The Sparkle and the Real

I know it's the season of "fa la la la" but I've been craving real food. Real food is pasta with maybe a meat and some vegetables. It goes into one pot. I'm sated. It's easy. Spicy Italian chicken sausages for heat, greens for reality and pasta for pleasure.

I managed a little bit of sparkle with my first batch of cookies (and so far my only batch of cookies - and yes, they're gone). They're Citrus Italian Knot cookies - just a tad sweet. Puffy and melting in your mouth. Cookies don't always need to go crunch. A touch of sparkle and a lot of pliable - and easy.

My sister and I (mostly my sister) sold a home, emptied a house and my last drive home from the townhome was filled with glimpses of 26 years of baptisms, birthdays, holidays and I was able to give Thanksgiving. For all those years.

Because we did not have enough to do, we brought this into our home.

He was found in the woods - Mom and Dad were feral and he is not. I think. I hope. Say hello to Luce. Which is what we call him when he is adorable and sweet. When he wakes up from a nap his whiskers are askew and his fur sticks up and we call him Einstein.

When he is pouncing on my head and jumping into the soup (gives a new meaning to "Beautiful Soup"), he is called Binky-Boy.

Pippin is not thrilled. (In case you were wondering, not every pampered house cat wants a new friend.) Four days after his arrival, Paul and I left for Iowa for a production of By Candlelight at Bettendorf High School. I got to be a visiting playwright for four days and Kirsten got to stay home and referee Pippin and Luce. After four days, Kirsten declared she couldn't possibly be a "crazy cat lady" (as was previously feared) because it was too exhausting.

I came home grateful for having time with teens and theatre (it's coming home for me).

During the candlelight vigil, "I Think it's Going to Rain Today" was played in the background. And after the final scene, the names of all those "lost" in 9/11 were scrolled on screens as Leonard Cohen sang "Hallelujah." The cast walked on. Nobody applauded. You could hear a pin drop. And the cast learned that sometimes silence is better than applause. It was "the Real."

Back home with very mad Pippin and the little Tazmanian Devil, Feliway became my best friend. It says it calms cats.

And on alternate Sundays it does. And when it doesn't - there's always pasta. It's not really a recipe if you're Italian - you throw these things together all the time - but it is always real. Stable. Substantial.

PASTA AND ACCESSORIES: Chicken Sausage, Bow-Ties and Spinach - serves 4-6 (in my home - 4)
little bit of olive oil
little bit of garlic and shallots or onions or all
1 pound spicy chicken sausage - cut into 1/2"-1" rounds
1/4-1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
8 cups spinach or Kale or Swiss Chard
1 pound bow-ties or favorite pasta (rotini would hug the accessories)
Save some pasta water
Herbs - your choice

Cook pasta according to directions. (Boom! Done!)
Heat olive oil and quickly saute your aromatics (garlic, shallots, onion) until soft. Add chicken sausage and and brown on both sides. Add broth or wine and stir to remove brown bits. Add spinach and stir till wilted.
Drain pasta saving a little pasta water. Add pasta to large skillet. Throw in fresh herbs at the end of cooking (parsley, basil, thyme) or dried Italian herbs at the beginning with the sausage. If dry, moisten with pasta water. Serve.

I've never been a fan of chicken sausage. Gold 'n Plump sent me a huge package in the spring - all natural, locally grown, family farms and I agreed to try them. I've always loved turkey sausage (although as I write this, I hear a specific Italian blogger largely singing "nooooo" in the distance) but chicken sausages have eluded me. They have improved in the last ten years (the last time I tried one). I will be writing more about this - which will be my last "gifted" blog. I was surprised and enamored by the chicken sausage - not greasy - but not pasty and tough and bland as the previous ones I had. Do you know you're not eating pork? Absolutely. Do you care? No. (I still hear a certain someone crying "noooo" in the wilderness.)

And because 'tis the season, I did want a touch of sparkle. I love these because they are not sweet (hence the sugar-sparkle). And the touch of citrus is welcome in winter. Find them here. Because there are times you want sparkle. Without being blinded by it.

