Ingredients
For cookie batter
300 grams (about 10 1/2 ounces) icing sugar
180 grams (about 6 1/3 ounces) sweet almonds
20 grams (about 2/3 ounce) bitter almonds
2 egg whites
For dusting
icing sugar
Original Italian text
Mandorle dolci, grammi 180
Mandorle amare, grammi 20
Chiare d'uovo, n. 2
Directions
Blanch the almonds, dry them in the sun or oven.
Crush the almonds fine in a mortar with one egg white, added a little at a time.
Mix in half the sugar, and crumble the mixture with one hand.
Pour the mixture into a bowl, add half an egg white, and work it very well, blending the ingredients with your hands, then the remaining sugar and egg white.
When you have a smooth mixture with the right consistency, shape into a roll and slice into equal pieces.
Moistening your hands so they don't stick, pick up the cookie pieces and form little balls the size of walnuts.
Line the baking pan with parchment paper or grease it with butter and then sprinkle some icing sugar and flour.
Place the cookies on the baking pan and flatten them a little.
Sprinkle lightly with icing sugar.
Bake in a hot oven.
This recipe makes about 30 macaroons.
Original Italian text
Le mandorle spellatele e seccatele al sole o al fuoco; poi pestatele fini nel mortaio con una chiara versata in piu volte. Fatto questo mescolateci la meta dello zucchero, mantrugiando il composto con una mapre perche s incorpori, aggiungete una mezza chiara, poi l'atra meta dello zucchero e appresso l'ultima mezza chiara.
Otterrete, cosi lavorato, un impasto omogeneo e diguista consistenza, che potrete foggiare a bastone per tagliarlo a pezzetti tutti eguli. Prendeteli su a una a pallottole grosse come le noci. Stiacciatele alla grossezza di un centimetro e pel resto regolatevi come per i precidenti, ma spolverizzateli leggermente di zucchero a velo prima di metterli in forno a calore ardente, e dico forno perche il forne da campagna non sarebbe al caso per questa pasta.
Con questa dose otterrete una trentina di amaretti.
Notes
The recipe in this entry was taken from "La Scienza in Cucina e L'Arte di Mangiar Bene manuale Pratico per le Famiglie" compilato da Pellegrino Artusi. The book was first published in 1891. Since then many Italian editions have been published. Olga Ragusa's selection of recipes from Pellegrino Artusi's famous cookbook, titled "The Italian Cook Book," can be found in its entirety at www.archive.org (It's free). The University of Toronto recently published a new English edition of Pellegrino Artusi's "Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well"; many of the recipes in this edition can be found at www.books.google.ca.... Photo: Mary Melfi. |
