Recipe for “Schiacciunta”

The Schiacciunta is a biscuity sweet typical of Poggio and Marciana, the more mountainous towns of Elba, usually made with pork lard (this was the influence of the woodcutters and charcoal burners who came from the mainland during the logging season, leaving a mark on how to use pork lard).

It is a primarily winter dessert typically served with ​Moscato Passito​ or ​Aleatico dell'Elba DOCG,​ but it works well to be made in all seasons. In the summer, for example, to have a fresh and crunchy dessert, this delight can be crumbled over ice cream.

Difficulty: easy
Cost: low
Serves: 6 people
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Elban wine pairing: Elba Moscato Passito D.O.C.

Ingredients

3 eggs, 300 g of flour, 300 g of sugar, 100 g of lard, a pinch of yeast or a teaspoon of baking soda, grated lemon zest.

Preparation

Beat the eggs, sugar, lard, yeast, and lemon zest in a large bowl. To make this process easier, it is better to use your hands rather than a whisk, as some mistakenly do.

The warmth of your hands helps melt the lard, additionally oxygenating the dough and facilitating the incorporation of the flour, which should be added gradually until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough.

Grease and flour a rectangular baking pan and pour the dough into it. Once in Poggio, it was customary to decorate the surface of the schiacciunta by imprinting little circles with a thimble or a wedding ring.

Bake at 180° for about ¾ hour and dust with granulated sugar before serving.

Photo by Gabila Gerardi - Blog Panedolcealcioccolato