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Michelle Michelotti-Martinez

Dried Fig and Hazelnut Biscotti

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I love to make biscotti any time of year but at Christmas especially, they make the BEST dunking cookies (well, along with the taralli wine cookies!) and with a hot cappuccino, I couldn’t ask for a happier breakfast.  The only problem is the number I consume due to how much I love them….

It brings me back to the times when my italian grandmother made them for us, she would have never varied from the traditional recipe of anise or almond but it didn’t matter because they were one of those delectables that I waited to have every time we went to her house for a visit. I can remember the old antique plate stacked full of biscotti waiting on the table when we arrived. I am not even sure I said hello or gave her a hug, I just made a bee line to that table. Of course no vin santo for us but milk did the trick when I was younger, she probably wished she would have given us a sip or two of vin santo when she agreed to watch all 8 of her grandkids together. Oh mama mia, poor lady!

Each year during Christmas baking, I change up the dried fruit and nut mixture which makes them seem like a whole new invention and a whole new invention needs A LOT of sampling, right? Works in my world…These particular biscotti really hit my happy button because they contain dried figs and hazelnuts, two of my favorite. I also added in a little fennel seed and drizzled with really good dark chocolate.  I thought about adding a little cinnamon but since fennel seed is so yummy and not used as much, I went that route and it was a beautiful discovery,  it is a happy dance in your mouth and washing down with cappuccino (maybe some vin santo for a evening treat) just starts your day right (or ends it right!). Seriously, these are an explosion of flavors, you will love it.

So forgive me nonna for veering away from tradition but I promise if you were here to try them, you would approve

5.0 from 1 reviews
Dried Fig and Hazelnut Biscotti
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Cookies
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 2½ dozen
Ingredients
  • Ingredients
  • 2¼ cups flour
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 tsp grated lemon zest
  • 1 tsp fennel seed
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¾ cup hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
  • ¾ cup dried figs, coarsely chopped
  • 12 ounces good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, fennel seed and salt in a large bowl to blend. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the figs and hazelnuts.
  3. Form the dough into 2 logs. Bake until light golden, about 25-30 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.
  4. Place the logs on the cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into ½ to ¾-inch-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 10-15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely.
  5. Stir the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Drizzle the chocolate over the biscotti. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes.

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Brown Butter Sage Walnut Bread

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Everyone on my Christmas list this year got a loaf of this bread with our homemade apple butter. To me, there is nothing better than giving and receiving homemade gifts during the holidays or anytime for that matter. It takes time and love to create gifts and I completely appreciate the heartfelt effort.

Anyone who knows me realizes that I like treats that aren’t over the top sweet and this savory bread is SO good!  I didn’t want to bake traditional banana bread or cranberry bread but instead I wanted to kick things up a notch and get creative. My inspiration came from my LOVE of brown butter, I adore it with mash potatoes, over sweet potato ravioli, or sautéed with squash so I decided to try it in a bread and since sage is one of my all time favorite herbs, especially this time of year, I couldn’t imagine a better combination. It is such a surprise when you bite into a piece and taste the nutty flavor from the brown butter and the earthiness with the sage. There is just enough sugar to enhance the combinations and then add a great cappuccino to the menu and you have PERFECTION!!! So comfy food yum!

The list is endless with what you can add, bananas, pears, apples or dried figs….OMG can you imagine brown butter and bananas? Add some liquor and you can indulge in bananas foster breakfast style! Awesome!

So as I cranked out the loaves for Christmas gifts, I made some extras to freeze. After all winter is just starting and come those cold January mornings when you just want to lie in bed, I can grab a couple of slices of this, slather on my apple butter and curl up for hours.

Have fun experimenting, leave some comments, and let me know how your creative genius came out!

