For this holiday season there are a few more challenges than normal when it comes to preparing the perfect meal. But if you plan right, quarantine, get tested (more than once), wear a mask, and social distance, then you’ll you have a real shot at getting your whole family together for one of the year’s best dinners.
Every family has their own Christmas dinner traditions, but this year, we wanted to consult an expert Italian chef to see how he prepares a meal for his own family. We chatted with Roman-born chef Massimo Falsini, who runs the multiple kitchens at the uber-lux Rosewood Miramar hotel in Montecito, California, to find out what he has in store for his family, and how you can emulate the perfect Italian Christmas dinner at home for yourself.
How do you think about preparing meals for the holidays?
For an Italian feast, you have to understand that it's very important for us. I think there are three lunches and three dinners that are important. I would say the 24th, which is Christmas Eve is very important for us and as Italians we are very Catholic, so we don't eat meat on the 24th. You know, fish used to be considered like almost fasting, eating fish and vegetable. Now obviously the seafood is more expensive than the meat and is a little bit different, but we still follow that tradition, and we don't eat meat on Christmas Eve. And then the next day on Christmas we have a light lunch because we ate a lot on the 24th. Then we have an early dinner that is meat based with some stuffed pasta or baked pasta. Then on the night of the 31st is the New Year's Eve dinner which is important for us as well. I will say that the one that is most dear to me is the 24th for many different reasons. First of all, because I'm Catholic and I'm a believer, so I'm going to church and I enjoy it. And second, because seafood is my favorite food to cook and is my favorite food to eat.
credit Massimo Falsini
What kind of seafood will you be making on Christmas Eve?
I will do something that is very easy and very straightforward. I will start with the fritti and I will do some fried cod, some apple fritter, some ricotta frita, and some some zucchini blossom stuffed with buffalo mozzarella and anchovies. Then I will do all the pickled appetizers. All the vegetables will be pickled and then placed in oil, things like squash and the different giardiniera. We also do the pickled anchovies and eel, and I will do a fried artichoke for sure. And then we’ll do a pasta and a risotto. I’ll do a nice Risotto Aragosta e Topinambur and for the pasta I will do my favorite one, spaghetti with clams in a simple wine sauce. Then for the main course, a whole roasted fish for the family and we will stuff it with citrus and different herbs and serve it with a beautiful salmoriglio sauce.
credit Massimo Falsini
I assume there’s a lot more?
Oh yes. For the side dishes, we gotta get the calamari fritti and the fish fritti. And then obviously the artichokes confit. The recipe for the artichokes was given to me by my grandma Adriana, carciofi alla Romana, she was an incredible cook. And she was always in contact with the Jewish communities, which is where the best artichokes are coming from, so I have this incredible recipe. And then I will do some spinach, which I blanch and serve with pine nuts and garlic and a little crushed pepper, and I’ll do Swiss chard, which I steam with a little bit of lemon and olive oil.
And there must be a dessert, right?
For dessert, you obviously want to do panettone. I don't love sweets, because I have to watch my figure, but I will say on Christmas I let myself go. So, you have to get your torrone which are the nougats, both the white and the chocolate. You need the ricciarelli, which are the almond cookies, and you must have the panettone molto farcito. What we do is we take the panettone, we slice it, and we stuff it with chocolate cream and basic cream and put some guar on it.
It's a long, long dinner. I mean, it's supposed to be fasting, but as you can see, the time is changing.
Check out the chef's complete menu below!
Vigilia di Natale a Casa Falsini
Christmas Eve 2020 | Tuesday, December 24th, 2020
Antipasti
Frittura Mista:
Apple Fritter | Baccala in Tempura | Tempura of Zucchini Blossom, Anchovies, Mozzarella | Fried Sheep Ricotta | Artichoke in Tempura
And
Pickled Anchovies | Giardiniera | Yellowtail Carpaccio | Hope Ranch Mussels “Pepata”
Primi Piatti
Spaghetti alle Vongole | Pacific Clams, Whole Wheat Durum Semolina, Parsley
And
Risotto Aragosta e Topinambur | Spiny Lobster, Sunchoke, Smoked Provola
Secondi
Roasted Striped Bass | Salmoriglio
Contorni
Puntarelle Chilled Bagna Cauda | Roman Artichoke Confit, Mint, Lemon | Pan Roasted Porcini Balsamic, Rosemary | Roasted Pee Wee Potato Citrus, Garlic |
Cicoria Ripassata Blanched Dandelion, Aglio & Olio
Dolci
Panettone Molto Farcito | Chocolate and Creme Patisserie Stuffed Panettone
Ricciarelli | Almond, Marzipan, Honey
Torrone Bianco & Nero | Gianduja and White Nougat
Panforte di Siena | Tuscan Dry fruit and Nut Gateau