Tag: Calabria

Calabrian Christmas desserts, a triumph of goodness in 3 recipes – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

In Calabrian Christmas desserts the protagonists are them: raisins, figs, dried fruit, citrus fruits, cooked wine and much more honey. These are some of the main ingredients with which the Christmas sweets from Calabria. Like any self-respecting typical dish, even in this case the recipes vary slightly from country to country and even from family to family. But not the tradition: that always remains the same. And so on the holiday tables of Christmas in Calabria cannot be missing mostacciolii petrals or the pitta ‘nclosed or pitta ‘mpigliatato name just a few.

Calabrian Christmas sweets

The mostaccioli

From weddings to baptisms up to Christmasi mostaccioli in Calabria they have always been synonymous with celebration. Made with simple ingredients, they are famous for their hard consistency and why they keep for a long time.

Ingredients

500 g of Flour 00
500 g of wildflower honey
10 g of yeast powder for sweets
3 yolks of egg

Method

Once the flour has been sifted into a bowl, add the yeasti yolks and a part of honey. At this point mix the ingredients, add the remaining part of honey and mix everything together.
Transfer the mass on a pastry boarddivide it into equal parts of approximately 100 grams each and shape into a loaf or according to the preferred form.
Arrange the mostaccioli on a baking tray covered with baking paper and bake at 180° for 35-40 minutes. Once baked, brush them still warm with honey and decorate them with gods colored sweets.

The petrals

TO Reggio Calabria they really can’t be missed at Christmas: they are the petralssmall shortcrust pastry crescents with a dessert dried fruit based filling.

Ingredients

For the dough

500 g of Flour
3 egg
200 g of sugar
100 g of butter
half a sachet of yeast
half a sachet of vanilla
grated zest of a lemon.

For the filling (which should be prepared two days in advance)

250 g of dried figs
140 g of almonds
100 g of nuts
100 g of raisins
cinnamon
the peel of one orange and of a mandarin
coffee
cooked wine
2 tablespoons of bitter cocoa

For the decoration: a egg And sugars colourful.

Method

On a pastry board, make a well with the flour sifted with the yeast. Place the eggs in the center, start mixing and gradually add the sugar, vanilla and grated lemon zest.
Mix everything together to form a homogeneous mixturewrap it in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for half an hour.
In the meantime, chop the figsput them in a bowl, pour a cup of sweetened coffeeThe wine cooked and let them soften.
Also chop the walnuts, almonds, orange and mandarin peel. Add the raisins, a pinch of cinnamon and the bitter cocoa to this mixture. Mix and leave to rest in the refrigerator.
On a pastry board, roll out one thin sheet of shortcrust pastry from which to derive gods 10 centimeter discs in diameter. Place a spoonful of filling on half of each and close the other half. When all the crescents are ready, bake at 180° for approximately 10 minutes. Once baked, brush the surface with beaten egg and decorate with colored sugar balls.

Pitta ‘impigliata o ‘nchiusa

Another typical Calabrian dessert that is prepared in Christmas it’s at Easter and the pitta ‘mpigliataoriginally from San Giovanni in Fiore and very widespread throughout the province of Cosenza. In that of Catanzaro it is known, instead, by the name of pitta ‘nclosed. Even in this case it is one puff pastry filled with a filling of dried fruit and honey.

Ingredients

For pasta

500 g of Flour 00,
2 egg
100ml of extra virgin olive oil
100ml of wine Sweet
100 ml of freshly squeezed juice orange Sweet
2 tablespoons of sugar
a small glass of Vermouth
cinnamon
the peel of aorange
a sachet of yeast in powder
a pinch of salt.

For the stuffing

250 g of honey
200 g of kernels nuts
200 g of sultanas
60 g of pine nuts
a pinch of nails of carnation in powder
one of cinnamon
the grated zest of aorange
one of lemon
a small glass of Vermouth

Christmas appetizers: 10 ideas to try at least once – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

Whether we’re talking about the Christmas Eve dinner or the lunch on the 25th, the Christmas appetizers they are often a big worry. What to do to amaze family members, without taking away the warmth of tradition? No problem: just use your imagination and seasonal ingredients.

A classic, for example, is the Neapolitan reinforcement salad, which has always been a side dish but, given the richness of dinners and today’s lunches, it can easily be “moved” to the starter. One appetizer pull the other one. Staying on the topic of appetizers traditional, also interesting fried cauliflower, typical of Abruzzo and Calabrian cuisine. Or the zeppoline with seaweed, another delicacy of Neapolitan cuisine. But let’s try to revisit tradition: so here are 10 ideas to start Christmas off right at the table

Christmas appetizers: our 10 unmissable ideas

So let’s start immediately with the 10 best recipes in our cookbook, to be revisited with imagination: from quiche to classic crostini to raw fish.

