World Recipes

Biscotti

1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon aniseeds, lightly crushed
1 teaspoon orange extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup whole unblanched almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat sugar and eggs together until creamy. Beat in melted butter, aniseeds, and orange extract. Mix together flour and baking powder. Add to the batter and beat until well blended. Stir in the nuts. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour. (The chilled dough can be kept refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Shape the dough into a 9 x 6-inch oval 1 1/2 inches thick and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until firm and lightly browned.

Remove the pan from the oven and cool slightly. Transfer the dough to a cutting board and slice diagonally into 1/2-inch thick pieces. Arrange, cut side down, on the baking sheet and return to the oven. Bake an additional 15 minutes. Transfer the baked Italian Biscotti to wire racks to cool.

Makes 18.

Foccacia (Flat Bread)

This is the plain version just dimpled on the top and flavored with olive oil. You can also sprinkle sage, crushed olives, minced onions or rosemary over the top. It is excellent with cheese or served with antipasti. It is also good topped like a conventional pizza with tomatoes and cheese.

1 ounce fresh yeast
2/3 cup warm water
4 cups flour
6 tablespoons olive oil
Salt, to taste

Dissolve yeast in the warm water. Put flour into a large bowl and pour in the yeast, salt and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Knead together until you have a smooth, soft, pliable dough. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until the dough has about doubled in size.

Punch the dough down and knead for a few minutes. Roll dough out to about 1/2 inch thick and lay it on a well-oiled cookie sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and allow it to rise again for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Before putting Foccacia in the oven, dimple the top by pressing the dough with your finger tips and pour the remaining olive oil over the top, along with anything else you desire as a topping.

Celery, Milan Style

6 large stalks celery
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Minced parsley

Cut celery into 2-inch pieces. Heat celery, water and bouillon to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and cook until celery is crisp-tender, about 15 minutes; drain. Dot with butter; cover and let stand until margarine is melted. Sprinkle with grated cheese and parsley.

Yields 4 to 6 servings.

Cuccidati (Italian Fig/Date Bar Cookies)

Posted by CookinMom at recipegoldmine.com May 14, 2001

Source: vermontliving.com

NOTE: You have to make the filling 3 days ahead.

Crust
3/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
Rind of 1 orange
4 teaspoons orange juice
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling
1 string of figs
8 ounces raisins
8 ounces brown sugar
1 pound walnuts
1 pound dates
1 orange
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 ounces whiskey
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups water

Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
4 ounces butter
Orange juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Crust: In large bowl, cream together first 3 ingredients. Add orange juice and orange rind.

In separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Add to creamed mixture along with vanilla.

Filling: Prepare several days ahead of time. In a food grinder, grind figs and raisins. In large saucepan, simmer raisins and figs with brown sugar and water for 15 minutes. Grind walnuts, dates, and orange. Stir into hot mixture along with cinnamon, black pepper, and whiskey. Remove from stove, mix well, cover, and let mellow for 3 days.

Note: This recipe makes enough filling for 2 batches of crust and can be divided and frozen for up to six months.

Roll dough into 3-inch wide strips on pastry cloth. Lay filling down the center and wrap dough to form a long "sausage-like" cookie. Roll back and forth until crust seems very thin. Cut in diagonal about every 1 1/2 inches. Place on cookie sheet close together and bake for 10-13 minutes. Cookies should be barely brown. Cool and store in tins 5 days, then frost.

Frosting: In medium bowl, mix together margarine and powdered sugar until well blended. Add enough juice to make a thick glaze. Top cookies with a thin coat. Let frosting dry a couple of hours then store in tins as follows.

To Store: Line tins with foil, place a layer of cookies, then a layer of wax paper (NOT plastic wrap). Keep repeating, ending with foil and then the lid.

Servings: 4

Fragole Cello (Strawberry Liqueur)

2 cups strawberries
1 1/2 cups grain alcohol or vodka
2 cups water
1 3/4 to 2 cups granulated sugar

Wash the strawberries. If you use large strawberries, cut them in half or quarters. Place them into a clean glass jar, add grain alcohol or vodka, and let stand 24 hours, shaking it periodically. The strawberries will begin to pale as the alcohol leaches the color (and taste and fragrance) out of the strawberries.

