Although the lockdown is gradually ending in my part of the world, our nourishment still depends on a minimum of ingredients. Carrots, lentils, olives, almonds, raisins, honey and yoghurt form the basis of the Mediterranean dishes that we prepare at home, including the simple adaptations of historic recipes that I've lately shared online. Today's star is the Garibaldi biscuit that was named after the Italian military leader.
After twelve years of war against the Habsburgs, Italy was unified in 1871 under the king of Sardinia. Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882), a prominent figure of the Risorgimento, enjoyed great popularity not only in his country but also in Europe & America.
From 1835 t0 1848, he was actively involved in the liberation movements of South America. Then, on his return to Italy, Garibaldi worked for the national awakening of his country. Between the wars of independence, he was persecuted by the official government in Milan and sought refuge in North America. In 1854, he purchased a ship and travelled back to Europe. He was received with great enthusiasm in Britain, which inspired the creation of a biscuit named after him seven years later. On his second visit to England, in 1864, the crowds received him just as warmly. Garibaldi was a member of the Italian parliament, where he never stopped fighting for the citizens' rights. During his last years, he spent much of his time in Sardinia.
The biscuit named after Garibaldi is essentially a sandwich filled with raisins -a favorite ingredient in his country. In the original English recipe, flour and butter are mixed to form a soft dough. Because of its low percentage in refined sugar, the Garibaldi biscuit might be considered a healthy snack. In the adapted recipe that follows, butter is also replaced with olive-oil. The dough is less rich but the final biscuit just as good. Other names for the Garibaldi biscuit are squashed fly biscuit and flies' graveyard (in which raisins are supposed to be the flies).
After twelve years of war against the Habsburgs, Italy was unified in 1871 under the king of Sardinia. Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882), a prominent figure of the Risorgimento, enjoyed great popularity not only in his country but also in Europe & America.
From 1835 t0 1848, he was actively involved in the liberation movements of South America. Then, on his return to Italy, Garibaldi worked for the national awakening of his country. Between the wars of independence, he was persecuted by the official government in Milan and sought refuge in North America. In 1854, he purchased a ship and travelled back to Europe. He was received with great enthusiasm in Britain, which inspired the creation of a biscuit named after him seven years later. On his second visit to England, in 1864, the crowds received him just as warmly. Garibaldi was a member of the Italian parliament, where he never stopped fighting for the citizens' rights. During his last years, he spent much of his time in Sardinia.
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| Garibaldi on Carpera, Sardinia |
The biscuit named after Garibaldi is essentially a sandwich filled with raisins -a favorite ingredient in his country. In the original English recipe, flour and butter are mixed to form a soft dough. Because of its low percentage in refined sugar, the Garibaldi biscuit might be considered a healthy snack. In the adapted recipe that follows, butter is also replaced with olive-oil. The dough is less rich but the final biscuit just as good. Other names for the Garibaldi biscuit are squashed fly biscuit and flies' graveyard (in which raisins are supposed to be the flies).
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| Garibaldis with butter, milk & vanilla |
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| Garibaldis with olive-oil, orange juice and grated orange peel |
GARIBALDIS
This is a 'Mediterranean' version of the Garibaldi biscuit. You will easily switch to classic if you replace olive-oil with 1/4 more butter and orange juice with milk. Grated orange peel, which is so often used in Italian cuisine, is also not included in the original English recipe.
I n g r e d i e n t s
400g all-purpose flour
100g powedered sugar
a sachet of vanilla powder
a pinch of salt
2tbsp grated orange peel
75ml olive oil
juice of an orange
1 large egg
100g raisins
M e t h o d
1. Preheat the oven to 190C. Mix the flour, salt, powdered sugar, vanilla, and grated orange peel in a bowl. Rub in the olive oil. Add the orange juice and egg and knead gently for 2-3 minutes. 2. Roll half the dough in a 40x30cm non-stick baking dish. Spread the dried fruit on top and press into the dough. 3. Roll out the second half of the dough on parchment paper (measuring the size of your dish). Carefully turn upside down over the raisins and stretch lightly with your fingers. Press down using a rolling pin, then remove the parchment paper and seal the edges. 4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Cut out 32 oblong biscuits with a sharp knife.
V a r i a t i o n
To make the dough softer, use half butter and half olive-oil.
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