Christmas
Christmas
12/26/09
With so much to do on this special day, Christmas is a more simple affair.
We start with some simple bruschette: one mushroom and fonduta and the other fennel and Fra Mani Nostrano salami. Fra Mani is a brand from Italy, sold at Whole Foods.
The Primo Piatto is a tajarin pasta (from Piemonte in Northwestern Italy). Tajarin is a fresh pasta made exclusively of flour and egg yolks, so it’s very rich. Piemontese grandmothers and chefs alike brag about how many yolks they can fit into each kilo of pasta (you get it, the richer the better). I cut mine in the shape of trenette (square but long). They are sauced with a cheese-spiked besciamella and a generous dousing of truffle paste and cream. Unfortunately, there was no Zio Luigi coming directly from truffle hunting in the Langhe hills with his truffle loot so we had to make due with what is available here in the US. Even with the jarred variety, it’s delish.
My friend Allen is a hunter and luckily for me, a generous one. From time to time he lets me have a backstap (the loin and most primo part). I loosely followed the recipe in Il Viaggio di Vetri, by Marc Vetri. He is the chef/owner of one of the most respected Italian restaurants in America (Vetri in Philadelphia).
The meat is seared on all sides and served atop a sauce made with chocolate. Diced quince round out the flavors.
Dessert is a rich chocolate cake topped with roasted chestnuts from La Cucina Italiana magazine and available on their website.
Almond grappa cookies are always good with some vin santo (or even some of its namesake), but I like them best for breakfast with strong coffee.
Buon natale! Ciao for now.