Arezzo
Baldino aretino
the Tuscan castagnaccio, which in Arezzo carries the name of baldino: chestnut flour, water and oil, no eggs and no butter, to be eaten with fresh ricotta or Vin Santo
preparation
How it is made
Quantities are for a 30 cm tin. The steps are in the order you do them.
- soak the sultanas in warm water for 10 or 15 minutes, then drain them and squeeze them well
- sift the chestnut flour into a large bowl to break up the lumps and add the salt
- pour in the cold water a little at a time, whisking, until the mixture is as fluid as a crêpe batter, and let it rest for 30 minutes
- warm 3 tablespoons of the oil in a small pan with the rosemary for a minute, without frying it, then pour the flavoured oil over the base of a shallow tin, leaving the sprig in it
- pour the batter into the tin and level it with a spatula: it must be no more than a centimetre deep
- scatter the surface with pine nuts, the squeezed sultanas and the walnuts, break a few rosemary needles over it and trickle on the 2 tablespoons of oil that are left
- bake in a static oven preheated to 190 or 200 degrees for 30 or 35 minutes, until the crust is golden and cracked
- let it cool for a few minutes in the oven with the door ajar, then take it out: it is eaten warm or at room temperature
