Tomatoes Mozzarella and Basil
In short, I roast the tomatoes to intensify their flavor, let them cool, and then dot these sweet and sticky heat-wilted blobs of red around some of the best mozzarella I can get my hands on. Instead of strewing basil leaves (also unseasonal) around, I blend a cupful of them to a pool table-baize green purée with a little olive oil; you’ll need an immersion blender for this, or at least I do
Pork Belly Slices With Chili and Fennel Seeds
As far as I know, you need to go to a butcher to get the pork belly cut into slices. Do request that the rind be scored and the rib bones be left attached. It’s up to you whether you ask for them by weight or by number of pieces; any way you slice it, it’s a bit of a lottery as to how big each piece is, as pigs are not necessarily uniform in size
Turkey Breast Stuffed With Italian Sausage and Marsala-steeped Cranberries
You need to go to a butcher to get a whole breast joint and you need to ask for it to be butterflied and boned and make sure the skin is left on. I know it might sound a bit of a faff, but take it from me that stuffing a whole double breast joint is very much easier than stuffing and rolling a single breast joint, as is more commonly found in supermarkets. Basically, all you’re doing here is opening out your boneless turkey joint, smothering it with stuffing, and folding it over. What you end up with, for all the ease of its creation, is nothing short of a showstopper
Pappardelle With Chestnuts and Pancetta
THIS IS A WARMLY BUT NONETHELESS ELEGANTLY ROBUST winter pasta, salty with the bacon and grainily sweet with chestnuts, bound in a scant and glossy sauce infused with the mellow, musky grapiness of Marsala. It is not an appetizer—though of course it could be—but a relaxed entrée, both for those cooking and those eating: an ideal state of affairs all round, and a comforting showcase for the seasonal chestnuts, even if they do come out of a vacuum package. You can get the pancetta out of a package, too, but for this festive special, I do try and get a slab of pancetta and chunk it up generously myself: pre-cut pancetta tends to come in tiny dice—they’re not called cubetti for nothing
Hearty Whole Wheat Pasta With Brussels Sprouts Cheese and Potato
Don’t be modishly alarmed by the double-carb combo; it can be an alcohol-sopping salve, much appreciated at this time of year. Besides, it is important to remember that the original predates central heating.
Mountain Macaroni
I have specified pancetta below, as it’s easier to come by than the speck that I think would be more commonly used in the region. Jamon Serrano would be good here, too. Similarly, you can use the more accessible corrugated penne (rigate) if you can’t find the smooth penne (lisce). Or, of course, just use elbow macaroni
Cranberry and Pistachio Biscotti
Biscotti, so named because they are cooked (cotti) twice (bis) are not tricky to make, but it’s not a fast job. Still, you need do nothing while they get their double-baking in the oven, and this kind of cooking can be very calming. The method below follows traditional lines, and brings you bold, golden biscotti, gorgeous wrapped or in a jar for a Christmas present.
Chocolate Nougat Cookies
If you’re cooking for those who can’t or won’t (that’s my children, actually) eat nuts, then you will have to give up any aspiration toward Italianness and use 1 cup white chocolate chips, instead. This is how my daughter loves these cookies, and has insisted they be part of her birthday (which is around Christmas) celebrations from now on
Chocolate Salami
I am not normally a huge fan of the culinary pun, this does seem the right time of year for such whimsical enterprises