Category Archives: Recipes

Tonina’s pignoli cookies

Italian pine nut cookie

If I were being walked to my execution tomorrow morning and had to choose one type of cookie to eat tonight, it would be Italian pignoli (pine nut). Soft in the middle and chewy outside with the strong flavor of almond paste that is its main ingredient, this cookie is special – and very much like a good macaroon. As a German-American, I grew up eating marzipan in various animal and fruit shapes, and this is also close enough to that confection to hit home with me.

I used to buy these in Italian bakeries in Queens, and recently asked my friend, Tonina, who still lives in Astoria, if she had the recipe. Lo and behold I am now able to enjoy pignoli cookies again – and without spending $18 a pound!

The downside is the cost of ingredients. If you cannot make your own almond paste, you must find a reasonable source, because you’ll go broke buying those dear little packages in the supermarket. If you live in my neck of the woods, know that Berkeley Bowl sells it in bulk for $6.95 a pound, which is an incredible price. I buy the pine nuts at Costco and store them in the fridge. You should do the same, else they will be pricey and go stale, respectively. If you buy those tiny packs of pine nuts you’ll be spending a fortune, so do find a source of bulk nuts. Also, this recipe has only a few ingredients, so make sure they are of a high quality!

Pignoli Cookies (courtesy of Tonina Derosa)

8 oz almond paste
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 medium egg whites, lightly beaten
8 ounces pine nuts
Extra confectioners sugar to finish (note that I don’t do this)

1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2) Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper, or use silicone linings
3) Place the pine nuts in a bowl
4) In a food processor, break the almond paste up into small pieces and then pulse with the sugars and flour until mixture is finely ground
5) Add the egg whites a little at a time, until dough comes together. Depending on the humidity, or the size of your egg whites, you may not always need the entire quantity of egg whites
6) Using a teaspoon and slightly wet hands, scoop up a spoonful of the dough and form into a round with your palms
7) Drop round into pine nuts and roll until lightly coated
8) Arrange on baking surface 2 inches apart
9) Bake 20 to 25 minutes and then cool (note that the baking time may vary depending upon the size of your cookies and how you like them)
10) Dust with confectioners sugar, if desired

Red Lentil Curry

Indian curry paste

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My jar of indian curry paste

One good reason to have a mortar and pestle around the house is to help keep you in various curry pastes. I always have a jar of homemade Indian curry paste on hand, for example, because I find that it works better than the commercially-prepared kind. I never make more than can fill my little 8-ounce glass canning jar so that I’m forced to make fresh batches ar regular intervals – though I do run through the stuff at a quick clip.

Here’s my recipe, in case you want to try it yourself. You don’t need a huge mortar and pestle.

RV’s Very Basic Indian Curry Paste

6 tablespoons canola oil
1 very small onion, finely chopped
8 garlic cloves
5 teaspoons peeled/chopped ginger root
3/4 teaspoon dried ground chili peppers (buy the whole, dried ones and grind in a coffee grinder)
1-1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1) Grind the coriander and cumin seeds into a powder (fine or coarse, as you prefer) in the mortar and pestle
2) Add the garlic and ginger and pound until the mass is a course paste – then set aside
3) Heat the oil in a small pan and saute the onions until golden
4) Add the mass from the mortar and saute for 3 minutes over medium heat
5) Add the turmeric and chili and saute for a moment or two
6) Transfer to a small jar and allow to cool
7) Cover and refrigerate

Ginger’s white no-bake cookies

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Ginger’s white no-bake bar cookies

When I was in high school in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the cafeteria staff had to make use of the large quantities of peanut butter received from government food programs. They often served a no-bake bar cookie loaded with PB and quick oats – which I developed a fondness for but never saw outside of that area before or since. In recent months I thought I’d try to make this cookie, but the recipe I procured from a friend was for the chocolate version, which turned out OK but did not tickle that particular taste memory for me. I contacted a high school friend, Ginger, via Facebook, who I figured could come up with something for me. She told me she developed a white version of this cookie with marshmallow creme added that resulted in something akin to fudge, and that it had been a big hit with her family.

