Italian Christmas Dinner Menu
Mangia Bene Pasta
Turkey with Chestnut Stuffing
(Serves 8)
Stuffing:
6 cups dry Italian bread, cut into cubes
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 ounces pancetta, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
1 cup coarsely chopped chestnuts
1 apple, peeled and chopped
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 (12-14 pound) turkey
Salt and pepper
1 cup dry white wine
To make the stuffing:
Put the bread cubes in a large bowl and add the milk. Let soak for 10 minutes.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with the oil. Add the onions and pancetta.
Cook about 10 minutes until the onions are golden and pancetta begins to brown.
Stir in sage. Remove from heat.
Squeeze the milk from the bread and place the bread in a large bowl. Add the chestnuts and apple.
Transfer the onion-pancetta mixture to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Mix well. Allow to cool. Stuffing can be refrigerated for 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F.
Combine the chopped rosemary and sage.
Lift the skin of the turkey and spread the herb mixture between the skin and the meat.
Fill the turkey with the stuffing.
Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan and bake for 1 hour.
After the first hour, begin to baste the turkey every 30 minutes with the wine and juices in the pan.
Roast an additional 2-1/2 to 3 hours.
The turkey is done when the temperature at the thickest part of the turkey reaches 165-degrees F.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes.
Transfer the stuffing to a bowl and carve the turkey.
Roasted Shrimp with Bloody Mary Cocktail Sauce
(Makes 24 to 30 pieces)
Although the shrimp are roasted, allow them to cool to room temperature before serving.
The shrimp may also be served hooked around the rim of a martini glass with the sauce
and celery in the center of the glass. The cocktail sauce is also good without the vodka.
2 pounds (12 to 15-count) shrimp
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
Cocktail Sauce:
Juice of 1 lemon
1 (28-ounce) can pureed tomatoes
2 tablespoons horseradish
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons hot sauce
4 ounces ice cold vodka
Salt and pepper
Celery sticks for garnish
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Drizzle the shrimp with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place on a baking sheet.
Roast for 6 to 8 minutes, turning once.
Shrimp should be pink and firm and cooked through.
Allow the shrimp to cool on the pan until ready to serve.
To make the cocktail sauce:
Stir together all the ingredients in a small bowl.
To serve:
Put a tablespoon of the cocktail sauce in the bowl of ceramic serving spoons.
Top each with a shrimp and a small celery stick. Serve.
Christmas Soup - Stracciatella
(Serves 6)
The verb stracciare in Italian means to tear, to rip, to shred. This refers to the texture of the egg
and cheese mixture that is swirled into the simmering broth. Another variation of this soup
includes semolina. If you would like to add semolina, stir about 3 tablespoons into the egg and
Parmesan mixture before swirling it into the broth.
3 eggs
Heaping 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper
2 cups fresh spinach, sliced into ribbons
8 cups chicken broth
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, cheese, parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Bring the broth to a simmer in a large saucepan.
Stir the broth in a circular motion.
Slowly drizzle in the egg mixture, stirring gently to form strands of eggs.
Stir in the spinach.
Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the spinach wilts. Serve.
Burrata Salad
(Serves 6)
This is a very simple salad but it is the high quality of the ingredients that make it special.
The word burrata means buttered in Italian. Burrata cheese contains both mozzarella and
cream and has a very soft, buttery texture. If you can’t find burrata substitute fresh
mozzarella. Campari tomatoes are deep red in color and larger than a cherry tomato.
They are juicy, high in sugar with a low acidity, and lack the mealiness of plum tomatoes.
2 hearts of Romaine lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces
10 to 12 Campari tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 pieces Burrata cheese, cut to about 6 pieces each
Salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Place the lettuce on a serving platter.
Top with the tomatoes and burrata.
Sprinkle the salad with salt.
Combine the vinegar and oil and drizzle over the top.
Serve.
Christmas Beet Ravioli
(Serves 6)
4 medium red beets, peeled and cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound of Basic Egg Pasta Dough
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Extra Parmesan for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the beets on a large baking sheet.
Drizzle the beets with oil and use your hands to coat the beets with the oil
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring once, until the beets can be pierced easily with a fork.
Remove and allow to cool.
Put beets in a food processor or use a potato masher.
Process or mash the beets until coarse. Add the ricotta and Parmesan cheese.
Pulse to form a slightly coarse mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Make the ravioli dough and follow the directions for filling and cooking. Go to directions
For the sauce, melt the butter with the parsley in a small saucepan.
Pour the sauce over the cooked ravioli and sprinkle with Parmesan.