For Christmas this year we’ve chosen a recipe that reminds us of the nice old woman who lived next to us. She was from here, Chianti wine region.Born here, always lived here. She knew everybody in this neighborhood, and many are her relatives.

The first Christmas we were here, we people who moved from town, she brought us this cake as a welcome good luck sign.The next year we cooked togehter this dish.

The dish photo we ‘ve chosen is from the magazine Taste Italia that published our recipe  14 years ago. Oh, mamma mia, embarassing this means with Toscana Mia,we have been working, for so many years.

IL SERPE (SERPENTE in Italian)

Il serpe is the Tuscan word for snake.

Two centuries ago in Chianti there were many people working in the fields. They had to put their hands in small holes among stones, or among pieces of woods, and they were not so careful because they were in a hurry and tired by their work, it could happen accidentally that they touched a viper. Vipers were the only dangerous animal in Chianti fields, not poisonous to death but giving nerve troubles.

So people were afraid of snakes and what could have been a better solution that creating something to defend themselves? For this reason they created a nice tradition of preparing a cake with almonds, typical ingredient in Sienese countryside, with the shape of  a snake.

Till nowadays people prepare this “snake” and eat it on Christmas day as a good luck against vipers’ bites and all possible difficulties in life.They prepare this snake and give it as a present to friends and relatives.

Ingredients:

300g =3 cups very-finely-ground almonds

3 stiffly- whisked egg whites   

A handful of pine-nuts

150g= ¾ cup very-finely-ground candied lime

300g =1 ½ cup sugar

2 coffee beans

Work together almonds, sugar and candied lime, adding the whisked egg whites a little at a time.

 The mixture must be dense, not too runny.

 Make the mixture into the shape of a snake.

 Decorate with the pine-nuts in a herring-bone pattern.

Use the coffee beans for the eyes and a piece of candied lime for the tongue.

Cover the head and tail with aluminium foil.

 Bake in the oven at 150°C for 30 minutes.

And now you have your snake. Our best wishes for good luck!

Dedicated to Popa, the nice grandma who taught us many Tuscan secrets.Photos are taken with her, years ago.