Chestnuts in Italy and A Spicy Cheese Bread

 FESTA DELLA CASTAGNA IN ARCIDOSSA   Fall has many nice surprises one of which is chestnuts. In late fall, chestnuts pop up overnight in the medieval cobbled streets of Arcidossa, a little Tuscan Mountain village on Mount Amiata in the province of Grossetto. There you will find teams of men twirling the handle on huge, perforated metal bins full of chestnuts rolling over the hot coals under the bellies of the bins. When the husks slip loose on the roasted chestnuts, they will then be shoveled into white paper bags, passing them along to those patiently waiting for their bag of goodies. The line often winds down through the village as they patiently wait their turn. Then they will feast on their hot chestnuts as they wander thru the booths filled with local goods. This, of course, is Tuscany’s Festa della Castagna and villagers near and far have been waiting for it. At the booths there will be more chestnuts to buy and these will be used in many forms from pasta, to breads to desserts.   An ocean away, something similar happens. In late fall chestnut vendors pop up overnight on the city streets of New York. You can barely walk anywhere close to Times Square or Fifth Avenue or Central Park without being drawn in by the smell of chestnuts or the whiff of smoke from the hot kettles. It’s November, it’s holiday season and New York is coming alive.    

Artisans from all over central Italy sell their wares at the Festa but the chestnut reigns in a rich program of festival events. Book presentations on the cultivation and harvesting of chestnuts and an array of lectures on the “noble chestnut” draw some and the stands offering food specialties of central Italy draw everyone. At many a culinary stand, the chestnut stars: chestnut creams, cakes, pastas, flours, liqueurs at one stand, artisanal chestnut beers at another. And in the Arcidosso bakeries, chestnut pies, cakes and pastries fill display cases; across the street, crates of chestnuts are for sale in front of the local fruit shop for those opting to roast chestnuts at home on the wood stove. At one booth, groups of local women offer their tempting homemade sweets, chestnuts the theme in each one. Medieval crossbowers, bands, street musicians, choral concerts animate the chestnut celebration. And as day gives up to night, groups of families and friends fill the vaulted medieval cellars to feast on wild boar, soups with chickpeas, porcini mushrooms and chestnuts, pork roast with chestnut/apple sauce and chestnut/pear flans. Local volunteers cook up the goodness, with chestnuts starring in many a dish… but not only.

SOMETHING TO GO WITH THE TURKEY LEFTOVERS

SPICY CHEESE BREAD

One homemade loaf of savory bliss!

BREAD:

16 ¼ OZ FLOUR (3 ¼ cups) – all purpose1 ¾ OZ SUGAR (1/4 cup)
1 TB INSTANT or RAPID RISE YEAST 1 ¼ TSP SALT 1 ¼ TB RED PEPPER FLAKES – or to taste
½ CUP WARM WATER – (110º)2 EGGS – large
1 EGG YOLK4 TB BUTTER – unsalted, melted
8 OZ MONTEREY JACK CHEESE – cut into ½-inch cubes, (1 ½ cups) room temp6 OZ PROVOLONE CHEESE – cut into ½-inch cubes, (1 ½ cups) room temp

Wisk flour, sugar, yeast, pepper flakes, salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk warm water, eggs and yolk and melted butter together in small bowl. Add egg mixture to flour mixture.  Fit mixer with dough hook and knead on medium speed until dough clears bottom and sides of bowl – abut 7-9 minutes.

Transfer dough to unfloured surface, shape into a ball, and transfer to a greased bowl, turning ball to grease all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in size – 1 ½ – 2 hours.

Grease a 9-inch round cake pan. Transfer the dough to unfloured counter and press to deflate.  Roll dough out into an 18X12-inch rectangle with long side parallel to the counter’s edge. Distribute Monterey Jack and Provolone evenly over dough, leaving a  1-inch border all around the edges.

Starting with the edge closest to you, roll dough into a log. Pinch seam and ends to seal and then roll log back and forth on counter, slightly applying some pressure until the log reaches 30-inches long. If you encounter any tears, just pinch the dough to seal.

Starting at one end, wind log into a coil compact enough to fit in prepared pan. Cover loosely with a clean dish towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size about       1 to 1 1/2 hours. Place in oven preheated to 350º on the lower middle rack on a rimmed baking sheet. 

TOPPING:

1 EGG – large, slightly beaten1 TSP RED PEPPER FLAKES – or to taste
1 TB BUTTER – unsalted, softened 

Brush top of loaf with egg and then sprinkle with pepper flakes.  Place pan on rimmed baking sheet and bake until loaf turns golden brown, about 20 – 25 minutes.  Rotate pan, tent loaf with aluminum foil and continue to bake until loaf registers 190º, 20-25 minutes longer.

Transfer pan to wire rack and brush with butter.  Let cool for 10 minutes.  Run knife around edge of pan to loosen bread.  Slide bread out onto a wire rack using a spatula for support. Let bread cool on rack for 30 minutes before slicing. Serve warm.

NOTE: I have the best results when I use King Arthur unbleached flour. Also, take the cheeses out of the refrigerator right when you start the recipe to make sure that they are at room temperature when you are ready to use them otherwise the cold cheese will retard the rising.

BUON MANGIATA!

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