​Christmas is almost here which means it’s time for baking, baking and more baking! I bake every few days during the month of December because homemade sweets make for perfect gifts for pretty much everyone, plus it’s something I genuinely love doing. It’s a win-win because I am doing something I love, and the recipients get to enjoy something homemade that they might otherwise not have access to, or think to buy for themselves.
 
As I now lead Zoom cooking classes, I have been receiving requests for private classes that are gluten free. While I don’t strictly follow a GF diet, as I come up with menus for these classes, I realize I do eat a lot of GF foods, without realizing that they actually even are! And when it comes to sweets, one of the best ways to bake GF treats is by using flours made from nuts. It’s a delicious swap using nut four in place of traditional all purpose white flour. In addition to Amaretti, which we recently shared with you our recipe, one other nutty biscuit that I love are ricciarelli!
 
Hailing from Tuscany, this particularly recipe can be found in my first cookbook, The Five Ingredient Italian Cookbook, and I’m happy to share it with you now. This recipe takes just 30 minutes or less to prepare, is kid friendly, family friendly, and gluten free, and even dairy free. The prep time is just some 20 minutes at most, with a bit of inactive time allowing the biscuits to rest.  Baked in just 15 - 20 minutes or so, each batch yields about 22 – 24 cookies, the perfect gift-giving amount.
 
In the almond growing area of Siena, in Tuscany, ricciarelli are enjoyed throughout the year, but particularly at Christmas time. Both soft and chewy, these macaroon-like biscuit are the ideal gluten-free treat without the guilt. Traditionally they are shaped into a diamond, and you can attempt to shape them with wet hands, or simply just scoop out some dough into small mounds instead. While the original recipe is made using almonds, you can follow the exact same recipe and swap out the almonds for hazelnuts, pecans or even peeled pistachios. 

Ingredients
2 ½ cups toasted slivered almonds
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 cup confectioners sugar, divided, plus extra
2 large egg whites
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
 
Instructions

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, add almonds, zest and ½ cup of the confectionary sugar and grind until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining ½ cup of the sugar and continue whisking until stiff peaks form.
4. Fold in the almond mixture and vanilla until combined. Drop several tablespoons of the mixture onto the parchment paper and with wet hands construct a diamond shape. Dust with additional confectioners sugar. Let cookies stand for at least 1 hour to dry out.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake cookies for 15 – 20 minutes or until corners have darkened and the top has cracked. The center will be soft. Dust with confectionary sugar.

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​As the name itself implies, the Caprese cake is originally from the island of Capri. It is a dessert that, like the Pastiera, the Babà and the Sfogliatelle, is a real symbol of the Campania region. Unlike some other desserts, its origins are not so ancient. In fact, it seems that the caprese cake was invented in 1920 by chef Carmine Di Fiore, who mistakenly baked an almond and chocolate cake without adding the flour. And a delicious classic was born.
 
A delightful dessert that is best served simply with a dusting of powdered sugar, or a simple dollop of whipped cream,  it’s a simple dessert with a priceless flavor and soft texture. Naturally gluten-free, this cake has the added advantage of being quick and easy to make.
 
To make the caprese cake, start breaking up the chocolate and melting it in a double-boiler or in the microwave. Be extra careful if you melt it in the microwave as it can go from perfectly melted to burnt in a matter of seconds. Let the chocolate cool. Add the butter, sugar and salt in the mixer bowl, work it for a few minutes to obtain a well-whipped mixture. Alternatively you can do this step by using a wooden spoon, though it will require a bit more elbow grease.
 
With the mixer on low, add the room temperature eggs to the butter mixture, followed by the melted chocolate and almond flour. Before combining any of the ingredient, make sure that the previous one has been well blended. Continue mixing the batter until the mixture is smooth. Grease and flour a springform pan of about 8 – 10 inches in diameter and pour the mixture inside, leveling it well with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
 
Bake it in a preheated oven at 340 ° and cook for 30 - 35 minutes. When cooked, take the cake out of the oven, let it rest completely cook before removing it from the pan. Decorate the caprese cake with a generous sprinkling of icing sugar before serving.
 
