There’s no Christmas like an Italian Christmas! Sure, I may be a little biased, but il Natale (Christmas) is an exciting occasion to cook some well-loved family recipes and dine with friends and family. I’m delighted to share some of our most cherished Christmas traditions with you.
Tortellini
Bologna is no doubt synonymous with tortellini. Legend has it that their shape is inspired by Venus’s navel. The recipe for authentic tortellini was registered with Bologna’s Chamber of Commerce in 1974. The dough is made with flour and eggs, while the filling contains turkey meat, pork loin, prosciutto di Parma, mortadella di Bologna, Parmigiano Reggiano, eggs, and nutmeg.
On Christmas Eve, my father would do the hard work of kneading the dough. My mother would roll la sfoglia (the pastry) with il mattarello (the rolling pin) on il tagliere (the cutting board) until it acquired the right thickness. While the windows fogged due to the pot of meat and chicken stock simmering on the stove, my grandmother would assemble the filling. The kitchen air would fill with the aroma of the brodo (stock) and my grandmother’s loud protests in the Bolognese dialect while my sister and I tried to steal and eat the filing and raw dough.
While waiting for midnight Mass, we would gather around the table in an assembly line to stuff the tortellini. My grandfather would cut la sfoglia in squares, my grandmother would distribute the little balls of filling, and my sister and I folded the squares into triangles. Only the adults were allowed to twist and seal the sacred pasta so that none of the tortellini would accidentally open up while cooking in the stock. At this point the kitchen resonated with complaints about la sfoglia drying up, the filling balls being too large, the amount of filling running out, etc…
On Christmas Day, after antipasti, we savored a scodella (a special Italian soup dish) full of Tortellini in brodo (Tortellini with stock), followed by another scodella full of Tortellini con panna, with cream sauce and parmesan cheese, accompanied by Lambrusco wine. These were followed by boiled meats (that same meat as in the stock) and then roasted meats, accompanied by side dishes and Sangiovese wine. Several desserts completed the meal: Panettone (a sweet and soft bread with raisins and candied fruit), Certosino (a harder cake made of nuts and candied fruits, and Torrone (Nougat), accompanied by Zabaglione, the Italian eggnog.
I still follow my parents’ traditions and every year I cook Christmas lunch for a larger and larger group of family and friends. This year we’re up to 30 people and more than 400 tortellini.
Happy Holidays!
