Carol Firenze and The Passionate
Olive
In her delightful book The Passionate Olive: 101 Things
to Do with Olive Oil, author Carol Firenze explains
the history of olive oil, recounts memories of growing up
Italian-American, shares family recipes, and reveals a multitude
of tips and tricks. Visit www.thepassionateolive.com
to see why this book is one of our all-time favorites.
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This month, Carol's mother, Gigi Firenze, has generously
shared her traditional Olive Oil Biscotti recipe with
us. Grazie, Gigi!
Olive Oil Biscotti
Ingredients (makes 50 biscotti)
1/2 cup whole almonds
3 tablespoons Núñez
de Prado Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 tablespoon orange zest
Directions
1. On a baking sheet, toast the almonds at 350°
for 5 minutes.
2. In a bowl, mix the sugar and olive oil,
then beat in 2 eggs; reserve.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together
flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add
the flour mixture to reserve; add the orange
extract and orange zest.
4. Mix until the dough clings together (do not overwork).
Form the mixture into a ball; place on a cutting board.
Cover with a bowl and let rest 15 minutes. While waiting,
flour the almonds while they're warm and knead into
dough. Grease a thin cookie sheet with olive oil or
butter.
5. Beat remaining egg to create a glaze.
6. Divide the dough into eight parts and form
into long breadstick-shaped rolls. Place the rolls
on the greased cookie sheet, well apart. Flatten each
slightly and brush the tops with egg glaze (use about
half, discard extra).
7. Bake at 350º for 2025 minutes until
golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
8. Move rolls onto cutting surface and slice into
1/2" diagonal slices while still warm. Return
slices to oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
9. Cool on racks before serving. Store in an airtight
container.
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Baking biscotti at home is surprisingly quick and easy.
Mixing bowls, spoons, and a baking sheet are the only essentials.
The word "biscotti" comes from two Italian words—bis
and cotto. Bis translates to "more than one" and cotto means
"cooking." The latter is achieved by forming the dough into
breadstick-like rolls and baking once, then slicing the
rolls diagonally and baking again. In Italy, biscotti are
savored from dawn to dusk. They are dipped in cappuccino
in the morning, enjoyed as a lunchtime sweet; and they make
a wonderful accompaniment to gelato in the afternoon, and
a satisfying late-night snack when dipped in wine. —Carol
Firenze, author of The Passionate Olive
Lemon Olive Oil Ice Cream
Ingredients (serves 4)
2 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup Núñez
de Prado Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Directions
1. Heat milk to boiling point and stir in sugar until dissolved.
Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
2. Place mixture in blender. Grate lemon zest into mixture;
juice lemon; pour juice into blender.
3. While the blender is running, slowly add
olive oil. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator for 1-2
hours.
4. Freeze liquid in an ice cream maker.*
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