Flour
Vino Cotto
Sugar
Eggs
Shortening (lard or olive oil)
Baking powder

Flavoring to one's liking
Cinnamon
Cloves
Nutmeg
Zest of orange
Zest of lemon

Make a cookie dough with flour, sugar, eggs, baking powder and vino cotto (add extra flavoring if desired). The dough should be neither soft nor hard, but have the consistency of a butter cookie dough.

Roll out the dough and cut out diamond shapes.

Bake in a moderate oven until ready.

Mrs. Lina Cacciato grew up in Cai, Messina, Sicily. She states that in the 1930s individuals made mostaccioli for the Feast Day of San Giacomo which was celebrated in Cai, Messina on July 25th. Back in the 1930s individuals who were devotees of San Giacomo made the cookies and then brought them to church, and there the priest blessed them during the Mass. After the Mass was celebrated individuals gave the cookies to friends and family members. As Mrs. Lina Cacciato's mother was not a devotee of San Giacomo she did not make the cookies, so Lina cannot be a 100 per cent sure of the recipe. However, she believes that in her town, home cooks did not include nuts in the mostaccioli recipe, nor did they include a large amount of flavoring. What made the cookies special was the addition of vino cotto. Plus they were presented in the classic diamond shape. Photo: Mary Melfi.

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