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The last week has been full of the unusual, the trying.
Biscuit sprung her tail, but a few anti-inflammatory meds and it wags and waves
high again. More daily life occurred during the week with some lovely weather
to make small things bearable. Then the horrible scenes from Paris began to
flash on the screen. I am not sure how much more hatred the world can hold
without the planet earth exploding. I’m still processing the horror.
After not sleeping on Friday night thinking of many things,
I bounded out of bed early and turned the oven on. I have wanted to make
bischochitos for some time, and I declared yesterday the day. I was either
going to conquer them or have a colossal failure on my hands, but either way, I
was going to do it.
Bischochitos are the state cookie of New Mexico and have
been since 1989. It is the only state I know of that has a state cookie.
(Missouri has a state food-ice cream cones.) These cookies are served for
special occasions, but are out in force for Christmas holidays. Everyone has
their favorite recipe, and the basic recipe was from Spain. It is a combination
of shortbread and sugar cookie.
The newest issue of the New Mexico magazine has an old
family recipe in the cooking section this month. The family name is Padilla and
they have lived in New Mexico since the early 1700s. I figured if this recipe
had been around this long, I’d better try it. The first thing that was unusual
was the use of a pound (yes, a whole pound!) of lard. I have never cooked with
lard but I gave it a try. Anise seeds and a dash of rum were the other two
differences from a traditional sugar cookie.
I have never ever had success with cutting out cookies, but
again, I was going to try. I was pleasantly surprised to see how wonderful the
dough was to work with thanks to the aerated lard. It rolled out so nicely to
the 3/8 inch requirement and the cut outs lifted easily. Of course, I used just
a simple biscuit cutter than DH had made for me years ago.
I can attest to the cookie’s goodness warm, cold, with tea,
without anything. The lard made the cookie flaky like a good pie crust. (I can’t
make a decent pie crust either!) I put a large bowl of them in the freezer or
they would be gone already. I want to see how they do frozen, but I bet they
will do fine for Christmas if they stay frozen that long.
I have heard the glories of the bischochitos for a long
while, and now I know they are truly good. They are simple with a long history behind
them; they are comfort food. I think
they will be a new favorite at this house. Yesterday seemed a perfect day to
reach for comfort food.
Do you have a favorite comfort food or a regional favorite?
8 comments:
I did not realize Bischocitos was the New Mexico state cookie. g. They sound delicious.
A state cookie sounds lovely.
Comfort food? Chocolate. In most of its incarnations. Baked rice pudding. Casserole on a cold winter night. Home made soup. As I think about it, I have a LOT of comfort food.
And my heart aches for Paris, and for Beirut the day before.
Comfort food? Uh, mashed potatoes. Bread with butter. Creamy soups (just about any kind). Noodles with butter and sauteed onions.
The cookies sound delicious, I'm glad Biscuit is back to normal, and your hand-crafted cookie cutter is gorgeous.
Hi Bookie....The bischochitos look so yummy. As far as regional favorites, lobster has to be my absolute fave. Also love New England clam chowder and maple walnut ice cream. Susan
My favorite comfort food, Claudia--on cold days or sad days or days when I had a cold and felt sad--was cinnamon toast. My mom baked wonderful whole wheat bread, and she would cut off a thick slick, slather on some butter, sprinkle with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon she kept in the cupboard, and then put it in the oven until it was bubbly.
It was the ultimate comfort food for me.
Comfort food.....diet pepsi and potato chips
Oh my, a pound of lard? Well why not? I just found a stashed frozen apple turnover, and devoured it. It was delicious. The first time my husband watched me make cake frosting, he swore off it: one and a half cups Crisco and 2 lbs powdered sugar. Doesn't stop me though.
Good readinng this post
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