[1] You can buy dipping oil, or make your own for pennies! Nice bottles like this one from A&A Alta Cucina Italia are welcome foodie gifts (photo courtesy Local Market South). [2] Another American tradition: Add a splash of balsamic to the oil (here’s the recipe from Lemony Thyme). [3] Bagna cauda, a hot dipping oil for crudités, is a popular holiday dish in Italy (photo James Carrier | Sunset | All Recipes).

While not an authentic Italian practice, it was a revelation to non-Italian Americans, raised on butter.

Other restaurants followed, and the idea spread nationwide.

At the same time, news of the heart-healthy benefits of olive oil gained traction, and many Americans looked forward to EVOO with their bread basket.

Some continued the practice at home, especially for entertaining. A product known as “dipping oil” or “bread dippers” emerged, to be placed in a dish and served with crusty breads and crostini (small toasted slices) and crudités.

Bread dipping sets appeared, with seasonings plus shallow dishes for the olive oil. “Dipping dishes” could be shallow white saucer shapes, or elaborate designs with olive clusters.

The commercial dipping oils were typically seasoned with Italian herbs. Then, home cooks realized they could:

 
In addition to dipping bread, the seasoned oil can be used:

 
MAKE YOUR OWN DIPPING OIL

Use fresh or dried herbs. NOTE: Make only what you’re going to use at a given time (within a few days). When manufacturers add seasonings to oil, the product is pasteurized, stopping any growth of any bacteria from the add-ins.

So don’t make a whole jar of infused oil to give as gifts, or keep on the shelf. Keep the oil in the fridge; and if you aren’t using it fast enough as a dipper, use it to sauté, dress salads, etc.

 
Plus

 
Preparation

1. POUR the olive oil into a ramekin or shallow dish. Top with the desired amount of seasonings and stir lightly.

2. PLACE on a serving plate with the bread and/or crudités.

Bagna càuda, pronounced BON-ya COW-da, is a variation of the French concept of crudités with dip (photo #3). Bagna caôda is an alternative spelling.

The name means “hot bath”; the dip comprises olive oil and butter, seasoned with garlic and anchovies and served hot.

A specialty of Italy’s Piedmont region, bagna càuda is served during the autumn and winter months, often as part of the Christmas Eve Feast of The Seven Fishes or other Christmas Eve menu.

Want to make your own hot bath with garlic? Here’s a recipe.
 
  

We love cannoli; can’t get enough of them.

Although we’re rarely up for making the pastry tubes, we do relish a dish of “deconstructed cannoli”: the cream filling with a cookie on the side.

A bonus with cannoli cream is that you can substitute your sweetener of choice for the sugar. When we’re dieting, we treat ourselves to low-fat ricotta cannoli cream with Splenda (and of course, the mini chips).

We adapted this recipe from BelGioioso, a Wisconsin maker of classic Italian cheeses.

And buy the way, in addition to cookies, you can buy cannoli chips (photo #4).

The recipe follows, as well as recipes for savory versions! Also > below: What exactly is ricotta cheese?

But first:

> The year’s 15+ pastry holidays.

> The history and different types of pie and pastry: a photo glossary.

> National Cannoli Day is celebrated on June 16th, and September is National Cannoli Month.

> The history of cannoli.

> The history of ricotta.
 
 
RECIPE #1: DECONSTRUCTED CANNOLI

Ingredients For 4-6 Servings

 
And/Or Other Dippers

 
Variation: Substitute chopped candied fruits or pistachio nuts for the chocolate chips.
 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the ricotta and sugar until well blended. Stir in the chocolate.

2. COVER and refrigerate the mixture for at least 30 minutes before serving.

3. SCOOP a ball of cannoli cream onto a dessert plate. Garnish with a cookie and a sprig of mint and/or raspberries.
 
 
RECIPE #2: SAVORY DECONSTRUCTED CANNOLI

Turn the cannoli dip into cocktail party or appetizer fare by making a savory ricotta dip served with fancy crackers.

You can also use these to make standard cannoli in the same pastry tubes that are sold for sweet cannoli.
 
Cheese Fillings

Meat & Seafood Fillings

[2] Cannoli cream is simply sweetened ricotta cheese.

[3] A classic cannoli with chocolate chips (photo © Gerardo’s Italian Bakery.

[4] Cannoli chips with cannoli filling as a dip (photo © Golden Cannoli).

