Bostrengo or bustrengo recipe… Anyway, it will be a success
From November through Christmas in lower Romagna, towards the Marche region, the bustrengo is prepared…
The mother-in-law called it that way… Lugo di Romagna, towards the sea, towards the Apennines; a meeting point of flavors and aromas
The bustrengo recipe seems to have medieval origins, certainly is or was, a dessert that families used as a way to empty the fridge… There are many recipes, each family, as often happens with recipes from the past, had their own version, they were shared by word of mouth, everyone added what they could afford; we find the rich bustrengo and the poor one; all recipes have as their base, bread, stale bread soaked in milk, nothing was wasted, eggs, dried fruit, candied, because nuts, pine nuts, citrus peels, and then candied fruits were not thrown away, raisins were present if only to use the grapes hanging to dry in the cellars, rice or spelt was quite easy to find, rice expanded a lot during cooking… Pine nuts were collected in the pinewoods along the sea, apples, pears, were the fruit that was never missing, everything was collected and preserved with meticulous care
kept cool, in the cellar or as preserves.
Returning to our rustic and delicious dessert, I can tell you that because of its versatility, it is a dessert that everyone can prepare as success is guaranteed.
I haven’t weighed any ingredients, I usually go by “cups,” which is even simpler to manage. I will indicate the weight of the ingredients, but adhering to them is not mandatory.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 20 pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
A long list of ingredients, I will list everything you need in this paragraph. A large cup of boiled and dry rice, one of boiled pearled spelt;
- 1 cup rice (Cooked without salt. A large cup)
- 1 pearled spelt (Boiled without salt. A large cup)
- 2 oz pine nuts
- 4 oz raisins
- 4 dried figs (Cut into small pieces)
- 2 lbs apples (Peeled and cut into pieces. Weight before cleaning)
- 1 lbs pears (Weight before cleaning. Cut into small pieces)
- 2 oz unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 oz almonds (whole)
- 1 tbsp coffee powder
- 2 oz candied oranges
- 3 eggs
- 4 stale bread (Grated)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 4 oz liqueur (Nocino or rum)
Tools
Baking dish, bowl to mix the ingredients
Steps
The simplicity of this dessert makes you want to prepare it often…
Before starting, make sure you have everything at hand, cook the rice, the spelt; peel the apples and pears and cut into pieces; weigh everything else and break the eggs…
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, some chop everything, my recipe involves cutting only the apples, pears, and figs into pieces, the rest is found whole in the bustrengo, appreciating its presence with every bite by distinguishing its flavor
Mix well until you obtain a homogeneous blend
In a greased baking dish, pour some grated bread and spread it over the entire bottom
Arrange and level the mixture, if you want you can sprinkle sugar on the surface; during baking, a tasty crust will form, I usually add powdered sugar later
Bake at 375°F for about 50 minutes, the outer part will remain crunchier: Once cooked, unmold and decorate with simple powdered sugar
Bustrengo can be kept for a few days if stored in a cool place; at my house, it doesn’t last beyond two days, often it doesn’t even make it… When word spreads, the doorbell keeps ringing 😂😜
