A very heartfelt congratulations goes out to Virginia Luppino, the winner of Lidia’s Italy’s first ever Italian-American recipe submission contest. We here at Lidia’s Italy are trying to find ways to get you, Lidia’s fans, involved on a more personal level, and so for the month of October, in celebration of all Italian-Americans,  we asked that you submit your favorite Italian-American inspired recipe, complete with a story as to its creation, as well as a bit of background information about who you are.

Thanks to all of you who submitted- we were so excited to read all your wonderful stories and delicious recipes. This was not an official contest, more just a way to engage all of you food lover’s out there, who, as fans of Lidia, wanted to share your stories and ideas with her. We chose Virginia’s fig cookie recipe as our winner and we hope you all enjoy making this recipe in your very own homes. It just might make a nice addition to your Thanksgiving table.

 Brooklyn 1950’s
by Virginia Luppino
From our second floor railroad apartment I had a commanding view of all the backyards, a varied urban landscape. In the gardens of the Italians abundance pushed at the fences. To the left of us the Germans hosed down their cement. To the right was an English country garden with roses and hollyhocks, where I was summoned in the summer to replenish the bird bath. In winter the fig trees stood like alien sculptural forms, protected from the Brooklyn frost. As winter approached I would watch my grandfather carefully wrap the trees, layering newspaper to absorb moisture, gathering up the branches and wrapping them in old carpets and linoleum with a five gallon metal bucket on top. Throughout my childhood September meant coming home from school to perfectly ripened figs in my Sicilian grandfather’s kitchen. I would eat them then and there. A ritual. Tear the stem off. Split it down the middle. Acknowledge its beauty. Savor its sweetness.

Holiday baking was most often a communal affair of aunts and godmothers gathering in the kitchen. The recipes resulted in unimaginably large quantities of baked goods. I’ve reduced the recipe by half. And yes, OK, my mother and her godmother did not make use of a food processor… but the processor makes up for the lack of godmothers hands in my kitchen.

Sicilian Fig Cookies
Ingredients:
Filling:
1 lb. dried figs, stemmed and quartered
2/3 cup almond pieces, roasted in the oven until fragrant
3/4 cup (+/-) honey
Zest of one orange
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp allspice (optional… Here the handwritten recipe I have notes that Uncle Frank, the professional baker in our family, always thought the allspice too much.)

Pastry:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp course salt
1/4 pound butter, softened
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 milk

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
zest of one orange
water as needed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

To make filling:
Combine ingredients in food processor until finely chopped. If it is too thick add 1 to 2 teaspoons of warm water. The filling should be sticky and able to hold a shape.

To make pastry:
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter with pastry cutter until mixture resembles course meal. Mix the eggs, vanilla, and milk and stir them in until the dough comes together. Gather in a smooth ball. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface to slightly under 1/4 inch thick.

How to shape cookies:
Cut the dough into long 4″ wide strips. Form a roll of filling, about 1″ thick, a little way in form the long edge of one strip. Roll the dough around the filling, pressing the open edge of the dough into the roll with fingers to seal. Cut the roll crosswise into 1″ slices. Repeat until the dough and filling are used. Place the slices seam side down on greased cookie sheets. Bake until lightly browned, 15 - 20 minutes.

Icing:
When the cookies are cool, make the icing by mixing the powdered sugar with the orange zest. Add water a teaspoon at a time until you get a smooth spreadable icing.