Christmas in Italy is one of the periods that puts gastronomy in first place, with many typical dishes that are enjoyed only at this time of the year, and each region gives us its own tradition. Let's take a trip to Italy to discover some dishes to compose our Christmas lunch by varying the traditional dishes, starting from the appetizers. Here are a couple of ideas:
Neapolitan reinforcement salad
It is a typical Neapolitan recipe that is prepared for Christmas Eve based on cauliflower, the traditional recipe calls for wine, but we have added a variant: Balsamic Vinegar. Excellent as an appetizer or side dish for main courses.
Ingredients: 1 cauliflower, 100 gr. of black olives from Gaeta, 100 gr. of green olives, 100 gr. Papaccelle (alternatively pickled peppers), 1 jar of mixed pickles, extra virgin olive oil, DOP balsamic vinegar, salt to taste
Preparation: wash, cut and blanch the cauliflower in boiling salted water for about ten minutes. Drain and leave to dry. Pour the cauliflower into a baking dish, add the pickles, the black olives, the green olives, the papaccelle (a particular short pepper, with a sweet and spicy flavor typical of Campania) and a pinch of salt. Dress with EVO oil and Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena DOP "Affinato" - 12 years , the final touch to make the Reinforcement Salad unique.
Stracciatella alla Romana
Stracciatella alla Romana is a soup in meat broth in which eggs are cooked, beaten and seasoned with Parmesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper. It goes well with bruschetta, paté or grilled vegetables.
Ingredients: Eggs (4 medium) 220 g, Meat broth 1 l, grated Parmigiano Reggiano DOP , 100 g, Nutmeg to taste, Fine salt to taste
Preparation: prepare the meat broth by letting it cook for at least 2 hours, filter the broth with a sieve and keep the meat and vegetables for the boiled meat. In a bowl, beat the whole eggs with a fork, then add the grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Flavor with the grated nutmeg, salt and mix all the ingredients with a whisk until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. Bring the broth to the boil and add salt, at this point slowly pour in the egg mixture and mix for about 30 seconds with a whisk, then let it go over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes, stirring again only when the mixture has returned to simmer; then mix from time to time until the mixture thickens slightly, serve hot!
