What attracted me to Carol Field’s Italy in Small Bites was the idea of small snacks throughout the day to sustain me.

Wouldn’t that be amazing … if at any time of the day you could bite into something tasty, yet not filling?

I’ve spent most of October dreaming about what I’d try from this book and yet never getting around to it. That’s most of the month spent dreaming about snacks with almost no snacking.

Until I made these little babies.

Do you know what taralli are? Have you ever seen them in your local Italian bakery or grocery store? Ever bitten into one?

No?

You’re missing out.

I’m not sure where or when I was introduced to taralli but they have always been around. They’re not a traditional food from either of my parents’ areas of Italy, but my neighbour makes them, and the grandmothers of a lot of my friends made them and I can’t visit a bakery or grocery store in this city without seeing bins of them.

They are taralli.

So what are they?

Taralli are like a sort of breadstick shaped in a ring. They’re not quite crispy like a breadstick but they’re not soft or chewy either. Taralli can be savoury or sweet depending on what you add to that basic recipe. My favourite taralli are savoury ones dotted with fennel seeds, but I also love taralli spiced with red pepper flakes. Growing up, we would often eat sweet taralli that had been dipped in a glaze or icing.

The recipe for taralli in Field’s book caught my eye because I’ve never made them before and have always wanted to try them. And because I love them. If I can learn to make something I love, then why not!

The dough for taralli is very similar to making a pizza dough. You start with flour, yeast and water (and a bit of salt) to which you add the flavouring of choice. The taralli that I buy are almost always flavoured with fennel seeds so that’s what I used.

After allowing the dough to rise, the dough is rolled into log ropes that are then divided into three. From each segment, you make a ring.

Then, much as you do with bagels, you drop the rings into boiling water very briefly. As soon as the rings float to the top, you remove them to drain and cool down a bit.

The taralli are then baked until golden and somewhat crunchy.

I say somewhat because the taralli that I’ve eaten have always had this interesting texture. It’s a cross between something crispy and something flexible. I know that sounds odd, but trust me, if you try one you’ll understand what I mean.

I was very proud of my taralli. While they don’t compare to the homemade taralli that I’ve had from those who are true experts, they were good for a first try and rather easy to make.

As with most worthy snacks, they prove that homemade is usually best.

I’m having so much fun with Field’s book (and my daytime snack imaginings) that I’m not ready to say goodbye to it yet. I’m keeping it around for the November Flavour of the Month.

And now back to my snacks …

Ciao!

Here are some interesting posts about taralli as well as recipes for taralli that you might want to read or try:

Various taralli recipes
Inside a Pugliese Taralli Maker
Taralli
Street Food from Napoli: Taralli

This past July, the Daring Bakers lost one of our dearest members with the sudden passing of Sherry Cermak, known to many of us as Sher of the blog What Did You Eat?

To say that I was shocked when I found out would be an understatement. Only weeks before, I had been chatting with Sher via e-mail about the October 2008 Daring Bakers’ challenge as she was to be one of the hosts.

After I started blogging, way back in December 2005, Sher was one of the first food bloggers that I “met”. I read her blog regularly and quickly grew fond of her. Her attitude in both her blog posts, her e-mails and her comments was always a positive and open one. She was funny and sweet and always brought a smile to my face.

Over the last year or so, unfortunately, I haven’t made much time to do a lot of blog reading. Often, finding time for my own blog has been a chore. As I began to read other blog posts less frequently, I also began to visit Sher’s blog less frequently. While she was always on my radar, I didn’t spend as much time visiting her blog and so, when she agreed to be the host of the October 2008 Daring Bakers’ challenge, I was thrilled. Mainly because it meant I’d be in contact with Sher again. I was so very shocked and saddened to find out that she had passed on.

In the weeks after her passing, Lis and I wondered how to proceed with handling the hosting of the October challenge. Out of respect to Sher’s cohosts Glenna (one of Sher’s closest friends) and Rosa, we decided to leave it up to them and let them decide how best to see through the DB challenge.

In the end, Glenna decided to take time to dedicate to her friend. I just want to say how supportive we are of Glenna and that we stand by her. And if you didn’t know Sher and want to know what an incredible person she was, then read Glenna’s tribute to her. You’ll understand why we miss her so much.

So it came to be that our dearest Rosa of Rosa’s Yummy Yums took the reins of the October 2008 DB challenge and we are forever thankful to her. It’s not easy hosting a challenge by yourself when that challenge involves over 1,000 bakers. Yes. You read that right. Over 1,000 bakers!

But Rosa has been unfailingly patient, polite, sweet and generous and has done an amazing job. Her choice for the October challenge is one that I’m sure Sher would have approved of: pizza.

And as part of the challenge (I know Sher would have loved this!), we actually had to toss our pizzas like an honest-to-goodness pizzaiolo standing in front of a wood oven in some Naples alleyway would toss a pizza.

