Ciao Biscotti: Sweet and Savory Recipes Celebrating Italy’s Favorite Cookie
By Domenica Marchetti; Antonis Achilleos (Photographer)
The 44 recipes ranging from sweet to savory include Classic Flavors (Vin Santo with Almonds and Hazelnuts); Chocolate and Spice (Chocolate Chunk with Cherries); Biscotti with Fruit (Coconut-Lime); Fantasy Flavors (Spiced and Iced Ginger); Beyond Biscotti (Pistachio Amaretti); and Savory, (Mountain Gorgonzola and Walnut).
Here is a recipe from our favorite section, Savory, which would be a welcome addition to a cheese plate or as an hors d’oeuvre.
CIAO-BISCOTTI SMOKY GOUDA
Makes about 30 biscotti
Smoked paprika may not be Italian, but it’s one of my favorite savory spices. I love it sprinkled on roast potatoes, in egg salad, in soups and stews, and in these fragrant biscotti. I wanted to underline that smoky flavor, so I added a generous quantity of smoked Gouda cheese to the mix.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1⁄2 cups/185 g unbleached all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup/60 g whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1⁄2 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1⁄4 teaspoon smoked paprika (pimentón)
1⁄2 cup/55 g pecan halves
1 cup/115 g grated smoked Gouda cheese
4 tablespoons/55 g unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄2-in/12-mm pieces, at cool room temperature
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons milk or half-and-half
Heat the oven to 350°F/180° C. Lightly coat an 11-by-17-in/28-by-43-cm rimmed baking sheet with the vegetable oil.
Combine the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, salt, sweet paprika, and smoked paprika in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly on low speed. Add the pecans and mix to combine and to break the nuts up into small pieces. Add the cheese and mix briefly on low to combine. Add the butter in pieces and mix on medium-low speed until the mixture looks like damp sand. Set aside 1 tablespoon of the beaten eggs. Combine the remaining eggs with the olive oil and milk and pour into the mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until a soft, slightly sticky dough has formed.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat it into a disk. Divide it in half. Lightly moisten your hands with water and gently roll one portion of dough into a rough oval. Place it lengthwise on one half of the baking sheet and use your hands and fingers to stretch and pat the dough into a log about 2 1/2 in/6 cm wide and 12 in/30 cm long. Shape the second piece of dough in the same way, moistening your hands as necessary. Press down on the logs to flatten them out a bit and make the tops even. Brush the reserved egg over the tops of the logs.
Bake the logs for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they are lightly browned and just set—they should be springy to the touch and there should be cracks on the surface. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack. Gently slide an offset spatula under each log to loosen it from the baking sheet. Let the logs cool for 5 minutes, and then transfer them to the rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 325°F/165°C.
Transfer the cooled logs to a cutting board and, using a Santoku knife or a serrated bread knife, cut them on the diagonal into 1/2-in-/12-mm-thick slices. Arrange the slices, cut-side up, on the baking sheet (in batches if necessary) and bake for 20 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until they are crisp and golden. Transfer the slices to the rack to cool completely. The biscotti will keep for up to 10 days in an airtight container stored at room temperature.
What to drink: Dolcetto di Dogliani, a smoky red wine from Piedmont, if you can find it. Otherwise, Dolcetto d’Alba.
Recipes from CIAO BISCOTTI by Domenica Marchetti. (Chronicle Books March 2015; $18.95/hardcover; ISBN; 978-1-4521-2495-7). www.chroniclebooks.com.
Domenica Marchetti, an author of five books also has a food blog at Domenicacooks.com. Whimsical photos are by Antonis Achileos, a photographer who specializes in food and lifestyle photography (antonisachilleos.com).
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