Le Marche might be one of Italy’s least-travelled reaches. Poised between the northern and southern Italian worlds, bordered by Abruzzo, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Umbria, it’s a wild land, rugged and largely unspoilt. Frustingo, fittingly enough, is thought to be one of the oldest recipes handed down by the Etruscans. You’ll need to begin this recipe a day ahead.
Ingredients
Method
Main
1.Combine figs, raisins and enough warm water to cover generously in a bowl and stand overnight to soften.
2.Preheat oven to 180C. Drain fig mixture, squeeze out excess water and coarsely chop figs. Combine figs and raisins in a bowl with nuts, chocolate, cedro, honey, sugar, spices and lemon rind. Stir in olive oil, then breadcrumbs, and spoon into a 20cm-square cake tin lined with baking paper. Bake until golden (25-30 minutes), then refrigerate until cool and firm (2-3 hours). Remove from tin, dust with cocoa, cut into fingers and serve. Frustingo will keep in an airtight container for 2 weeks.
Cedro, the glacé fruit of the citron tree, is available from Simon Johnson, David Jones and select delicatessens. If it’s unavailable, substitute candied orange peel or candied lemon peel.
This recipe is from the April 2012 issue of
.
Notes
