An Italian Christmas

[davef]

How about we all get together and do the 12 ounces with pizza as we watch football?

 

[Salento]

For Christmas, my mother's family does a version of Panzerotti, that they colloquially call frittelli, in her town. Usually they're stuffed with either tuna, onions, or mozzarella, with tomatoes and capers.

We Call them “Pittule”.

 

[Salento]

Got This Present, I think it’s Cool. [emoji1]
A real coin of Empress Faustina Jr, wife of Marcus Aurelius.

 

[Jovialis]

Got This Present, I think it’s Cool. [emoji1]
A real coin of Empress Faustina Jr, wife of Marcus Aurelius.

That's awesome. My grandfather on my dad's side, showed me a Roman coin he found a long time ago in Italy. I don't know what happened to it, after he passed away though.

 

[Salento]

That's awesome. My grandfather on my dad's side, showed me a Roman coin he found a long time ago in Italy. I don't know what happened to it, after he passed away though.

If you ever go to Cannae, take a “Casual” walk around the Fields, especially after they plow it. You might get Lucky.

“The Battle of Cannae was a major battle of the Second Punic War that took place on 2 August 216 BC in Apulia, in southeast Italy.
It is regarded both as one of the greatest tactical feats in military history and as one of the worst defeats in Roman history.”

 

[Jovialis]

Here's some food from today:

 

[Angela]

Here's some food from today:

This is why I only put out a few platters of appetizers; otherwise, people don't eat the main meal.

I'm taking a break before I clean my kitchen (which looks like it was hit by a hurricane), and because I can't look at food anymore, and here I am talking about food.

I see you guys like mortadella too. My ancestors will be rolling in their graves to hear me say this, but I think I like it better than prosciutto. Is that fried cauliflower at the bottom? I love that. Or is it fried baccala? I see the salad.

I think Neapolitans are great cooks. I learned everything I could from my husband's grandmother. She was amazing

@Salento,

Vice nice gift.

As I'm typing I'm having a cup of decaf coffee and some panettone. Our tastes are the same: Bauli for pandoro, and Balocco for panettone. Sile is right, I think the Motta has changed, or at least the one they sell here has changed. It's the same thing with Nutella. I didn't buy it all that regularly because I just don't have much self-control when it's around, but God it was good. Now, my son bought a jar and it's been in the fridge for two weeks and we've barely eaten any. It's just gross. I even asked at the import store and they said they changed it for the American market.

 

[Jovialis]

This is why I only put out a few platters of appetizers; otherwise, people don't eat the main meal.
I'm taking a break before I clean my kitchen (which looks like it was hit by a hurricane), and because I can't look at food anymore, and here I am talking about food.
I see you guys like mortadella too. My ancestors will be rolling in their graves to hear me say this, but I think I like it better than prosciutto. Is that fried cauliflower at the bottom? I love that. Or is it fried baccala? I see the salad.
I think Neapolitans are great cooks. I learned everything I could from my husband's grandmother. She was amazing

Actually it's fried shrimp; you're right, it's baccala in the the silver bowl above it.

I passed out on the couch while everyone had lasagna later on.

I love mortadella, but I also love prosciutto too. The other day I had a prosciutto, mozzarella, and olive oil in Italian bread, sandwich.

 

[Jovialis]

We also played tombola, and I took a picture of the board. But some of the illustrations on it might be a little too ridiculous to post on the forum though.

 

[davef]

Got This Present, I think it’s Cool. [emoji1]
A real coin of Empress Faustina Jr, wife of Marcus Aurelius.

You should sell that to a museum, you might make a lot of money

 

[Salento]

We also played tombola, and I took a picture of the board. But some of the illustrations on it might be a little too ridiculous to post on the forum though.

Besides Tombola we also play Sette e Mezzo, it’s similar to Blackjack (not exactly), but is played with Carte Napoletane.

