90 Year Old Aunt’s Favorite Cookie

Dear Lucia:  My 90 year old Aunt is trying to remember how to make a cookie we used to call “straci”.  We are from the Liguirian Region of Italy and her mom (my grandmother) used to make this cookie for us.  It was a lightly fried thin light slice of dough with powdered sugar sprinkled on the top.  Do you know what this cookie is and do you know where I could find the recipe?  Thank you for your help.  Love your cooking.

~ Sally 

Dear Sally:  My mother used to make these cookies too.  They were called Bugie and of course, she never wrote any of her recipes down.  Here is one I ran across which should get you close to what your grandmother made.  Many recipes call for about 2 jiggers of some liqueur or cooking wine (like grappa, whiskey, marsala, etc.) Maybe that is one thing your aunt might be able to recall.  Best of luck!

Bugie (5 to 5 1/2 doz.)

5 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

grated zest of one large lemon

1 tablespoon vanilla (not necessary if you choose a liqueur or wine)

4 to 4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

peanut oil for frying

confectioner's sugar

Beat eggs and sugar with a whisk until well-blended.  Add in lemon zest and vanilla (or liqueur).  Sift 4 cups of the flour and the baking powder together and add them to the egg mixture.  Mix with your hands to form a ball of dough.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it until it is soft, but not sticky: you may need to add more flour.

Cut the dough into 4 pieces.  Roll each piece out on a floured surface using a rolling pin to a thickness of 1/4 inch.  With a pastry wheel or a sharp knife, cut into strips 5 1/2 inches long and about 2 1/2 inches wide.  Make two 2-inch-long slits side by side in the center of each strip.  Place the strips on a kitchen towel, roll out and cut the remaining pieces of dough.  If so inclined, you could use a pasta machine on the finest setting to thin out the dough.

Heat the peanut oil and fry the strips a few at a time until they are golden brown.  Drain on brown paper and let them cool.  Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and serve.  Should be delicious.

Mangia Bene!