Here’s what I can tell you about pizza tossing: I will never be a champion pizza tosser and Mama Cream Puff, who helped take the photos whilst I was tossing the pizza, is unlikely to become a photographer any time soon.

Still, though, it was tremendous fun.

The recipe we followed comes from the always reliable The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart (you can find the recipe on Rosa’s blog). I made six 8-inch pizzas, in the following five variations:

Tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil (I made two pizzas with these toppings):

Herb-infused olive oil, caramelized onions, shiitake mushrooms, blue cheese:

Herb-infused olive oil, Yukon Gold potatoes, mozzarella, sage:

Tomato sauce, black forest ham, preserved tomatoes, Cambozola:

Butter, brown sugar, bittersweet chocolate, sea salt (sometimes you need something sweet):

I had so much fun making this pizza. I got to use that pizza stone that’s been sitting in the basement for years. My mother and I had quite a few laughs as we “tossed” our pizza.

But I also had fun because I thought a lot about Sher.

You know, sometimes I find myself scanning the DB blogroll or going through comments left on DB challenge posts and I think to myself, “How did all these people get together?”

Do you ever wonder that?

How did so many of us find each other? And I don’t just mean in terms of the Daring Bakers but in terms of food blogging and blogging and just life itself, how do we make these incredible connections?

And they really are connections. I get angry sometimes with people who suggest that you don’t really know anyone through blogging. That somehow sitting behind a computer screen insinuates a barrier that no human can get across, no matter how long you’ve been reading someone’s blog posts.

But I don’t believe that.

If that were true, then people all over the world, calling themselves daring, wouldn’t get together once a month to bake something.

If that were true, then a woman named Sher from California would never have impacted us the way that she did.

What we do is real and special and worthwhile. And I just know that when my mother tried to toss a pizza and it landed against the window and then dropped to the window sill, Sher was looking down and smiling.

Because that’s what it’s all about.

Ciao!

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to thank you for all the birthday wishes. I had a great birthday … and the chocolate cake was damn good, too!

I don’t have a Magazine Mondays post for you this week but I do hope you have a great one!

Ciao!

Just because I didn’t put up a Magazine Mondays post today it doesn’t mean that there aren’t others who did. Here’s who got rid of another magazine from the pile: Wandering Coyote of Retorte made some seriously good-looking Greek-spiced Baked Shrimp and Wine Imbiber made a gorgeous Chipotle Apple Pecan Cake.

Look what Mama Cream Puff made for my birthday!

Hope you can all stop by for a piece.

Have a great day!

Ciao!

Mile-High Chocolate Cake

I had a fabulous weekend.

Let me say that again.

I HAD A FABULOUS WEEKEND!

On Saturday I enjoyed an amazing dinner at Far Niente with my brother and one of my dearest friends. The dinner was followed by the consummation of an adolescent dream: I saw Madonna in concert.

The 13-year-old within was overjoyed.

And Sunday … well Sunday actually topped Saturday as Mama Cream Puff and I spent a beautiful day in Niagara-on-the-Lake (oh, the fall colours!) shopping and enjoying some wonderful local food. We topped it off with a lovely tea at the Prince of Wales hotel.

Then I came home and baked a beautiful pie and tart.

The weather was just glorious; sunny and crisp with leaves everywhere.

Autumn, you truly are a gift!

So here’s hoping that this week is just as spectacular. To help get us all off on the right foot, I’m happy to post this luxurious Broccoli Soup with Cheddar Cheese as my Magazine Mondays post. I love broccoli soup with lots of melty cheddar … seriously … there’s not a lot that could make me happier on a Monday.

Have a beautiful week, everyone!

Ciao!

Note: Click here for the recipe for Broccoli Soup with Cheddar Cheese.

Joining me for this edition of Magazine Mondays is Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies who made soft pretzels and Wandering Coyote of ReTorte who made Sugar Cookies!

Remember, if you have a magazine recipe that you’ve finally tried, let me know and I’ll link to it!

It’s hard to believe that half of October has already passed and I have yet to talk about my Flavour of the Month for October 2008: Carol Field’s Italy in Small Bites.

I’m a big fan of Carol Field. I have a number of her cookbooks and have always had great success with them. To me, she’s one of those cookbook authors who just knows how to write a good recipe.

Italy in Small Bites is among my favourite Italian-themed cookbooks.

I chose this book for two reasons. First of all, ever since returning from my summer vacation, Italy is never far from my mind. And secondly, since Italy is never far from my mind, I seem to have zeroed in on Field’s book quite a bit since being back.

