Andrea's Christmas Antipasto

We're spending Christmas in Cincinnati with my husband's family, whose holiday meal tradition is that dinner is different each time! This year, our big meal will be a turkey dinner on Christmas Eve, as some of our group will depart Christmas Day to visit other family members.

On the Tortora side, Christmas Day means raviolis with homemade tomato sauce and meatballs, and hot and mild Italian sausage. The meal always begins with an antipasto. This is a huge platter of salami, ham, prosciutto and other cured meats like capicola, plus provolone and mozzarella cheeses, assorted olives, pickled mushrooms and eggplant and stuffed hot peppers. Roasted garlic cloves, Italian bread and focacia round out the spread.

The appetizer is much like a charcuterie board. It's a great dish to serve at parties, especially during the holiday season. And you might be surprised at how much the kids enjoy it, too.

Last Christmas during our antipasto course, we discovered how much Sam enjoyed proscuitto, which he calls "thin meat." For weeks afterward he requested prosciutto sandwiches in his lunch box. Sam's love of this cured ham was re-ignited when he met this gorgeous platter at a gathering hosted by his Aunt Karen (who also took this photo.)

Karen's neighbor Kim crafted this masterpiece, and I'm planning to re-create it this week. Kim was thrilled that Sam and Karen's nephew Harrison were willing to try out the different combinations of meat and cheese. Here's Kim, sharing her foodie knowledge with newbies Sam (in orange) and Harrison:

The big surprise came when Sam consumed all of the proscuitto, all by himself. Luckily, Kim was a good sport, noting that at least the meats were domestic and not imported!

If you want to go all out, do get some Proscuitto di Parma for your table. It's definitely worth spending a little extra to try the real thing. Need tips on crafting the perfect charcuterie board? Click here. And if you enjoy beautiful charcuterie photos, check out In Parma by Food Roots on the web or follow the London restaurant: @inparma.

Merry Christmas and Mangia! Mangia!
--Andrea

P.S. Here's a shot of my family from last night as we enjoyed some Christmas decorations.

Fettuccine with Prosciutto and Peas

Sometimes you need to stuff your face with something delicious and creamy and carby and salty and perfect that you can have on the table in 15 minutes.

This is just the ticket.

It is a simple meal. But so, so good.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Fettuccine with Prosciutto and Peas
Adapted from Everyday Food
Serves: 3-4

8 ounces fettuccine
1/4 cup half & half
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
8 slices (about 4 ounces) thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into thin strips
Pinch nutmeg
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Salt and pepper

Cook fettuccine in salted boiling water until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve a cup of pasta cooking water then drain the pasta. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat half & half, peas, prosciutto, and nutmeg in a large skillet over medium heat until warmed through, about 3 minutes. Stir in cooked fettuccine and 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Add a little bit of reserved pasta cooking water to thin the sauce and help the cheese coat the pasta. (You probably won't need the entire amount; I used about 1/4 cup.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve topped with extra Parmesan cheese.

Flour & Wine ... Yes Please

Great Place, Great Food, Great Company – Flour & Wine

 

So if you are ANYTHING like me you LOVE going out to eat.  It is one of my favorite things to do (especially for brunch or dinner) and I spend countless hours doing “restaurant research” to scout out new places to try.  One of the biggest honors is having someone ask me for a recommendation of a place with some good eats!  Living right outside of Chicago is great, because the restaurant industry there is fantastic … and only getting better!  From hole in the walls to trendy spots opened by famous chefs and Top Chef alums … there is NO shortage of new and exciting places to try.  Yet lately delicious restaurants have been migrating to the burbs --- THANK GOODNESS, because sometimes you don’t want to brave the traffic, wait a month to get a reservation, or you simply want to support your local community!  So now I wish to share with you one of my favorite places and recent addition to downtown Glen Ellyn, IL that serves up fresh ingredients, homemade mozzarella cheese and pizza dough and an extensive wine and beer list.  While I recognize this may not apply to ALL readers I feel like it’s an opportunity for you to share some of your favorite, local HOT SPOTS and give some of our readers some ideas when they venture across this country in search of mouthwatering spots to grab some grub!  Plus … as the weather warms I am going to try one of the recipes out and attempt to recreate my FAVORITE dish (so stay tuned).  And now … for FLOUR & WINE!

Now to start, flour and wine is designed with sharing in mind.  Now some of us (MZ … cough cough) would rather eat the entire plate of butternut squash tortalacci without worrying about a fork sneaking across the table OR if you’re like my father … you are just DOWN RIGHT CONFUSED!  “Wait, I can only eat a bite of this?  How will I get full?  Why is my plate so small?”  But for a group of about four girlfriends or a couple out on a date night … it works out PERFECTLY!  And keep in mind they have plenty of gluten free options, which works out GREAT because I have several friends who are often limited with gluten free intolerant menus!

Here are just a few of my FAVES … let the drooling commence!

Zucchini Fries – MZ, Brittney and I order these EVERY time without fail!  They are the perfect thing to munch on as you sip a good wine and peruse the menu while trying to narrow down all of the delicious choices!  They aren’t greasy or heavy, come with a homemade ranch dipping sauce --- and make sure to ask for fresh grated parmesan cheese to be shredded on top.

 

Rock Shrimp & Crab Fritters – OMG!  Now my dad is allergic to ALL seafood so it was only when I was older that I realized those sea creatures were the most delicious things around!  This was the only dish my out of town mother said she wished she could have hogged all to herself.  They are FULL of shrimp and crab meat, not too bready, and come with delicious sautéed spinach and butternut squash.

 

Prosciutto & Mozzarella – Now this may seem simple, but do not be deterred!  As I previously mentioned, they make their own mozzarella IN HOUSE!  Now if you haven’t had fresh mozzarella you will be astounded at the difference in taste.  And thanks to the influence of my lovely sister … nothing is better than prosciutto.  PLUS the bread comes already perfectly toasted and drizzled with olive oil.

 

And the PIZZAS … OMG the PIZZAS!  They are thin brick oven pizzas that taste smoky and warm!  The fresh ingredients have an explosion of taste and are all interesting yet delicious combinations (don’t worry they have the classics too).  Now I don’t have any pictures because they tend to get snatched up THAT FAST!  However, I highly recommend the ROCKETMAN (which features fresno chilis) and the PARMA CLASSIC (umm prosciutto and arugula … HELLO!)

And now for my favorite … simple, delicious, a little different and something I can’t wait to try to make at home THE GRILLED ROMAINE – it consists of half a head of grilled romaine lettuce, giving a warm, smoky taste.  Combine that with tomatoes, gorgonzola cheese, leeks and pancetta …. Ummm … done and done!  It is fabulous shared or get it for yourself if you’re feeling rather selfish!  This is one dish that as soon as the grill gets rolled outside I am testing out for myself!  Do you think it will be as good made at home as it is at the restaurant?  Stay tuned to find out!

 

So if you are in the area, close by or just visiting … check this spot out!  I promise it won’t disappoint!  Because sometimes we all just need a LITTLE break from cooking! :)

 flourandwine.net