Panpepato

During my Christmas holiday in Italy I came across lots of delicious food.   We had lasagne, gnocchi, ravioli, tortellini, fettuccine, roasted and stewed lamb, fried haddock, roasted bass, sea salad and several kinds of sweets, biscuits and cakes.

I especially enjoyed panpepato this year, a treat I made from a secret recipe given to me by a friend from Umbria.  Here it is:

200 g of hazel nuts, 200 g of walnuts, 200 g of almonds, 200 g of pine nuts, 200 g of raisins and candied fruit, 200 g of milk chocolate (optional), 500 g of honey, half a tsp of ground black pepper, half a tsp of ground nutmeg, 350 g of flour.

Chop the nuts and almonds on a chopping board using a crescent-shaped chopping knife (mezzaluna).  Mix them in a large bowl and add the candied fruit and raisins.  If these are in big pieces chop them as well.  Pour in the honey (warm it in a pan if it is solid) and mix.  Add the black pepper, nutmeg and flour.  Stir and mix well, finally adding the chopped chocolate if you like. Form little cakes five inches in diameter and bake them on an oiled tray or on baking parchment: 150°C for forty-five minutes.  Remove them from the parchment and let them cool.  When you serve it cut it in thin slices using a sharp knife. It is even tastier after a few days.

Happy New Year!