[5] Perfect for dipping, Golden Cannoli transforms crispy, crunchy cannoli shells into chip form, ready to scoop. You can also use them for fruit dips, dessert nachos, or right out of the bag (photo © Golden Cannoli).

 
International-Inspired Fillings

 
Finishing Touches

 
 
WHAT IS RICOTTA

Ricotta is a fresh (unaged) cow’s milk cheese that’s used extensively in Italian cooking. It’s soft and spreadable like cottage cheese.

Technically, ricotta isn’t cheese at all, but a by-product of the cheese-making process. The name “ricotta” means “recooked” in Italian (from the Latin recoctus).

Ricotta is been made from the whey left over from making other cheeses. After the curds are coagulated from the milk with rennet, the whey is drained off and the curds are pressed into cheese.

What to do with all the leftover whey had long been a concern for cheese makers. Many simply fed it to their pigs, a practice that continues today. That’s right: The whey drained from making the “king of cheeses,” Parmigiano-Reggiano, is used to feed the pigs that become Parma ham (prosciutto).
 
 
MORE WAYS USE RICOTTA

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] SuperSeedz are available in eight flavors, both sweet and savory (photos #1 #2, #3, and #4 © SuperSeedz).

[2] Maple Sugar & Sea Salt for snacks, salad mix-ins, even ice cream garnishes.

[3] SuperSeedz are available in eight flavors, both sweet and savory (all photos © SuperSeedz).

SuperSeedz, gourmet shelled pumpkin seeds that we first discovered in 2007, is one of those.

A better-for-you, nutritious (pumpkin seeds are one of the most nutritious seeds on the planet), fiber-filled and very flavorful, crunchy snack, we also love it as a garnish.

The five-ounce bags make really nice Thanksgiving favors and stocking stuffers, and are great for everyday grab-and-go.

SuperSeedz are non-GMO verified, cholesterol- and trans-fat free, gluten-free, vegan and allergen friendly.

Each one-ounce serving has 7 grams of protein and a good hit of iron and zinc.

In eight flavors, savory and sweet, there’s a flavor (or several!) for everyone.
 
 
SAVORY SUPERSEEDZ FLAVORS

 
Beyond Snacking…

As A Garnish On:

 
As A Mix-In To:

SWEET SUPERSEEDZ FLAVORS

 
Beyond Snacking…

As A Garnish On:

 
As A Mix-In To:

 
 
> The history of pumpkins.

> October 1st is National Pumpkin Spice Day.

> The first Wednesday in October is National Pumpkin Seed Day.

> October 26th is National Pumpkin Day.

> March 4th is National Snack Day.

[4] Toss seeds onto pasta and grains.

[5] Fill up a bowl or dish for snacking. Or roll a log of goat cheese in it (photos © The Nibble).

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] It’s easy to make spice tea without special tea. Just blend your own (photo courtesy Republic Of Tea).

[2] Add butter cookies, ginger cookies or shortbread for a classic snack (photos #2 and #3 © Yankee Magazine).

[3] Constant Comment, America’s favorite specialty tea

For home, perhaps the most popular spiced tea is the first major commercial brand, Constant Comment. A longtime favorite of ours (and the most popular specialty tea in the U.S.), the original black spiced tea bags are now available in decaffeinated black tea and green tea. It’s also available as loose tea.

But if you’re home and hankering for a cup of spiced tea, with none in the house, the solution is simple:

Just make your own with the tea and spices you already have in the kitchen.

In addition to black tea, you can make green spice tea or white spice tea, or rooibos (caffeine-free red tea) spice tea, exactly as Ruth Bigelow did when she created Constant Comment Tea in 1946.
 
 
SPICE TEA VS. SPICED TEA (IT’S SPICED!)

A bit of a grammatical note on spice vs. spiced:

 
 
RECIPE #1: EASY SPICED TEA

Ingredients For 2 Cups

 
Variations

You can keep playing with the spice mix until you have your perfect recipe (see more ingredients in the section below).

You can fill jars with your signature tea blend and give them as gifts to tea-loving friends. For friends who don’t use loose tea, add these unfilled drawstring tea bags.

Preparation

1. COMBINE the water, cinnamon, and cloves in a medium pan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

2. ADD the tea bags; steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and spices.

3. SERVE the tea hot or iced with a lemon wedge and choice of sweeteners, although the spice flavors are so exciting that no sweetener is necessary.
 
