I'm hoping Mama will come to the rescue again...................


You're becoming quite the enabler you know

Rick - boy oh boy would you get along with Nana C!!!!

she always had a "stash" of gallon jugs of Mogan David!!!

As she got older Nana C would make ravioli, gnocchi, cookies, breads, rolls, everything bigger! My favorite to see grow as the years went by were the ricotta filled cookies - bigger and bigger - to the point they looked like torpedos! and she wondered why everyone would only want a "piece" of one instead of eating a whole one - believe me I can eat ricotta cookies - but these - I could never finish as the years went by.....

Okay - here's the ancient Italian (not Chinese) secret -

You didn't give me much to go on - so I am going blindly into what you are looking for - I am taking your term "biscuits" as biscuits/rolls and not biscuits/cookies - if I am wrong - it's back to the drawing board -

Preheat your oven to 350 - in your bowl combine about 1 lb. flour (roughly 4 c.) add 1 cup sugar, 3/4 c. veggie oil (not olive or canola or soy - corn works best if you want the right flavor) and pour in 1 c. homemade red wine - you can use burgundy - Nana C hauled out the Mogan David (which she kept in the cupboard right next to the flour!)

Mix to form your dough; knead; set aside.

Now here is where you need to roll dough - your favorite task - not knowing how big you want them - (are we having fun yet?) pull off a chunk of dough and roll on your board/countertop until you have a "dowel" about 3/4-inch wide and 5 to 6 inches long.

Roll one end into the other end (look for the "jellyroll" look. Pinch the end to stick together. Now look at it - it should be round - if not - fix it.

Grease your cookie sheet and place on the sheet. continue praccticing making round rolled biscuits that hold together in a spiral fashion.

When done take an egg and beat it; lightly brush the biscuits (more for color than anything) and bake 15 minutes or until done.

Did you ever see St. Lucia's Eyes - the rolls they make for holidays? Same concept.

don't ask me how many you will get - I don't know how big you will make them - but I would love to see a video of you rolling these!

I've been doing it for over 50 years - wanna race?????


Now - I know you like pepper -

1 cup dry white wine
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (no substitutions), softened
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg white, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

1. Bring wine to boil in small saucepan over high heat. Cook until reduced to 1/4 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

2. Meanwhile, combine flour, baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon of the pepper and the salt in medium bowl. Beat butter, shortening and sugar in mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Blend in cooled wine. Add dry ingredients; beat 1 minute. (Dough will be sticky.) Divide dough. Spoon each half onto a sheet of plastic wrap; shape each into 10x1-inch log. Wrap and freeze overnight.

3. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut frozen logs into 1/4-inch-thick slices and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Brush tops of dough with beaten egg white mixture. Grind additional pepper on top. Bake 12 minutes or until edges are golden, switching position of cookie sheets halfway through baking. Cool completely on cookie sheets. Store at room temperature up to 1 month. Makes 80 biscuits.

Make-Ahead Tip: If desired, wrap baked biscuits and freeze up to two months.


let me know if this is what you want -

Mama, no levening agent is the first recipe? Are they like a cookie?

I noticed the second recipe calls for baking powder, No baking soda to react with the acid in the wine?

the first recipe is a very old recipe - that is they way she did it - if she were here today - she would still do it that way and she would go head-to-head with you on it (stubborn and hard-headed Italian)

the second recipe was handed down from my great aunt - once again - that is the way they did it (they were sisters)

what can I say?

some recipes that have been made for generations will never be changed in some families - just like Nana C's rock cookies - no one in the world could ever duplicate them -

those that tried totally ruined them - I loved her rocks and would never change a thing about them

it's just a family recipe thing - and of course - any recipe can be tweaked and changed - but some are better left alone because of the memories and that is how we had them

I think you understand what I am trying to say and having a hard time doing it - whatever anyone does to a recipe - it's up to them.

Mama I think that's what I'm looking for, thanks, I'll let you know what happens.

And I don't want to embarrass myself in a race with you. Although I may be able to keep up swearing in Italian when I can't get something quite right LOL