For all who have have asked that I post the recipe for Ostia here it is. I
really hope you can find all the ingredients.
2-4 boxes of hosts
3-4 lbs walnuts --you may need more depending on the honey and the size of the
walnut chunks
3 lbs honey
1/2 lb Hershey's chocolate (either plain or almond) can also use 1 lb of
chocolate if you are a real chocoholic--I am
cinnamon to taste
Note: I find the hosts at a local Italian specialty store. They come from
Germany and look just like a large communion host--about 3 inches across.
They are made from flour and water and pressed in special iron form. I
really don't know if you can substitute anything else. I am here at work
and if anybody tries this recipe and can't find the hos We used to make our
I will send the German address so they can be ordered.
own hosts from an iron that was specially made and purchased in Italy by
some very close friends. But, this is a real miserable chore and gets your
stove top very messy.
By the way, the word Ostia means host in Italian
--at least in our southern Italian.
Hand chop the walnuts to a medium-small chunk--should look about this big
_
[_] maybe a little smaller
If you can buy them already chopped that is okay also.
In a large and heavy pot pour the honey. (I usually use a non-stick or
stainless steel pot--not aluminum or cast iron finishes.) Gently bring the
honey to a boil until it foams decrease the heat a little and then skim off
the sticky foam that forms around the edges until you have all of it or at
least the majority of it.
Break the hershey bar into pieces and add to the hot honey. Stir until the
majority of the cholocate is melted--it will never really stir into the honey.
Add the chopped walnuts and cinnamon. Use as much as you want. I usually use
about 1/4 cup cinnamon because we like the taste. You may need to use more
walnuts if
the mixture is runny. It should be very thick with very little hot honey
running off the spoon. Stir well until everything is mixed. Turn the heat
down to the lowest setting that will keep the mixture warm and be careful
to not let the mixture scorch--which it will readily do if the heat is too
high. You need to keep the mixture warm while you are working and making the
cookies.
On one side of a host gently spread approximately 1 tbs of the mixture covering
the majority of the host. Place another host on top, then invert the cookie
and place on a flat pan such as a cookie sheet. (The ostia lookes like a white
host sandwich.)
Continue in this manner,lining up the cookies on the pan until one layer is
made.
Cover with wax paper. Then continue making the cookies and the layers until you
have about 4 or 5 layers. Cover the last layer with wax paper. Place a
heavy something on top of everything--I use two thick encyclopedia books. This
is to keep the ostias from curling. The hot honey mixture makes the hosts curl
up.
Now, if you can stand it at this point, let the cookies "cure" for about
1 week. I am really being optimistic about this. We love them so much
they hardly get to cure for 2 days. They do not need to be covered and do
not put them in a cookie jar or any other covered container as the hosts
become very soft and the honey begins to run. They will keep for a few months
so you can make them quite a bit in advance of when they are needed. We cut
the finished cookie--either with a very sharp knife or a pair of scissors--
into fourths as the it is rich
This recipes makes a bunch of cookies--about 150 or so. So for just starters
I would cut it down to 1 lb of honey, 2 lbs of walnuts, cinnamon and just one
regular Hershey bar. I hope you all have good luck and enjoy!
Diane M. Ferrell
Pueblo, CO