I’m always looking for new savoury snack ideas as they can be sadly hard to find if you’re on a restricted diet. Breadsticks are mainly out of bounds due to traces of sesame, few crackers are suitable and cheese straws are a obvious no-no! Some crisps and popcorn are good but you can’t always eat crisps, well maybe you can buy you probably shouldn’t!
These little crunchy Italian bites are a great addition to the snacking scene. They savoury, crunchy and moreish – just perfect with an aperitif or to snack on whilst watching a film.
They seem to have been quite a hit as the first batch disappeared in a couple of hours – always a good sign. I think I’ll have to make a couple of extra batches to keep us going through Christmas and to add little bags to my homemade hampers!
Taralli biscuits are often flavoured with fennel but I’ve use balsamic vinegar, sun dried tomato paste and oregano. I think it results in a subtle but delicious savoury taste. If you want to ramp up the flavour use double concentrated tomato purée instead.
Sundreid Tomato and Balsamic Taralli Biscuits
(dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, vegetarian and vegan)
makes about 40
250g plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
3 tsp sun-dried tomato paste
20ml cheap balsamic vinegar (don’t waste the good stuff here!)
80ml white one or grape juice
60-80ml extra virgin olive oil
to glaze: 1 tsp tomato paste mixed with 1 tsp dairy-free milk, flaky salt crystals
- Stir in the salt and oregano into the flour. Add the tomato paste, olive oil and white wine and bring together to a soft dough.
- Knead until silky and smooth.
- Wrap and rest in the fridge for at least an hour
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade Fan, 190 degrees non-fan
- grab small grape sized pieces of the dough and then roll into half cm wide sausages. Cross over the ends to make a loop and place on the lined baking tray while you shape the rest.
- Bring a pan of water to the boil. Drop in the Taralli, ten or so at a time and boil until the rise to the surface. This will take a minute or two.
- Place back on the lined baking sheet.
- Brush with the glaze and sprinkle with the salt.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
- Cool on wire rack. These will get more crunchy as they cool. Store in an airtight container for up to a week (if they last that long!)