First snow. It's December. It's Minnesota. It's real.

Twinkle lights because everyone needs a little sparkle. It helps with what's real.

Pignoli Cookies, Citrus Cookies and Italian Knot Cookies

An Italian Cookie Christmas... Pine nuts, almond paste and citrus make these 3 cookies very Sicilian. The ingredients are so sunny and bright with flavor, they shake up winter.

Pignoli Cookie


I did consider doing a post using grapefruit, cottage cheese and raw carrots. It is possible that your eyes may glaze over if you see one more preparation that includes "cream butter and sugar and add eggs mixing well." But 'tis the season of sweets and during the holidays Italians pull out all the stops. If we're putting together a Cassata, we're contemplating the wisdom of adding panforte to our to-do list. Then there's Ciao Chow Linda's boozy Baba Au Rhum or Proud Italian Cook's Limoncello Tiramsu or What's Cookin' Italian Style's Lemon Polenta Biscotti. You see the dilemma - Italians typically only do sweets on special occasions. But when they do - they do it right. I'm surprised there isn't a Feast of the Seven Dolci!

Even if you're "cookied-out," note these sweets for 2012. The pignoli cookies are classic - delicate almond-flavored puffs studded with pine nuts. The Italian knot cookies are soft, pliable, citrus billows often seen at weddings. And the "S" cookies made with olive oil instead of butter pair very well with Prosecco! Which is my best ringing endorsement for that Sicilian cookie.

Pignoli Cookies (from Tastes of Italia)
For fun: You might also want to try Mister Meatball's "Best Pignoli Cookie"
(makes 30 1-inch cookies)
1 8-ounce jar of almond paste (do not use almond paste that come in tubes - it has a different consistency)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
3 egg whites (keep 1 egg white separate)
1 cup pignoli (pine) nuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease baking sheet very well (even better, grease both sides of parchment paper and put it on baking sheet. These cookies bake better if there are no edges on your baking sheet. Cream your almond paste and granulated sugar. Add the confectioners sugar and 2 egg whites and beat until smooth. The dough will be wet and sticky. You can refrigerate to make it a bit easier to work with - I grease my hands. In a small bowl, beat the last egg white. Pour pignoli nuts in another bowl. Grease your hands and pinch off 1 inch of dough (can pinch off larger for fewer cookies). Roll into a lumpy ball and then roll in beaten egg white and then in the pignoli nuts. Place on cookie sheet - two inches apart. They will spread!

For the small 1-inch balls - bake about 12-15 minutes. Larger ones may need a few more minutes. Watch carefully that they do not brown. This are not a crispy cookie - they should be soft and chewy. Cool on wire rack. These are the fussiest of the recipes. But if you sit down and have them with a cup of coffee or an amaretto, they truly are a taste of Italy.

"S" Cookies - 24 cookies
Leave these plain, add sprinkles or brush with a citrus icing (1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, 2-4 tablespoons of milk, 1/8 teaspoon orange extract)

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
3/4 teaspoon orange extract
3/4 teaspoon lemon extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease your cooking sheets. In a medium bowl, sift (I don't sift) your flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, beat your olive oil and sugar until a bit fluffy. Add your eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add your extracts and beat for 45-60 seconds. Add in your flour - about 1/4 at a time and mix well after each addition.

Guess what? The dough will be sticky! Flour your hands and pinch off about an inch. Form into a ball, then a log and then turn your log into an "S." Put on cookie sheet. Repeat - placing your S-dough 2-3 inches apart. If using sprinkles, sprinkle now! Bake for 8-10 minutes. (You also don't want these to brown.) Cool for 1 minute in pan and then transfer to wire rack. If using, brush with icing. Let cool completely and store in airtight containers. These do keep well - at least a week - but they never last longer than 48 hours here (and I hide them!).

Italian Knot Cookies (makes 24) (I think at this point the camera lens was smudged with dough)

The orange scent while baking is a walk is a heavenly bonus. As with the "S" cookies - simply sprinkle with sugar before baking or add confectioner's icing after baking. Or leave plain and have them for breakfast. 

