Rachel Roddy’s recipe for Neapolitan mostaccioli, or spiced biscuits dipped in chocolate | A kitchen in Rome

Halfway between a cake and a biscuit, with a throat-warming level of spice, these Italian treats have been around since medieval times, and only get better with age Established in 1982 by sisters Piera, Pina and Grazia Saverese, Pasticceria Savarese is a Neapolitan pastry shop in south-east Rome.

It is a densely decorated place – a composite of mirrors, tiles, frames, panels, shelves, cabinets – as well as a highly organised one: every cubbyhole and loop serves a function. Two counters support two aluminium-framed, glass cabinets, each with three glass shelves holding pastries, tarts, cakes and biscuits. The house speciality is la pastiera Napoletana , a latticed tart with a deep filling of ricotta, wheat berries, sugar, milk, candied fruit and spices – it’s traditional at Easter, but available here all year round. La pastiera was the reason we first visited the shop a…