Flavors of Italy: Holiday Dishes
Flavors of Italy: Holiday Dishes
For Italians, the holiday season brings about two very important dining occasions: Cenone della Vigilia (Christmas Eve dinner) and Christmas Day supper. Italians usually kick-off the holiday festivities by fasting all of Christmas Eve day and then indulging on an abundant seafood feast for dinner. While Christmas Eve signifies a time to enjoy the fruits of the sea, the flavors of Christmas Day include rich meats, soups, stews, pastas and elaborate desserts. After a marathon lunch or supper, Italian families normally crowd around the holiday table to play a lively game of tombola, the Italian version of bingo. As you begin to think about what culinary traditions you’ll be continuing this holiday season, we’ve included a few festive regional Italian dishes to get you in the spirit:
NAPLES
- Vruoccoli zuffritti co l’alice salate – Fried broccoli with salted anchovies
- Cassuola de calamarielli e seccetelle – Casserole of little squid and calamari
- Struffoli – Morsels of sweet fried dough drizzled in honey
- Cappone a lo tiano – A delicious homemade soup made with capon and vegetables
- Puorco servatico – Roasted wild boar
ABRUZZO
- Arrosto di Agnello – Roasted lamb
- Bollito di Maiale – A stew made with boiled pork, hot chili, rosemary and bay leaves.
- Calcionetti Fritti – Turnovers filled with black grape marmalade, garbanzo beans, chopped walnuts, almonds and cocoa
EMILIA ROMAGNA
- Culatello di Zibello – Cured ham stuffed into a pigs bladder, lightly salted, and aged to cured perfection
- Cotechino di Modena – A fresh sausage made using a blend of pork, pork fat and pork rind
LE MARCHE
- Pizza di Nata‘ – A dessert bread made with dried fruit, raisins, grated lemon and orange, figs, cocoa powder and sugar
LAZIO
- Fritto misto di verdure – Fried artichokes and broccoli
- Baccalà Fritto – Fried salt cod
PIEMONTE
- Pepperoni in bagna cauda – Peppers swirled in a warm salt, garlic and anchovy sauce
- Torrone d’Alba – Whole hazelnuts dreamily suspended in fluffy white nougat candy
What festive Italian dish do you want at your holiday dinner table? If you’re looking for ideas, let us know, and we might post a recipe or two!
Please can you send me the recipe for Calcionetti fritti. My mother-in-law came from Abruzzo and made a turnover at Christmas that she called Cecipieni. The ingredients sound identical to what you describe for calcionetti. I would be so grateful
Colleen Ruffini
Colleen,
Calcionetti are indeed quite the holiday treat! Below is a link from http://www.ricettepercucinare.com that will hopefully conjure up delicious memories of your mother-in-law’s cooking.
http://www.ricettepercucinare.com/ricetta_abruzzese-calcionetti.htm
Ingredients
1 1/2 kilos of chestnuts
250 grams of boiling honey
3 teaspoons of sugar
150 grams of finely diced citron
100 grams of chocolate powder
200 grams of ground toasted almonds
Zest of one orange
One cup of white wine
Olive Oil
Flour as needed
Preparation:
Shell the chestnuts and cover in flower. Put them in a large container and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Knead well and let rest for 24 hours before frying.
Buon appetito!
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