Illustrated Tuscan Wine Grape Pie Recipe - Schiacciata con l'Uva

You can vary this recipe. Some cooks use considerably more sugar, and others put chopped walnuts within the schiacciata and sprinkle them over it. Still others sprinkle anise seeds or rosemary leaves over the schiacciata; whereas walnuts and rosemary are sometimes used together, anise seeds are used alone.

Schiacciata con l'uva goes wonderfully with a red wine.

Can't find wine grapes?
Concord grapes will work, and have relatively fewer seeds. Or, I think, you could use a mixture of other wild berry fruit, for example currants, blueberries and raspberries, perhaps with a few plumped raisins (zibibbo would be ideal) thrown in. Don't use table grapes, because they are too watery and lacking in both sweetness and concentration.

A Couple Of Observations

• Do not expect the grapes to burst as they cook -- they will remain whole, and burst on your tongue when you bite into them.
• As I noted in the introduction, wine grapes have seeds, and they add a distinctive crunchiness to the schiacciata. They may also confer slightly greenish vegetal accents (say, if the grapes are Cabernet) that I rather enjoy. The crunchiness is more pronounced if you also add a little anise seed, because they don't soften as they cook.

Bottom Line: Even with the substitution of oil for lard and sugar for honey (nods to city dwellers), this remains true Tuscan peasant food, and as such a bit rustic. But very nice.