3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter - softened and cut into pieces (or in my case - blobs)

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

zest of 1/2 orange

juice of 1/2 orange

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 baking pans. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar and mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Add the zest and juice and briefly mix. Add the flour in 3 additions and mix well. If dough is too sticky, refrigerate for an hour (mine wasn't).

Pinch off a two-inch piece of dough. Form into a ball and then a log - about 8 inches long and  form into a lose knot or simply cross the ends. Space them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes (just until the edges look like they are browning). Can cool in pan. But I cool on a wire rack after a few minutes. 

And an oldie-but-goodie from last year - Ricotta Cookies - creamy, snowy-sweet. Find them here.

And Orange Whiskey Cookies. Also find them here.

If you're in the kitchen a lot consider listening to Holiday Spectacular form This American Life. (It came to me from Brian Ferry's blog The Blue Hour and if you don't know it - you should.) Your baking time will fly by and I am sure everything I baked tasted better because the cookie dough also listened to the stories.

I will be stopping by all of you to wish you soft lights in the solstice, Buon Natale, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukkah and for the politically-correct among us, you may like the University of Minnesota's mandatory greeting "Happy Winter Celebration." 

May soft hugs, almonds, citrus, and treats be yours during this season of sweets. (And what's an extra 2 pounds among friends?)

All that glitters is sugar

I love glitter during the holidays. It's the dark days that make me add sparkle to the home. It's one of the few times during the year that I end my days with shining sugars. Below is sugar in all its glory - in a creamy-smooth cookie, a chocolate "salami" roll and a delicate pignoli cookie.


Whenever I direct a show, I often find some place for a character to throw glitter into the light. At the end of A Midsummer Night's Dream I always had the fairies exit leaving glitter in their wake as they bless the home of Theseus and Hippolyta. The visual enchants. I am sympathetic to those who vacuum the theatre after me. They must hate me. Glitter clings. Glitter does not go darkly into that good night.
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It's payback time. Paul and I brought home a glittery garland for the stairs. The glitter is everywhere - on the cat, in my hair but somehow as we approach the solstice - I don't mind.


And then there's the sparkling sugar. It too is everywhere. I really should get a handle on that. I am not a cookie-froster. I put sparkle sugar on most cookies before baking and call it a day. These Italian knot cookies do not need sugar. They're brightened by the citrus. They offer a buttery rich, creamy, melt-away glimpse of all good things. But a little extra sugar glistens. 'tis the season to glisten.
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Italian Knot Cookie Recipe - makes 24 cookies

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• zest of half an orange
• juice of half an orange

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two baking pans. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Cream butter. Add sugar and mix well. Add zest and orange juice and beat well. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each one. Add flour mixture slowly and mix well.
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If dough is too sticky, put in plastic and refrigerate for an hour (mine wasn't). Pinch off two-inch pieces of dough. Form into a ball and then roll into a rope - about eight inches long. Form a lose knot with the rope. Place on baking pan separating them by 1-1/2 inches. Sugar-glitter if using.
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Bake for fifteen minutes. (Just as the edges start to turn brown.) Can cool in pan. If icing, brush with confectioner's icing while warm.
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On Facebook, I posted that I was making "chocolate salami." "Yuck" were some of the replies. And my answer to that is, "Oh ye, of little faith."

I have wanted to make chocolate salami for years but all the recipes included raw eggs - that were never cooked or even warmed. Even though my eggs are organic, I thought it risky. Looking through an old Tastes of Italia Magazine, I found this recipe. Dark chocolate and almonds. I increased the cocoa (and used good cocoa) and the almond bits.
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The result is a rich confection not unlike a Perugina Dark Chocolate and Almond bar. (An unfortunate habit I picked up years ago in Europe that continues today. It's definitely worth the calories.) As is this not-so-yucky chocolate "salami" roll.



