The word biscotti in Italy refers to what Americans know as “cookies.” Many Italo-Americans use the word biscotti when they refer to a specific type of cookie, that is, those finger long cookies with almonds. These are known as Cantuccini or Cantucci in Florence and Tozzetti in Rome. Some may say the recipe is different for both, but for argument’s sake I will say they are the same, and for the rest of this article please know when I use the word biscotti, I am referring to cookies in general.
A biscottificio in Italy refers to a cookie shop, and usually all the cookies they sell are made on the premises. Many bakeries though, as well as selling bread, also sell a variety of biscotti. If you come across a specialty store selling just biscotti – a biscottificio – I strongly suggest you go in and buy a variety. You will probably be surprised how inexpensive they are, too. I am equally sure that, anyway, you would find it impossibly hard to walk past and to ignore the fresh baking aromas floating outside, tempting your senses.
It’s funny to say that biscotti are an important part of any Italian’s diet, especially as they are a staple at breakfast time. Ask any Italian adult today what their comforting and nostalgic childhood memories of breakfast at home are, and they will undoubtedly include biscotti.
I think that, when nutrition experts were writing about the virtues and health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, they surely must have been referring to lunch and dinner and not so much breakfast. An Italian breakfast is usually sweet and biscotti are an integral part of that for children and adults. Dunking cookies (biscotti) into a hot caffè latte in the morning before work or school is an obligatory start for many.
A tray of biscotti is also a common gift to take if you are a guest for lunch or dinner. It has long been tradition in Italy to visit a pastry shop or biscottificio after church on Sunday morning, and then take a tray of sweets home to be enjoyed with family and friends after lunch.
While many Americans associate cookies with milk, Italians have another important beverage to accompany biscotti, and it’s not caffè. I am talking about the all-important and pretty much medicinal purposed digestivo. After dinner, and after dessert and an espresso, bottles are placed on the table. This is especially seen at restaurants, sometimes when you haven’t even requested it. Whether your preferred digestive is grappa, a dessert wine such as Moscato, Passito or Vin Santo, or even if you’re partial to limoncello, none of these is usually enjoyed unless accompanied by a little plate of biscotti. The biscotti are dipped into the liqueur, soaking it up before being eaten. I always find remarkable how easily biscotti with a dessert wine (my favorite) disappear, even when I think I can’t fit anything else in!
There are hundreds of different biscotti recipes in Italy: you can imagine that they vary from region to region, and many are made for specific times of the year or to commemorate a festival, a patron saint or a religious holiday. I have chosen to celebrate one recipe in particular for this article, a true bestseller throughout Italy. I’m talking about Brutti ma Buoni, which literally translates to “ugly but good,” and their name refers to the way they look. I honestly find them extremely beautiful whenever they are in front of me!
Brutti ma Buoni are chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside cookie’ consisting basically of meringue and hazelnuts. Their origin is from Gavirate (in the province of Varese) in Lombardia, and they date back to 1878. There is actually no precise form to these, and you will see that they vary a little in appearance from bakery to bakery. They usually only have four ingredients and, to me, are similar in texture to a coconut macaroon. The ingredients are egg whites, sugar and hazelnuts, but sometimes almonds are also used. Vanilla may also be added.
The recipe is very easy, but if you don’t have enough nuts in proportion to the egg whites, your Brutti ma Buoni won’t be little mountains, but will resemble flat pancakes (Trust me, I speak from experience!).
Some recipes ask you to stir the egg white and nuts on a low heat before spooning the mixture onto a baking tray and putting them in the oven. I find it easier to make a sugar syrup and “cook” the egg whites by adding the sugar syrup in, while they are being whisked to form stiff peaks.
These are quite addictive, and as the Italians say, “uno tira l’altro” – one leads to another, so it really is impossible to eat just one!
Brutti ma Buoni
■ 180g egg whites (about 5 egg whites)
■ 70ml water
■ 80g caster sugar
■ 250g icing sugar
■ 600g hazelnuts, lightly toasted (or half hazelnuts, half almonds)
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, and spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast for about 12 minutes, until the nuts are fragrant and the skins blister. Put aside and allow to cool.
2. In a food processor, pulse the hazelnuts until they are roughly chopped. You don’t want them finely ground.
3. Add the water and caster sugar to a small saucepan, and bring to a boil to form a sugar syrup.
4. Using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, begin whisking the egg whites until they form stiff, foamy peaks. With the mixer on, slowly add the sugar syrup to the mixture in a steady stream.
5. Add the icing sugar and continue mixing until the eggs are white and glossy.
6. Use a spatula and gently fold the hazelnuts into the meringue.
7. Line a baking tray with baking paper and either spoon mounds of the mixture onto the tray or use a piping bag.
8. Bake at 150°C for about 35 minutes or until they are lightly golden. (Watch the first batch carefully to regulate cooking times as ovens vary from home to home).
9. Allow to cool a little before transferring them to a wire cake rack to cool completely. Keep in an air-tight container.
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