5249 christmas dinner help!

Hi,

Have you tried to find out what the locals do for their Xmas dinner? It might be worthwhile checking out the local butcher's for suggestions. Maybe just be prepared for a change!

Good luck,
Steph :)

Hi Cockney Girl

Found this web site, which gives details of food for Christmas Eve - fish of course.

[url]http://www.sicilianculture.com/food/xmasfish.htm[/url]

As for the day itself, have you thought of roasting a goose? They are certainly about in the shops here before Christmas. Roast potatoes in goose fat are wonderful.

Sausages rolled in prociuto is not quite the same but nice never the less. And stuffing is quite easy to make and you can try lots of different types, I like chestnut and apricot stuffing myself.

Gravy is a problem but you can always do the 'old' way of stirring flour and butter into the meat juices, adding water (or wine) and then reducing it to the desired thickness. It may look pale but it will taste OK.

Dolce is usually Pannetoni, which is wonderful with a good espresso.

If you find it difficult to order meat at the butchers, it is worth getting an Italian cookbook, which shows the different cuts of meat. I have a copy of the Silver Spoon - in English - and it shows English cuts and their corresponding Italian cuts with descriptions of what they are called and how to cook them.

Good luck

well i checked out an italian website to see what italians eat at xmas..and apparentley they have eels with boiled pasta!?....dont know how true this is but i think i'll give it a miss thanks..lol..:eek:

Don't blame you! I got round the 'fish on Christmas Eve' thing by having smoked salmon with some lovely brown bread, followed by a seafood risotto.

Mussels in garlic, parsley and oil is nice too.

Have someone send you over a box of gravy and some stuffing. It's always a start!!!!

Cockney Girl - If you want a box of Bisto Gravy - send me your address on an e-mail or PM and I'll send you one.... honest!

But as for the normal Christmas Fayre up here in the north, after the [I]'seven fish' Christmas Eve supper[/I], and the party that is usually involved. That is where you would most likely find your 'roast eel' up here!

[B][I]The following day is not much like the UK at all[/I][/B] - with the exception of how much you eat. But Christmas lunch will generally last throughout the afternoon with 'sensible' intervals between maybe five or six courses. These [I]could[/I] be as foloows:

*Aperitivi:....maybe home made punch.

*Antipasti: A selection of cut meats - salami, prosciutto, crudo, coppa. Patè. Insalata russa, sotto-olii, agro-dolce (sweet and sour) vegetables, stuffed tomatoes......

*Primi: Ravioli con 'ragu' (meat sauce, risotto, pizzoccheri (in the Alps). You usually have a bit of each primo.

*Secondo: Roast (and often boiled too) 'gallina' (hen), roast Faraona (guinea fowl), a green or mixed salad. Maybe a 'few' diced roast potatoes with rosemary.
[I]My family here convinced me that 'faraona' was dried [U]embalmed[/U][/I] chicken - and like a mutt - I believed them for years!!!!!:rolleyes:

*Formaggi: A selection of formaggi pregiati (prized cheeses)

* Dolce: Home made tira-mi-su (non of the shop bought stuff) or ice cream. Pannetone, Pan D'Oro, Torrone, Pan di Siena etc. etc.with of course the 'spumante'

* Coffee.
All this is accompanied by any amount of wine (oftem a 'local' one).

In the evening most families (by now full up to the gills) just lay on a bowl of good home made broth with [I]maybe[/I] a few ravioli in it.....and everyone finishes up (or attempts to) what was left over at lunchtime!!!!

Then on New Year's Eve the tradition (once again, I know about 'up here') is [I]'lenticche and zampone/cotechino'![/I] This is a highly spiced sausage meat produced in various shapes and forms made out of pig-skin. The most famous are the stuffed 'pigs trotters' which have all the little bones still in them. Also just as popular is the 'Capello a Tre Corne' the three cornered hat. Sausage prepared like this is boiled and the sliced hot. The lentils are cooked with a little garlic, onion, celery and carrot for flavour. I can assure you as a supper dish these are among my very favourites....