After 24 hours or so, Use a fine strainer to strain the strawberries and seeds from the alcohol into a 2-quart glass container. Discard the remains of the strawberries.

Combine two cups of water and up to two cups of sugar in a saucepan and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Allow to cool and add to the alcohol.

It is now ready to drink, but your best bet is to put the Fragole Cello into a decanter in the freezer for a week to mellow and become ice cold.

Cheesecake al Limoncello

Crust
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup vanilla wafers or hazelnut cookies
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Batter
32 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
4 eggs
1/2 cup limoncello

Topping
2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon limoncello

Crust: Crumb the cookies, mix with the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter, and press the mixture in the bottom and about an inch up the sides of a 9 1/2-inch springform pan.

Batter: Beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time without excessive beating to avoid removing the air, followed by mixing in the remaining batter ingredients. Pour into the pan and bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour or until the center of the surface is somewhat solid. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes.

Topping: Mix together the sour cream, sugar and limoncello and spread evenly over the top. Bake another 10 minutes; remove and let cool to room temperature.

Refrigerate at least 12 hours before serving.

Caldo Verde (Cabbage Soup)

Many soups of Italy, like this one, are served at the table with a jug of olive oil. The cabbage must be very finely sliced because it is barely cooked.

1 pound potatoes
1 pound green cabbage, finely sliced
Water
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt, to taste

Peel and cook potatoes in just enough salted water to cover them. Blend potatoes with their cooking water. Thin with more water if necessary. You should have a medium consistency. Add cabbage and olive oil. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, until the cabbage is lightly cooked. It should be a little crisp.

Serve with a jug of olive oil.

Cartellate o "Rose" (Three-Day Italian Rosettes)

Dough
3 1/2 cups fancy durum flour
1 large egg
1/3 cup very warm olive oil, plus some for frying
1/2 cup warm white wine

Filling
3 1/2 cups grape jelly or red currant jelly
2/3 cup honey
About 2 cups dry red wine or dessert wine
Oil for frying

Decoration
Ground cinnamon
Ground cloves
Thousands and Millions (candy sprinkles)

To prepare the Dough: Place flour in a mixing bowl. Add the egg and mix well. Add the warm oil all at once and mix well again. Add the wine and mix well. the dough should be look like regular pasta dough, if not add more wine as needed. After the dough is well mixed, knead (even if in the electric mixer) 4 minutes. Wrap in clear plastic paper and let sit for 15 minutes.

Roll out the dough, like you would to make pasta, by hand, or with a pasta machine. the dough should be just a little under 1/8 inch thick. with a pastry wheel cut into strips about 1 1/2 inches wide and about 12 inches long. Using a brush moisten the top edge lengthwise with a little wine. Place the tip of your index finger vertically 1 inch from either end, lift and pinch the top and bottom edges around your finger to form a cup. Continue the process the length of the dough ( you should have 8 or 9 openings of about 3/8 of an inch between openings. with pinched dough in between each one. curl the dough into itself by holding one end and spinning the other end until it looks like a flat rose. Carefully place rose on a cookie sheet and proceed with remainder. Continue until you have used all the dough. Let roses set uncovered overnight. They will be hard and dry by the next day.

Prepare the filling: Place all the filling ingredients except oil in a saucepan for about an hour or until all is smooth and liquid, to sample place a little bit on a cool dish and let cool completely. If it is the consistency you like and will hold its shape (it must be firm enough to set up like thick honey, but not too firm where it is lumpy), proceed with recipe, if not, cook down a bit and then test again. If it gets too thick, add more wine and thin again. If you do this, make sure to add the wine a little at a time because it takes a while for for it to absorb the mixture properly. When it is just right keep it hot over very low heat watching it carefully.

To fry the "Roses": Heat oil to 375 degrees F in a deep 8- inch pan, Place 2 or 3 of the roses in at a time and fry until they are an even very light gold color. Drain them upside down on a rack with a pan or kitchen towels underneath. When they are drained and still hot, submerge each rose into the filling mixture for a minute or two. Carefully lift them out with tongs or a slotted spoon and set right side up with all the little openings filled with the jelly mixture on a draining rack.

Proceed with the others and arrange them on a plate.

Before serving they should be sprinkled with a bit of ground cinnamon and perhaps a bit of cloves. If desired, toss a handful of thousands and millions on.