'Brown Butter Sage Walnut Bread
 
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This is a really wonderful savory bread that can be served with apple butter or peach butter! If you want, add pears, apples, or bananas for a wonderful addition
Author:
Recipe type: Bread
Serves: 1 large loaf
Ingredients
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 4 tablespoons sliced fresh sage leaves
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • 2½ cups flour
  • 2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
  • Turbinado sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
  1. Heat the oven to 350.
  2. Grease and flour (or spray) a standard loaf pan.
  3. Toast the walnuts in a skillet over medium heat, then set them aside.
  4. Add the butter and sage to the skillet and cook until the butter browns - follow your nose, it should smell nutty and sagey and not at all scorched. Turn off the heat.
  5. In a mixer whisk the eggs and brown sugar together.
  6. Add in the oil and whisk that.
  7. Mix in the flour, soda, powder and salt.
  8. Stir in the browned butter, then fold walnuts. Its thick so don't worry.
  9. Scrape and spread into the loaf pan, sprinkle with the turbindo sugar, and into the oven for 35 minutes. Test for doneness, then cool a bit before you flip it out of the pan. Slice and eat!!!

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Marsala Wine Taralli Cookies

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Every Christmas we had a plethora of cookies to completely OD on! We baked the traditional American ones, gingerbread, ice box with gobs of frosting, and peanut butter kisses, to name a few, but my ALL time favorites were our traditional Italian cookies or biscotti. They just brought me a sense of home in a soul-filled way. They aren’t as sweet and typically are meant to “dunk” and since I am a coffee/dessert wine kinda girl, these fit perfectly into my world! Round these off with some cheese and you have created heaven after a meal. I’m simple, what can I say…well sorta…..

We always had 2-3 kinds of biscotti, drizzled with white, milk, or dark chocolate and dotted with various dried fruit and nut mixtures and to accompany the variety of those were my other favorite, the taralli. These cute little “donut” shaped rings are simply divine! After all 1/2 cup of marsala wine mixed with flour and sugar, what isn’t to love about that? After baking, they are dipped into a lemon glaze and into my mouth, one by one. I like to dunk them while warm so the lemon icing “seeps” into the cookie but if you want to have the glaze be more apparent, wait until they are cool and then dip. They look like mini frosted donuts, so cute.

So after a night of caroling or wrapping, we always sat down to our buffet of cookies, a drink of choice, and great conversation….now that’s is the magic of Christmas.

Marsala Wine Taralli Cookies
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Cookies
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 2½ dozen
Ingredients
  • FOR THE COOKIES
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup Marsala wine
  • FOR THE ICING
  • 2 tablespoons milk, more if needed
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  3. In a separate larger bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg until well combined. Stir in the olive oil and wine. Slowly add the flour mixture until well combined, kneading slightly until the dough is easy to handle and medium-soft.
  4. On a clean surface, use your hands and roll the dough into ½-inch-thick, cigarlike rolls. Cut each cigar into 6-inch pieces, folding each piece into a loop-shape. Press the dough with fingers to seal together. Place on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.
  5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until slightly golden. Remove to a cooling rack and cool completely.
  6. If you wish to ice them, whisk 2 tablespoons of milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into 1 cup confectioners' sugar. It should be the consistency of thick whipping cream. Dip one side of the cookie in the glaze and let dry.

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Pork Loin Pasties with Caramelized Onions, Potatoes and Roasted Garlic

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These pockets of deliciousness are called pasties. They are Cornish and are traditionally filled with beef, potato, and onion and topped with a rich gravy but I fondly remember them as being called “love letters from home”, wondering why?

My parents grew up in Butte Montana and if you know anything or have heard anything about Butte, it is a copper mining town. People from ALL over the world migrated there at the turn of the century to get a piece of the action of the booming mining industry. All of the influxes of ethnicities is what made Butte the “melting pot” of the west and with that came all the wonderful cuisines.

It was and still is very very shall I say colorful? Oh let me be honest, it is a total trip to be there, total. Its worth a visit just for the experience, trust me. Maybe in another post I will fill you in on some Butte stories….

