Saint Martin’s Day on 11 November is a critical milestone in the old rural calendar in many European countries: the grape harvest is over and the freshly crushed fruit starts turning into wine. In Italy, this is celebrated by cheering with vino novello, or new wine, over a good serving of roasted or boiled chestnuts. Their nutty flavour and creamy texture are just perfect to accompany a glass of young red. Castagnotti translate the addictive taste of chestnuts into a fragrant and crumbly cookie, deceptively simple to shape, and with a cunning coating of chocolate that turns them into an irresistibly pretty treat.
The chestnut flour produces a very forgiving dough: it needs to be kneaded for longer than conventional wheat flour to come together and become pliable, but the pastry can be re-rolled as often as needed without ever getting tough.
