Today became an unexpected trip to veritable tranquility….with a trip to Sant’Anatolia in the mountains of Lazio..not far from Abruzzo. This Medieval town today boasts 384 inhabitants and lots of greenery, solitude and splendid breathtaking mountain views.
As special guest at an event for the Rotary International Club there meant not only spending the day in a restored castle in the middle of the mountains but savoring a meal of unending courses and what I thought was meant to be a lunch soon continued into dinner.
I promised to bring a dish to add to today’s feast and it was something to add to the assortment of desserts..gluten free amaretti cookies
Soft Amaretti (Amaretti Morbidi)
(copyright 2011 art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati;fromThe Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition
1 lb of almonds peeled
2 cups sugar
3 egg whites
1 tablespoon potato starch
1 tsp almond flavoring
powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
Finely chop almonds and mix with sugar and potato starch and vanilla. Beat egg whites and with a pinch of salt to firm peaks, add in almond mix and almond flavoring and mix. With small spoon form small balls of dough- the size of a walnut. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place amaretti on cookie sheet and let dry for 3 hours there. Then sprinkle with powdered sugar and place in oven preheated to 200 degrees for 30 minutes.
