Lasagne Bastarde (Bastard Lasagne). This not very poetic name refers to a type of home made pasta typical of northern Tuscany, particularly the Lunigiana and Garfagnana area, where sweet chestnuts were once the staple food from late autumn to the end of spring.

This recipe came about as a way of saving precious wheat flour by mixing it with the far more abundant chestnut flour. The proportion of the two flours varies depending on personal taste. Commercially produced chestnut flour pasta, however, contains a much higher percentage of wheat flour because it keeps better.

Ancient chestnut trees surround a ‘gradile‘, our local dialect name for a seccatoio (chestnut drying barn). Photo by Geoff.

Ingredienti:

per le lasagne bastarde: 200 grammi di farina di frumento; 200 grammi di farina di castagne; acqua, un pizzico di sale.

per il condimento: ricotta (preferibilmente di pecora); olio extravergine d’oliva.

Ingredients:

for the lasagne bastarde: 200 grams of plain flour; 200 grams of chestnut flour; water, a pinch of salt.

for the dressing: ricotta (preferably made from sheep’s milk); extra virgin olive oil.

Preparazione:

Su di una spianatoia disporre le due farine con il sale, mischiarle bene e creare una fontana. Versarvi dell’acqua e usando una forchetta pian piano incorporare tutta la farina. Lavorare l‘impasto finché non avrà raggiunto una consistenza omogenea.

Preparation:

Put the two flours and the salt on a work service, mix them thoroughly and make a well in the centre. Pour some water in the well and, using a fork, gradually work in the flour. Knead the dough until it has a uniform consistency.

Infarinare la spianatoia e con un matterello stendere la pasta non troppo sottile (circa 2 millimetri). Tagliare la sfoglia a quadrati di circa 5 centimetri di lato.

Dust the work surface with plain flour, then use a rolling pin to roll out the pasta without making it too thin (about 2 millimetres). Cut the pastry into squares of about 5 centimetres.

Cuocere le lasagne in una grossa pentola piena di acqua salata bollente per 5 minuti, poi scolare.

Cook the lasagne in a big saucepan full of boiling salted water for 5 minutes, then drain.

Nel frattempo stemperare la ricotta con un po’ di acqua della pasta così da ottenere una crema. Condire la pasta con la crema di ricotta ed irrorare con un poco di olio d’oliva.

In the meantime dilute the ricotta with a little of the water from the pasta in order to make it creamy. Dress the cooked pasta with the ricotta cream, drizzle a little olive oil on top, and serve immediately.

Buon Appetito!

You can find out more about chestnuts in these articles: The Tree of Life Part 1 and Part 2; Chestnut Bread; Castagnaccio