A favorite cookie today is the biscotti. Dunked in a coffee or latte, or along with a scoop of ice cream, this crunchy bit of heaven is just that. Coffee shops, most grocery stores and even convenience markets charge a lot for just one. They are often individually wrapped to retain freshness, and can be stored for quite a long time and still taste pretty good. What makes them pricey is the labor involved, not the ingredients.

In Italian, the word “biscotti” means cooked or baked twice. After the dough is shaped into a log and baked, it is sliced diagonally and baked again on both sides. The cake-like texture of the pre-baked cookie becomes crunchy and holds its shape even when subjected to the hottest beverage.

For holidays, or some other special occasion, you can fancy them up by dipping one or both ends in dark or white chocolate, and then again in crushed nuts or sprinkles. That definitely involves a lot more work, so for today, I made them plain. If you like biscotti and want to save some money, while still enjoying your coffee break, you may wish to give this recipe a try. It’s a very basic one I got from my aunt.

Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly grease a large cookie sheet.

2 C flour

1-1/2 t baking powder

¼ t salt

½ C butter or canola oil

¾ C sugar

2 eggs

1 t vanilla extract

1 t anise (or almond) extract

½ C almonds (or walnuts) crushed

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. In mixer, beat the butter and sugar and add the eggs. Add the flavorings and dry ingredients. Add the nuts last.

Roll dough into 2 logs. Bake 25 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and cool a couple of minutes so you can handle them.

Slice diagonally and bake 5 or 10 minutes on each side until golden.

Remove from oven and cool on rack. If you’re going to dip them, be sure to cool completely before dipping so the coating will not melt off.

Remove from oven and cool on rack. If you’re going to dip them, be sure to cool completely before dipping so the coating will not melt off.

Store in sealed container to retain crispness.

Enjoy!

©Pauline Boren 2008

It’s too hot for soup. You’re tired of sandwiches. Salads are all you’ve been eating lately, and you’re a little weary of creating a new salad that you can be excited about. How about another soup—this time a cold soup? How about some cool, creamy and minty cucumber soup?

I can’t take credit for this recipe, but I must acknowledge Sara Moulton, the editor of Gourmet Magazine, for this one. There are numerous cucumber soup recipes out there. I’ve tried several. Julia Child’s is delicious but a little more labor intensive. Sara’s is one-step easy, quick and delicious. I varied it a tiny bit, but not enough to call it my own, so I will give credit where credit is due. Thank you Sara!

Cucumbers are always easy to find in stores, especially in the summer when they are plentiful. I like the long thin-skinned plastic wrapped variety, or the smaller ones—both kinds with very tiny seeds. These eliminate the need for both peeling and seeding that is necessary with the larger green type. If you like cucumbers, but don’t care for mint, you could easily substitute fresh dill or parsley for the mint and process your herb choice in the same way.

This soup is low in calories, high in calcium, refreshing and filling for lunch or as a first dinner course. Enjoy it with some crackers, bread or toasted pita points.

1 large egg yolk, boiled

1 T rice vinegar

½ C sour cream

1 ½ large, or 3 small, seedless cucumbers, cut into chunks

¼ C fresh mint (dill or parsley)

½ C chilled buttermilk (2% milk okay too)

Salt and white pepper to taste

In a bowl, mash together the egg yolk, vinegar and sour cream until smooth.

In a food processor or blender, puree the cucumber and mint with the milk and season to taste. Add the egg mixture and pulse until blended. Pour into a glass container and chill at least 30 minutes.

That’s it! Now how easy was that? Now you’re cool as a cucumber!

Serve in bowls topped with fresh cucumber slices and mint garnish.

Enjoy!

This ricotta recipe comes to me from a friend who lives here, and spent several years Italy . She did lots of cooking and baking using all fresh ingredients. She believes all natural ingredients are mandatory for the best flavor, and I agree. She is a big fan of ricotta, and while living in Italy , she said that even there it was difficult to find really good fresh ricotta in markets. One day a friend shared his recipe with her, and she tried it. It turned out to be not only easy, but also foolproof and delicious. I’ve made it several times. The recipe is terrific, but since I prefer it a little softer and creamier, I did tweak the timing a little.

If you love the delicate flavor of ricotta, and there’s a scarcity of good authentic Italian delis in your neighborhood—or maybe none—then you’ll want to try this recipe.

1 C plain yogurt (with live cultures)

½ gallon whole milk

½ C fresh lemon juice

¼ t salt

In a large stainless steel pan, combine the milk, salt and yogurt and simmer over medium heat—stirring occasionally—until bubbles form. Remove from heat, and now without stirring, pour the lemon juice in. The milk will immediately begin to curdle. Let it rest, uncovered, one hour.

Line a large sieve or colander with two layers of cheesecloth. Set the sieve on top of a large bowl. Slowly pour the milk into the sieve over the cheesecloth. Let it rest one hour.

Gather the cloth up around the cheese ball as shown in the next photo, and place it in a smaller bowl to finish draining completely.

Place the whole bowl in a large plastic bag and refrigerate several hours. Carefully remove the cheese to a sealed container. It is now ready to use.

My favorite use for ricotta is on a slice of toasted French bread topped with a chopped tomato/basil salad. This little Italian appetizer is referred to as a bruschetta (pronounced “broosketta”). A bruschetta is basically any savory topping on a slice of toasted bread.

Ricotta can also be used in a variety of other salads, creamy pasta sauces, lasagna, and many desserts. It’s light creamy texture makes it a low-fat substitute for cream cheese or mascarpone cheese.

Enjoy.

©Pauline Boren 2008