Here's what lenticche e zampone looks like!
[IMG]http://www010.upp.so-net.ne.jp/architurismo/cibi/cibiimages/zampone_mini.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=Carol and Dave]Gravy is a problem but you can always do the 'old' way of stirring flour and butter into the meat juices, adding water (or wine) and then reducing it to the desired thickness.[/QUOTE]

I read the bit in Cockneygirl's original post about gravy not existing in Italy and didn't understand what she meant. Carol and Dave's post reminded me that yer average Brit thinks gravy is a manufactured concoction of exaggerated colourings and flavourings from God-only-knows what sources.

Personally, I wouldn't call Carol and Dave's advice on gravy the "old way", I'd call it the [I]only way[/I] to get real gravy. I've never understood the appeal of Bisto and similar. I know getting a full Christmas dinner to the table can be a challenge in terms of scheduling, but making proper gravy fits naturally into the process since it can be done when the roast or fowl is "resting" for a few minutes after having been taken out of the oven.

But then I'm just an old fuddy-duddy who makes a point of [I]not[/I] buying anything I can remember seeing advertised.

Al

[QUOTE=AllanMason]But then I'm just an old fuddy-duddy who makes a point of [I]not[/I] buying anything I can remember seeing advertised.

Al[/QUOTE]

Does that include toilet paper?

LOL...toilet paper!!....carole thank you for your offer of sending me some gravy, that was a really nice thing to say,...but prob solved on the gravy front..my mum is going to send me some over..all i need now is the rest of the trimmings to go with.!...im sure i will get through it..after all ive survived 9mths in sicily..thats a challenge in itself to a girl who has been brought up in the heart of london...ive never eaten...a goose...pigs trotters...or prob any of the other foods you have mentioned.in fact the only "trotters" ive came in contact with are the ones from "only fools and horse's"..lol..thank you for all your help..esp you carole .xx

I thought this was a wind up at first. But now I know differently.
I cannot believe that someone can not cook stuffing have ;'you ever thought of getting a Uk book . Gravey does not come out of a packet !!!!! And also why not cook or bake your own Christmas Cake ? I have just done so . I also sometimes make my own mincemeat. I am sorry but I am so appalled by your incompetence.

[QUOTE=gailsomers]I thought this was a wind up at first. But now I know differently.
I cannot believe that someone can not cook stuffing have ;'you ever thought of getting a Uk book . Gravey does not come out of a packet !!!!! And also why not cook or bake your own Christmas Cake ? I have just done so . I also sometimes make my own mincemeat. I am sorry but I am so appalled by your incompetence.[/QUOTE]

Needlessly harsh words I think .....

Carole B what no Pizzocheri up there on Xmas day?
I laughed at your "tre corne" is that what a "cornuto" has for Xmas dinner?
You seem to like things in threes in that neck of the woods.
Tre corne-----tre palle!!!!
Tre palle is the smallest comune in Italy and just before you get to Livigno.:rolleyes:

[QUOTE=gailsomers]I thought this was a wind up at first. But now I know differently.
I cannot believe that someone can not cook stuffing have ;'you ever thought of getting a Uk book . Gravey does not come out of a packet !!!!! And also why not cook or bake your own Christmas Cake ? I have just done so . I also sometimes make my own mincemeat. I am sorry but I am so appalled by your incompetence.[/QUOTE]

Your comments were.....well I'm not quite sure what they were. But one thing they weren't dear, was a 'wind up'. I've been called many things before, but "incompetent" takes the (Christmas) Cake - or it would do if I knew how to make one! As for gravy....well a million or more Bisto customers must be ignorant too if what you say is true.

But while I have NO intention of losing any sleep over your observations, I will just explain [I]why[/I] - [U]and under what circumstances[/U] I resort to Bisto. So if you're sitting comfortably I'll do my level best to bore the socks off you.....

i) I have yet to find a suitable meat joint here to produce a satisfactory or sufficient meat juice to use 'in the pan' for gravy.
ii) No decent joint - no nice beef dripping....Cooked in EVOO isn't [I]quite[/I] the same.
iii) Over here I add an OXO cube to the Bisto and ensure that the resulting 'sauce' is reasonably thick and not watery and tasteless.
iv) A joint of lamb up here is just that - [I]lamb[/I]...[I]not[/I] mutton or an overfed 'Southdowns'. The last [U]whole leg of lamb[/U] I bought weighed in at a whopping 1.45kg with practically no fat. (A turkey leg here is bigger!)
v) Can't get anything 'like' a leg of pork for love nor money.
So as you [I]may[/I] be able to comprehend - the making of what [I]you[/I] consider to be the only proper gravy is just a 'tad' difficult.

