
Giancarlo
A merry Italian Christmas!
Updated: Feb 17, 2020
Family, friends, sightseeing, a beautiful nativity scene in the front garden, delicious food – military style preparations, cooking and eating, drinks, a lot of laughter, clean-up, sleep and so much more: Our Christmas 2019 in Chicago
Our dear friends Betty and Michele opened the doors to their beautiful historical home in Oak Park to celebrate Christmas with family and friends. People from near and afar flocked to the city to do just that: from Hawaii, California, Washington, Italy, to name a few…

Food lovers Betty and Michele have a no-nonsense approach when it comes to food and entertainment. From the day of our arrival on the 21st December, we feasted on pasta, suckling pig, goose a l’orange, steak, pata negra, etc.
Me, Shreya, Michele and Betty / with the suckling pig / and pata negra
Shopping for ingredients: Carnivore in Oak Park
Starting preparations for Christmas eve menu

Me and Michele preparing the red snapper in crust of Hawaiian black salt
Since I know Michele, he always has been very passionate about cooking, eager to learn new tricks and recipes to widen his portfolio. We are kindred spirits when it comes to food. For me it is my profession, for him a beloved hobby.
All culminating on Christmas eve in a 12-course menu for approximately 35 guests, each course symbolizing one of the 12 apostles.

And hear this: NO meat at all was served on Christmas eve, we had ten courses of either fish or seafood and two courses of dessert! Most definitely an exceptional evening for everyone present – until next Christmas! Salute!
Some impressions from Christmas eve
Ciao, ci vediamo!
Supplement: Some Recipes
Black Salt Crusted Red Snapper
4 boxes granulated Mediterranean salt
6 egg whites
1 large tbsp of squid ink
Mix together until salt is uniformly black and shiny. It should stick together just a little.
Coat whole fish with salt and bake at 400 degrees for ~40 min
Top with 1 spoon 1:1 lemon-EVOO mix
Swordfish Sauce
Put 2 large smashed garlic in olive oil and heat till lightly yellow
Add in whole marjoram branches and fry with garlic
Add in sliced red & yellow cherry tomatoes and cook down
Add in 2 bottles of tomato sugo (yellow heirloom tomatoes cooked down with whole basil branches)
Add a splash of good white wine and cook for 5 min
Add in 1 bottle red tomato sauce (home-made, preserved)
Add salt and cook for 15 min
Remove the branches and large garlic and big skins
Puree to baby food consistency
Cook swordfish in the sauce, add mint and cook for 5 min
Boil coco de cavaliere (9min) pasta - a thick spaghetti - in water
Mix pasta in sauce and serve in coils
Beetroot marinated salmon
5-6 beets: Peeled, cubed, blended with 1 cups of water, 2 cups vodka/gin
Mix 1 cup sugar with 1 cup granulated Mediterranean salt
Mix in to beetroot blend
Add peel of 1 lemon, 4 peels orange
Add juice of 1 orange and mix well
Add fillet of salmon (~3lbs)
Put washer cold parchment cover, cover dish with Saran Wrap and refrigerate for 6-14 hrs/overnight
Remove salmon and store marinade
Slice thin to check salmon taste - refrigerate with washed parchment cover and Saran Wrap to dry out for 2 hours
Make a fennel-blood orange salad with champagne vinaigrette (olive oil, champagne vinegar, lemon, salt, pepper, honey)
Put thinly sliced salmon on salad to make a nice presentation
Cuttlefish gratin (Sepia del Marchese Portino)
Large cube for cuttlefish
Note: Small cuttlefish (~75g each) preferred for delicacy in texture (large are rubbery)
Add marjoram leaves
Add a splash of EVOO
Add salt, black pepper and mix it up
Add splash a good white wine
Breading:
Put home-made bread crumbs in a pan
Add salt
Add dry oregano
Add 1 large smashed garlic
Toast it on the pan on low heat until browned
Let cool
Cheese:
Grate 300g Pecorino Romano
1 bunch fine chopped parsley
1/2 bunch finely chopped cilantro
Mix together
Mix breading and cheese when cooled
Place cuttlefish on baking sheet and add breading on the top
Drizzle a little EVOO over breaded cuttlefish
Bake at 170 degrees until the gratin is brownish color - maybe ~15 min
Place portion in plate and serve with fresh crispy baby arugula salad
Black Cod (Baccala)
Remove skin from fillets and cut into 1 inch squares - ensure no bones
Fine chop 1 medium onion and parsley, add 2 smashed large garlic cloves
Thin sliced fingerling potatoes
Salsa:
1.5 box mixed red/yellow cherry tomatoes sliced in 1/2
Cubed kuamto tomatoes - 4
2 sprigs of spring onions (sliced)
200g kalamata olives - sliced
Olive oil extra virgin
Splash of good white wine
Cooking:
Low pan - brown the garlic in EVOO on low heat and remove
Add in the "salsa" mix + potatoes with splash of white wine and cook on very low flame for 5 min
Add cod fish and fish broth, cook for 5 min or so with lid on until the fish is cooked
Add salt and pepper to taste
Octopus Salad
Salt the octopus (2 kg) and leave for 1hr
Rinse the octopus, cover with cold water and put on the stove at lowest temperature for 2hr
Put heavy pan on octopus to ensure all tentacles are covered with water and cook for 1- 2hrs until tender
Chop octopus and add thinly chopped red onions (2 small) and course chopped parsley
Add thinly sliced, course chopped lemons (4 whole) - do not put center of lemons in ie no seed or rind
Dressing:
2 lemons - juice
EVOO 1:1 ratio with lemon juice
2-3 spoons white vinegar
Salt - 1 tbsp
Black Pepper - 1 tsp
Mix ingredients and dressing together just before serving