It's Holiday Time !

Happy Thanksgiving Yall

Italians love any holiday that brings friends and family (and of course food!) together. My family is no different, and a typical Thanksgiving meal for the diCicco family is not for the faint of heart. It has a complete traditional New England style turkey dinner with all the trimmings, but that’s just one course! The rest goes something like this:

Antipasto: Italian meats, cheeses, olives, peppers, tomatoes, marinated mushroom, sliced vegetables and creamy ricotta dip – just a little snack and a glass of wine to get started.

Antipasta Freddi (Cold Appetizers): Shrimp Cocktail, Seafood Salad, Pasta and Lentil Salad – just a little snack and glass of wine to get started.

Antipasta Caldi (Hot Appetizers): Bacon Wrapped Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates, Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, Sauted Spinach with Garlic and Roast Red Pepper, Potatoes and Artichokes with Lemon and Butter, Julies Cabbage Rolls and perhaps a nice Lasagna – just a nice warm snack and a glass of wine to get started.

By now, the Macy’s Parade is long over. Gossip and laughter from the women in the kitchen is getting louder and football in the family room is starting to gear up. It’s time to serve the next course, and “yes”, Lasanga and Cabbage Rolls are considered appetizers in my family.

Pasta Piatti (Pasta course): Grampi’s Handmade Ravioli and Gnocchi with Meatballs and Gravy, he often enlists the help of the grandchildren the night before to prepare these Italian delicacies for our “small army” sized family.- just a nice bite and a little more vino before the “real feast”

I told you it’s not for the faint of heart! We are only four hours in and the weaklings are already napping in front of the game. The children are no longer interested in what’s going on the kitchen; they’re out playing a game of tag football, taunting the neighbor’s dog, generally terrorizing the neighborhood, or texting about the horrors of family dinners. As evening approaches: “Dinner is Served”

Secondi Piatti (Second or Main Course): A toast to La Familia and a traditional New England Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings is served: Turkey, Stuffing, American Gravy, and what seems like endless side dishes. After the introduction of “Southerners” to our family one of these side dishes is often “Sweet Potato Fluff” and “yes” this brown sugar topped, bourbon infused casserole is considered a vegetable in my wife’s family.

By now, the last of the wine is being finished off, happy conversation and storytelling has started. It’s time to brew espresso and have a little sweet bite. Did I mention, “You might want to stay overnight?”

Dolce (Desserts): Pumpkin and Apple Pies, Italian Pastries and Cookies, Chocolates Nuts, Lucia’s Hazelnut Cannoli, Dark Brewed Coffee and Espresso served with Anisette.

The stories the around da tavola are getting funnier, and the laughter is almost deafening at times. While Thanksgiving Dinner maybe unique to each family, it’s a reminder for us all to be thankful.

If you want to add some diCicco family flavor to your holiday meal, pick up handmade Lasagna from Lucia’s or cook up a nice Fluff. Happy Thanksgiving Yall.


Fluff Part:

2 cups of cooked, fresh sweet potatoes
¾ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
2 eggs, well beaten
½ teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ cup milk
2 tablespoons good bourbon

The cook should sample the quality of the bourbon and request all guests do the same.
This step should be repeated as needed.

Beat the sugar, salt, butter, eggs, spices, milk, into the cooked sweet potatoes until smooth and light. Pour into a buttered baking dish.

Crunchy Part:

¾ packed cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, melted
¾ cup chopped pecans
Mix brown sugar and flour together. Add melted butter and pecans and mix.
Spread on Top
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes till lightly browned.



For more info: http://www.luciastavola.com/

We all know the story of the “First Thanksgiving”.  The pilgrims stood on Plymouth Rock and welcomed the Native Americans to join them in a feast of thanks.  Together they prepared the bountiful feast which included roast turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and of course pumpkin pie ….well maybe not.  

There are only two surviving descriptions of the first Thanksgiving. The first is in a letter by colonist Edward Winslow.  The second description was in a book written 20 years later by William Bradford.   His hand written account was stolen and didn’t resurface for almost 100 years and had little impact on today’s Thanksgiving traditions.  

In Mr. Winslow’s letter the only food references are venison and foul.  The foul most likely wasn’t turkey; instead it would have been other birds.  Culinary Anthropologist suggests the colonists regularly consumed ducks, geese and swans.  Don’t worry all you swan lovers; I will not be sharing a recipe for Swan Sauté”. 

The stores of sugar brought over on the Mayflower were depleted, so desserts were in short supply. Potatoes had not yet found their way north from South America.  The colonist didn’t have ovens for baking bread; this meant no rolls, breads or stuffing.  Cooked cranberries were not seen for almost 50 years after the first feast.

However one thing the colonist did have in abundant supply and is often overlooked on Thanksgiving Day menus is seafood: fresh mussels, lobster, clams and fish.  Add some authenticity to this year’s menu and include fresh New England Seafood.

When I was a child, Grampi Pasquale and I would go down to Nahant Beach and pick mussels right off the rocks, (just like the colonist would have) then headed straight home to make this simple dish and feasted!

Mussels Pasquale

·         1 lb. fresh mussels

·         ½ small red onion – julienned

·         1 Tbl spoon fresh chopped tarragon

·         EVOO – extra virgin olive oil

·         ¾  cup white wine

·         Salt and pepper

Coat the bottom of a pan large enough to hold twice the amount of mussels with oil, add onions, salt, pepper and sauté on med until onions are translucent.

Add the mussels, white wine and tarragon - sauté over med heat until mussels open

Add more wine if needed - Serve with fresh Italian bread