I can't comment on what provisions you may have access to here for your gravy - I don't know where you live in Italy (you don't say).

As for your comments on the art of cake making (or my lack of it) - no I'll openly admit that I'm useless at cake making.... (with the exception of 'caraway seed cake' and proper apple strudel. Perhaps you would be kind enough to share with us just where you get the required ingredients over here for your 'mincemeat' and your 'stuffing'.

But Gail, you [I]were[/I] right on one thing -when you asked "[I][B]have ;'you ever thought of getting a Uk book "[/I][/B]

No - I don't [I]think[/I] I need one...But on the subject of learning any 'art' from books - have you ever thought about using 'upper case' or a dictionary?
Best Regards,
Carole B

[QUOTE=Dream Academy]Carole B what no Pizzocheri up there on Xmas day?
I laughed at your "tre corne" is that what a "cornuto" has for Xmas dinner?
You seem to like things in threes in that neck of the woods.
Tre corne-----tre palle!!!!
Tre palle is the smallest comune in Italy and just before you get to Livigno.:rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

Hahaha..... Non ho visto 'Tre Palle' sulla strada per Livigno - devo guardare! Io generalmente esco sulla strada per Tirano o San Moritz.

And you ask...."[B][I]what no Pizzocheri up there on Xmas day?[/I][/B]
No, not usually on Christmas Day - they're pretty normal 'everyday' winter mountain fayre here...along with our bresaula and polenta taragna....all good things to stick to your ribs on cold winter days! But did you know that many areas around the Valtellina have their own version of pizzocheri and many are very different from the well known ones!

[QUOTE=gailsomers]I thought this was a wind up at first. But now I know differently.
I cannot believe that someone can not cook stuffing have ;'you ever thought of getting a Uk book . Gravey does not come out of a packet !!!!! And also why not cook or bake your own Christmas Cake ? I have just done so . I also sometimes make my own mincemeat. I am sorry but I am so appalled by your incompetence.[/QUOTE]

well you better believe it...no i cant cook stuffing...why should i..when tesco's had it ready made for me?...and whats the point of a uk cook book when i prob cant get the ingredients i want here anyway?...xmas cake yet again care of tesco's...and if you are appalled by my incompetence...then its about time you accepted that people from all walks of life use this forum ...we are not all like you aunt bessie!

Polenta taragna and pizzoccheri now there's a body warmer for you!!!
Now you get off and learn how to fare la torta di natale cara. Che 3 palle!!!:rolleyes:

[QUOTE=cockney girl]no i cant cook stuffing...why should i..when tesco's had it ready made for me?[/QUOTE]
How do you know you can't if you've never tried? As for [I]why[/I] you should make your own, I can think of a lot of possible reasons. In the context of this thread, I think the absence of a local Tesco probably comes fairly high on the list.
[QUOTE=cockney girl]...and whats the point of a uk cook book when i prob cant get the ingredients i want here anyway?[/QUOTE]
One might use the same reasoning to question the point of trying to have a British (or Tesco plc) Christmas dinner in Italy at all. But, again, if you insist on having something as close as you can manage to that, then it seems to me that your choices are either a very long shopping run to the closest Tesco or figuring out how you can make your own version of the stuff Tesco churns out of factories. Of course, a meal you produced wouldn't have all the sugar, salt and industrially processed fats that are added to mass-produced food in order to increase it's appeal and it would be lacking all the artificial colours and flavours and preservatives of the industrial version. I suppose some might find Christmas less enjoyable without the subtle mind-warping effects of that chemical cocktail.

It seems you have little confidence in your abilities in the kitchen, but enjoyable Christmas feasts were being produced by millions of average cooks long before Bisto started synthesising gravy from E-numbers or Tesco started selling frozen cocktail sausages ready-wrapped in fatty bacon.

Al

Cooking Rule... If at first you don't succeed, order pizza.:D

Does anyone actually like polenta?

[QUOTE=Carol and Dave]Does anyone actually like polenta?[/QUOTE]

I do :o :o :o

Do you actually like the polenta or do you cover it with a nice tasty sauce?

I was talking to an old chap the other day and he said that when he was young, poor and one of a large family, his mother used to serve the polenta by tipping it straight onto the table. Each child had a wooden spoon and would eat the polenta as fast as possible, to get as much as possible. He said the table was always left clean at the end.

