Wine Taralli

    First of all, in case any of you were wondering if I'd fallen off the face of the earth recently....no, I'm still here.  But, it's been a very interesting few weeks.  My laptop crashed.....AGAIN !!  It's now up and running and hopefully will keep on working for me without too many more interruptions.

    I've also been in the middle of working on a project that is pretty much consuming my thoughts lately.  It's something I'm excited about doing, but it's also pushing me a bit out of my comfort zone, into some new territory, which means a little added stress for yours-truly.  After I'm finished I'll try and share with you the details, but......for now.......



     I've been wanting to share this recipe with you for awhile now.  And today's the day.  Wine Taralli!  Taralli are an Italian snack food, very common in southern Italy.  They are similar in texture to a breadstick or pretzel but usually formed into rings or ovals.  Taralli can be sweet or savory.  Today I'm sharing a sweet version (no surprise here!)  I really enjoy these.  They're sweet.......but not too sweet. They have an interesting and delicious flavor from the Marsala wine and are topped with a light lemon glaze, which is optional, by the way.  They're also delicious plain.  They make a great snack or nice little dessert with some fresh fruit!  So.....here's the recipe...........

Wine Taralli     (makes 2 1/2 dozen)

3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. coarse salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Marsala wine

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tblsp. milk
1/2 tblsp. fresh lemon juice

    First, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and sugar together until well combined.  Now, stir the olive oil and Marsala into the egg mixture.  

Next, slowly add the flour mixture until well combined, kneading it slightly until it's medium-soft and easy to handle.

Divide the dough into 30 pieces and roll each piece into a 6" long rope.

Connect the ends to make loops and press the ends to seal together.

Place the taralli on parchment-lined sheets and bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden.  Cool them on a rack.

After they've cooled, whisk together the ingredients for the glaze and dip the tops of the taralli.  Let them dry.  (remember.....this step is optional.....they're also delicious plain!)

YUM!!

For printable recipe, click here. 

recipe from Lucinda Scala Quinn on Mad Hungry.