Similar in principle to fig rolls, biscotti di ceglie consist of pastry wrapped around a filling of jam, so they have an irregular and extremely rustic cube form. Known locally as u’ piscquett’l, these biscuits are typical of the town and commune of Ceglie Messapica in the province of Brindisi in Puglia. Ceglie Messapica is also part of the southern reaches of the Murgia, a karst topographic plateau sometimes called the backbone of Puglia, with remarkable agricultural biodiversity, including 40 local varieties of almonds, including tondino cegliese. Like many visitors to the area, we bought a packet of biscotti di ceglie from a bakery in Ceglie Messapica, although this was years ago, when the band my partner plays with toured in Puglia every summer and when we consumed every regional treat in a claustrophobic Fiat van.
Unlike the great fig roll, however, the pastry for these biscuits is made from toasted almonds, sugar and honey, and includes lemon zest and a citrus essence liqueur called rosolio di agrumi; the jam, meanwhile, is typically cherry, but can also be grape. Made for hundreds of years, and a sort of symbol of the town, the biscuits are recognised by the Slow Food Foundation, whose many Slow Food Presidia protect traditional and artisanal products that are at risk of disappearing, as well as help producers access a fairer market. Together with local producers, the regional consortium specifies what is to be considered an original biscotto di Ceglie Messapica – so that all the ingredients must come from the countryside around Ceglie itself. A local consorzio has laid out a fantastically detailed set of instructions, specifying quantities (every 1kg almonds should be mixed with 300g sugar, 50g honey, 10ml liqueur, three to four eggs and the zest of a lemon) and describing the procedure in great detail. All this to say, this week’s recipe is not the original biscotti di Ceglie Messapica, but it is inspired by them and, I hope, respectful.
If you have ever made soft amaretti, pasticcini di mandorle or ricciarelli, the idea is the same: ground almonds, sugar and eggs are made into a soft dough that is then shaped and baked. The great difference here, however, is that it is shaped into a log, which is then cut. I discovered with my first batch just how important very thick jam is – and how quickly jam burns! In fact, for my second batch, I reduced the jam for just a few minutes, and for my third batch I used well-drained cherries preserved in syrup, instead, which make for a very neat filling, although they make the biscuits harder to cut. (Use the drained syrup to make a drink with fizzy water and lots of ice.)
Once baked, these biscuits will be quite soft for some time, so leave them to cool a little or use a spatula to move them very carefully from the baking tray to a rack. Another similarity with fig rolls is how close these tender biscuits are to being a small cake, and they also remind me of bakewell tart, which are both good things.
Almond and cherry biscuits
Makes About 20
150g blanched almonds, or almond flour
150g toasted almonds (peeled or unpeeled)
100g caster sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 egg
Finely grated zest of 1 small unwaxed lemon
100g thick cherry jam, or well drained cherries in syrup
Working in a food processor, pulse the blanched and toasted almonds into a fine flour, then tip into a bowl and add the sugar, honey, egg and lemon zest, and bring together into a firm dough.
Working on a piece of greaseproof paper, press or roll the dough into a rectangular strip about 40cm long x 12cm wide x 1½cm deep. Carefully spread the jam or cherries in a line along the centre of the dough, then bring in both edges to form a log. Roll gently so it extends slightly, and pinch the edges to close.
Cut the log into slices about 2-3cm wide, put on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper, and bake at 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½ for 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden.