 

[Salento]

You should sell that to a museum, you might make a lot of money

“I Like Money” lol
but I wouldn’t sell a present that I like. [emoji2]

 

[davef]

“I Like Money” lol
but I wouldn’t sell a present that I like. [emoji2]

I understand, if you want it around, then by all means keep it around

 

[Angela]

Some Italians do spend Christmas at an agriturismo or hotel, although I don't personally know anyone who does.

They're giving the meal away in the Lunigiana.

[/IMG]

Cured meats with sgabei (fried bread squares)
Flan of pumpkin and ricotta with crumbled amaretto cookies on top
Savory vegetable tarts
Bruschetta with cannellini and capperi cream
Eggplant filled with cream of filbert
onions in sweet and sour sauce

Sformato di zucca e ricotta

Torta di verdura

Bruschetta con crema di fagioli:

Melanzane ripiene

[/IMG]

Cipolle agrodolce:

Primo Piatto

Pumpkin Ravioli and Florentine Crepes

Pumpkin Ravioli with butter, sage, pistachios

Crespelle alla Fiorentina-Crepes filled with spinach and ricotta, topped with bechamel and dotted with meat sauce (or plain tomato sauce).

Secondo Piatto

Zampone or Cotechino Sausage with Lentils-this is a New Year's dish so maybe they have a "holiday" menu.

Roast duck with orange sauce and roasted potatoes

Panettone with Chantilly sauce, fresh berries, dried fruit, water wine.

 

[Sile]

Besides Tombola we also play Sette e Mezzo, it’s similar to Blackjack (not exactly), but is played with Carte Napoletane.

When my father and father in law where alive they always played Trappola ...........else its Bestia for the rest of us ..........or Chess with my father
.
Every christmas since I remember, we had only these deserts......a typical Pandora Panettone, Tira mi su or Pavlova ...........
.
meals have always been .......entry of seafood , prawns, oysters, crayfish, etc
main meal was roast Pork .....I rarely saw a turkey
and plenty of different vegies
Also drinks always began with a Prosecco , many different wines and beers.............and ended with a Tawny

 

[Jovialis]

We just finished making, and eating fried calamari, fried baccalà, and polpo salad for our christmas eve lunch.

 

[Angela]

Christmas Eve:

I barely got a picture of the remaining grilled shrimp appetizer; the cold seafood salad disappeared while my back was turned.

[/IMG]
Baccala-first fried and then the finished product:

I forgot to take a picture of the risotto with asparagus, carrots, peas, and lobster chunks. It was just too chaotic even with the small group; they were starving.

Anyway, a big green salad ended the meal.

I had room for the traditional tangerine, a few nuts, and some roasted chestnuts, and that was it. The desserts we ate on Christmas Day.

I can't eat the way I used to....

It was nice, but I missed the big gatherings of 20 or more, even though it's a killer to put on. Will we ever get back to normal?

 

[Jovialis]

I'm fortunate to now live 3 minutes away from a very good Italian import store, that have everything.


They have Sicilian rum babas, and many other nice things I want to buy for our Christmas dinner.

 

[Angela]

Tortellini in brodo is the traditional first course in many Northern Italian households on Christmas Day, or at least it used to be. It's an incredibly laborious task, but worth it.

Here an Australian woman married to a Tuscan makes them (and he helps, which never happened in our house unfortunately). She does a good job, I think, although she's pretty slow and the filling shouldn't be a ball. (Our recipe is also a bit different as we don't put as much beef; in Bologna I think they use only the capon for the meat portion of the broth.) She made 400. Given the size of my father's family, we often made 800 and more, but we had a couple of women doing it, and through long years of practice their fingers were very nimble.

More precise measurements from pasta grannies:

Master Chef Bruno Barbieri of Bologna arguing with his mother and her friend trying to get them to reveal their recipe. They do so only under duress.

 

[Jovialis]

My wife's side does a lot of tortellini and brodo, but regularly as a meal. I'm not sure if I remember having it before like that with my family, but certainly not as often. We did a lot of brodo with that flaky pasta. At any rate, I really enjoy tortellini and brodo. For other meals, we both try as much as possible to keep our provincial dishes alive in our house.