From the family cookbook

We found Grandpa Ernesto's recipes meticulously kept in a drawer, some were made and then sold in the Antonio Mattei biscuit factory and others were never marketed, our grandfather experimented like a magician in his kingdom, most of his creations are now no longer for sale however we are happy to share these recipes with you.

There is a saying that goes: the whole world is a country, but if it were also true for cooking, traditional food would no longer make any sense. We like to think that the definition of everyone's taste is closely linked to their own life experiences and to their family culture.

How many times have we said or heard: "I like going back to eat at that restaurant because they make tiramisu just like my grandmother used to" Or "The biscuits of Mattonella (nickname ‘Pratese’ give to the Biscottificio Mattei) remind me of when I was a child, when my father took me on Sundays for a walk in the center of Prato".

Smell and taste are the senses responsible for our first memory. It is nice and reassuring to have a reference that makes us feel "at home", but a "journey" is just as beautiful, because it allows us to discover unknown places, experiment with other tastes and experience new flavors and traditions. Every city and every country preserves traditions and stories in their traditional dishes, the identity of a place is also expressed every day in the simple act of sitting at a table.

N.B. Here are the ingredients and the starting point of the recipes that you will have to 'season' with your own personal imagination and culinary culture, please remember that the ovens in which our grandfather referred to in his recipes were wood-fired ovens!

For the Biscotti di Prato you will find the recipe in a previous Blog article.

Ricciarelli –Siena Almond Biscuits

250g sweet ground almonds, 200g sugar, egg whites (unfortunately the quantities are not specified), vanilla, icing sugar. Roll out the dough and make rhombus shapes with a cutter and place them on wafer paper, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Genoese shortcrust pastry

300g flour, 200g butter, 100g sugar, grated orange peel, 1 whole egg and 1 yolk.

Berlingozzi –Ring-shaped cake from Pistoia

Biscuits made with flour, sugar, butter or margarine, eggs, yeast, orange essence, anise, milk, marsala and salt. Unfortunately we do not have precise quantities of this recipe, only notes on the bottom of the recipe: Firm dough, High heat oven.

This year we will be favoring holiday destinations in our own beautiful country and this is why we have chosen recipes from our family cookbook that come from Italian locations, the experimentation however we will leave up to you, and we hope you find your culinary "journey" fun!