Pine nut & rosemary biscotti

This is the second of my 'Lets make Christmas' posts, in my first yesterday - Roast beetroot, chilli & balsamic relish I explain a little of what this is all about and why I wanted to get involved!

As yesterday's recipe was a pickle and one you can make well in advance of Christmas, I also wanted to post a recipe for a little sweet treat and something that will need to be made nearer the time.

That said here are a couple of ways you can prepare this recipe in advance. Firstly you could make the biscotti as much as a month before Christmas and keep them in a well sealed airtight container where they should stay crisp. This means just before you are about to give them as gifts you can pop them into jars or pretty bags and tie up with ribbon. Secondly you could make the recipe up to the point of cooking the biscuit dough for the first time, and once cooled wrap it in cling film and pop it in the freezer. When you are ready to cook the biscotti you can defrost the loaf before slicing it and cooking the biscuits for a second time. You could also slice the biscuits and layer them on a baking tray with parchment in between and freeze, so they just need to defrost and be cooked a second time.

This delicious recipe for pine nut & rosemary biscotti is taken from a lovely little book Biscotti: Recipes from the kitchen of the American Academy in Rome (Rome Sustainable Food Project) by Mona Talbott & Mirella Misenti. With its roots in Chez Panisse, the AAR kitchen has become a flagship model for sustainable dining and in the true spirit of Christmas money raised from their series of books helps to fund their Internship programme.

Pine nut & rosemary biscotti

110g pine nuts, toasted
175g plain flour
10g fine polenta
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
60g butter
138g granulated sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 large egg
10ml Marsala

Combine the flour, polenta, baking powder, salt and rosemary in a medium sized mixing bowl.

Cream together the butter, sugar and lemon zest at high speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well until incorporated. Change to a low speed and add the Marsala. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in two parts and then gently fold in the pine nuts until evenly combined. Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Remove the dough from the fridge and divide in two.On a floured surface form each portion into a log 2.5cm in diameter. Transfer the logs to a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes.

Once cooled transfer the logs to a chopping board and cut into 1cm slices with a sharp serrated knife. Lay the biscotti flat on baking trays lines with parchment paper and bake for 6-8 minutes until golden brown.

These biscotti will keep well in a sealed container for up to 1 month.

* The recipe describes the shaping and cooking process for a small round biscuit. To achieve the more traditional biscotti shape as pictured above, I firstly shaped the dough into one large loaf shape which then took more like 30 minutes to cook, before cooling thenslicing it as thinly as possible and cooking again as above.

* *This recipe is an exact replica of the original with the exception of all ingredients being shown in metric measurement and several item names being changed for British readers such as cookie tray changed to baking tray.

Roast beetroot, chilli & balsamic relish

Over the last few years I've found an increasing enthusiasm for preserving, partly down to my thrifty nature but also as I think homemade gifts are the best.

As Autumn brings a natural glut of produce perfect for conserving, preserving and pickling (try to say that after a few pints!) now is the time to get involved.

When I read Vanessa's post 'Let's make Christmas' on her lovely blog it rang true on lots of levels. What better that to make homemade treats for friends and loved ones this Christmas and at the same time save some money and street clear of unwanted gift giving. I'm really looking forward to Vanessa's round up of all the best 'Let's make Christmas' blog posts as new ideas and inspiration are always welcome along with discovering new like minded blogger friends.

So far this year I have made elderflower cordial, runner bean pickle, raspberry vinegar and slow gin amongst others, but really wanted to share this beetroot relish recipe as it's so tasty, easy to make and the perfect accompaniment to a Christmas cheeseboard. Its also really economical - I made twelve jars (two batches of the below recipe) and the beetroot cost about £1.50!

Roast beetroot, chilli & balsamic relish
Makes 6 jars

Oven 180°C
Large roasting tin and large pan

For the tomato & chilli sauce:
1kg fresh tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 whole dried red chillies
2 fresh bay leaves
2 whole sprigs of fresh rosemary & thyme
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp of red wine
Salt & pepper to taste

For the beetroot relish:
1kg fresh beetroot
1 large red onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
50g dark brown sugar
100g caster sugar
100ml balsamic vinegar
50ml red wine vinegar

Firstly make the tomato and chilli sauce. Place the garlic and olive oil into a large pan and cook on a low heat for a few minutes before adding all the other ingredients. Cook for a further 30 minutes on a low heat until the tomatoes have broken down into the sauce. Leave to cool a little before passing the sauce through a sieve to remove the fresh herbs and chillies along with the skins and seeds of the tomatoes, you will be left with about 250ml of tomato puree. Season well to taste. If you want an extra hit of chilli place a little of the sauce in a blender with the two chillies and blend until smooth before adding this back into the tomato sauce.

Meanwhile wash and trim the beetroot of any stalks or roots before wrapping each individual beetroot in foil and placing them in a large baking tray. Cook in the oven for 35-40 minutes until the beetroot are cooked through, test this with a small sharp knife. Once cooked leave to cool a little before unwrapping and then peeling the beetroot, the skins should just slide off easily if you rub them. Coarsely grate the beetroot into a bowl, a food processor makes quick work of this. Wear gloves for this bit if you don't want to stain your hands purple!

To make the relish place the olive oil and red onion in a large pan and cook on a low heat for 5-10 minutes until the onion is soft. Add the sugars and vinegars and bring to the boil before turning down the heat and adding the grated beetroot and tomato sauce. Cook for a further 10 minutes or until the relish had reduced to a thick consistency. Place the relish in sterilised jars with vinegar proof lids and use within one year, once open keep in the fridge. To sterilise jars simply wash in hot soapy water, rinse and leave to drain before placing on a baking tray in a cool oven for 10-15 minutes until dry.

This recipe is based on the roasted sweet beet relish recipe from River Cottage Handbook No. 2 - Preserves by Pam Corbin