Pasimata cake: a recipe from the Garfagnana
Pasimata is an Easter cake from the Garfagnana area with ancient origins. It’s one of those medieval foods that you can still find along the Via Francigena. Pasimata is made with few simple ingredients but has a great taste, mainly due to the long rising times. Here is the recipe by Aurelio Barattini, main chef at Antica Locanda di Sesto restaurant in Sesto di Moriano (Lucca).
Ingredients
- 500 g wheat flour
- 3 eggs
- 200 g butter (or lard)
- 200 g of sugar
- 50 g yeast
- 150 g raisins
- 1 tablespoon anise seeds
Method
Follow these steps:
Dissolve the yeast in warm water with two spoons of flour. Let stand over night.
Divide the ingredients in three parts (except the butter, the anise and raisins).
Incorporate to the mixture the first part of the ingredients: 1 egg, the first part of flour and sugar. Knead well and let it rest for about 2 hours.
Add the second part of the ingredients, knead and let it rise for another 2 hours.
Finally add the third part of the ingredients and combine everything with the melted butter, the anise and the raisins - Knead well, place on a 30 cm diameters baking pan (on baking paper) and let it rise for 2 hours.
Bake the Pasimata for about 40 minutes at 180 degrees. The cake is served!
