Piparelli are crunchy and delicious Sicilian biscotti, created in the city of Messina. They look similar to other Italian cookies as Cantucci, but they have small, significant differences. Piparelli are made with two simple, but precious, Sicilian ingredients: almonds and honey orange (or orange blossoms). Candied fruit and a mixture of spices (clove, cinnamon and nutmeg) complete the key ingredients of this very luscious specialty.
Seemingly simple, these cookies have elaborate preparations that require a lot of patience and skill in the process. After mixing together the ingredients (in addition to those already mentioned, sugar, flour, lard, fat used in antiquity) is added to the flour. The dough rests for 24 hours, after which they are cut and placed in trays for the second cooking step in a moderate oven.
Introduced by the Arabs who brought Sicily many spices and sweet specialties, the piparelli are a traditional dessert all over the Island, usually eaten with the excellent Sicilian dessert wine such as Malvasia.
The surface is golden brown and the dough can be easily distinguished. Color and flavor are rustic just as almonds that are left whole in the mix. The scent is very intense, unmistakable thanks to the mixture of spices.
I suggest buying them in Italian specialty stores because the recipe has a high cost due to the quality ingredients and, above all, to the long stages of cooking. In any case, if you want to try to make them at home, this basic recipe is one of those classics preserved in the notebooks of the Sicilian grandmothers (I only changed white flour and sugar with those unrefined).
Lajcheddu 2019 by Tenute Tondini is our wine pairing: “The sip is sweet, addictive but not cloying. Supported by an invigorating and balanced texture of freshness and flavor, it gives a persistent aftertaste of candied citrus fruits and oriental spices.” For the full recipe click here.
© Ph. Piero Pardini – Piero Pardini Wine Reviews – The Wolf Post
Ingredients
- 500 g whole wheat flour
- 150 g raw sugar
- 250 g honey
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp grated orange zest
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 150 g softened butter
- water to taste
- 300 g toasted almonds
Method:
- Mix the flour with the rest of the ingredients, except for the butter, water and almonds. When the mixture is blended, add the butter, cut into pieces and a trickle of water.
- When the mixture reaches a firm consistency, add the almonds and cut the long strands. Arrange them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for about 15-20 minutes at 180 ° C (350 ° F / gas 4).
