Italian Pine Nut Cookies + Fava Bean and Fennel Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've been featuring Irish recipes and ingredients for a week now, but it is time to move along. Tucked between the hoopla that surrounds St. Patrick's Day and Easter Sunday is the feast of St. Joseph, a holiday of special importance to the people of Italy. I've told the full story of St Joseph before, but for those of you who are too busy to backtrack, I wanted to include a brief summary of it here. The gentle Joseph was the stepfather of Jesus. He is said to have spent time in Italy and was considered to be the patron saint of Sicily. During a period of devastating drought, the Sicilian people prayed to him for rain that was necessary to prevent a full-scale famine. When rain came, the people decorated altars and prepared a feast in his honor and welcomed all to the banquet table they had prepared. That table became known as St.Joseph's table and the food on it was meant for distribution to the poor. Three foods became associated with his holiday. The first is the fava bean, which survived the drought and kept the people alive. The second is a pasta tossed with bread crumbs instead of cheese, that you can find here, and the third is a Neopolitan pastry, called a zeppole, which you can find here. I have two other recipes to share with you today. They are not associated with St. Joseph's Day but they are very Italian and I though this would be a great day to share them with you. The first is a simple Italian cookie that is made with pine nuts. It is not the traditional almond and pine nut cookie that I'm sure you are already familiar with. This recipe was developed by Giada De Laurentis and it is flavored with ground fennel seeds instead of almond paste. This cookie is easy to make and is far less expensive to prepare than the classic Pignoli. It is wonderful to serve after dinner with espresso or a glass of sweet wine and I know you will enjoy it. The second recipe is for a creamy soup that is made with fava beans and fennel. It is delicious and if you have time to make it, I know you will love it as well. Without further ado, here are today's recipes.

Pine Nut Cookies ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Giada De Laurentis

Ingredients:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup pine nuts

Directions:
1) Using an electric mixer, beat  butter, sugar, vanilla, fennel seed, and salt in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Add flour and mix just until blended.
2) Transfer dough to a sheet of plastic wrap. Shape dough into an 8-inch-long log. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.
3) Preheat  oven to 350 degrees F. Line heavy large baking sheets with a silpat or parchment paper. Cut  dough log crosswise into 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick slices. Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets, spacing evenly apart. Press pine nuts decoratively atop cookies. Bake until the cookies are golden around edges, about 15 minutes. Yield 24 to 36 cookies.




Fava Bean and Fennel Soup...courtesy of Giorgio Locatelli from his book Made in Sicily

Ingredients:
1 pound + 5 ounces dried broad beans (favas)
1 teaspoon chopped wild fennel (or 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds, soaked in a little water)
7 ounces (1-1/2 cups) fresh broad beans (favas)
Olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 medium carrot, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil for finishing

Directions:
1) Soak dried broad beans in cold water overnight, then drain.
2) Next day, put soaked beans and wild fennel, or soaked fennel seeds, into a pan. Add enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and cook slowly for about 2 hours, or until beans are completely soft, adding water as necessary. Blend by hand or machine until smooth and set aside.
3) While dried beans are cooking, blanch fresh beans in boiling unsalted water for a couple of minutes, then drain and peel off the skins.
4) In a separate pan, heat a little olive oil, then add diced onion, carrot and celery and cook until soft but not colored. Add fresh broad beans and the blended beans and cook for 15 minutes, then season and serve drizzled with a little extra-virgin olive oil. Serve hot. Yield: 6 servings.






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