[QUOTE=Carol and Dave]I was talking to an old chap the other day and he said that when he was young, poor and one of a large family, his mother used to serve the polenta by tipping it straight onto the table. Each child had a wooden spoon and would eat the polenta as fast as possible, to get as much as possible. He said the table was always left clean at the end.[/QUOTE]
"Hunger is the best sauce."

In the States, boiled maize meal is called 'mush'. A more appropriate word, to my way of thinking, than the vaguely exotic-sounding 'polenta'.

Al

[QUOTE=Carol and Dave]Do you actually like the polenta or do you cover it with a nice tasty sauce?

I was talking to an old chap the other day and he said that when he was young, poor and one of a large family, his mother used to serve the polenta by tipping it straight onto the table. Each child had a wooden spoon and would eat the polenta as fast as possible, to get as much as possible. He said the table was always left clean at the end.[/QUOTE]

I like it with grated parmesan mixed in and a knob of butter on the top. Plain with sausage or a casserole or fried in slices.

When I was in Zimbabwe a group of us were served 'mealy maize porridge' and greens for dinner. Everyone turned their noses us, apart from me, it was polenta ;)

[QUOTE=Carol and Dave]Does anyone actually like polenta?[/QUOTE]

Hard to think anyone does. It's not as bad as that revolting [I]piadina[/I] (sp?) muck though.

.

I have managed to do roast dinners here and make gravy with the meat juices. I agree that the meat here is less fatty, but when I make gravy I pour off the fat first anyway so I don't really understand the problem.

Polenta can be pretty boring (sloppy, tasteless, colourless), but make up a stiff polenta, cut it into circles with a pastry cutter or something like that, turn the grill up high and grill the bottom of the circle lightly, turn it over, chuck on a bit of salami piccante, bit of cheese and anchovy, bit of anything you like (very hot tomato mix is good) and grill it agan. A drop of oil doesn't come amiss if the topping hasn't got any fat in it, because this makes the edges of the polenta crostini crunchy. It makes a wonderful winter antipasto, and you can prepare it all in advance and just zap a full grill tray for a couple of minutes if you need to serve fifty crostini at a time - (they don't go soggy as they do if you use bread for the base.)

This is one million miles from what you might think polenta tastes of - try it :) (I have a horrible suspicion it comes from a pretentious River Cafe cook book rather than from la nonna!)

[QUOTE=Carol and Dave]Does anyone actually like polenta?[/QUOTE]
Depends on what you eat it with. Here are a few of our [I]'local'[/I] ways to eat it....

* Hot, with slices of gorgonzola dolce 'folded in' carefully.
* With any cheese (not a hard cheese though) sliced and folded in.
* With sliced beef kidney cooked in EVOO and chopped parsley and garlic.
* With 'bocconcini' di vitello with wild mushrooms.
* With pieces of 'cervo' (stag) in a meat sauce.
* With slices of 'brasato' - braised beef in a sauce of diced or purèed carrots, onions, celery and garlic.

Here seen with the 'cervo and brasato....plus the 'folded in' cheese!
[img]http://www.expatsinitaly.com/blogs/carole/uploaded_images/DSCF0079-751911.JPG[/img]
But best of all is the cold 'left over' polenta - Dice or slice it and fry in butter until crispy - then fry two eggs pp in the butter and por eggs and butter over the polenta. Add fresh grated parmesan and ENJOY!

....and these are Pizzoccheri.
[img]http://www.expatsinitaly.com/blogs/carole/uploaded_images/DSCF0077-771495.JPG[/img]"

Made with buck wheat flour, plenty of butter and with a little cabbage, potato and melted 'local dairy' cheese!
Yes - OK....a [I]zillion[/I] calories - but not every day!

have you ever thought about using 'upper case' or a dictionary

[FONT="Arial Black"]My forte is cooking not spelling !![/FONT]
Italy has some of the greatest food and cooking in the world.

The pork here is superb and we have a great butcher here who sells nothing but pork.

I agree on the whole that lamb is a little skinny but the sheep that come down to graze on our land in the winter will make a good meal in the spring.. Cetainly at Easter the leg of lamb is superb .

