Danny the Dog Nanny And His Belgium Boat Italian Biscotti

DANNY THE DOG NANNY WALKING TO THE YACHAT

RIDING ON THE BOAT

Danny the Dog Nanny
And His Belgium Boat Italian Biscotti

Hello, Boys and Girls. This is Danny the Dog Nanny. One of the most important items I like to pack for the Boys and the one lucky lady who will be traveling with us on our Voyage is a nice hard biscuit that will not go stale on me. Often many of the ports we stop at, I find that one (if not all) of my charges do not particularly like the cuisine of the country we are visiting.

Now one of my hard fast rules, which my four-legged charges know and that their “parents” must agree with before we set sail or I become a full-time doggie nanny for them; is that at every country and port we stop at, my four-legged charges will at least try the homeland cuisine and not turn up their snouts before tasting the food.

You just never know as young puppies and young adults, your taste buds are forever changing on a daily basis and a food item you did not like last month, you very likely could like today in South America with different seasonings. This is why the families that hire me never seem to have a problem with that line in my hiring contract.

Now I make my biscottis for two reasons, the first is when we are at sea; they make a wonderful breakfast and a great biscuit for afternoon tea. The second reason being, that if one of my four-legged charges has tried the local cuisine and really does not like the food then they are allowed to have them for a meal with vegetables, and I then give Cook permission to cook them a meal on board ship for whomever will be dining aboard the ship.


Belgium Boat Italian Biscotti

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup dark rye flour
1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
½ cup each: oats, buckwheat flour and barley flakes
¼ cup plain wheat germ
1/3 cup sunflower seeds, shelled
2 tablespoons dark molasses
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
2 tablespoons olive oil (Note: do not use extra virgin oil for this, as it has a lower burn temperature than regular olive oil, and is not as good for baking. Regular olive oil is wonderful for this recipe and less expensive to boot.)
2 tablespoons water
1 large egg (extra large is fine also)
2 tsp vanilla
½ cup chopped dried apple
½ cup dried banana, chopped (fresh banana should be chopped & frozen before using)
½ cup of fresh carrots, shredded (make sure they are slim shreds)
¼ cup flax seed
Non-stick spray for cookie sheet

DIRECTIONS:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350°
2. Spray one large cookie sheet with non-stick spray
3. In large bowl combine all dry ingredients: flours, wheat germ, sunflower seeds,
Baking soda and baking powder, set aside.
4. In a blender or food processor puree the egg, vanilla and olive oil to emulsify.
5. Add all other ingredients to blender and blend well, until they are almost the size of small chunks, then add the fruit and mix well.
6. Now add all the wet ingredients into the bowl of flours and other ingredients.
7. Knead dough until it will hold together well, just do not over knead.
8. Cut the dough in half so you have equal amounts.
9. Shape into a “meatloaf” shape, without the loaf pan.
10. Place both dough loaves on the greased cookie sheet.
11. Flatten the loaves a bit (keeping in mind that you want them to look like a
Biscotti)
12. Now take a slim fork to poke holes on top of your loaves. I poke a few holes on the
Sides too Also do not place them too closely to each other when baking, as you want
To have a bit of room between the loaves. (See picture below)
13. Bake the loaves in the oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch.
Do not let them burn.
14. Remove them from oven and let cool for at least 1 hour. Turn your oven down to 300°,
but do not turn off, as you still have more baking to do.
15. Once loaves are cool, get a bread knife and slice the Biscotti into ¼ inch thick slices
(See picture below).
16. Place sliced biscotti on cookie sheet and bake again. It should take about 30 minutes,
Until they are golden brown and hard. If you are at a high altitude it may take a bit
longer. If you are at sea level, it may take only 20 minutes.
17. Turn off your oven to let them dry out longer, but make sure they do not burn. You
want them to dry out as this will give them more flavors and harden for your dogs to
give them more crunches. This also helps remove the moisture, which is one of the
reasons homemade cookies don’t last as long. The trick is to get them dried out enough.

I like to store them in an airtight container and my favorite thing to use is my Reynolds Handi-Vac® storage system that takes all the air out. This will allow them to keep for up to 6 months in the freezer. Just take out what you want to use for the day, and they will return to room temperature quickly.

I love to give them to my boys on a summer day when they are fresh out of the freezer. They make a great treat on a hot summer day.

With this Biscotti recipe you can add any ingredients you want, from dried meats to veggies; just keep the dry ingredients the same and create away.

I hope you and your four-legged kids enjoy these treats as much as my Boys love them. I always use this recipe for gift giving, as they are easy to make, look beautiful and most of all they taste great!

“Remember the animals in your life are not just your pets, they’re your friends.”

WNR