Necci

Chestnut flour batter pressed between hot iron plates and rolled round ricotta.

Not vegetarian — contains lard, ricotta whose rennet the source does not name.

Ingredients

• 300 g chestnut flour
• 450 ml water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• lard or oil, for the plates
• 400 g ricotta, drained
• 60 g caster sugar

Method

1. SIEVE THE CHESTNUT FLOUR TWICE. It packs into hard lumps in the bag and any that survive end up as grit in a very thin pancake.
2. Whisk in the water gradually with the salt to a batter the consistency of single cream. Rest it 30 minutes.
3. CHESTNUT FLOUR ONLY — no wheat, no egg, no sugar in the batter. It holds together because chestnut starch is unusually sticky, and it needs nothing else.
4. Heat two flat iron plates, or a heavy pan, until properly hot, and grease very lightly with lard.
5. Pour a thin ladleful, press the second plate on, and cook about 2 minutes, turning once. Between plates rather than open in a pan — the pressure keeps them thin and flat.
6. They come off dark brown, flexible and smelling of chestnut. Stack them under a cloth.
7. Beat the drained ricotta with the sugar, spread it along each neccio while still warm, and ROLL IT UP. Eaten immediately: cold, they stiffen and crack.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Italy · All recipes