Taralli Sugna e Pepe

In one of my pre-lockdown shopping sprees last spring, I ended up with a mason jar of pork fat in my refrigerator. It was an impulse buy; I had grabbed the jar at a local butcher shop as I was picking up sausages and other meats to store in the freezer and use during quarantine. The jar contained a mix of fatback, from the pig’s backside, and leaf lard, which is the more delicate fat surrounding the kidneys. I could tell it was good; pure white, with barely a whisper of porkiness to it.

I had a notion I might use it to conquer homemade sfogliatelle; instead, it sat on a shelf my fridge for months and then more months, a refrigerator wallflower of sorts. Now and then I gave it the side eye when I opened the refrigerator door ~ it was taking up precious space on an overcrowded condiment shelf ~ and thought about tossing it.  But it wasn’t cheap and so there it stayed.

Thank goodness. The other day, while flipping through my friend Paola’s cookbook Italian Street Food , I landed on her recipe for Taralli Napoletani ~ savory crunchy bread rings studded with almonds and spiced with lots of black pepper. This is a classic Neapolitan snack, one you find in bakeries and shops all over Naples and the surrounding region of Campania. The traditional recipe, called Taralli Sugna e Pepe, contains leaf lard ( sugna). Lard ~ leaf lard, fat back and other forms of pork fat ~ was once the predominant fat in the Neapolitan diet, though in the last half-century it’s been replaced in large part by olive oil. But lard is still the magic ingredient that gives Naples’ famous baked goods, such as the aforementioned sfogliatelle, and these taralli, their ethereal flakiness and rich, suggestive undertone.

The recipe in Italian Street Food is a modern one, calling for olive oil in place of lard. Paola notes, rightly, that pork fat can be hard to find and that it’s not to everyone’s liking. But since I had some I figured, why not?

All I can say is if you have a source for good lard, these taralli are an excellent way to use it. And if you don’t have a good source, these taralli are an excellent excuse to seek one out, whether it’s a butcher shop near you or a meat purveyor at your local farmers’ market. Yes, you can make them with olive oil, or even butter, and they will still be delicious. But for that characteristic shattering flakiness, that faint bacon undertone, the quality that makes these truly Neapolitan, lard is the way to go.

TARALLI SUGNA E PEPE
These savory rings are just the snack to serve with a glass of chilled white or rosé.
(Adapted from Italian Street Food: Recipes From Italy’s Bars and Hidden Laneways, by Paola Bacchia)

Makes 24 taralli

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup (115g) whole almonds, either raw or dry-roasted
4 cups (500g) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
2 teaspoons (8g) instant dried yeast
3/4 cup (200g; 7 oz) tepid water
2/3 cup (150g; 5 oz) leaf lard or extra-virgin olive oil (see Note below for more about buying lard)
3 teaspoons fine salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Splash of milk for brushing

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cut the almonds in half or chop them into large-ish pieces.

2. Blend the flour and yeast together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachent. Pour in the water and add the lard in pieces (or drizzle in the oil) and paddle until combined. Switch to the dough hook and add the salt, pepper, and almonds. Mix until a rough ball dough forms.

3. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for several minutes, until it is well-mixed and somewhat smooth and springy (it may remain a bit rough but that’s fine). The almonds will annoyingly try to pop out of the dough; just press them back in as best you can. Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly greased glass or ceramic bowl and cover the bowl with reusable or plastic wrap. Let it rise for an hour (it may or may not double in size).

4. Heat the oven to 350° F (175° C) and position two racks in the oven; one in the upper third and one in the center. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. Work with one piece at a time and cover the rest with a clean kitchen towel. You shouldn’t need to flour the work surface, but if the dough is quite sticky you can sprinkle a small amount on the surface and spread it around. Roll the piece into a rope about 8 or 9 inches (20 to 22 cm) long ~ it will spring back a bit and some almond pieces may escape but keep at it and poke the almond pieces back in (eat the stubborn ones that refuse to stay put). Twist the rope of dough several times, holding it from the ends and twisting in opposite directions so that the twists are visible along its length; then pinch the ends together to form a ring.about 2 1/2 inches (6 cm) in diameter. Set the ring on one of the baking sheets. Keep forming the rings; you will end up with 24 rings, 12 per sheet in four rows (three per row).

6. Brush the rings lightly with milk and set them in the oven. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, switching the positions of the baking sheets about halfway through (the rings on the top rack will brown faster than those on the center rack; switching their positions helps them to brown evenly). The rings are done when they are deep golden-brown and feel fairly light in weight when you (carefully!) pick one up. Remove from the oven and set the sheets on cooling racks. Let the rings cool right on the baking sheets. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

NOTE: Pigs yield different types of fat. The best fat for baking is leaf lard; it comes from around the pig’s kidneys and is soft and spreadable, with a clean pork-free flavor. It can be hard to find, so look for a good, reliable source such as a butcher or farmers’ market vendor. The jar of lard I bought is a combination of leaf lard and fat back (which comes from the back side of the pig) and it worked beautifully in this recipe.

Leaf lard can be stored in a tightly lidded container in the refrigerator for about a month (though mine lasted well longer than that!). For longer keeping, store it in the freezer.

Click on the button below for the printable recipe.