Biscotti

Biscotti are great with coffee, tea, breakfast or dessert; you can even dip them in Mistela. The name comes from the fact they are cooked twice: bis cotti. The same as our biscuit (from the French) and the Spanish bizcocho.

makes ~24

250g plain flour

250g caster sugar

11/2 tsp baking powder

3 free-range eggs ~50g each

100g dried apricots ( ecological ones are delicious).

80g de-stoned dried dates

100g shelled pistachios

80g roasted hazelnuts

Zest of 1 large lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Chop the dried apricots and dates.

3. Add all the ingredients (except the eggs) to a large bowl.

4. Now the messy / important bit: break the 3 eggs into the mixture and combine using the fingers on one hand in a circular motion.

5. With clean well floured hands and work surface, divide the mixture in 2 and roll into thick sausages.

6. Transfer to a lined baking tray and bake for 20 minutes on until lightly golden brown.

7. Remove and leave to cool and harden for 10 minutes before cutting into 5-10mm diagonal slices.

8. Lay them out on the lined baking tray and return to the oven for 8 minutes.

9. Turn them over and bake for a further 10 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

N.B. You can store biscotti in an air-tight container for months.