Some of the best taralli I've tasted in the U S are made by an Italian company called Agricola del Sole and whose products are available at Eataly. These and other varieties are fantastic to munch on.
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Good potato chips don't require an answer, but pretzels may.
As a granddaughter of immigrants from Bari, I can testify that not boiling the taralli first before baking is a travesty. It produces a crumbly mess with the wrong texture. Taralli are SUPPOSED to be hard, crunchy and dense. Only a dough with plenty of olive oil that has been boiled first will get you the proper result.
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I have looked for the perfect taralli recipe for years to match my husband's memories of his father's aunt's iconic recipe from Bari (yes, with fennel). Would you share yours?
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oh, boy. Every family's recipe is different, and each is the only right one! :) My grandma showed me how to make them only once when I was 11 or 12, and I've had to distill it from the way she did it ("start with 4 lbs flour...." "how much oil, Grandma?" "Until it looks good.") I still don't have it quite right, but this is close, and she didn't use wine, as far as I know. Makes a small batch, about 2 dozen or so.
2 teas. dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups flour
1/2 teas. salt
1 -2 teas. fennel seed, to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
Dissolve yeast in the warm water. Sift the flour and salt onto a work surface. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast and oil. Mix together, gradually blending in all the flour and sprinkling in the fennel seeds too. Knead the dough about 5 - 7 minutes, adding more flour if it sticks (shouldn't need to though). Place in a large oiled bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rise until it is doubled in bulk. Pinch off piece of dough (about a tablespoon) and roll it out to about 6 inches. Form a circle and pinch the ends together firmly. Let sit for about 30 minutes. Boil a large pot of water with salt. Drop in the taralli and let boil for about a minute each side - don't crowd. Let them dry on a towel or paper towels, flipping to dry both sides, and let cool a little. Place on cookie sheets and brush both sides with olive oil. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake taralli about 15 - 20 minutes until deep golden brown.
2 teas. dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups flour
1/2 teas. salt
1 -2 teas. fennel seed, to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
Dissolve yeast in the warm water. Sift the flour and salt onto a work surface. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast and oil. Mix together, gradually blending in all the flour and sprinkling in the fennel seeds too. Knead the dough about 5 - 7 minutes, adding more flour if it sticks (shouldn't need to though). Place in a large oiled bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rise until it is doubled in bulk. Pinch off piece of dough (about a tablespoon) and roll it out to about 6 inches. Form a circle and pinch the ends together firmly. Let sit for about 30 minutes. Boil a large pot of water with salt. Drop in the taralli and let boil for about a minute each side - don't crowd. Let them dry on a towel or paper towels, flipping to dry both sides, and let cool a little. Place on cookie sheets and brush both sides with olive oil. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake taralli about 15 - 20 minutes until deep golden brown.
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The title should be Italy's Answer to Pretzels. Alitalia serves them on their planes and they may not be the high end versions that some commenters have discussed but they were excellent. I purchase the Natur Puglia brand at Russo's in Watertown.
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The headline is dumb. Taralli is not the answer to anything. Gastronomy is not a contest or sport. It stands alone and unique and if anything predates the potato chip.
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The best taralli for summertime snacking are those with anise seeds.
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I'd say the truer Italian answer to potato chips is peperoni cruschi: dried mild senise peppers from Basilicata that are flash fried in oil and served as a snack. They are the best "potato" chips I have ever had.
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Can you tell me where I can get senise peppers? I have been trying everywhere online and they are not available. My family is from Basilicata, and I make many of the "old-school" recipes but I'm unable to get these peppers. Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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@Lovestocook: you can buy them online at Zingerman's, at the moment sold out, however they cost $22 for a 25 gram package! Online sites in Italy sell them for euros 5,50 for 100 grams! What a difference. Thank God I live in Italy. You should load up your suitcase with them after a trip to Italy!
1
We came from Italy 6 months ago. We produce Handmade Taralli in a small laboratory in Carlsbad, like inside the "Ancients Masserie" in Puglia. People like so much the original taste of Taralli, quite different than the commercial ones.
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Giorgio, where are you selling your Handmade Taralli in the Carlsbad area?
At Carlsbad Village Fair inside a Gelato shop.
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These are sooooo good! My supermarket carries lots of brands, not from the USA of course, the best are from Puglia and they come plain, with peperoncino, with fennel seeds, with black pepper, all with Italian olive oil. You can order them online from Italian import companies in the USA.
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There is an Italian section of Providence, RI, known as Federal Hill, where a few traditional bakeries still crank out wonderful, fresh Taralli. It's been more than twenty years since I lived there, but I still remember munching on "pepper biscuits" and "wine biscuits."
Manga bene.
Manga bene.
11
Most Italian American bakeries throughout the state still make both pepper and wine biscuits, which are beloved by Italian Americans in Rhode Island, with most families sharing their own recipes for both, as well as for egg biscuits, a sweet biscuit topped with a sugar icing. Check the luggage of Rhode Island expats departing the state after a family visit, and you're sure to find at least a couple of bags of both pepper and wine biscuits
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Yes, we always called them pepper biscuits. My grandfather used to make them. His were baked to a crunchy brown and very peppery. Moorish for sure.
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