Bistefani Krumiri Classic Biscuits (300g)

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Nothing new, but the secret is in the proportions and, of course, in their iconic shape. If you are not familiar with them, let me introduce you to a quintessential krumiro: three inches or so in length, dark, golden color, ridged surface, shaped like a wide-set V letter or, according to who knows best, like the iconic handlebar mustache of Vittorio Emanuele II, first King of Italy. And it makes a lot of sense because the royal had died the same year Rossi and his friends came out with krumiri in an alcoholic daze: tell me you cannot picture a bunch of merrily intoxicated men trying to shape a cookie like the mustache of a just-deceased king… Krumiri were created to be the ultimate dunking cookie: coffee, tea, milk, wine, they are perfect with everything (Photo: Oxana Denezhkina/Dreamstime) Cook the naan at the bottom of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and crisp on the outside, fluffy in the middle. Domenico Rossi first developed the recipe in 1878 and the best 'krumiri' are still darkish in color and contain no preservatives whatsoever - www.krumirirossi.it. Many say they were named after a popular liqueur of the time, but another more than possible explanation derives from a news report of the period. Leftover curry paste? Mix a little with natural yoghurt for a speedy dip to eat with poppadoms. Or add some to a tray of roasted veg for beautiful flavour.

Niente di nuovo, ma il segreto sta nelle proporzioni e, naturalmente, nella loro forma iconica. Se non li conoscete, lasciate che vi presenti un krumiro per antonomasia: circa tre centimetri di lunghezza, colore scuro e dorato, superficie rigata, forma di una lettera a V larga o, secondo chi ne sa di più, come gli iconici baffi a manubrio di Vittorio Emanuele II, primo Re d’Italia. E ha molto senso perché il sovrano era morto lo stesso anno in cui Rossi e i suoi amici hanno proposto i krumiri in stato di ebbrezza alcolica: ditemi se non riuscite a immaginare un gruppo di uomini allegramente ubriachi che cercano di modellare un biscotto come i baffi di un re appena morto… If you haven’t got any mango chutney, try apricot jam and some spices from your store cupboard, such as ground cumin or coriander. Whether true or not the creation of Signor Rossi was immediately popular and his entrepreneurial talent was soon rewarded with a bronze medal at the Universal Exhibition of Turin in 1884. Mix the butter with the powdered sugar and egg yolks, then add the flour and cornmeal, a pinch of salt and the seeds scraped from the vanilla pod. Blend into a stiff dough. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Aside from this minor hurdle, these are precisely my kind of cookie: crumbly, with the teasing crunch of cornmeal between your teeth, delicately flavored, and not too sweet. And in keeping with the regional theme, I have found them to be ideal companions to a scoop of homemade Nutella ice cream***.

Rituals and magic

Repeat with the courgette, then chop up the carrots. Deseed the squash and chop to a similar size. Get it all in the tray with the cauliflower and mix until well coated. If you share my cornmeal enthusiasm, consider trying my go-to recipe for shortbread, or these violet cornmeal macarons. On the veg front, use what you’ve got, potatoes, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, aubergine, even chunky mushrooms would work. If you don't own a piping bag or worse, if you own a shoddy one, plop rounded teaspoons of the dough onto the baking sheet. Trim the leek and quarter lengthways, wash, finely slice and add to the pan, followed by the spinach. Stir regularly, until dark, dry and intense, then remove and leave to cool.

Leftover butternut squash? Cut into chunks and microwave until tender, then mash with a little seasoning, grated ginger and garlic. Or you can grate squash raw into slaw. Or roast in chunks and throw into winter salads. Next, divide the dough into two pieces. Pull into a sausage shape, the place inside a piping bag with a star shaped nozzle.This mixture should be further mixed with 4 egg yolks and the butter, then worked to form a decent dough in the shape of a ball. Casale Monferrato is mostly famous in the rest of Italy for two reasons, one of which is unfortunately a sad history related to an asbestos factory, "Eternit". The other reason, thankfully, are the delicious krumiri biscuits which were invented here (there's a whole legend connected to this, and an anthem, and lots more!) and are still produced in the small but successful family-run business in via Lanza, in the town centre. As soon as it starts to colour, stir in the mango chutney. Let it sizzle for a minute, then pour in the tomatoes, breaking them up with your spoon. As soon as they start to bubble, add the coconut milk. Bring it to the boil, then turn off the heat. Originating from the north-west region of Italy, these sweet krumiri biscotti have been enjoyed by Italians sincethe late 1800’s. Using only the simplest of ingredients, you will be surprised how easy these are to make.

Pour the flour into a large bowl with a pinch of salt, make a well in the middle and add 1 mug (300ml) of water (using the same mug you used to measure your flour, a regular cup is fine) and 1 tablespoon of oil. Use a fork to gradually mix the flour into the liquid, until it gets too hard to mix. The recipe Ivonne posted comes from a book called Italian Baking Secrets, written by an Italian priest; I modified it to reduce the amount of butter and sugar slightly. If you want to make ridged ones, make sure you use a professional-grade piping bag and tip that won’t burst and poop out on you. I’m just saying. Squeeze ridged tubes at least 2”-3” long directly onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, then bend them slightly into the traditional shape. Even more artfully, when all the dough has been used up, form the 'canelli' into half moon shapes 'appena accennata'. How to Enjoy KrumiriTo have official sign of krumiri’s existence, however, we have to wait until 1884 when they receive an award at the Esposizione Generale Italianain Turin. Six years later, the mayor of Casale Monferrato officially recognizes them as the invention of Domenico Rossi and mentions their ingredients: eggs, butter, sugar, and vanilla. Wash the parsnip, carrots and butternut squash (we’re leaving the skins on). Quarter the parsnip lengthways, remove the fluffy core and chop into bite-sized chunks (about 2cm), adding to the tray as you go.

Fun fact: it is said that only two people at a time know the FULL recipe of these amazing biscuits, which were first produced by mistake. Is it true? I have no clue :P In a large roasting tray, mix the curry paste with a pinch of sea salt, 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add the vanilla and mix again. Meanwhile, for the sauce, put a large shallow casserole pan on a medium heat. Peel and finely chop the ginger and garlic, and place in the pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring regularly. Cornmeal is one of my sirens, and I find it particularly beguiling in baked goods*. This is the only way I can explain such a short TTO (time to oven) for this cookie recipe, which I chanced upon last week on Ivonne’s fine blog, Cream Puffs in Venice.

Krumiri are a kind of biscuit which is regarded as the particular delicacy of Casale Monferrato, the city in north-west Italy where they were invented in 1878 by the confectioner Domenico Rossi. They are made without water from wheat flour, sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla, in the form of a slightly bent, rough-surfaced cylinder. This handlebar shape is said to have been chosen in honour of the extravagantly moustachioed Victor Emanuel II, the first king of united Italy. [1] [2] In the sauce, feel free to use passata in place of the tinned tomatoes, or you could even add roughly chopped fresh tomatoes. And, if you’ve haven’t got coconut milk, try using regular milk instead. Fold in the dough over the filling, patting it together as you go and sealing the filling inside, then pat out to just under 25cm. Wipe out your frying pan, then gently lift the naan into it. Krumiri' was the name of a bedouin tribe who rescued a caravan of Europeans lost in the desert. The bedouins also carried with them a mysterious balsamic elisir. Their goodness, my friends, is legendary, and their history – along with that of their name – is very interesting indeed.