Talk of the south of Italy had me thinking about almonds. About various slightly doughy, soft centered almond biscuits collectively called pasticcini di mandorle. In essence, they are a simple combo of ground almonds and fine sugar held together by an egg. Their size and shapes are varied, some with plain tops, others cracked, piped, and at times embellished with nuts and unnaturally bright glacé fruit. Pasticcini di mandorle vary from region to region, baker to baker, oven to oven – and while *all* are delicious, it was the pizzicotti version that I was specifically thinking about.
In English, pizzicotto means a pinch, and as it happens … the dough of these almond biscuits, after being shaped into small balls is given a pinch before they are placed in the oven. The result, a somewhat odd, blobby looking biscuit marked by an irregular peak. A little quirky, dazzlingly good to eat, and simple to prepare, making these almond biscuits also reminds me of my dad.
My father had a lot of good qualities, but patience wasn’t one of them. He could tell stories, make people laugh, and melt tough souls. He was a drinker, a mega smoker, a singer, and a cheeky pot-stirrer. An Irish man, he married a gal from Bondi Beach, and together they had 5 kids within seven years. We grew up Irish- Australian Catholics and when I was young, we went to mass regularly. This practice dissolved with time, but for yearrrrrsss it was the Sunday norm. The church was always stuffed, the air – hot and dense with lofty, scented incense, and we were forever squished on rigid pews.
Although I don’t remember it, my mum tells the story (and he never denied it), that during mass my dad would routinely give one of us kids a wee pinch. The pinch – would set us off crying, providing him with a reason to exit mass under the guise of taking us out to settle. Outside the church, he would instantly light up a fag, inhaling deeply, grateful to have put some distance between himself and the priest’s sermon. He had no patience for that. To be clear, he was never an abusive dad. I know that type pinch – it’s not malicious or mean. It’s a cheeky, teasing, squeeze of the skin, akin to that delivered to the pizzicotti. One that gently coaxes and kinda says – ah c’mon now.
This version of pizzicotti is the simplest recipe around. Amongst Italians, fierce debates rage about the proportions of almond flour to sugar. Ditto the discussions over the eggs – should you use the egg yolk, white or the whole egg. Then, there is the question of the dough – should it be rested and for how long…
I go with a whole egg, and an unrested dough that is ready to eat within half an hour from starting the project. I like the addition of vanilla and almond extracts, but both are optional. I’m sure, some of the pizzicotti we’ve scoffed on past trips to Sicily and Puglia had a dash of something alcoholic, like almond wine, rum or some type of citrusy-cello. Surely, these would be good to experiment with, but I haven’t. Not yet.
As they are, these pizzicotti are dense and intensely nutty. The outside is irregular, crisp and cracked. Inside, they have a soft, slightly chewy core. They are superb with a coffee or alongside an after dinner digestivo.
PS also gluten free, so a good alternative to a mango for any GF friends!
Pinched Almond Biscuits ~ Pizzicotti
makes 24
- 300g ground almonds
- 200g icing sugar (plus extra for dusting)
- zest of a large lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
Preheat the oven to 180º C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, add the ground almonds, and icing sugar. Combine using a hand whisk, making sure any lumps in the icing sugar are broken down. Add the lemon zest, almond and vanilla extracts, and the egg . Using a fork, bring the mixture together to form a soft dough (it will be sticky).
Dust your hands with oodles of icing sugar and then scoop out a walnut sized lump of dough (if it helps, carve up the mixture into rough portions first – you want to end up with around 24 biscuits in all).
Gently roll the scooped out dough into a small ball between your palms. Using your thumb, and index finger, then gently pinch the top to form an irregular peak. Dust the ball with icing sugar and then place it on the baking tray.
Continue shaping the rest of the dough into balls, placing them (well spaced ) on the baking tray as you go.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown underneath, cracked, crisp with just a hint of gold (almost nude) on the top.
