This mixture should be further mixed with 4 egg yolks and the butter, then worked to form a decent dough in the shape of a ball. Casale Monferrato is mostly famous in the rest of Italy for two reasons, one of which is unfortunately a sad history related to an asbestos factory, "Eternit". The other reason, thankfully, are the delicious krumiri biscuits which were invented here (there's a whole legend connected to this, and an anthem, and lots more!) and are still produced in the small but successful family-run business in via Lanza, in the town centre.

Trim the leek and quarter lengthways, wash, finely slice and add to the pan, followed by the spinach. Stir regularly, until dark, dry and intense, then remove and leave to cool. Every Italian is familiar with the old, 1980s commercials for the brand-name version of these crunchy yet buttery V-shaped delicacies, where an irascible bespectacled cookie factory owner would shout at its rather meek head baker for using only the best ingredients to make krumiri, risking to bring his business on the verge of collapse – the assumption here being that quality ingredients are costly and the company would lose profit. In fact, thanks to that very brand, krumiri are a common sight in our grocery stores, from North to South, but we shouldn’t forget their origin is fully traditional and they are made, especially in Monferrato, artisanally, too. For more than a century, they have been a beloved accompaniment for coffee and tea, cioccolata calda,and even wine wine. Their goodness, my friends, is legendary, and their history – along with that of their name – is very interesting indeed.Next, divide the dough into two pieces. Pull into a sausage shape, the place inside a piping bag with a star shaped nozzle. For the naans, use whatever spice you like, it could be a pinch of cumin or fenugreek seeds, a sprinkling of curry powder or even a bit more curry paste. Or, keep it super simple and just use garlic. As soon as it starts to colour, stir in the mango chutney. Let it sizzle for a minute, then pour in the tomatoes, breaking them up with your spoon. As soon as they start to bubble, add the coconut milk. Bring it to the boil, then turn off the heat. If you haven’t got any mango chutney, try apricot jam and some spices from your store cupboard, such as ground cumin or coriander.

Niente di nuovo, ma il segreto sta nelle proporzioni e, naturalmente, nella loro forma iconica. Se non li conoscete, lasciate che vi presenti un krumiro per antonomasia: circa tre centimetri di lunghezza, colore scuro e dorato, superficie rigata, forma di una lettera a V larga o, secondo chi ne sa di più, come gli iconici baffi a manubrio di Vittorio Emanuele II, primo Re d’Italia. E ha molto senso perché il sovrano era morto lo stesso anno in cui Rossi e i suoi amici hanno proposto i krumiri in stato di ebbrezza alcolica: ditemi se non riuscite a immaginare un gruppo di uomini allegramente ubriachi che cercano di modellare un biscotto come i baffi di un re appena morto… Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add the vanilla and mix again. Cook the naan at the bottom of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and crisp on the outside, fluffy in the middle. The recipe Ivonne posted comes from a book called Italian Baking Secrets, written by an Italian priest; I modified it to reduce the amount of butter and sugar slightly. If you want to make ridged ones, make sure you use a professional-grade piping bag and tip that won’t burst and poop out on you. I’m just saying.

Have you tried this? Share your pics on Instagram!

Aside from this minor hurdle, these are precisely my kind of cookie: crumbly, with the teasing crunch of cornmeal between your teeth, delicately flavored, and not too sweet. And in keeping with the regional theme, I have found them to be ideal companions to a scoop of homemade Nutella ice cream***. Fun fact: it is said that only two people at a time know the FULL recipe of these amazing biscuits, which were first produced by mistake. Is it true? I have no clue :P