Pastuccia: Azzinano’s Enticing Autumn Baked Squash & Polenta Cake

This tasty version of Teramana Pastuccia, a savoury baked polenta cake hails from the hilltop mural town of Azzinano. It’s crisp on the outside with a fluffy inner, an agrodolce-style cake that is a celebration of seasonal flavours, blending the sweetness of squash or pumpkin with the salty richness of cheeses and dried salami-style sausage.  Down the road in Teramo they add dried figs and sultanas that I would love to make into a veggie-style version with some caramelised onions.

Whether served as a satisfying main course or chopped into bite-sized squares for an elegant aperitivo, Pastuccia is versatile, irresistible, and most importantly easy to make. Its happy yellow colour and harmonious balance of sweet and savoury make it a standout dish that is as comforting as it is unique.

Corn by Azzinano Artist, Annunziata Scipione

Pastuccia Azzinano

Sam Dunham

A delicious baked polenta cake from Azzinano

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Course Main Course, Antipasti

Cuisine Italian, Abruzzese

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 350 g Polenta
• 400 g Squash or Pumpkin
• 350 g Small cubes of cheese, a mix of Pecorino, Parmesan and Fontina
• 100 g Soft and dry mini sausages sliced
• 2 Eggs
• 600 ml Milk or Water if you prefer a lighter cake
• Olive oil to taste
• Salt and Pepper
• 5 tbsp Breadcrumbs

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 170 c
• In a heavy bottomed pan whisk water (or milk if you prefer a denser style cake) salt and polenta slowly together to cook
• When cooked remove from the heat add the rest of the cubed and sliced ingredients.
• Stir in the eggs and oil to taste
• Grease a lasagne style baking dish and spoon in your mixture
• Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top
• Bake for 40-50 minutes until crisp on top
• Cut into slices or cubes for an aperitivo

Keyword polenta, sausage,, squash

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Author: Sam Dunham

Sam is a freelance SEO content creator and IGCSE Geography and English teacher at Istituto Cristo Re in Rome. She also runs the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, sharing stories and insights about this captivating region.

Alongside raising a teenager, Sam hosts guests at her family’s traditional home, the Little House of the Firefly in Abruzzo, offering a warm welcome and insider tips on local culture, food, and hidden gems.