Can I ask why you came to italy ? When clearly you hanker after the delights of Tesco. Why not go to Spain where they are clearly geared up for needy Brits anxious for stuffing in a packet. And possibly pre mixed Gin
& Tonics. Tailor-made for the
Engish who complain the locals don't speak English !!!

[QUOTE=gailsomers]
..........Can I ask why you came to italy ? When clearly you hanker after the delights of Tesco. Why not go to Spain where they are clearly geared up for needy Brits anxious for stuffing in a packet. And possibly pre mixed Gin
& Tonics. Tailor-made for the
Engish who complain the locals don't speak English !!![/QUOTE]

I'm getting somewhat confused here Gail.....Sorry. But are your comments aimed at me or at 'Cockney Girl'?

My initial reaction was to what I supposed were my comments about Bisto and stuffing..... But now you are questioning the reasons why one, either or both of us want to live in Italy. The question is - Which?

I [I]don't[/I] 'hanker' after food from Tesco's, Sainsbury's or even Harrods Food Hall - (not that I've ever shopped there)! But I do - on occasion - for purely selfish reasons enjoy some tastes of what used to (for me) be home. But I live here now - not in England - and I feel that I have embraced the Italian culture reasonably well!

Oh and just as an aside - I have [I]never[/I] complained that my 'locals' don't speak English. I have too many friends among them.

Heres hoping everyones Christmas dinner doesn't have the sour bitter taste of this thread.

Can I ask why you came to italy ? When clearly you hanker after the delights of Tesco. Why not go to Spain where they are clearly geared up for needy Brits anxious for stuffing in a packet. And possibly pre mixed Gin
& Tonics. Tailor-made for the
Engish who complain the locals don't speak English !!![/QUOTE]

i never had a "dream" of coming to italy like most of you on here...i never had a nice big house to sell either in the uk so i could buy a nice big house here...i came here through other personall circunstances..and i dont aprreciate being called "incompetant"..and..."having a lack of confidence " in the kitchen...for your information i spent 14 yrs in a very physical and mental violent relationship..and these words have rung in my ears for many years..i dont expect to be "bullied" on here by you gailsomers...i merely was asking in the first place on how to cook a xmas dinner here...i wish i never bothered.

[QUOTE=cockney girl]i never had a "dream" of coming to italy like most of you on here...i never had a nice big house to sell either in the uk so i could buy a nice big house here...i came here through other personall circunstances..and i dont aprreciate being called "incompetant"..and..."having a lack of confidence " in the kitchen...for your information i spent 14 yrs in a very physical and mental violent relationship..and these words have rung in my ears for many years..i dont expect to be "bullied" on here by you gailsomers...i merely was asking in the first place on how to cook a xmas dinner here...i wish i never bothered.[/QUOTE]

Well said ! (And I mean it - I'm completely with you here.) How are things in Mussomeli nowadays ?

..

[QUOTE=Sancho the Fat]Well said ! (And I mean it - I'm completely with you here.) How are things in Mussomeli nowadays ?

..[/QUOTE]
Good morning sancho the fat...things are fine here...my partners working very hard...just feeling a little upset at the mo by gailsomers comments...but i'll get over it..hey ive been through worse...but thank you for your support.x

You were quite right to be upset. The comment was bloody offensive, and it came from just the direction you thought it did. When I was in Mussomeli a long time ago I thought it was great. Someone introduced me to the brother of Genco Russo (sp ?). Is he still around ?

..

[QUOTE=cockney girl]i merely was asking in the first place on how to cook a xmas dinner here...i wish i never bothered.[/QUOTE]
Given what you've said, it seems to me that you weren't asking how to "cook" a Christmas dinner, but rather how you could "prepare" one. Subtle difference, perhaps, but to my way of thinking the first involves a considerable amount of work starting from basic ingredients. The other - what you seemed to hope to find out how you could do in Italy - involves opening packets and tins with the main effort being one of scheduling.

I think it is possible for one to prepare an excellent traditional British Christmas dinner in Italy since I don't think any of the basic raw ingredients are that difficult to find. But it would mean doing things like, for example, making your own chipolatas, mincemeat pies and Cristmas cake from scratch. I suspect that even Italian cuts of meat which seem "dry" to British palates could be improved with the use of a larding needle. And surely a turkey is pretty much a turkey, no matter what country it was raised in?

