Making tarallini

 Tarallini are Italian crackers, similar to bread sticks and pretzels in texture. They are with a circumference of 3.8 to 7.8 cm (1.5 to 3 inches) and can be sweet or savory. They are often accompanied by a glass of wine. Once baked, can be stored in an airtight container for several months.

Some weeks ago I bought a small amount of them at a local supermarket and I was immediately sold. Since I prefer eating things in which I know what the ingredients are, the idea to make my own came naturally. Searching the Internet for the right recipe I could only conclude that they consist of flour, olive oil, white wine and seasonings. Beyond these, everything else is experimenting. So experimented I. Here's what it resulted in.

For this recipe (30 to 40 tarallini ) you will need:

• 2 cups of plain flour (you can use any type, really)
• half a cup olive oil
• half a cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• seasoning of your choice - I used chilli

Preparation:

Put the flour in a mixing bowl. Mix the seasonings and salt with the wine and olive oil in another bowl. Let the salt dissolve and pour the liquid into the flour. Mix very well until a ball of dough is formed. Knead the dough for 15 minutes by hand, cover it with foil and let it sit for half an hour.

While the dough sits, prepare a large pot and your baking dish, lined with paper. Put 2 liters/ 0,5 gallons of water to boil. Add a liiiiitle bit of salt in it, since we already salted the dough. Prepare a big kitchen towel and a slotted spoon next to the pot. Preheat the oven to 200 C/ 392 F.

Once you have all that and half an hour has passed, it;s time to form the tarallini. You can see that it's pretty easy - you cut a ball from the dough, make it into a thick stick, cut the stick into pieces, make each piece into a smaller, thinner stick again and form in into a circle. Basically you repeat this process until all the tarallini are done. 

When you have made about 10, put them one by one into the boiling water and wait until they come to the surface. Take them out with the slotted spoon and lay them on them towel so they remaining water can be absorbed. (see the pictures below)

When you have boiled all the pieces, put them on the baking paper and bake for approx. 30 minutes, or until golden on top. Let them cool and store in an airtight container. Enjoy with a glass of white wine!

Potato and spinach balls with yogurt sauce

For approximately 20 balls you need:

8-10 potatoes, peeled

400 g./ 14 oz fresh spinach

half cup plain flour

2 eggs

2 teaspoons of oil

grated parmesan cheese

basil

salt

black pepper

other seasoning of your choice

For the sauce:

300 g. / 10 oz creamy Greek yogurt

garlic

chopped dill

black pepper

salt

Preparation:

First, cut the peeled potatoes and put them in boiling water. 

While they are boiling, clean and cut into small pieces the spinach. Prepare a frying pan on the heat and pour the oil in it. Put the spinach in the pan for about 5 minutes until it gets soft. 

Boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes, take them out and make them into a puree. Mix the puree with the chopped, soft spinach, add the 2 eggs, the flour, the parmesan and the seasonings. Mix it very well and add more flour, if needed. You need the consistency of a bread dough. 

Then, with wet hand, make balls with the size of a walnut or a little bit bigger. Line the dish with baking paper and put them in. Bake until they become hard and golden on top, about 35 minutes, depending on your oven.

For the sauce you just need to mix the ingredients in a bowl and enjoy with the balls.

Apple chips

Here is an idea for a healthy substitution to the fried potato chips. 

When you've baked something, just don't turn off the oven. You just need apples and some free time!

Slice as many apples as want (preferably more than 10, because they shrink in size, once baked), lay then on a sheep of baking paper and bake them at 60 C/140 F until crispy and golden. You will need to flip them over once. Depending on your oven it should take around 2 hours. After they are ready you can sprinkle them with cinnamon while warm and let them cool before tasting.

As you can see, I usually bake 3 layers of apples in the oven, which are enough for two people for a week. 

Enjoy it with a good movie!