Chapter 1: Basics ii. Taralli

My next baking project was inspired by a delicious snack that we discovered in our local specialty food shop, Olde Hudson (a fantastic market for goodies from afar). Always on the hunt for a tasty snack, we picked up a bag of these delicious biscuits on a whim and since then we can't help but pop in for a bag anytime we're in the area. What are they, you ask? They are called taralli and they are deliziosi. 

Taralli are small, ring-shaped crackers/biscuit/pretzels (hard to pin it down because the texture encompasses a little of each) that are delightfully flaky, soft and flavorful. Absolutely delicious and satisfying.

We looked at the ingredients on the bag (flour, salt, olive oil) and thought to ourselves, this can't be too hard, right?

Well, I wouldn't say that baking them was hard  but I would concede that the process was difficult for a novice baker like me. I will change a few things about the recipe next time I make them but overall they turned out well (which is good, because the recipe I followed gave us about 50-60 tarallini).

I think the most challenging thing was getting the dough to the right consistency. The recipe I followed called for yeast, but it ended up being a very dense dough (6 cups of flour!!!) so it didn't proof much and it was hard to get them to stick in their little ring shapes. Additionally, since the recipe made so much dough, we had to set up an assembly line to make sure the boil/bake system (like a pretzel or bagel, tarralli are flash boiled and then baked) was timed well so nothing got over-boiled or burned - tough when we had so many batches!

Although the flavor we enjoy most is peperoncino (and the brand our shop carries is Mitica), I decided to go with a classic fennel recipe which I read is traditional in Puglia where the crackers originated and are a signature snack. I don't love fennel seed so I was glad that the flavor wasn't overwhelming. Next time, I'll be sure to add a little spice.

The whole process took a bit of effort (mainly because there were so many), so we were super happy when we could finally sit on the couch with a bowl of freshly baked taralli and a glass of white wine, as is the customary pairing.

Although I've been trying to watch more movies that are *Italian* - we decided to watch Moonstruck. It's on theme...right? Nicholas Cage's Brooklyn accent may be abysmal and Cher may look like she just stepped off a runway in every scene but there's something about that silly film that I can't help but love. Maybe it's just Olympia Dukakis having dinner with Frasier's dad...

In honor of Moonstruck, taralli, and white wine, I give you the verb Amare: To Love.

Io Amo
Tu Ami
Lui/Lei Ama
Noi Amiamo
Voi Amate
Loro Amano

and in a sentence: Io amo il vino.
I love wine. 

Until next time, Ciao! 

*

Recipe for Taralli (from Ecco La Cucina)

Ingredients
6 cups flour
1 envelope yeast, dissolved in 1 cup water
2 tsp salt
¼ cup fennel seed (or 2 tbsp black pepper)
¾ cup olive oil

Dissolve yeast (we didn't have envelopes, we have a jar and we used about 1 tbs) in 1 cup of warm water to activate.
Mix flour, salt, and fennel seeds.
Add water/yeast and olive oil.
Mix well and then knead on a flat, clean surface for about 5 min. Dough will be stiff!
Form into a ball and let sit 15 minutes (our dough hardly rose at all during this time).
While waiting, bring a large pot of water to boil.
Divide the dough into quarters, roll flat, and then cut into strips - about 1/4" wide x 3" long.
Roll strips, form into rings, and secure at the ends.
When water is boiled, flash boil rings (about 60 seconds).
Take out with a slotted spoon, place onto baking sheet, baking for 25-30 min or until golden brown (I took mine out a little too early, so they were a little underdone. I will wait for a really golden color next time).