I made a big batch of these cookies two weeks ago and they disappeared fast. If you try the recipe, one suggestion is to wait a day before you serve them so that they firm up and meld a bit. That said, I think my husband and son ate about a third of them the first day, so good luck with the waiting.

I have to say that I find it interesting that all the kids who were nice in high school became nice adults, and the ones who were interested in cooking as teens still cook today. Case in point: Ginger and I were in Home Economics together (do they still teach this anywhere?) making things like chocolate fondue (that was the 70’s) and now she and I are both in the food business.

Ginger’s White No-bake Bar Cookies

1 cup margarine (use one of those “bad” margarines – not something like Smart Balance; butter works, too)
2 cups white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
5 cups quick oats
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon vanilla

1) Combine margarine, sugars and milk and bring to a hard boil; allow to boil for two minutes, stirring gently with a heatproof spatula. Note that the hard boil is important, because it is raising the temperature of the sugars so that the cookies set properly.
2) Remove from heat
3) Add peanut butter, marshmallow creme and vanilla, stirring till mostly melted
4) Stir in oats until all are coated
5) Spread out evenly in a wax-paper lined 9′ X 13″ oblong cake pan (or one that is nonstick with a bit of oil spray)
6) Allow to cool on counter for 15 mins and then transfer to refrigerator to cool for two hours
7) Turn out onto counter (carefully!) and cut into bars. I use a bench scraper or wide spackling tool for this

These no-bake cookies look like a marble tile when they come out of the sheet pan

Chana masala without those super-pricy spice packets

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Chana masala

There is no reason you need to rely on those spice and spice paste packets enrobed in colorful little cardboard sleeves that have flooded the market in recent years when making Indian dishes. These packets, produced by American companies mainly for American cooks, are often good for only one meal – and won’t even give you that, if you have a large family. Most of the ones I have tried (and there are at least three companies that I know of) are perfectly fine in terms of results – no complaints there. The problem is the price, which ranges from outrageous to high for what you are really getting.

If you don’t want to be bothered by mixing your own spices, or with making curry pastes, buy these items in Asian/Indian markets in quantity once you have the technique down. There are blends produced and used in India but also packed for export, many of which have instructions in English, though asking the storekeeper for what you want is your best bet, since many shops sell spice mix in bulk.

One brand I like for chana masala is MDH, which is sold in boxes of 100 grams (3.5 ounces), which gives you enough for five batches (or three, for larger families). Some regular supermarkets in the Bay Area carry this for about $3, which is handy. It’s much cheaper in Indian groceries, though. This stuff makes an excellent chana masala!

MDH spice blend for chana masala

If you want the recipe from the box, here it is:

MDH’s Chana Masala

“Soak 200g [a tad more than 7 ounces] chick peas overnight with extra water. Strain. In a large pan heat 50g cooking oil. Fry 120g [1 3/4 ounces] chopped red onions till golden brown. Add two chopped tomatoes (120g) [4 1/4 ounces]and stir. Add 20g [a bit less than 3/4 ounce] chana masala, 1 tspn. salt, and chick peas. Stir for 5 minutes then add 800ml [27 ounces] fresh water. Mix [in] 1/2 tspn. baking soda. Bring to boil & cover. Simmer for 40 min on low heat. Alternately pressure cook for 20 min. with 400ml [just under 14 ounces] water and 1/2 tspn. baking soda. Read cooking instructions on chick peas pack also.”

My notes:
1) The stovetop method may need way more cooking time than 40 minutes
2) You must soak your own chick peas! Do not do this with canned chick peas!
3) Do not omit the baking soda because you think it’s odd!
4) I have no idea what the last sentence means; I ignore it

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