Italian Love Knots
5 cups of unbleached flour
5 teaspoons of baking powder
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1.5 cups of cooled melted butter
1 cup of milk
Pinch of salt
Zest of 1 lemon for cookie
1 ounce of lemon extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, and then the extract and zest.
In a smaller bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder, then slowly add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk.
When everything is incorporated, let the dough rest for 5 minutes, or wrap and chill overnight.
Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
To form the knots, use a cookie scoop to keep the size uniform. Scoop the dough and roll it into a log about 5 or 6 inches. Take one side of the log and form a circle, then tuck the other end down.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
Cool on racks.
Traditional Lemon Icing
1.5 cups of powdered sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract
Enough lemon juice to attain the right consistency
Mix together and taste for correct lemony flavor.
Babas
1 teaspoon active-dry yeast
1 tablespoon milk
2 1/4cups bread white flour
¼ cup sugar
6 medium sized eggs, beaten
½ cup butter, room temperature
Pinch of salt
For the syrup:
1 cup white sugar
Peel of 1 lemon or orange
9 ounces of limoncello
3 cups water
Mix the fresh yeast with the milk and 2 tablespoons of the flour until it forms a small ball of dough. Leave in a bowl, covered in plastic wrap in a warm place, for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
Place the rest of the flour in a mixer with the ball of dough and while mixing, add the sugar and the beaten eggs. Continue mixing 15-20 minutes or until the dough begins pulling away from the sides of the bowl and is very elastic.
Add the salt and the butter, cut into small cubes, one piece at a time, mixing well after each addition. Remove from the mixer, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for three hours in a warm place.
During this rise, make the syrup by placing the lemon rinds in a saucepan with the water and sugar. Bring to a boil. When the sugar has dissolved, take the pan off the heat.
Add the limoncello (don’t cook after this or the alcohol will evaporate).
Set aside, covered, and allow the mixture to infuse until needed.
Prepare the molds by greasing and flouring them well. For traditional babà, use individual molds just over 2 inches in height and 2 inches in diameter on top, tapered towards the bottom.
When the dough has risen, shape into medium balls and place in the molds (they should fill the molds by about a third).
Leave to rest in a warm place until the dough forms a dome and rises to the top of the molds.
Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes or until the babà has developed a deep golden-brown color. Let cool.
Heat the limoncello syrup until it is warm. Remove the heat and submerge the babà in the syrup, turning until soaked through.
Pull them out with tongs and squeeze the excess syrup out gently. Place on a rack over a baking sheet to catch drips.
Cassata
Butter to grease pan
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. flour, sifted, plus more for pan
2⁄3 cup plus 3⁄4 cup sugar
1 tsp. orange zest
6 eggs
1 cup shelled almonds
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 tbsp. rum
1 lb. ricotta
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Whole candied fruits, such as oranges, apricots, and cherries, halved
Candied citron, cut in strips
Heat oven to 350°.
Grease and flour a 9″ cake pan; set aside.
Combine 2⁄3 cup sugar, zest, and eggs in a large bowl and beat on high speed of a mixer until pale and light, about 5 minutes.
Add flour and fold to combine.
Pour into cake pan and smooth top.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool completely before removing cake from pan.
Using a serrated knife, cut cake crosswise into 1⁄2″-thick strips; set aside.
Line bottom and sides of a 12″ metal pie plate with plastic wrap; set aside.
Process almonds in a food processor until finely chopped. Add 1 cup confectioners’ sugar and process until finely ground.
With processor running, slowly add enough egg white to form a smooth dough.
Transfer dough to a work surface dusted with confectioners’ sugar and knead until smooth.
Using a rolling pin, roll marzipan until 1⁄4″ thick.
Cut into 2″-wide strips and line side of pie plate with strips, flattening where they overlap to form one continuous ring; set aside.
Heat ¼ cup sugar and 1⁄4 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
Cook until sugar dissolves, then stir in rum; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together remaining sugar, ricotta, vanilla, and cinnamon until smooth, 2–3 minutes; set aside.
To put it together, line bottom of prepared pie plate with cake strips, cutting to fit, and then sprinkle with 5 tbsp. rum syrup; spoon ricotta mixture on top of cake and spread evenly to fill pie plate.
Top ricotta mixture with remaining cake slices and drizzle with remaining syrup; trim excess marzipan.
Wrap pie plate in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours.
Mix remaining confectioners sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl to make a thick glaze. Invert pie plate onto a serving dish and peel off plastic wrap. Pour glaze over cake to cover evenly.
Decorate with candied fruits. Refrigerate cake at least 2 hours or overnight.
Chicken Soup
1 large chicken
1 onion, roughly cut
3 carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 carrots, finely cut
2 stalks celery, chopped
Escarole (optional)
Bebes (or other small pasta like Acini di pepe)
In a large stock pot, place chicken and cover with water. Add vegetables and garlic, salt and pepper. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for four to six hours. Add water as it evaporates.
Remove the chicken and vegetables, straining stock. When chicken is cooled, remove from bones and return to pot. Add finely chopped carrots and celery. Bring to boil and add escarole (if desired).
You can add the bebes to the boiling soup if you like, or you can boil the bebes separately and add to each individual bowl, which will keep the liquid from being absorbed.
Reheat as often as you need. Excellent cure for colds, flu and all manner of crud.