The basis of the book is an exploration of Italian snacks (hence the “small bites”). By snack, I refer to the concept of “merenda“. In Italy, la merenda is a mid-afternoon snack that tides you over until dinner, which is usually later in the evening (8:00 or 9:00 p.m. and sometimes even later). In my family, we would have merenda around 4:00 or 5:00 and it would almost always be something simple like a slice of bread drizzled with olive oil and sea salt, some coffee and cookies or a plate of fruit. Regardless of what our merenda consisted of, it would always be something small. Merenda is never a huge meal.

Italy in Small Bites is essentially a tour through Italy with glimpses of the incredible variety of foods that would be served at merenda. Now I should point out that Italians approach merende (the plural of merenda) in a multitude of differing ways. The snacks found in this book are not exclusively for mid-afternoon. As with all things involving Italian food, the variety is astounding.

There was one recipe in the book that I’ve had bookmarked for a long time, but that I’ve never tried and that’s a recipe for Farinata. In its simplest form, farinata is a think pancake made of chickpea flour thickened with water and usually olive oil. It’s baked until it’s golden and crispy. While farinata is very famous in the region of Liguria, there are numerous variations on the idea of the chickpea pancake throughout Italy.

I love anything made of chickpeas so it follows that I would adore anything made with chickpea flour. Like the very best “snacks”, this is an easy one to make and the end result is a crispy, slightly salty gift to the mouth that yields the essence of chickpea as soon as you bite into it. And it’s all delivered with a hug of rosemary and olive oil.

It was so good, it was almost as good as being in Italy with my family.

Hope you try it.

Ciao!

Note: I made the the recipe from Carol Field’s book but you can find recipes for farinata everywhere. Here are a few samples of some great versions of farinata:

Farinata from Food & Wine

Farinata with Onions and Black Pepper from Ilva of Lucullian Delights

Farinata from Italian Cooking & Living

Farinata with Sage, Olives and Onion from Epicurious

It’s Thanksgiving Day in Canada and like so many other Canadians, we’re enjoying the beauty of the harvest.

It’s been a beautiful holiday weekend, certainly one to make you remember that inspite of the strange times we find ourselves living in, there is much to be thankful for.

As always, I’m most thankful for my family and friends. I feel blessed to have so many people in my life who put a smile on my face every day.

I’m thankful for this blog as it is a constant source of discovery, fun and opportunity for me.

And even though the Leafs totally sucked on Saturday night, I’m thankful that hockey has begun again. Right, Peabody?!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ciao!

Note: Pictured above is a delicious Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart. Click here for the recipe.

Thanksgiving 2007: Pumpkin Cheesecake
Thanksgiving 2007: Butter Tarts

Be jealous.

Not only are my work colleagues wonderful, funny, generous, intelligent, hard-working and decent people, they’re fabulous cooks.

This year’s edition of our Thanksgiving potluck (Canadian Thanksgiving is October 13) surpassed all others by far (not that 2007 or 2006 were shabby by any means).

In fact the only “problem” with this year’s potluck was that yours truly forgot her camera. And that after she told all her colleagues to make their dishes look fabulous (as if they wouldn’t look fabulous anyway).

Ah, well. You’ll have to take my word and the not-so-good photos from my cell phone as proof of our culinary abilities.

Go ahead. Be jealous.

Ciao!

You’ll have to forgive me but the fall brings out both the best and the corniest in me. I just love this time of year and I’m not afraid to get all mushy about it. Go ahead. Mock me if you must. But this is MY time of year and I’m going to enjoy every single bit of it.

These are days of apples followed by chilly nights where you have no choice but to snuggle. You can snuggle with your loved one, with your teddy bear or with your favourite book. Whatever.

While I can’t come to help you with the snuggling part, I can help out a bit with the apple part.

For today’s edition of Magazine Mondays, I give you one of the very best apple crisp recipes that I have ever tried. In fact, it has become my favourite apple crisp recipe. Am I ever glad I rescued it from the magazine pile.

Vanilla Bean Apple Crisp appeared in the March 2002 issue of Bon Appétit magazine. It’s only taken a little over 6 years for me to try it. I am now prepared to snuggle with this apple crisp for the next 6 months of fall/winter.

Have a wonderful, snuggly week!

Ciao!

If you have a recipe that you’ve tried recently from a magazine, send it along and I’ll link to it in my Magazine Mondays post.

This week I’m joined by Liliana of My Cookbook Addiction who pays tribute to her father-in-law with Ginger Pear Muffins; Lori of Lori’s Lipsmacking Goodness tempts us with Green Onion and Cheddar Biscuits; Jen of Chocolate Shavings made Mushroom and Roquefort Tartelettes; Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies makes me want to swoon with Eggplant Parmesan with Crisp Bread Topping and Wandering Coyote of Retorte made a luscious Deep Chocolate Pound Cake.

Click here for the Vanilla Bean Apple Crisp recipe. For my version, I baked the crips in 6 individual ramekins as opposed to an 8-inch square pan. I also added vanilla ice cream and a generous application of caramel sauce.