Top 10 Most Popular Recipes of 2021
Happy almost-New Year’s-Eve everyone! Though I was convinced that the hellish, 24 hour travel experience detailed here couldn’t possibly repeat itself, it seems that lightening does strike twice. Believe it or not, I am writing this from the Newark Liberty International Airport, where I have once again been stranded for 7 hours thanks to a massively delayed flight to Rome (never again, United Airlines.) Once I actually board the plane home, I still have 8 hours in the air ahead of me. If you’re wondering, I’m putting on a brave face in the lounge, where I have set up camp with the latest Ian McEwan novel, Narcos Season 3, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Send good thoughts my way.
The upside to having so much time to kill? I have a moment to work on the last blog post of 2021 (a brief and welcome distraction from my current situation). It’s nearly the end of what has been an eventful year, complete with a covid vaccine and booster, and thus a slight return to normalcy. I’ve gone back to working in the office every once in a while (though I very much like my co-worker at home,) and have managed to do some much appreciated and much missed dining out. I’ve published articles and recipes outside of the blog — one of my 2021 resolutions, completed— and spent a stretch in the most beautiful part of Italy (ahh, Sicily!). I also was able to meet the smallest, newest member of our family, reunited with my brother and sister-in-law after two years, and got to spend Christmas in Rhode Island. Next up: a move into a brand new, shiny apartment, my 33rd birthday, and of course: lots more recipes in the pipeline for my beloved blog.
Speaking of which!
It’s time for Pancakes & Biscotti’s annual Top Recipes post! Below you’ll find the blog’s ten most viewed, cooked, and baked recipes of 2021. The verdict: everyone’s sweet tooth was in fine form this year, Italian recipes triumphed slightly over American ones, and comfort food was in demand. Read on! (I’ll just be here in the airport, trying to nap).
Looking for more recipe compilations and the Top Recipes of previous years? Click here!
10. Tiramisù alle fragole
A heavenly mix of juicy berries, billows of mascarpone, and savoiardi which go pleasantly spongey after a dip in sweet-tart strawberry juice and a rest in the fridge. The berries make for a lighter, fresher twist on the classic coffee and cocoa powder-laden tiramisù. Click here for the recipe.
9. carrot cake
My recipe for the quintessential carrot cake, complete with cinnamon/ginger/nutmeg for warmth and spice, plus tangy, not-to-sweet cream cheese frosting, or rather the-only-sort-of-frosting-that-should-ever-grace-a-carrot-cake, at least in my book. Click here for the recipe.
8. panna cotta alle fragole
This (super easy, refreshing) panna cotta is softly wobbly, perfectly smooth, and just sweet enough, perfect with a spoonful or two of juicy sweet strawberries. Think of this as strawberries and cream, revisited. Click here for the recipe.
7. sweet potato pie
Step aside, pumpkin pie! The filling in this Sweet Potato Pie is sweet but not cloying, thanks to a team of autumnal spices which gives it depth and complexity. The the crust is shortbread-like, buttery and a little salty. Click here for the recipe.
6. fettuccine alla papalina
One of the lesser known Roman pastas, fettuccine alla papalina = a mountain of tangled fettuccine dressed in a velvety, eggy, sauce dotted with prosciutto, packed with peas, and finished with a generous dose of Parmesan and black pepper. Click here for the recipe.
5. favorite frittata
My favorite frittata is made with with Parmesan and fontina plus wholesome spinach and cubes of golden brown potatoes— note however that this recipe is flexible, so add any cheese, vegetable, or meat your breakfast-loving heart desires. Click here for the recipe.
4. sfincione palermitano
Hailing from Sicily, sfincione consists of a fluffy crust topped with a rich tomato sauce, sweet, slow cooked onions, punchy anchovies, pleasantly sharp cheese, earthy oregano, and a sprinkle of breadcrumbs for texture. A slab of this is a true joy to eat. Click here for the recipe.
3. ciambelline al vino
This recipe makes for spot on ciambelline, ones that are perfectly imperfect, rustic, deeply golden brown and pleasantly crunchy. They are tinged with red wine, infused with spicy, warming cinnamon, and dipped briefly in sugar before baking. Click here for the recipe.
2. cannoli pound cake
A speedy, marvelous cake that drops the fussy fried cannolo shell, focusing instead on the elements and flavors of the filling: lots of ricotta, orange zest, mini chocolate chips, and a sprinkle of pistachios. Click here for the recipe.
1. gnocchi alla romana
Drumroll! The #1 recipe of the year was gnocchi alla romana or rather Roman-style gnocchi that ditch the potatoes and flour in favor of pleasantly grainy semolina, which is cooked in milk until thick, mixed with butter, and then spread out to cool before being cut out in to circles. The resulting semolina coins are drizzled with butter, sprinkled with cheese, and baked, gratin-style, until bubbling. Click here for the recipe.