ossa dei morti : bones of the dead.

For quite some time now, I have had a sort of fascination with Day of the Dead. As much as the concept of death absolutely terrifies me, I really love the idea of a holiday dedicated to remember and celebrate the lives of those who have passed away. One of the things I miss about living in southern California is how much fun it was to celebrate the holiday in Los Angeles. The artwork displayed is breathtaking, the shrines are gorgeous, the energy is strong, and the food is delicious. It was always quite an amazing way to join together and remember loved ones.

What I didn't know until recently is that, although it is mainly celebrated in Mexico, very similar observances occur all over the world within the first week of November. This is due to Halloween being followed by All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, the time in Catholicism when we feast to commemorate the dead. And so, wherever you find Catholicism, chances are you will find some sort of observance similar to Day of the Dead.

Late at night on the 1st of November, I thought it would be a fun idea to bake something that went along with my own culture for the holiday. Since I was raised in a primarily Italian household, I decided to go with a recipe I found online for a cookie traditionally made in Italy on All Saints' Day. The cookies are rightfully named Ossa dei Morti, or "Bones of the Dead", obviously due to their bone-like appearance. The taste strikes no fear though- they are what I think of as a perfect classic Italian cookie, with hints of lemon and almond and the texture of a chewier biscotti. I highly recommend dunking them in a hot cup of coffee, tea, or some spicy atole.





Ossa de Morti Cookies: adapted from Finding La Dolce Vita

Ingredients:

3-4 tablespoons softened butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg white (or egg replacer equivalent)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground almonds (I used roasted, ground in a food processor)
1/4 cup water
powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a cookie sheet.

Cream the butter with vanilla extract, lemon rind, cinnamon, and sugar. Beat in the egg white (or egg replacer). Stir in the flour and ground almonds. Mix in the water until a dough forms. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper, and chill for 20 minutes.

Lightly flour a surface. Cut the dough into 4 parts. Working with one at a time, roll into a rope that is approx 1 inch thick. Cut into 4 inch sections and roll each piece into smaller ropes that are about 1/2-inch thick. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Let cool. Dust with powdered sugar.