An alternative to almond flour is using almonds that have been crushed in the food processor to a fine powder. Both options work well, but almond flour skips the steps and is just a little bit easier to prepare. This cake does not have any leavening agents (no baking powder), so it is not a very high cake, particularly is you use a 10-inch pan. Rest assured, it will not rise very much, but you did nothing wrong and cake is supposed to be that way. 

​Caprese Cake
Yields 1 8-inch cake
 
Ingredients
5 oz 70% dark chocolate
8 ½ tablespoons butter (at room temperature)
½  granulated sugar
3 large eggs (at room temperature)
1 ¾ cup almond flour
¼ teaspoon salt
Optional: powdered sugar
 
Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 340 degrees. Grease and butter an 8 inch (you can also use a 10 inch, but cake will be flatter) spring form pan and set it aside. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Set aside to cool off.
2. With the mixer on medium, beat the butter and sugar until well blended.
3. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well.
4. With the mixer still on low, add the melted chocolate and mix well.
5. Add the almond flour and mix well until fully incorporated and you don’t see any traces of white batter.
6. Add batter to prepared spring form pan and bake for 35 – 40 minutes. Because every oven is different, start looking at the cake at the 30 minute mark. Insert a clean toothpick and if the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is cooked.

Remove from the oven and cool completely before removing from the pan. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

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​Ideal for breakfast or as an after dinner treat, we’re officially heading towards panettone season. You’re unlikely to find any household in Italy during the month of December that doesn’t have a panettone in it. It’s seems to be the breakfast of choice during the month of December. Panettone is the sweet symbol of the Christmas period, and it was born "by chance" in Milan during the holiday season.
 
The cake, or sweet bread as some may wish to call it instead, is made from a mixture of flour, yeast, butter and sugar with the addition of salt, egg yolks, sultanas and candied fruit in pieces. A few are the theories of how this specialty bread was created, and as with many other dishes, the precise origins are uncertain, but here are two theories.
 
This is the most accredited legend about the origin of panettone. The protagonist is Ludovico il Moro,  a lord in Milan, in the year 1495. It’s Christmas Eve, and folks are gathered around colossal tables, ready to celebrate with a lavish meal. In the kitchens, the cooks are all engaged in the preparation of dishes and delicacies that are very popular with diners.
 
They are so busy that the head cook asks a young man named Toni, a 12-year-old boy, to supervise the baking of the large donut-like sweets in the oven. What is slowly rising in the ovens in Palazzo Reale is the dessert to be served at the end of the meal, and must be perfect to conclude the Christmas Eve celebrations worthily.
 
But something goes wrong. Poor Toni, tired after days of intense work helping in the kitchen, falls asleep. A burning smell begins to emerge. The boy sleeps only a few minutes, but they are decisive for blowing up all the donuts, which all burn.
 
The boy then, frightened by the reaction of the head cook and the diners still eager for food, does not know how to justify himself. Until he remembers the dessert he had prepared for himself and his friends using the leftovers of the donut dough to which he had subsequently added eggs, butter, candied fruit and raisins.
 
So he decides to risk everything and offer it to the head chef as a dessert for the guests of the Duke, lord of Milan.
 
The head cook, at first doubtful, is literally entranced by the scent and surprised by the domed shape of the cake that he decides to serve it to the diners. The Duchess tastes it first. She opens her mouth, chews slowly and then declares: "Excellent!" And all the guests agree with her. The dessert is enjoyed by all accompanied by good wine.
 
The Duke at this point congratulates the head cook who, however, does not reveal that it was Toni, who prepared it.
But lies, as we know, have short legs, and soon the truth spreads in Milan. And on everyone's lips, the dessert served to the Duke is called “el pan de Toni” in the Milanese dialect. Years pass and the recipe crosses the court walls, spreading throughout Italy, changing from “pan de toni” to panettone.
 
