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Wednesday, 8 October 2025

Castagnaccio - Chestnut flour cake

Castagnaccio - Chestnut flour cake

Chestnuts have just come into season, so Guido wanted to share his preferred recipe for Castagnaccio, a Chestnut Cake.

This delicious dessert is also gluten free, so if you know anyone who is celiac or gluten sensitive, this is the perfect cake for them.

The castagnaccio or chestnut cake is a traditional dessert made with chestnut flour and raisins, pine nuts, walnuts, and rosemary. This recipe is made in Tuscany, Veneto, Piedmont, and Lombardy, all regions in which the chestnut is often used as an ingredient. There are many variations however all share the simple ingredients of chestnut cake itself: water, chestnut flour, and rosemary.
The chestnut cake was first written about in Venice in 1553. However, it was in the 19th century that the Tuscans exported the chestnut cake to the rest of Italy, and it was in this period that it was enhanced with raisins, pine nuts, and rosemary. Each family has its own chestnut cake recipe, but here we will share Guido's family version with you!

Ingredients:

INGREDIENTS FOR A 12-INCH (32 CM) CAKE MOLD

Chestnut flour 4 cups (500 g), Water 2 ¾ cups (650 g), Pine nuts ½ cup (100 g), Rosemary 1 sprig, Raisins 3 oz (80 g), Walnut kernels ½ cup (100 g), Extra virgin olive oil 5 tbsp (40 g), Fine salt 1 tsp (5 g)

Method: To prepare the Castagnaccio chestnut cake, first wash the raisins in fresh water and soak them in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes to rehydrate them. Coarsely chop the walnut kernels with a knife. Then peel off the fresh rosemary needles. Sift the chestnut flour into a large bowl. Add the 2 3/4 cups (650,g) of water a little at a time, stirring with a hand whisk; when the mixture is smooth and homogeneous, add the chopped walnuts and whole pine nuts, making sure to set a small amount aside that will later be used on top of the cake before baking.

After 10 minutes, squeeze and dry the raisins, then add them to the mixture: adding a small amount at a time; mix well, and add salt.

Oil, with extra virgin olive oil, a 12 inch (32 cm) low round cake tin. Then pour the mixture, levelling it with a spatula. Sprinkle the surface of the cake with the pine nuts, walnuts and raisins set aside, distributing them evenly.

Lastly, add the rosemary needles and then a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Cook in a static oven preheated to 380° F (195° C) for approximately 35 minutes. When a crust forms cracks on the surface and the nuts have a nice golden colour, take the cake out. When cool, serve and enjoy Castagnaccio: Guido's preferred chestnut cake.

Storage Tip: You can keep the chestnut cake covered with a cloth outside the refrigerator for 3-4 days at most. Freezing is not recommended.

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Wednesday, 6 August 2025

Panzanella - straight from Guido's garden

This dish is quick to prepare, refreshing, and perfect for summer, when the vegetables used are in season; it is even advisable to let it rest for a few hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Ingredients (serves 6): 300g (10.5 oz) of Italian-style, stale bread, 2 medium-size ripe tomatoes, 1 cucumber, 1 small onion, 3 tbsp of apple or wine vinegar, fresh basil to taste, salt to taste, 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.

Method: Cut the stale bread(usually 2 or 3 days old and hard) into cubes and soak with vinegar and cold water (to cover) in a large bowl. Leave for 5 minutes. Squeeze and drain the bread, then put it into another bowl. Dice cucumbers and tomatoes (half an inch dices). Thinly slice onion. Put vegetables in the bowl where you’ve previously put bread. Add extra virgin olive oil, salt and fresh basil to taste. Enjoy cold.

Guido's Tips:

Try using red onions: they will add a little sweetness to this traditional tuscan summer dish.
Panzanella makes for a good ‘piatto unico,’ as you may also add some protein to this dish, like tuna or cheese or borlotti beans.

Thursday, 8 May 2025

Tortino di Polenta con Fragole - Polenta cupcakes with strawberries and rum sauce.

