It's Always Someone's Birthday

Last week, I posted a recipes for Tarales, a savory bread that is a favorite among my husband’s family. Now, it’s time for a recipe from my family.  Popovers are a hollow roll that are crispy and flaky on the outside, and doughy on the inside. My mom didn’t come up with this recipe herself, but I always enjoyed when she made them.  I love them even more now that I’ve moved away because I can enjoy a little bit of New England wherever I am.

Popovers are the American version of Yorkshire Pudding. They are baked in a special muffin pan that has very deep wells. They rise quickly and spill over the top of the pan, hence the name “popover”. This is the pan that I have and it is also the pan that my mom uses.

Popovers are first cooked at high temperature to make them rise quickly, and then at a lower temperature so that they brown. They are best when served piping hot.

I like mine plain, but you can tear yours open and serve with butter. While they are light, popovers go very well with heartier meals, such as meats and stews.

It’s the dead of winter, and while it hasn’t been all that cold here in NYC, it is still the season for comfort food. Breads are especially nice and one of my favorites comes from my husband’s Italian family. It is called a Taralle, though the term is confusing because its meaning differs based on region. Some regions of Italy consider the Taralle a Christmas cookie, filled with chocolate and currants. Other regions consider it an Italian bagel or biscuit that is heavily peppered. To make matters even more confusing, the differences of opinion on what a Taralle is can occur within a single family, as the case is with ours. My husband’s maternal family (who lived nearby Naples) are of the Italian bagel camp, whereas my husband’s paternal family (who lived in Orsogna, a town more North and on the Eastern coast) is of the Christmas cookie camp. I’ve had both types and my favorite is the bagel, as I love savory breads and any excuse to use a lot of pepper.

I’ll go through the steps first, and then post the recipe. Taralles are fairly simple to make–there aren’t a lot of ingredients. You just need to make sure that the dough is the right consistency: wet enough to stick together and not crumble, but not so wet that the dough is slippery. You can add more flour or water as needed.

The main work is in getting the shape correct. I start by dividing up my dough into about 20 balls. Then take each ball and roll between your hands to make a snake about 5-6 inches long. Then cross the ends to make a bagel shape.

Then slit the bottom, curved portion of the bagel with a serrated knife and split the edges apart. This will help to dry out the Taralle when baking so that it becomes crispy inside.

Next you put each Taralle in boiling water (similar to making pretzels) for 4 seconds. This helps form the bagel crust. I boil each one separately, and keep it on a spatula so that it does not lose its shape.

Then bake for 3o minutes until they are nice and browned, and you have Taralles!