However, even good cooks consider a Christmas dinner made from scratch a major effort. That's one of the reasons why it's a special meal. If you feel it's too much for you to take on, then it seems to me the possible solutions are to go with the Italian flow or make a shopping trip back to Blighty for all those packets and tins.

Of course, if a proper bl**dy Christmas dinner is [I]really[/I] that important to you, you could do what a lot of sensible people do and book Christmas dinner in a hotel or restaurant and make a special trip back to Britain just for that.

Al

Hi cockney girl

talk about good will to all men!, you enjoy your meal whatever you decide to have, dont be upset, Italy is a beautiful country, and I hope that the rather unkind comments in this thread will soon be forgotten.

We shall probably have a gluten free veggie lunch (that should get them all going!)

Angie

[QUOTE=Carole B]Depends on what you eat it with. Here are a few of our [I]'local'[/I] ways to eat it....

* Hot, with slices of gorgonzola dolce 'folded in' carefully.
* With any cheese (not a hard cheese though) sliced and folded in.
* With sliced beef kidney cooked in EVOO and chopped parsley and garlic.
* With 'bocconcini' di vitello with wild mushrooms.
* With pieces of 'cervo' (stag) in a meat sauce.
* With slices of 'brasato' - braised beef in a sauce of diced or purèed carrots, onions, celery and garlic.

Here seen with the 'cervo and brasato....plus the 'folded in' cheese!
[img]http://www.expatsinitaly.com/blogs/carole/uploaded_images/DSCF0079-751911.JPG[/img]
But best of all is the cold 'left over' polenta - Dice or slice it and fry in butter until crispy - then fry two eggs pp in the butter and por eggs and butter over the polenta. Add fresh grated parmesan and ENJOY!

....and these are Pizzoccheri.
[img]http://www.expatsinitaly.com/blogs/carole/uploaded_images/DSCF0077-771495.JPG[/img]"

Made with buck wheat flour, plenty of butter and with a little cabbage, potato and melted 'local dairy' cheese!
Yes - OK....a [I]zillion[/I] calories - but not every day![/QUOTE]

Go that looks bad!!

[QUOTE=PAS 55]Go that looks bad!![/QUOTE]

Not all bad for you!!! Cabbage, and buckwheat which releases calories slowly!!!

An argument about food - that sounds very Italian to me! But don't forget it is still just food, no need to get too personal ragazzi e ragazze

I'm so pleased that [I]someone[/I] said how bad these dishes [I]'looked'[/I]. It just proves that the 'proof of the pudding is in the eating' - doesn't it....

Much of the food we eat (and enjoy) is based on [U]how[/U] and [U]where[/U] we were raised. So for those who were raised in Italy - pasta, pizza, pane and so many other regional dishes are the norm. If you are Scottish then maybe haggis and porridge are to your taste. Or if Chinese then perhaps 'sea slugs' and maybe even cat or dog (or so I'm told....) will tickle your taste buds. But the majority of us do tend to gravitate towards what we know, don't we?

Of course you can be as adventurous and as willing (and successful) as you like in coming to terms with a new lifestyle and culture - [B]BUT[/B] (there's always a 'but') there will [I]always[/I] be those unexpected moments when an inexplicable yearning for something (even - God forbid - for a 'Big Mac') will creep up on you and hit you over the head , often for no other reason than it's unavailability!

My last visit to the UK saw me loading the car up with such delicacies as (yes you've guessed) Bisto, Paxo, Marmite, Branston Pickle, Chilli con Carne mixes, HP Fruity Sauce, Coleman's English Mustard, Orange and Tangerine marmalade, Twinings Assam tea, Christmas Crackers, Dairy Milk Chocolate (NOT for me,I might add), and [I]loads[/I] of other things that have since served to allieviate that gut yearning for things I normlly manage to [I]go without.[/I]

I can appreciate where Cockney girl was coming from because (and I challenge [I]any [/I] person who has been here for a while to say that they aren't the same) [COLOR="Red"]I've been there, done that AND got a wardrobe full of 'T' shirts to prove it. [/COLOR]

[B]So come on all you 'foodies' now is the time to [I]'fess-up'[/I] to what you will miss most on your Italian Christmas table.[/B]

OK - I'll start the ball rolling.....
[B][U]I would die for some fresh ROAST PARSNIPS!!!!! [/U][/B]
(I've even tried to grow 'em here - but not succeeded)

Carole B,

I agree with you on the parsnips. Can't seem to find them here.

