So we’re in Naples, and the rain starts pouring down. We look for cover, and there it is, a big canvas awning. Over a Taralli Caldi stand.
When it’s a bit cold, your eyes focus on “Caldi”, hot. So we peek in, and there are these little bagle-like thingies in a glass box, heated (you can tell from the steaminess of it all).
I told Martha to buy some. Surprisingly, she did. They were cheap, something like three for a Euro. They were good, too. It was as if they spiced up a bagel with some fennel seeds and olive oil, then baked the ever-loving crap outta it. Yes, these things are dry like pretzels. Folks from the area use them as teething rings. For their babies, one presumes.
Anyway, home in California we tried making some Taralli. We used a recipe from the book Campania Region – An Italian Food Legacy. You can see the results over there to the left.
They aren’t hard to make. These weren’t as good as the ones we had in Naples, but weren’t bad for the first effort. We threw some red pepper flakes in there as well. You can’t hurt anything with red pepper flakes I figure.
Then we made a rope outta the dough and tried to form them into circles. They came out at various thicknesses and sizes.
We are not good at forming taralli. But we pushed on anyway.
Like bagels, taralli are cooked twice. First you boil them until they rise to the surface, and then you put them into a 350 degree oven for a half hour or so until they get brown.
Then you take them out and eat them. Really, they’re much better warm. And they go decently with wine, especially if you need your palate cleansed between tastes.
I’ve since found out that there are many ways to make taralli. Over at Babbo, Gina DiPalma makes Taralli al Peperoncino with pepper flakes and vino. Kyle Phillips makes taralli with honey and yeast. And here’s a recipe and historical information on The Taralli of Gambatesa. Kyle’s recipe for sweet taralli is below.
And to top it all off, Ms. Adventures in Italy brings you up close and personal to a Pugliese Tarallificio
Wow, that’s a lot of variation. That’s what’s interesting about being a culinary traveler. There’s stuff out there that’s evolved so much you find countless variations to ping your palate into new worlds. Mmmmm.
Kyle Phillips’ Taralli
Prep Time: 6 hours
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound white flour
- 1/4 cup or slightly more honey, depending on its sweetness
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 15 grams (2/3 ounce) baker’s yeast (of the kind that’s a moist cake, and sold in supermarkets)
- Salt
Preparation:
Begin by placing a half cup of flour in a bowl. Crumble the yeast into it, and add enough tepid water to make a fairly soft loaf. Cover with a cloth and let the loaf rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until it doubles in volume.
Next, mix together on your work surface 3 1/2 cups of flour, a pinch of salt, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 eggs, the honey, the starter loaf, and a little warm water. Knead the dough energetically for a few minutes, then pinch off so many egg-sized pieces and roll them into 3-inch snakes on a floured work surface. Pinch the ends together to make rings, put them on a lightly floured pan, cover them with a cloth, and put them in a warm draft-free place to rise for 4 hours.
When they have risen, preheat the oven to 360 F (180C), and bring a large pot of unsalted water to boil. Lightly grease a cookie tin with the remaining oil. Dunk the taralli in the boiling water, and as soon as they rise to the surface remove them with a slotted spoon and arrange them on the tin. Bake them for 15-20 minutes, or until golden.
They’ll keep quite well, for a couple of months in a well-sealed box. You could also substitute 1/2 cup sugar for the honey if you wish.
There’s another version of taralli that can be dipped in wine: use the same ingredients called for above, but substitute 1/4 cup sugar for the honey, and add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of whatever liqueur you like (something sweet and aromatic I would think), and 1/2 teaspoon powdered cinnamon.
Then, once the taralli have risen, fry them in hot oil till half-done, remove them to absorbent paper, incise a ring in the upper surface (what you end up with will look like a circular two-lane road), and finish frying them.
These should be served immediately, as they don’t keep well, with a sweet dessert wine such as Moscato di Pantelleria or sweet Marsala.