Best wishes, Antonella Clerici! On the occasion of her birthday, December 6th, we anticipate online the interview published in the December issue now on newsstands:

«But how can you not madly love the Christmas, the lights, the laid table? Here in the House in the Woods (this is the name by which it is called in the family, ed.) we start already in November with the decorations, to gradually illuminate the trees that surround it, to put on the great holiday classics as background music. For me, Christmas cannot be sober, it is full, sparkling light.”

Antonella Clericia television personality who needs no introduction, opens the doors of her home to us and welcomes us with her contagious smile, which together with her sunny and sincere nature makes her unique and much loved. Pioneer and innovator (she was the first to strongly believe in the power of cooking on television more than twenty years ago, and history has proven her right), she has always been a champion of the table as a place that welcomes and gives a second chance, which nourishes the heart , which puts people at ease.

We head into the large kitchen, where the final preparations are underway. Monica Stella (the house cook), helped for the occasion by her son Giacomo dell’Aglio (cook at the Locanda del daino, a former hunting lodge, now a restaurant with four rooms a few kilometers from there), checks that everything is almost ready. In the room Franco Bruzzese, the artist-gardener of the house (he is also the one who takes care of the vegetable garden and the collection of wild herbs for the dinner) who shares the passion for Christmas decorationscomplete the table setting: white family tablecloth with hand-embroidered lace, lots of gold, silver and red. The jovial climate that contrasts pleasantly with the fog that is starting to rise, the fireplace lit, the chatter and the collaborative spirit that animates everyone make us in the editorial team feel at home too. «Here’s mine veal tuna!, he says, arriving with a large serving plate in his hand. «I like it cut very thin and with lots of sauce. To make it more graceful I add a couple of carrots taken from the broth in which I cooked the meat and at the end, just before serving, a few drops of lemon juice on the surface. Without this dish, the savory vegetable pies, the spicy anchovy fillets that my mother always brought to the table, the tortellini in broth and desserts galore, it isn’t Christmas for me.”
There House in the woodswhere Antonella lives with her partner and children, actually has a name, it’s called Basini estate, that is, “little kisses” and love is felt everywhere. The trees, which surround her in a big embrace, are the first witnesses: so loved that they became the live backdrop from a fixed camera of the broadcast It’s always midday!, live from Monday to Friday on Rai1. Three very affectionate dogs, Argo, Pepper and Simba, complete Antonella’s extended and happy family. Expanded especially during the holidays because the golden rule that says that at Christmas no one should be left alone here there is no breaking and a place is always added to the table.

Antonella Clerici’s veal tuna

Tie a 1.5 kg round of veal like a roast and immerse it in cold water with 2-3 carrots, 1 onion cut in half, 1 large celery stalk, salt, a few peppercorns, sage, bay leaf and rosemary tied in a bunch.

Bring to the boil and cook on low heat for at least 45 minutes. Turn off the heat, let it cool, then drain the walker, wrap it in aluminum foil and let it cool completely; finally put it in the fridge for at least 3 hours (you can prepare it the day before).

Set aside 2 carrots from the meat cooking broth. Prepare a classic mayonnaise by blending egg yolks, salt, lemon juice and sunflower seed oil, then add plenty of drained tuna in oil, capers, 1 tablespoon of anchovy paste and the carrots kept aside: here is Antonella’s secret for making the sauce is more elegant and sweet.

Slice the silverside very thinly, if possible with a slicer (Antonella’s is almost a thin slice). Distribute a little sauce on the serving plate and form a first layer of veal slices, cover with the sauce and repeat until the ingredients are finished so as to have a generous layer of tuna sauce on the surface. Complete with cucunci (caper fruits) and a few drops of lemon squeezed just before serving.