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CASTAGNACCIO
CHESTNUT CAKE
In Tuscany and northern Italy in winter, street vendors used to sell irregular pieces of warm chestnut cake from a large tray, but now castagnata is available in traditional pasticcerie and in bars.
Ensure that you use the most recent season's chestnut flour - produced in autumn - as it doesn't keep for long.

Preheat the oven to 180 deg C/350 deg F/Gas 4.
Put the flour, salt and 55g (2 oz) of the sugar into a bowl, then add 2 tbsp of the oil and enough water to obtain a fairly soft, almost runny mixture. Use a little of the oil to grease a 25cm (10 in) baking tray, and pour the mixture onto it, levelling the top with a spatula. Scatter the pine kernels, fennel seeds, raisins and rosemary needles over the entire surface. Pour over the rest of the oil and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake for 40-45 minutes in the preheated oven. Serve warm, in slices, but it can also be eaten cold.