Use the best quality cocoa you can afford. The cocoa can make or break this dish. This recipe was adapted from Tastes of Italia. Prepare this the day before so it can set in the fridge over night.
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Chocolate Log Ingredients
8 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli)
2 tablespoons butter, softened (can use Earth Balance soy butter)
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
6 ounces crushed amaretto cookies (for a recipe, click here)
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup crushed almonds (put sliced almonds in a baggie and crush with a mallet)
5 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar for finishing
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Chocolate Log Preparation
In a large bow combine crushed amaretti cookies, crushed almonds, amaretto and almond extract. Mix well.
Put your chocolate, butter, sugar and cocoa on the top of a double boiler.
Under gently simmering water, stir until melted.
Slowly pour the melted chocolate into the crushed cookie mixture. Mix well.
If the mixture seems too dry, add a few drops of water.
Put the cookie mixture onto a large piece of wax paper and form into a log (about 2 inches high and 12-14 inches long).
Cover log well with wax paper (tape it if necessary).
Put the chocolate log into the refrigerator and let it sit over night.
When ready to serve, put chocolate log onto a plate and sift powdered sugar over it.
Slice into 1 inch rounds and serve.
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I used Sharffen Berger cocoa. It is pricey but periodically goes on sale.
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If you don't want intense sugar and are feeling a wee bit nutty, you cannot go wrong with a pignoli cookie. Airy, delicate and addicting. It doesn't sparkle. It gleans. Their one drawback is - they don't keep very well. So sorry, you'll need to eat them within a day or two. It's a hardship, but you can do it. We finished these the day they were baked.
The dough is very sticky but having lopsided cookies is part of their charm! Enjoy them with coffee or espresso. It's like taking a break in a small cafe in Italy.
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Pignoli Cookie Recipe - makes 15 2-inch cookies or 30 1-inch cookies
1 8-oz jar of almond paste (do not use the tubes - the almond paste has a different consistency)
1/3 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 confectioners sugar
3 egg whites (1 egg white separated)
1 cup pignoli nuts
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Foil and really grease your baking sheet. (The cookies work better in a baking pan without edges.) Cream your almond paste and granulated sugar. Add the confectioners sugar and 2 egg whites. Beat till smooth. Dough will be very wet and sticky. Some people refrigerate it to make it easier to form into cookies. I grease and flour my hands and go to work.
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Pour pignoli nuts in bowl. Whisk your egg white in a bowl. Do grease and flour your hands. Pull off 1-2 inch piece of dough. Roll in beaten egg white and then in pignoli nuts. Put on greased pan. Cookies will spread so put them 2 inches apart. Repeat till all the dough is used.
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Bake 15-30 minutes (my large ones took 18 minutes) till edges are browned. Do not let the cookie brown. It will become hard and crisp and pignoli cookies should be pliable and chewy.
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We also ate our vegetables. In the most delectable ways.

Bagna Cauda with vegetables - coming soon.

Marinated vegetable antipasto platter - coming soon.
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I just finished a ten-minute play and am in the midst of editing. Mythajawabi takes place on the Staten Island Ferry and is an odd, modern retelling of Ulysses and the sirens. I have no idea where in the dark recesses of my brain that came from. I will be getting it out tomorrow and putting it on my website. I dwell in the land of sugar, glitter and myth adaptation. As always - happily making deadline, but need to offer thanks for glittering sweetnesses that came my way.

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Quay Po Cooks left me this lovely award. She has a delightful blog and writes from her heart. I do hope you visit her - you will find something tasty waiting.

As someone who's never been particularly stylish, this gave me a huge smile. Thank-you so much!

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And from The Mom Chef, I received this.
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Mom Chef tests recipes from magazines - and magazines I love. She gives an honest take of the level of difficulty of the recipe as well as evaluations from her and her family (which often vary). I do hope you visit these bloggers and get to know them.

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You are of course supposed to pick bloggers and pass it on - but after years of directing and having to "pick" actors for plays, I don't have the heart to choose. Especially in this heart-felt season. As is my habit, if you are a follower, please pick up the award if you desire. It is my thanks for you spending time with me in this season of "never enough time."

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And bake a cookie. End the winter solstice with a touch of glittery-sweetness.