CookEat Recipe
Cornmeal Cake with Raisins and Halved Pine Nuts
The richer version of Artusi’s cornmeal cake, with measured raisins, crosswise-halved pine nuts, a little sugar and lard.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 300 g coarse cornmeal for the mixture, plus about 1 teaspoon for dusting the pan; 100 g raisins or sultanas, with any seeds and stalks removed; 40 g fresh plain lard total, about 35 g for the pan and 5 g for the surface; 30 g pine nuts, each cut in half crosswise; 3 teaspoons sugar, about 12 g; About 600 ml boiling water, adjusted to a stiff spreadable mixture; About half a teaspoon salt, adjusted to taste; 2 small sprigs fresh rosemary.
Step 2
Check the raisins or sultanas and remove any seeds and stalks. Cut the pine nuts in half CROSSWISE rather than chopping them finely. Mix the 300 g coarse cornmeal with the salt and sugar. Gradually add boiling water, starting with about 550 ml, until all the flour is moistened and a stiff spreadable mixture forms. Stir in the raisins and halved pine nuts.
Step 3
Grease a shallow ovenproof pan with about 35 g of the lard, then dust it lightly with the additional teaspoon cornmeal. Spread the stiff mixture in the pan and level it with a spoon to about 2 cm thick. Spread the remaining 5 g lard over the surface and add a few small rosemary clusters, following the preceding recipe’s finish.
Step 4
Bake at 190°C for about 40–50 minutes until set, fully tender in the centre and lightly browned. Loosen and unmould carefully and serve warm. Cornmeal grind and pan size affect the time; do not rely on surface colour alone.
Step 5
For the sultana version, use 100 g seedless sultanas instead of raisins, retaining the other quantities and method. The preceding recipe also supplies a fritter variation: use the same stiff sweetened cornmeal, raisin and halved-pine-nut mixture, OMIT the rosemary and the pan-dusting flour, and replace the pan-and-surface lard allocation with a suitable bath of fresh plain lard, about 500 g as a guide for the pan. Shape thin small fritters and fry at about 170°C for 3–4 minutes per side until golden, firm and fully cooked. Drain and serve hot.
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