Also hard to find cidar; great for cooking apples with nutmeg & cinnamon.

White wine will do; but not quite the same.

Have finally found bulgar wheat and sesame seed. The former, great for cracked wheat salad the latter for Hummous.

Also have found Guinness -. Lovely for beef & mushroom pie.

Gail I don't know where in Italy you are but I found parsnips in my local greencrocery and indeed also in the market in my little town in Abruzzo.

Wow - lucky old you 'turtle'.... I've even asked my local vegetable wholesaler if he can get some [I]'pastinaca'[/I] occaisionally for me. No luck at all.

Friends have sent over parsnip seeds too - because I have a garden (aka 'the jungle'). But I don't have green fingers - rather more like [COLOR="SeaGreen"]'mouldy fingers'[/COLOR] - I touch whatever it is, it and it curls up and dies!!!!
(All together now....AAAAH!)

[QUOTE=gailsomers]Carole B,

I agree with you on the parsnips. Can't seem to find them here.

Also hard to find cidar; great for cooking apples with nutmeg & cinnamon.

White wine will do; but not quite the same.

Have finally found bulgar wheat and sesame seed. The former, great for cracked wheat salad the latter for Hummous.

Also have found Guinness -. Lovely for beef & mushroom pie.[/QUOTE]

Gail,
You can order cider (sidro) here:

[URL="http://www.agriturismobio.com/index2.htm"]http://www.agriturismobio.com/index2.htm[/URL]

[LEFT][quote=gailsomers]I thought this was a wind up at first. But now I know differently.
I cannot believe that someone can not cook stuffing have ;'you ever thought of getting a Uk book . Gravey does not come out of a packet !!!!! And also why not cook or bake your own Christmas Cake ? I have just done so . I also sometimes make my own mincemeat. I am sorry but I am so appalled by your incompetence.[/quote]

Your words are offensive and rude. I am sorry but I am appalled by your manners.
[/LEFT]

cockney girl - don't take some of the stronger comments to heart - they were uncalled for. But Italy is a food culture - the old boys at the bowls club are often talking about what they had yesterday, about great finds of wild mushrooms they've had and so forth. So do get into the excitement of eating even if you haven't had the chance in the past.

Frankly the biggest problem with the Christmas roast is the meat, in my opinion. Apart from the different cuts the law here only allows 10 days hanging as opposed to 20 in France and the UK, so the meat never develops flavour or tenderness in the same way. You can get frozen NZ legs of lamb in my local hypermarket, so I might try one of them one day.

Try adapting to local ingedients, and often the end result is a great combination: I make a mean bread and butter pudding using panettone. So light, and the dried fruit already provided for you!

On the preparation front, bear in mind that often if it's some nice salami starters and bread and cheese or gorgeous pastries the work is in the buying, so find out from the locals the best places. Go for lesser quantity and better - although that's advice I give and don't always take myself!

On the gravy front I must admit to never having bought bisto: I had a nasty experience living in digs once. In the words of the immortal Tony Hancock, commenting about somebody's gravy "at least my mother's moved round the plate"!

Thank you Turtle and Carole B I wil follow these links up.

xxxx

gail

[QUOTE=HarleyBabe][LEFT]

Your words are offensive and rude. I am sorry but I am appalled by your manners.
[/LEFT][/QUOTE]

Thank goodness this is [I]'all done and dusted'[/I] now - I think.... But it's still nice to know that there are still some out there who are ready to take up the cudgel 'when' and 'if' required!

The water has gone under the bridge... the heat of the moment has now passed and we're back to talking about eating ourselves silly over the festive period.....

Thanks Harley Babe

I found this link on another Forum which might help!!! The magazine is by the publisher's of Italia! magazine and contains myriads of authentic Italian recipies by top Italian chefs!!! Enjoy!!! [url]http://www.uniquemagazines.co.uk/mag...scription[/url].

[B][SIZE=2][/SIZE] [/B]

The link didn't work so have posted another.

[URL="http://www.italia-magazine.com/content.plm/189"]http://www.italia-magazine.com/content.plm/189[/URL]

[IMG]http://www.italia-magazine.com/files/TAcover150px_150x0.jpg[/IMG]