A Simple Nut Torte on a Snowy Day in the Mountains of Italy..

Photo credit (www.marsicalive.it)
text copyright 2016 Maria Liberati/Art of Living, PrimaMedia,Inc
What to do on a snowy day in the sleepy mountains of  Italy…read poetry by Leonardo DaVinci and  make a delicious simple nut and fruit torte…

Two large  baskets of walnuts have been waiting for me at my farm here to use..picked in late fall, in the mountains of Abruzzo..known as noci di Sorrento in Italy..and  I found this simple, delicious dessert at a Holiday dinner this past Christmas..the best way to make use of them…Alfonso and I have been enjoying this delicious torte for dessert this past week…and we need another for tonight’s dinner!

 
Torte di Noci (nut torte)
170 grams flour,sifted
170 grams sugar
400 grams of nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds)
100 grams of raisins (let sit in warm water for 15 minutes)
3 eggs
100 grams of unsweetened baking chocolate
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, place in sifted flour, and sugar, then eggs one at a time, then blend together. Then add in, by hand. the nuts in whole pieces, and raisins (that have been drained). Melt chocolate in a double boiler and stir in.  When well blended, place in 8 inch pan that has been covered with baking paper. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until firm. remove from oven, remove from pan by pikcing up ends of baking paper,let cool and serve,
 
Never Trust a Nut  by Leonardo DaVinci (translated for The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci style)
Carried high above the trees the nut slipped
from the mortal grip of a bird’s beak.
Whoosh it fell,
Pop, clunk it hit,
and landed between two ancient bricks.
The little nut prayed, a little nuts prayer
to the wall that cradled and held him there.
“My savior, my savior your bells have God’s
grace.
Your walls are so mighty, let me stay in this
place.”
“Protect me and keep me from the fat ground
below,
from the fallen leaves and the harbinger’s hoe.”
“I vow to you, please, spare me this doom
and content until death, I shall live in this
room.”
Moved by compassion, the wall said, “oK.”
“Where you have fallen, young nut can stay.
In a short time, the nut split in two
his roots snaked the walls
and weakened its glue.
his shoots shot right out of that little black
hole
and covered the bell whose praises he tolled.
The nut’s twisted roots
grew thicker and tore
at each ancient stone
from the wall where he bore.
Stricken with grief
the wall bewailed it’s state
and soon fell apart
for it was too late
For more great recipes and more poetry by Leonardo DaVinci get your copy of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: DaVinci Style