Another legend about the origin of panettone sees a nun as the protagonist: Sister Ughetta, was the head cook in a Milanese convent. She wanted to bake something special for Christmas, so she thought of making a cake for the other sisters using the few ingredients available in the monastery pantry.
 
She added eggs and sugar, candied fruit and raisins to the usual bread dough. To bless that Christmas bread she drew a cross on it with the knife. The nuns love it and once again, in Milan, word of mouth was incredibly fast. The Milanese began asking the nuns in the convent to bake this special bread for them to take home for the upcoming Christmas holiday.
 
Whichever theory you believe was the invention of panettone, be sure to pick one, or several, up for the upcoming holiday. They make wonderful hostess gifts and Italians find it practical to bring one when visiting friends or family. Some of my own preferred brands include Tre Marie and the classic Bauli. 

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​I love Italian canned tuna packed in olive oil. In fact, I love it so much, my pantry is never without at least 5 – 6 cans. I use it in salads, in pastas, even added to a red sauce. But as with anything, once fried, it tastes even better!
 
Now, I recognize that this recipe may sound a bit strange and very unique, but trust me when I say, these are addictive. Hot and right out of the oil, with just a sprinkle of salt on them is the best way to enjoy them. These are great as appetizers, or they go perfectly as snack food, such as game day munchies. This is essentially a meatball, with the exception that we’re using canned tuna instead of ground meat. The key, as with any recipe really, is making sure you use high quality ingredients. You will want to use tuna packed in oil for this, and not the watery one. The parmesan should be freshly grated and not the one you find in the green can on grocery shelfs! In fact, that shouldn’t be in your kitchen to begin with. Next is the breadcrumbs. I get mines at a local Italian bakery. You could also make your own by drying out some bread in an oven that’s turned off, then grind in the food processor. Like the parmesan in the “tube,” breadcrumbs that have been sitting on store shelfs in cardboard containers just can’t compete with fresh ones.
 
Next, I can’t stress enough the importance of the Italian bread needed for soaking. You don’t want to use anything that’s super soft, like American bread, and nothing super crusty, like a French baguette. Try to find a good quality Italian sliced bread, like a round bread typically found in Italian bakeries.
 
Arm yourself with great ingredients, and you will not be disappointed. 

Allow tuna to drip for a bit in a colander. 

Parsley and garlic add so much flavor to these, don't skimp! 

Don't forget the freshly grated Parmeggiano cheese. Can never have too much! 

Add the tuna, and it's time to get your hands in the mixture! 

Shape them up into little football shaped domes! 

Ready for the fryer! 

Tuna Fritters
Ingredients
3 – 4 slices Italian bread
3 (5 – 5.5 oz) Italian tuna packed in olive oil, drained 
½ cup bakery-style breadcrumbs
½ - ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3 – 4 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 – 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Vegetable oil for frying
 
 
Directions

1. In a medium bowl, add the bread slices and soak them in water for 10 minutes. Drain the water and with your hands, squeeze as much of the water out as posisble. Using your hands or a knife, break up the bread so it’s crumbly and broken up. Add it to a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the canned tuna to a colander and drain the oil. (I reserve the oil and add it to a salad or other use as it’s very flavorful.)
3. To the bread bowl, add the drained tuna, and all the rest of the ingredients.
4. Using clean hands, mix everything together well until all the ingredients are well incorporated and you have a mixture that resembles that of uncooked meatballs/meatloaf.
5. Shape the mixture to resemble fritters (see image) or small patties and place them on a clean dish.
6. Heat several inches of vegetable oil in a frying pan. Fry the fritters for several minutes per side, until golden brown (see image.) Drain on paper towels. Serve hot alongside some lemon wedges, if desired, or spicy marinara sauce for dipping.

How delicious to these look?? 

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