Now back to why they are called “love letters from home”. The underground miners worked long days in very dangerous conditions and they each carried a lunch bucket because when they went underground, they didn’t come back up until their shift was over, typically 10-12 hours. During their shift work, labor was really intense and they needed a substantial meal to get them through the long hours. The pasty was one of the staples in their lunch buckets for a couple of reasons, it was hearty but more importantly, every time a miner left for work there was a chance he wouldn’t come home so their wives or mothers sent these as a reminder they were loved and to return home at the end of each day.

I adored that story and when my mother and grandmother made these for us I always knew they were “love letters from home” and I like to pass that same feeling on when I make them for the ones I love.

I remember we always made them during the fall and winter because they are the ultimate comfort food. It took a small army of helpers for the prep work. We were enlisted to peel the potatoes, cut the onions or dice the meat while my mom or grandmother made that perfect crust.

As they baked, which felt like eternity, we anxiously stood near the oven. The smell was out of this world yummy and when they came out, we each chose the one we wanted, the more crust the better, slathered on a ton of gravy and mix all of it together with the homemade coleslaw.

Here is my personal version, filled with pork loin, roasted garlic, potatoes, and caramelized onions topped with a home made pork gravy. It is totally WORTH it to make them from scratch, I promise, after all, you are sending a “love letter from home” and those take time..

Pork Loin Pasties with Caramelized Onions and Roasted Garlic
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Cornish
Serves: 28
Ingredients
  • 10 lb Pork loin roast, diced to ¼ inch
  • 3 onion, halved and thinly sliced and caramelized
  • 1 Bunch garlic cloves, roasted
  • 10 Medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters
  • 12 Cups Flour
  • 12 Sticks Butter
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 4 Cups ice water, plus more if needed
  • 1 Onion (Chopped)
  • 4 Pork loin ribs
  • 1 cup white wine, preferably pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc
  • Ham rue, I use "better than bullion brand"
  • Chicken rue, I use "better than bullion brand"
  • ½ Cup Flour
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Early in morning, measure 6 cups flour in a bowl and cut up cold butter, salt and work together flour and butter until mealy. Add water slowly and just squeeze to bring together. Don't work dough or it will get too hard. Once it comes together, put into 4 small balls and put in fridge for at least 30 minutes. Repeat with other 6 cups flour.
  2. On stove top, heat medium sauté pan and add 2-3 T butter and melt. Add onion and cook down until caramelized.
  3. Heat oven to 350. In a sheet of foil, add a bunch of garlic cloves. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper and dot with a little butter. Roast until golden brown but shake foil packet 2-3 times while cooking.
  4. Cut up pork loin into small dice, ¼ inch. With a tabletop grinder or kitchen aide grinder attachment, grind potatoes. Put out 3 bowls and divide pork evenly. Add ⅓ potatoes without water and incorporate into meat. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in ⅓ onion and garlic. Repeat with other 2 bowls.
  5. Take 2 dough balls out and divide into 3 or 4 slices and start to roll out into individual rounds. Put a full scoop of meat plus a bit more. Brush with water. Top with butter and fold over. Trim extra dough and fold over and pinch together. Put on parchment lined baking sheet. Sheet should hold 5 pasties and each bowl should make about 9 pasties.
  6. Turn oven to 350 and brush top of pasties with milk. Cook for 45 min then switch for another 45 min.
  7. While making pasties, cook pork ribs with salt and pepper for 45 min to 1 hour.
  8. While pasties are cooking, put 1 stick of buttering Dutch oven over med heat.
  9. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Add drippings from ribs and ½ cup flour. Stir until rue. Add 1 cup wine and fill with water. Add ham rue to taste and a little chicken rue. Boil until thick and season as needed. Strain and return to pot.
  10. Serve pasties immediately with gravy and coleslaw.
  11. Can cut recipe down if wanting to make less but they freeze beautifully.
  12. If freezing, individually wrap each pasty in foil and place in a ziplock bag. Reheat at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.