La dolce Venezia: Polenta and raisin biscuits 

You could have these after dinner with coffee, a glass of dessert wine or a sharp grappa – which is what we often do. When I was growing up, however, I would eat them for breakfast, dipped in milk. They are made with polenta, which gives them their deep yellow colour and their name, zaletti, which in Venetian dialect translates loosely as ‘little yellow ones’.

MAKES 40

100g raisins

20ml grappa

300g polenta

200g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

a pinch of salt

150g caster sugar

1 tbsp milk

100g salted butter, diced

1 large egg, lightly beaten

■ Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Combine the raisins and grappa in a small bowl and cover with a tea towel. Leave to steep while you make the dough.

■ Put the polenta, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl and mix well. Put the milk and butter into a small saucepan and leave over a low heat for 1-2 minutes, until the butter has melted.

■ Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients, add the egg and bring everything together. Drain the raisins of any excess grappa and add them to the mixture.

■ Take heaped teaspoonfuls of the dough and shape them into small ovals, roughly the size of a walnut. Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, leaving a little space around each one. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. The biscuits will keep in an airtight container for up to a week.

 

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