Cacio e Pepe Taralli (Savory Italian Pretzels)

Description

Often served with (and dipped in!) white wine, taralli are a fun and versatile Italian snack you can flavor all sorts of ways. This pepper and cheese variety starts with a simple unleavened dough starring white wine and olive oil. Rolled into ropes, then into rings, they’re boiled and sprinkled with cheese before baking. Once baked, the cheese forms a crispy wafer in the middle of the ring!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ cup white wine
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Instructions

  1. Combine flour
  2. pepper
  3. and salt in a mixing bowl
  4. and stir with a spoon to combine. Pour in wine and olive oil. Mix until dough starts to come together. Knead by hand until dough is smooth and slightly elastic
  5. about 3 minutes. Wrap dough in plastic and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  6. Unwrap dough and cut into 4 pieces. Roll each piece out with your palms into ropes about 10 to 12 inches long. Cut each rope into 3 pieces; roll each piece to a length of 5 or 6 inches. Twist the ends a few times and press them together to form a ring
  7. twisting as needed to fully seal the ends.
  8. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat (such as SILPAT®).
  9. Bring a pan of water (at least 3 inches) to a boil. Drop in 4 rings of dough at a time. Boil until rings float to the top
  10. 3 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a towel-lined plate. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
  11. Sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over each ring; flip and grate more cheese on the other side. Flip back to the first side and apply one last grating of cheese
  12. or until rings are thoroughly coated.
  13. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden and crunchy
  14. 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet onto a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

Prep Time: 1 hr

Cook Time: 35 mins

Total Time: 2 hrs 5 mins

Servings: 12

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