Chocolate and walnut sweet pasta recipe (maccheroni dolce). A traditional holiday recipe from Umbria.
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5
Chocolate and walnut sweet pasta recipe (maccheroni dolce). A traditional holiday recipe from Umbria.
Description
Chocolate and Walnut Sweet Pasta (maccheroni dolce) features pasta tubes cooked slightly beyond al dente so they become soft and sticky. The mixture includes finely ground walnuts, breadcrumbs, sugar, two types of cocoa powder (sweet and bitter), cinnamon, and lemon zest, combined with dark chocolate and flavored with rum and Alchermes liqueur. These ingredients form a dense chocolate condiment that coats the pasta thoroughly.
After draining the pasta, some cooking water is stirred into the chocolate mixture to moisten and bind it with the pasta. The combined pasta and chocolate mix is pressed firmly into a baking or springform cake tin, creating a molded sweet dish that sets into a cake-like form with a rich, bittersweet flavor profile enhanced by nuts and spices.
This recipe is distinctive for using cooked pasta in a sweet preparation that balances bitterness from cocoa and chocolate with the aromatic warmth of cinnamon, the brightness of lemon zest, and the complexity of rum and Alchermes. It is served as a festive dessert typical of the Umbria region.
Ingredients
- 200 g pasta tubes maccheroni, rigatoni, tortiglioni etc, 7oz
- 200 g breadcrumbs 7oz
- 200 g walnuts ground or finely chopped, 7oz
- 100 g sugar I used fine cane sugar, 3.5oz
- 25 g cocoa powder sweet, 1oz
- 25 g cocoa powder bitter, 1oz
- 50 g dark chocolate 2oz
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- lemon zest of half
- 100 g alchermes 3 floz
- 1 hot rum or 2 if not using Alchermes, 1.5 floz
Instructions
- Grind or crush the walnuts into small pieces (not too fine) in a food processor. You can also put them in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin or mallet.
- Put the ground walnuts in a bowl, add the breadcrumbs and sugar and mix. Then add the 2 kinds of cocoa and mix again. Next put in the cinnamon and lemon zest and finally add the rum and Alchermes (or just rum). Mix everything together well. Remove a cupful of the mixture and set aside.
- Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. I didn’t add salt. Cook the pasta a little more than al dente so it’s a bit soft and sticky. Once the pasta is ready, save a cupful of the cooking water, drain and add it to the chocolate mixture. Mix well until all the pasta is incorporated in the chocolate condiment. Add some of the saved pasta cooking water if it seems to dry.
- Put the pasta and chocolate mix into a round, square or rectangular dish. I used a springform cake tin. Using a spatula or wooden spoon press the cake down so that the surface is even and the sides are full. You don’t want gaps along the edges ofthe cake.
- Spread the extra chocolate and walnut mixture over the top of the cake. Then melt the dark chocolate with some of the pasta cooking water in the microwave or on the stove top. Then pour and spread this sauce over the top of the cake.
- Refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight. Bring your Umbrian sweet pasta cake to room temperature before slicing and serving!
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 468 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 468kcal | 23% |
| Carbohydrates | 59g | 20% |
| Protein | 12g | 24% |
| Fat | 22g | 34% |
| Saturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 13g | 76% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Trans Fat | 0.001g | 0% |
| Cholesterol | 0.2mg | 0% |
| Sodium | 188mg | 8% |
| Potassium | 356mg | 8% |
| Fiber | 7g | 28% |
| Sugar | 17g | 34% |
| Vitamin A | 8IU | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 0.3mg | 0% |
| Calcium | 91mg | 9% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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