 
TEA INFUSIONS

You can also infuse the tea with:

 
Just look around your kitchen for things to infuse.
________________

*Here are 10 herb choices from Garden.org.
 
 
WAYS TO INFUSE TEA

1. With a spice ball. We prefer the new twist-and-lock spice ball style. The closure is less likely to loose with continued use.

2. Loose. If you don’t have a spice ball, just infuse all of the ingredients in a pitcher or a large measuring cup, ideally one with a pouring spout. Then pour the tea through a strainer, into the cup.

There are many devices for steeping loose tea, from simple infusers to more complex devices; for example, travel mugs and electric teapots with built-in infusers.

IngenuiTEA is our favorite device. Tea steeps in the unit, then easily dispenses into the cup.
 

RECIPE #2: MASALA CHAI

Masala chai is Hindi for spiced milk tea (masala = spice, chai = tea). It’s a strong black Indian tea infused with spices—commonly cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, peppercorn, clove, and nutmeg (chocolate or licorice are sometimes included)—with milk and sugar.

Traditionally, the milk and tea water are boiled together, then infused. This ensures that both liquids are hot. In the era of the microwave, you can infuse the tea in boiled water and then add heated milk.

While masala chai is traditionally made from black tea, green tea chai and rooibos chai have become popular in the West, where it is often simply called “chai.”

There is no one “best” chai recipe. As with any other recipe, the best version has the seasonings you prefer, in the proportions that you want.

Here’s a basic masala chai recipe that makes eight cups of tea. Take it as a starting point and adjust the ingredients and the proportions next time.

If eight cups are too much for you, cut back the recipe. Or, refrigerate the remainder, store it in the fridge, and heat it as needed. You can also drink it iced.

TIP: Some recipes (and store-bought blends) are pre-sweetened. If you may be serving the chai to people who prefer unsweetened tea, or use a noncaloric sweetener, omit the sweetener (the last ingredient) and provide sweeteners at the table.
 
Masala Chai Ingredients

[5] You can mix your chai spices ad hoc, or keep your favorite blend in an airtight jar (photo © Foodie Underground).

1. HEAT the water and milk to a boil in a saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients except for the honey and simmer, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes.

2. REMOVE from the heat and strain into another pot or bowl. Add sweetener and blend thoroughly.

3. SERVE from a conventional teapot or a pitcher; or bring pre-filled cups the table.
 
 
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEA

Check out our tea Glossary: the different types of tea, with beautiful photography.
 

This kit from Hella enables any mixologist or hopeful to craft his/her small-batch bitters (photos courtesy Hella Company).

The creative mixologists in your life can perfect their own, homemade bitters recipes for cocktails and mocktails.

You can also make coffee and iced coffee more sophisticated with a dash of bitters (check it out).

The same materials also enable the production of extracts for cooking and baking.

This handsome kit from Hella Bitters contains all the tools and ingredients required, except the alcohol (vodka or other neutral spirit).

Just add alcohol and follow the easy, step-by-step instructions. The handcrafted, small-batch bitters will be ready in no time.

The kit contains all the equipment needed, plus Hella’s proprietary mixes of herbs, spices, bittering agents and dried fruit peel as a starting point for other blends.

 
The kit is $64.95 at HellaCompany.com.

Optionally, you can add a good bottle of vodka for $15: New Amsterdam, Pinnacle, Smirnoff Red, Sobieski, UV, etc.

Save the Stolichnaya Elit ($60) for sipping on the rocks.

Bitters, which date back to ancient Egypt, are liquids consisting of water, alcohol and botanical extracts.These botanicals—aromatic herbs, barks, flowers, fruits and roots—were known for their medicinal properties.

Popular botanicals included cascarilla, cassia, gentian, orange peel, and cinchona bark.

The word bitters derives from Old English biter, which evolved thousands of years earlier from the Gothic baitrs, “to bite,” describing the taste of numerous botanicals.

The Middle Ages saw an increase in the development of medicines that combined botanicals with alcohol to create tonics, often used to aid digestion (hence the term, digestive bitters, as opposed to the modern “cocktail bitters”). Available “over the counter,” they came to be used as preventive medicines.

By the turn of the 19th century, the British practice of adding herbal bitters to wine had become very popular in the U.S. as well.

What happened next? By 1806, there are American references to a new preparation, the cocktail, described as a combination of “a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters.”