One more sleep to Santa!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!
I have been up since 5:00 with Mamma Cream Puff and we’ve been busily cooking away.
Actually, to be completely accurate, she’s been cooking away and I’ve been watching in awe.
Seriously. My mother is a tank. She’s knocking things off like it’s nothing while it’s taken me almost three hours to wash two heads of lettuce.
When I grow up I want to be just like her!
Right now she’s working on those lovely ravioli you see above. They are filled with a chestnut paste and are the most delicious bits of heavinliness ever. Soon they will be fried and then sprinkled with sugar and then they will be mine. All mine.
This being Christmas Eve, we only eat fish and seafood and here’s what the menu features:
We’ve got oysters on their way.
We’ve got an amazing octopus salad.
We’ve got olives stuffed with a fish paste and then breaded and fried.
We’ve got salt cod waiting to be stewed with potatoes.
We’ve got more salt cod (that’s baccala’ to us Italians) waiting to be cooked with tomatoes, hot peppers, green onions and olives.
We’ve got a whole variety of other fish waiting to take a skinny dip in the deep fryer.
We’ve got artichokes. Oh, my. Artichokes dipped in batter and fried. Next to the ravioli di castagne these are probably my favourite.
We’ve got enough rapini to feed Canada.
We’ve got cactus pears and persimmons and fennel and chestnuts and dried figs.
And we’ve got a croquembouche. From here.
In between tracking Santa and “taste-testing”, I’m just trying to not lose my mind thinking about all the goodies.
I love Christmas!
Ciao!
8 comments
Lisa@ButteryBooks
Dessert Ravioli?! That sounds amazing! Have a Merry Christmas!
Andrea
Those raviolis look amazing. This sounds a lot like what my family will be eating tonight. Oysters and baccala, yum!
Rosa
Wonderful!
Merry Christmas! May Santa spoil you.
Cheers,
Rosa
Lynn in Tucson
That all sounds divine! Merry Christmas!
rosemary
We have all seafood as well but again as last year..made enough for the whole neighborhood! fried oysters, cod, shrimp, crab dip and angel hair with garlic and anchovies…..Merry Christmas!!
Sara
I really think the baccala’ made by my mom is what I miss the most of my Italian Xmases! Buon Natale and enjoy the sweet ravioli!
ciaochowlinda
oysters, octopus salad and these chestnut ravioli too? You’re making me wish I could be around your table.
Hayley Harland @thedelectablediary
oh my goodness, these look beautiful! I love ravioli and love chestnuts so why haven’t I put the two together before!? Your menu is like a pretty poem. I’m fed up of heavy english food, I want yours!