GLUTEN-FREE, NATURALLY.
We at Verlessio are grateful for the advances in gluten- and lactose-free foods, but we like to use naturally occurring ingredients wherever possible.
Chestnuts are a fabulous resource. They are a foodstuff that lends itself to many uses in the kitchen. Traditionally they are found in desserts (hey, have you tried our Tortina alle Castagne ‘?) but their neutral flavour allows for great versatility and to end up in pasta, and not just as a topping but as a basic ingredient!
MAKE YOUR OWN CHESTNUT FLOUR AT HOME.
Nothing evokes autumn feelings in Italy like the aroma and flavour of chestnuts and marroni. Did you know that you can make a virtually keto dough using chestnut flour? It is almost impossible to find outside Italy, but today we want to teach you how to make it.
The first step in preparing homemade chestnut flour is to obtain fresh, large chestnuts. Bear in mind that a kilo of chestnuts will yield about half a kilo of flour. The basic principle for preparation is that the chestnuts must be completely dehydrated and then ground. The easiest way to dehydrate them is to cut the shell with an X using a well-sharpened knife. Then the chestnuts are placed on a baking tray and baked at 200 degrees for about half an hour. Once baked, they should be left to cool. Using a well-sharpened knife, remove the shell and skin from each chestnut. Pay attention because this step is very important: if we leave the skin, also called tegument, our chestnut flour will be extremely bitter. Once shelled, roughly chop the chestnuts and put them back in the oven, this time at a lower temperature, to dry for 16-24 hours. Once they have become dry and hard, we can proceed to pulverise them using a high-power blender or coffee grinder.
CHESTNUT FLOUR PASTA.
INGREDIENTS
200 g flour
2 whole eggs (yolk + albume)
PREPARATION
Sift the flour into a well on the pastry board, making a hole at the top to accommodate the eggs.
Shell the eggs and pour them whole onto the flour. Using a fork, start beating the yolks until a batter is created, gradually incorporating the flour from the edges of the fountain.
Once you have a workable mixture, leave the fork and start kneading with the fingers of your hand until you reach a consistent mass. We continue to knead vigorously, using the palms of our hands, until we form a smooth and elastic ball of egg dough, which we wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Take the ball of egg dough, flour it lightly and start rolling it out. You can either proceed with a rolling pin, making sure that the thickness is the same everywhere, or with a sheeter: divide the roll into pieces, flour them and pass them through the rollers, up to the last or penultimate notch (the thinnest sheet is recommended for filled pasta).
Once ready, lay the sheet on the pastry board and cut it according to the dish you want to make.
