Recipe(tried): Tarrali Barese

Namaste,

My Mother Cendina and Nonna Maria's TARALLIS BARESE Recipe

This is a simple yet delicious recipe that comes from all my ancestors fron Vecchio Bari and Palese.
Here goes.

Measurements are approximate for everything except the flour. This is the way my grandmother measured it, so it is in the decimal system.

1 kg (7 1/3 cups) flour
0.25 (1 cup) liter good olive oil*
1 egg (optional)
a handful fennel seeds (around 50 g)
0.30 liter red wine
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp black pepper

Put flour on the table and make a mountain. Make a hole in the middle of the mountain and slowly add in the oil and the fennel seeds by stirring from the middle.

Add the salt and pepper to the wine and mix well. Add the wine to the flour.

Keep stirring and mixing until all the liquids get absorbed by the flour. If dough is too hard to work add 1 tbsp of warm water as needed.

Knead dough until it is elastic and bounces back to the touch, around 10-14 minutes.(I use it to do exercise!)

Make a roll with the dough. Let rest covered 15 minutes.

Bring a pot of water to a boil on the stove. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut out a piece of dough at a time and roll into a taralli (donut shape).

Scald in boiling water, less than 1 minute. Take out with a strainer and lay down on a clean tablecloth, it will stick to smooth surfaces.

Take cookie pans and lay them with the taralli.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for as long as they get golden brown. It takes around (very approx because of individual factors) 35-45 minutes.

Variations:
*I double the olive oil! Cuz I like it that way or I use 40 liter of olive oil
**Some add 1 egg (I do not)

Traditionnaly offered to guests with a glass of red wine. The taralli is dunked in the wine.

I hope this helps to bring some joy to your life. With Metta ann