
This is the Pie my mother prepared for me when I was a kid. It is really easy to make and it contains only few natural ingredients. This pie will be friable and you must be careful when you cut it because the pieces will easily broken. It is good have a piece in the afternoon with “caffelatte” during “merenda” time around four o’clock, when kids need some rest from their playing and running, and a good small meal, especially if you live in the country where the life is still going-on on its natural way.
Ingredients:
one pound (500 grams) of Flour (type “00”-wheat flour)
one glass of Brown Sugar
a quarter of glass of whole Milk
9 ounces (250 grams) of Butter
two Eggs – 1.5-2 ounces (50 grams) of Beer Yeast
a fist of Pine-Cones – a fist of dried Raisins
starts drown the Yeast in the warm Milk
add a pinch of Sugar, to make faster the growing process leave for 10-15 minutes to grown
at meantime warm up the butter so it melts
and wash the Raisins with fresh water, then leave in the fresh water to revive the Raisins a little bit (you could also use syrup or liquor but for the kids…I suggest only water!)
as it is ready add the Yeast to the Flour
mix well Yeast and Flour
add the Sugar
and continue to mix
then add the Butter
and again mix everything make the dough homogeneous
then add the Eggs and mix again the Dough
shrink the Raisins so the water gush out
add the Raisins to the Dough
mix again everything
mix very well
if it become too soft and glue your fingers add some flour to make the Dough more dry
this Dough must become soft without be sticky, as it is ready put in the oven-pan and work it with your fingers to cover all the spaces
also to flat it even on top press it with your fingers
then add the Pine-Cones: spread them on the top then push each one down the surface with your fingers
press with kindness, do not “drill” the Dough with your fingers
as you finish leave the Dough to rest for half-hour at least, cover with a clean dishcloth
after that time put in the oven: cook at 480-500 Fahrenheit (250 Celsius) for 35 minutes or 660-700 Fahrenheit (350 Celsius) for 30 minutes
I kindly remind you that the cooking time depends from various things: humidity, thickness of your oven-pan and also the thickness of your pie is important: please follow the time I indicated but always pay attention to your senses: as you notice a good smell of cake don’t exitate: open the oven and check! as your cake is ready the smell starts to turn to “burnt” smell, still good but you must be careful… do not make your pies too thick or you’ll experience difficulty to cook them properly. you can dig a toothpick in the cake if you’re not sure: as the toothpick exit dry it means that the cake is ready.
as you can see my “Torta Rustica” is perfectly cooked: it was fantastic!!!