Gialletti

I was looking for a recipe of thanother type of cookies to serve with fruit salads, and I found the perfect one on my 'Cookies and Crackers' cookbook, from the same series of the 'Bread' cookbook that I usually use, simply called 'The Good Cook', published in 1982! The book collects recipes from all over the world, and this was Italian. I never had something exactly like this, although I had something similar... These cookies are made with cornflour and lemon zest. So this was perfect: I just bought some cornflour, and I had all the lemons from my LA trip (see previous post). These cookies are delicious. Also, they are made with cornflour and for once I really followed a recipe from a cookbook, so they are the perfect entry for the 'Weekend Coobook Challenge' of this month, which is hosted by Ani at Foodie Chickie and has 'cornmeal' as theme.

Gialletti
Ingredients:
1 cup fine yellow cornmeal (I used cornflour)
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp crushed ammonium bicarbonate (I used baking soda)
1/2 tsp salt
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup superfine sugar (I used powdered sugar)
2 tsp grated lemon peel
6 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1 cup dried currants (I used 1/2 cup raisins, I didn't want that much fruit in them).
Water
Procedure:
Soak the raisins/currants in warm water. Mix the flours, the salt and the baking soda. Beat the egg yolks and add the sugar in them. Add the lemon peel and the butter. Beat in the flour mixture. 'The mixture should be firm but not stiff': this is what the recipe said. It also said that depending on the cornmeal you may have to add some water to it. In my case, I definitely had to. I guess cornflour is finer than 'fine cornmeal' and thus adsorbs more liquid.. Add the raisins, after draining them.
Drop the dough with the help of some tablespoons on a buttered and floured baking pan. Leave 2 inches between the cookies. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 F for about 15 min. Cool down on wireracks. Supposedly, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving them (I forgot to do this).

These cookies are soft and the taste is delicious, and reminded me of 'paste di meliga' (traditional cookies with lemon zest and cornflour, typical of my region).