Chef Guido's polenta cakes with strawberries (and cream rum sauce)

There was a time In Italy when wheat flour was scarce and expensive for many. This was certainly true during the Renaissance, but also during the 19th century and again during WW2. Since the discovery of the Americas a new, cheaper ingredient was available: maize flour (or corn meal, or polenta flour). A little wheat flour could be added to polenta flour and this would make the softest, most delicious bread. Adding a little sugar and raisins would produce a cake that was simply irresistible.
With strawberries and a rum sauce, this 'poor cuisine' classic from Lazio, Tuscany and Umbria can today become a refined, well presented and well balanced dessert.

Another use for polenta cakes: Locally, in the Sabine Hills, the bakers used to use these polenta cakes to test the wood fire oven temperature. If the polenta cakes cooked evenly, the oven was ready to put in the homemade bread.

Local Sabine Hills recipe:

Tortino di polenta con fragole (with Guido's rum sauce). Serves 6

Ingredients: 200g (7.0 oz) of maize flour** (corn meal), 160 g (5.6 oz) of butter, 125g (4.4 oz) of sugar, 70g (2.4 oz) of wheat flour, 2 eggs, 80g (2.8 oz) of raisins, 150ml (0.6 cups) of single cream, 1/2 tsp of baking powder, a shot of rum.

Method: Melt butter on low heat, then put aside. For the cakes: Mix eggs with half the sugar, add maize flour first, then wheat flour with baking powder, add melted butter and raisins. Mix well. Distribute mixture into a muffin tray for 12 muffins. Bake at 170 C (338 F) for 15 minutes.

For the sauce: Pour cream into a small pot. Add the remaining sugar and a shot of rum. Stir and bring cream to boil for 2 minutes, then turn off heat.

Serve cakes warm with sauce at the bottom of the plate and strawberries* on the side.

*You can use blueberries or any other berry in substitute, if you wish.

** Maize flour (corn meal) - use the fine corn meal, not the course one.

Sally and Chef Guido
Founders of Convivio Rome Italian Cooking Holidays, Italian Cooking Classes and Olive Tours and Winery Tours. Owners of Convivio Rome BnB.

For more recipes: Guido's FREE recipe e-booklet '5 Minute Pasta'

Saturday, 17 August 2024

Guido's Family Recipe ‘Pomodori col Riso’ (baked rice-filled tomatoes)

Guido's family recipe for Pomodori col Riso

‘Pomodori col Riso’ (baked rice-filled tomatoes) is a classic Italian Summer dish with variations in different regions. This is the roman version, that my nonna and mamma used to make, with roast potatoes added to it. Traditionally, it’s served at room temperature and enjoyed at picnics on the beach.

Pomodori col Riso

Ingredients (serves 6): 6 large ripe tomatoes, 500g (17.6 oz) of potatoes, 1 clove of garlic, 6 tbsp ‘arborio’ or ‘ribe’ uncooked rice, 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, salt and fresh basil to taste.

Method: Cut off the ‘top cap’ of the tomatoes and put it aside. With a teaspoon, carefully scoop out the tomato pulp. Put the tomato shells upside- down onto a plate to draw out excess liquid. In the meantime, cut the tomato pulp very fine into a bowl and keep 3 tbsp of it aside. Add olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh basil and rice to the tomato pulp.

Turn on the convection oven at 170ºC (338ºF). Dice potatoes to your favourite ‘roasting’ size and then place them into an oven dish with a swirl of olive oil, salt to taste, 1 whole clove of garlic (skin on) and the little tomato pulp you already put aside. Put the emptied tomatoes in the dish among the potatoes. Put just a tablespoon of rice mixture in each tomato. Cover each tomato with its cap. Top with another swirl of olive oil.Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until rice is aldente and tomatoes are slightly caramelised.

Serve hot, cold, or at room temperature. Great to take on a picnic or to a friend's home to share. Enjoy!