During my fourth year of high school, one of the tasks assigned to me over the Christmas holidays was to read the books by Maria Bellonci. I literally went crazy for the female protagonists; strong and intelligent women who have marked the history of art no less than their spouses.
One in particular intrigued and fascinated me: Isabella d’Este.
I therefore asked my parents if we could visit Mantua, Ferrara, and Urbino for the Easter holidays.
As in every trip of my life, culture has always been combined with decided eating. In Mantua I discovered a new buttery and crunchy cake, the sbrisolona.
I’ve made it several times by re-adapting recipes found in cooking books or magazines.
This is my version and I love it.
Sbrisolona with pistachios
- Preparation time: 60 minutes
- Ingredients for a 11-inch (30 cm) cake pan
- Difficulty: Easy recipe
- Ingredients
- 100 g or 4 oz of pistachios
- 100 g or ½ cup of flour
- 100 g or ½ cup of corn flour
- 100 g or ½ cup of granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 100 g or 1 stick of butter
- Grated orange peel to taste
- 20-30 pistachios for decoration
- Instructions
- Coarsely chop the pistachios and combine them with the two types of flour, sugar, and orange peel. Mix. Add the egg yolk and the cold butter. Work the dough briefly.
- In a cake pan lined with baking paper, make the cake by pouring in the mixture in large spoonfuls, placing a few whole pistachios on top.
- Bake in a hot oven at 325 F or 160 C for around forty to forty-five minutes.
- For a dinner with friends, it can be served with chocolate ice cream.
Tips to ensure the success of the dish:
- I recommend pistachios, but not the salty ones used for aperitifs!
- The timing of cooking in the oven is indicative because each oven cooks differently.