Spicy salami quiche

Speaking of Calabria: why not put spicy salami or ‘nduja in a delicious quiche, for an entirely Mediterranean dish? The savory pie is filled with a filling of ricotta, cherry tomatoes, spicy salami, oregano, olives and extra virgin olive oil. But be careful: the risk is that her taste “cannibalizes” the rest of the lunch…

Crostini with stracchino and sausage

Liver croutons Tuscans they are a classic of the Italian mixed appetizer. And all year round. But we offer you an interesting variant: crostini with sausage and stracchino. After lightly grilling the bread, just fill it with stracchino and crumbled sausage and put it in the oven for a few minutes.

Cockles au gratin or… raw

An excellent appetizer for any dinner, the cockles from the Northern Adriatic can be a truly original idea: the shells must be filled with breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, extra virgin olive oil, white wine, pepper and parsley. And then cooked in the oven. Or, for those who have a trusted fishmonger, shells and molluscs, all raw.

Savory yule log

The name recalls the famous French dessert, but obviously it is something completely different: take some slices of bread for sandwichessprinkle it with Capricciosa salad and mayonnaiseand then roll them up giving them the shape of a log. A quick and really clever appetizer! A bit like slices of sandwich in the shape of a Christmas tree…

Lasagna cupcakes

Put the Emilian lasagna in the appetizer? You can, by cutting the lasagna into squares and creating scenographic shapes baskets. And seasoning them with sauce tomato, bechamel and sausage.

Speck and cheese rolls

Slices of speckSouth Tyrol roll up and fill with a stick of Asiago and chives. Heat in the oven or on the griddle. Is there a simpler and, at the same time, appetizing appetizer?

Orange prawns

Refined and Mediterranean dish: it is necessary to cut thesliced orange, with all the peel, and cook it lightly in butter. Then, once the slices have been removed, i prawns shelled, they are cooked in a pan with Cointreau, chives, orange juice and salt. And then you arrange the prawns on the orange slices like a crouton. To try!

Gourmet panettone

The most classic of Milanese Christmas desserts also exists in savory version, all to be stuffed. There are ready-made ones: just cut it into a series of discs of dough about one centimeter high, divide them in two and then move on to the filling, adding the butter first. And here the imagination kicks in: salami fantasies, smoked salmon, shrimp with cocktail sauce, cheese layers with taleggio cream, gorgonzola and crescenza. And then again olive pâté, dried tomatoes, grilled vegetables, walnuts, Russian salad, pesto, béchamel sauce, pickles, pickles. A true “tower” of taste!

Radicchio boats

Treviso red radicchio or Belgian endive can be used for spectacular “boats”. The crew? Mozzarella, anchovies and rocket. And you can also use the hoax.

Parmesan Cheese Baskets

They always make an impact on the table. But what they contain should not be underestimated at all: don’t settle for the usual saladbut enrich them with slices of cured meats and cheeses, mushrooms and why not, also use someegg with Norcia black truffle!

from the heart of Calabria to your table – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

The history of Calabrian Christmas crepes has its roots in ancient local traditions, which celebrate Christmas by enriching the table with authentic and original flavours. The recipe, handed down from generation to generation, represents the essence of local cuisine, combining quality ingredients with a meticulous preparation process. The combination of flavors offered by original recipe it is a perfect balance between the delicacy of the crepe and the richness of the filling.

There crepe itself, made with a mixture of flour, eggs and milk, has a soft and light consistency. The filling, made with local ingredients (sheep’s ricotta, spicy Calabrian salami, black pepper and aged pecorino), creates a mix of intense flavors that capture the authenticity of Calabrian cuisine. The ideal time to bring this dish to the table coincides with the Christmas and New Year holidays, when families gather to share meaningful meals. The dish is placed at the center of a laid table, helping to create an atmosphere of warmth and tradition. Its symbolic presence represents the continuity of culinary practices passed down over time, a celebration of regional identity and a tribute to the rich Calabrian gastronomic culture. The preparation of Calabrian Christmas crepes, according to the original recipe, although detailed, it can be considered accessible, requiring a certain skill in preparing both the dough and the filling. The final cooking, which gives perfect browning to this dish, is the last step to guarantee an excellent culinary result. Pamper your guests with these delicious ones Calabrian Christmas crepes and share the joy of the celebration with them!