Bones of the Dead or Finocchietti, or Uosse de Mort o Finocchietti: There are many versions of the Bones of the Dead, cookies Italians make for the Day of the Dead, November 2. These Bones of the Dead are from Basilicata, the instep of the boot that's just east of Calabria. The recipe makes quite a number, and they keep well.
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 8 1/3 cups (1 k) flour
- 2/3 cups (125 g) sugar
- 4 ounces (100 g) anise
- Fennel seeds to taste
- 3 ounces (80 g) rendered lard
- A pinch of salt
Preparation:
Warm the lard to melt it. Make a mound of the flour on your work surface and work the other ingredients into it, kneading well to obtain a firm dough. Roll the dough out into snakes between your palms, and shape them into figure 8s, sticks, or circles. Put them on a lightly greased, floured cookie sheet, and bake them until golden brown in a 375 F (185 C) oven.
