This recipe is dedicated to those who may be suffering under the duress of lockdown. As I write this, the morale in Italy is sagging. Given the statistics, the programmed release date from national quarantine of April 3 is premature. It would appear there are miles to go before we sleep.

Creativity does much to fuel the inner fire so, with lockdown as my muse, I created this recipe to soothe some of the weariness, including my own.

I am not one to reach for sugary treats as a pick-me-up (buttered toast is my go-to comfort food), but I do love spices and pumpkin rarely disappoints. And in this time of crisis when it is easy to eat mindlessly, it’s helpful to have something on hand that is already portioned into a reasonable size and can be enjoyed as breakfast, a snack, a dessert, or a light dinner with wine and cheese. Yes, of course, you could eat more in one sitting than is wise, but it’s not like a tub of gelato or a tray of lasagna wherein notions of moderate portioning are more nebulous.

But I am not here to advocate a prescription for temperate eating; these biscotti are powerful antidepressants. They satisfy on so many levels. Crystalized ginger is the protagonist, but its punch is balanced by the earthiness of pumpkin and the yang of walnut. Despite the cliché that pumpkin spice has become - there’s no denying that it lifts comfort foods to the next level. Food snobs can bypass the PS stigma by making their own, which I highly recommend for the best flavor spectrum.

Counting myself as one of the latter, I would also encourage you to make your own pumpkin purée. Not much is called for in this recipe - but you can freeze the leftovers (risotto, soup, bread, etc.). Might I suggest the Hokkaido pumpkin or the red kuri squash? Cut them into thick slices, bake (180°C, one hour) with a little butter until soft and starting to brown (that’s key), and remove the peel once they have cooled. Simple as that! Steaming will adversely effect the moisture content of the cookie and is not advised.

The end product is only subtly sweet, which makes it adaptable to many occasions, but you can add more sugar if you are so inclined.

Without further ado…

Ingredients:

(makes about 35)

200g all purpose flour

100g whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp pumpkin spice

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

100g brown sugar

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp vanilla

85g pumpkin puree (see note above)

75g crystalized ginger, chopped fine

100g walnuts, toasted and chopped

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Mix the first five ingredients and set aside.
Beat the next five ingredients together with a hand whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
Stir in the ginger and walnuts taking care to unclump the ginger.
Slowly fold in the dry ingredients. The dough should stiffen so that it is difficult to manage with a spoon. I wouldn’t advise doing this with a machine because you risk overworking the dough. You can mix it with your hands with the final addition of flour, but it will be quite sticky.
Prepare an insulated cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
With wet hands, pick up the dough and shape it into a log. Depending on the size of your cookie sheet, you may need to make two logs.
Form the dough so that it is 3cm high and 7cm wide - more or less. Consider that it will puff up as it bakes.

Bake the log 20-25 minutes turning it around halfway through.
When it starts to brown it should be done. Remove it and let it cool enough so that you can handle it, but not too much or you won’t be able to cut it.
Lower the oven temperature to 125°C.

Cut the log into slices that are about 1cm thick. This is not one of those biscotti that is a challenge to your teeth/dental work. If you want a harder result, omit the olive oil.
Carefully arrange the slices on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes on one side, then turn each slice over and bake again for 10 minutes.

After the second cooking is complete, turn off the heat and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Leave the biscotti in the oven until they are cool, but you can sneak one out before that. Just know that they will get more stable once they have cooled properly.

Best wishes. Stay well.