Italian Christmas dinner menu?!
Italian Christmas dinner menu?
My husband is going to make eggplant parmiagiana for Christmas dinner. Does anyone have any suggestions about what else to serve and recipes for your suggestions if you have them?
Thank you and Merry Christmas!!
Answers:
Bruschetta
Slices of house made Tuscan style bread charbroiled and topped with a blend of sweet Roma tomatoes, scallions, basil, and virgin olive oil.
Rigatoni Delizia
Tube pasta with chunks of oven roasted chicken, fresh zucchini, mushrooms and sweet onions, tossed in a light tomato and basil cream.
And of course for dessert:
Tiramisu (serves 8)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
6 egg yolks
1 pound Mascarpone cheese, room temperature *
Savoiardi (Ladyfingers) from Venice
1-1/2 cups hot water
5 tsp instant coffee powder
1/2 cup coffee-flavored liqueur
Approximately 12 oz. ladyfingers (Savoiardi)
Unsweetened cocoa for dusting cake
1 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, grated (optional)
Whisk sugar, wine, and egg yolks in a metal bowl.
Set the bowl over a saucepan of boiling water.
Whisk constantly until mixture begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.
Remove bowl and whisk in cheese until smooth.
Combine 1-1/2 cups hot water with instant coffee. Stir to dissolve powder.
Add liqueur.
Dip 1 ladyfinger into the coffee mixture, turn to coat, and quickly remove.
Mascarpone Cheese
Place the cookie, rounded side down in the bottom of a 8-inch square dish.
Repeat with additional ladyfingers to cover the bottom of the pan.
Pour 1/2 of cheese mixture over.
Repeat procedure with another layer of ladyfingers and another layer of cheese.
Refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours.
Before serving, dust top with cocoa.
Garnish with grated chocolate, if desired.
Cut into squares to serve.
You could start out with a nice tossed salad and breadsticks or rolls. If you aren't vegetarian, how about meat balls on the side?
Seafood is a must for a Italian dinner whether it is the night before or Christmas day. Do something extra with shrimp or fish.
try saltimbocca alla romana:
1.pieces of veal- hit them with the side of a big knife, so they become more flat
2. put salt and pepper on both sides of the veal
3. find some smoked Italian ham (prosciuto crudo di san daniele or from parma)
4.attach a 2-3 fresh sage leafs and one slice of the ham to the veal (so you cover it on one side) with 1-2 tooth picks
Prepare it in olive oil and don't forget when it's halfdone to add white wine ans some green olives.
You can add easily other stuff (side dishes or contorni)
buon appetito e tant'auguri
antipasto seafood salad, stuffed calamari, butternut squash and parmesan toppers, tortellini, panettone
you could make stuffed shells or manicotti plus the eggplant and salad and bread sticks. good god i am coming over if ya do i am starving lol. happy holidays=)
oh oh and i have a dessert too. get a yellow cake mix and prepare like on box and put it in a bunt pan to cook. take 2 cans of chilled pineapples and drain. put them in the middle of the cake where the hole is. next take a tub of caramel (the apple dipping kind) drizzle that all over the cake and pineapples. then take a cup of butterscotch chips and melt them in the microwave and drizzle that then do the same with some semi-sweet chocolate chips. chill for about an hour or untill ready to serve. slice the cake and put some of the pineapples on top. OMG the combination is amazing. stumbled on it one time and now always getting requests for it . enjoy=)
spaghetti,pizza,bread sticks,soup,lasagna
Stuffed shells or manicotti are so much easier than they look.
While boiling the shells brown a little meat (sausage or beef).
When meat is cooked, drain well and mix in some ricotta, mozarella and whatever you like. I add spinach and mushrooms. then scoop into the shells laid out in a baking dish. Cover with marinara (I use the canned kind) and some more moz cheese and some parmesian. Really easy, bake until heated and cheese is melted.
If doing the tubes, scoop cheese mix into zip lock bag, cut off the tip (about 1/3 in wide) and squeeze cheese through hole into tubes.