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LET'S TALK, LET'S COOK by Mary Alesi My father purchased our first black and white television in winter of 1947 and we were the first one on our block. As you can guess, we had many neighbors who came to see TV. We watched Bishop Sheen, wrestling and Melton Berle. It was great fun. Except one very cold and snowy night when 9-year-old Frankie came to see TV. As he opened his mouth to say hi, we smelled the garlic he had for dinner. The garlic permeated the whole room. We liked him so much we did not have the heart to say anything for fear of hurting his feeling. The solution to this problem was to open all the windows and doors to air out the house. Frankie was never aware of this dilemma. Finally, the boy said. "Hey, you guys it is really cold in here!" (I still laugh when I remember this story.) Two-Favor Biscotti (Orange and chocolate meet together or side-by side) Ingredients: 2/3 cup butter, softened 1-1/3 cups sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 4 cups flour 6- ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped, melted and cooled 1 cup finely chopped hazelnuts 1 tablespoon finely shredded orange peel Preheat oven 375 degrees. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt: beat until combined, scraping sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Place half of the dough in another bowl. Into one half of the dough, stir the melted chocolate and ½ cup of the nuts. Into the other half of the dough, stir the orange peel and the remaining ½- cup nuts (If necessary, knead mixture to incorporate ingredients.) Divide each half of the dough into three portions. With lightly floured hands, shape each dough portion into a rope about 14 inches long. Place a rope of each color side by side on an ungreased cookie sheet. Twist ropes around each other several times. (If dough ropes crack, pat them back together.) Flatten twist slightly to a 2-inch width. Repeat with the remaining ropes, arranging twist about 4 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Bake about 25 minutes at 375 degrees. Cool 1 hour or until twists are completely cool. Put oven to 325 degrees. Transfer twist to a cutting board. Cut each twist into ½-inch slices. Place slices on the same cookie sheet. Bake of 10 minutes. Turn slices over and bake another 10 minutes. Cool/ Makes about 60 cookies. Italian Chocolate Fruit Spice Balls (this recipe has many different names) Ingredients: 1-1/2 pound flour ½ pound sugar ½ cup cocoa ½ pound shortening ¾ stick margarine ½ pound seedless raisins ½ pound chopped walnuts or pecan nuts 1 cup black coffee 1 tablespoon vanilla ½ teaspoon ground clove 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon Juice from large orange and some orange rind (there are no eggs in this recipe) Frosting Ingredients: 1-1/2 cup powder sugar 3 ¼ Tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon rum or almond extract Place all ingredients into a large bowl. Work in shortening and margarine using pastry blender or by hands. Add extract, coffee, juice and rind, nuts and raisins. Mix altogether to form a large ball. Take small pieces size of a walnut, roll and place on a grease cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes. Brush with frosting while warm to coat cookies completely. Let stand until cold and frosting is firm before storing. These cookies keep well stored in an air- tight container or frozen. Flavor improves with age. Merry Christmas and a New Year of Happiness is my wish to you all. Ciao with love, Mary Alesi, CC Member Emeritus Italian Catholic Federation, 8393 Capwell Drive, Suite 110, Oakland CA 94621 tel: 888/ICF-1924; 510/633-9058; fax: 510/633-9758; Email: info@icf.org Website designed by HYPERSPHERE