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Arnadí
Arnadí: Xàtiva's Easter sweet of roast pumpkin, sweet potato and almond, studded with pine nuts
In Xàtiva and the villages of La Costera, arnadí is made for Holy Week and given as a gift between neighbours, its golden peaks spiked with almonds and pine nuts like a little fortress. The recipe is a legacy of the region's Moorish centuries: roast pumpkin and sweet potato cooked down with sugar and ground almonds until thick, then shaped by hand in an earthenware dish and browned in the oven. Texture-wise it sits between a fudge and a very dense pudding, fragrant with lemon and cinnamon. A common mistake is using boiled pumpkin; it holds too much water and the arnadí never firms up. Chef's tip: roast the vegetables until the edges caramelise, then leave the purée to drain in a sieve overnight for the best, densest result.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
To decorate
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (4)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Put 2 ⅝ lb pumpkin or butternut squash cut side down and 14 oz sweet potato whole on a lined tray and roast until both are completely soft and the pumpkin edges are browned, 60 to 75 minutes.
70 minStep 2: Scoop out the flesh, discarding the skins, and mash or blend to a smooth purée. Tip into a sieve set over a bowl and drain for at least 1 hour (or overnight in the fridge). You should have about 900 g of thick purée.
60 minStep 3: Put the purée and 9 oz caster sugar in a wide, heavy pan over a medium-low heat. Cook, stirring often, for 20 to 25 minutes, until it darkens slightly and a spoon dragged across the base leaves a clear line for a second or two.
25 minStep 4: Take off the heat and stir in 7 oz ground almonds, 1 lemon zest and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then beat in 2 egg yolks. The mixture should be thick enough to hold a shape.
Step 5: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Spread the mixture in a 22 cm earthenware or ovenproof dish and, with a wet spoon, pull it up into a central peak with ridges running down the sides.
Step 6: Push 1 ⅜ oz whole blanched almonds and 1 oz pine nuts into the surface in lines along the ridges, and sprinkle with 1 tbsp caster sugar.
Step 7: Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the peaks and nuts are golden brown and the surface feels dry. Cool completely, then chill; serve at room temperature in slices or spoonfuls.
22 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does arnadí take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sweet potato?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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