There is in my family a deep appreciation for Christmas. We begin with a trip across town to buy a tree and, from then on, all surfaces are laden with the appropriate kitsch. The warm atmosphere is fuelled by the candles of constantly spinning angel chimes and the only space in the house is the empty shelf in the Christmas cupboard. I jokingly protest but with each year I love it more and every day we celebrate in the kitchen.
I love to cook afresh with the extra time in the holidays, taking new approaches with known ingredients and recipes. Here, I’ve used things one might find lying around already, such as sprouts and Brazil nuts. So, while these dishes are loosely based on things I’ve eaten in Italy, they could also be described as Anglo-Italian – except the pizza pie which is a straight-up Neapolitan classic. “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie …” I can hear everyone singing it now, and I can imagine immigrants from the south of Italy (like my grandfather) eating new versions of this with whatever they could find in the US at Christmas time a hundred years ago. This is the spirit of these recipes. Italian-ish, maybe. I’m far less of a purist, at least in the holidays, and am more interested in having fun in the kitchen. Some are beyond easy, others take a bit longer; but they are all straightforward, tasty and just slightly different to what you thought you were going to make.
At the end, there are two desserts. Nora Ephron says in her essay What I Wish I’d Known that you can order more than one dessert. My wife did this week, and I think I am therefore allowed this, not just now but forever.
Slow roast stuffed duck
Ducks and geese are stuffed in the same manner as a whole pig in central Italy. Keep removing the fat during cooking and you’ll end up with a delicious, fragrant Christmas roast. Toss whole peeled potatoes into the roasting tray if you’d like to, but if you want to try a goose, leave the fresh pork out.
Serves 6
duck 1, with liver, heart and gizzards
garlic 2 cloves
fennel leaves 1 sprig and/or 1tsp fennel seeds
rosemary 2 sprigs, leaves removed
good salami 80g, cubed
whole peppercorns 8
lemon 1, zested
baby back ribs 1 rack, cut into 3
quinces 2
honey 2 tbsp
fennel 4 bulbs
Heat the oven to 220C/gas mark 7.
Chop the duck offal together with the garlic, fennel tops, half the rosemary, salami, peppercorns and lemon zest. Cut away any excess fat from the cavity of the duck and turn over. Using strong scissors cut either side of the back bone to open the duck up. Season and fill with the stuffing. Close, overlapping the two sides and tie tight around the middle to secure it shut; then at either end and between them again, making sure it’s closed fast. Take your time doing this, it’s even more satisfying than wrapping presents. Chop the rest of the rosemary and cover the pork with it.
Put the meat in a capacious deep roasting pan and season. Put into the hot oven for 30 minutes until it starts to smell good and a lot of fat has rendered out. Remove, turn the heat down to 150C/gas mark 2. and pour off the fat.
Peel the quinces, core, cut into quarters and toss with honey. Halve the fennel bulbs. Add to the pan with the meat, loosely cover with tin foil and return to the oven. Roast for a further 1½ hours, going to the oven door to baste and turn things around from time to time.
Escarole pizza pie
It is possible to make this pie without a leavened crust, but this is the better version. A centrepiece of the antipasto table, Neapolitans eat this on Christmas Eve.
Serves 6, as a starter
For the pizza
dried yeast 1 tsp
tepid water 140g
good quality organic strong bread (or pasta) flour 200g
salt 4g
escarole 1 head (400g-ish)
garlic 2 cloves, peeled
anchovy fillets 6
green and black olives 50g, roughly chopped
pine nuts 20g
salted capers 20g, rinsed (not under vinegar)
currants 15g, soaked in hot water
pepper
To make the dough, mix the yeast with the water and leave for 5 minutes before mixing into the flour with salt. This can be done in a bowl and then transferred to the surface for kneading. Knead for 8 minutes, keep turning by 90° and stretching the dough out. Once soft and springy, cover with plastic and allow half an hour at room temperature before moving to the fridge for 24 hours. Should you keep a bread starter you can substitute a soft dough of your own. Allow the dough to come back to room temperature before stretching.
For the filling, thoroughly clean and roughly chop the escarole. If you can’t find escarole, frisée is a close relative and a good alternative. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pot with the garlic. When the garlic is golden add the anchovies, olives, pine nuts, capers and drained currants. Stir a bit, bin the garlic, pile on the washed escarole and put a lid on. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often until really quite cooked. If it looks especially wet, wait until mostly evaporated. Season just with pepper, as it should be salty enough, and allow to cool.
Heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6 and generously oil a 20cm cake tin. Handling gently, cut off ⅔ of the dough and begin to stretch into a round on a floured surface. Gently roll out until it fits the tin like a pie crust. Then fill with the escarole and cover with the other piece of dough which you have also rolled. Turn the first dough over the second at the edges to make a border. Brush with olive oil and prick some holes through the top with a fork.
Bake for 35 minutes, until golden on the top and sides. Best enjoyed once cooled a bit.
Brussels sprouts under oil
This simple antipasto fills a gap that traditionally would be insalta del rinforzo, anglicised with brussels sprouts. Spared the usual soggy overcooking, they retain a vegetable heat all their own, like mild horseradish. Add peppercorns, or chillis, if you’d like more of a hit. I’ll keep some of these to eat with the leftover cold cuts and cheeses.
Serves 6
brussels sprouts 200g
cauliflower florets 150g
garlic cloves 2
sundried tomatoes 50g
red wine vinegar 2 tbsp
olive oil
Really peel back the sprouts to their “sweeter” hearts. If they look a third of their size, all the better. Cut some small cauliflower florets about the same size and slice the tomatoes lengthways into four. Cut the garlic cloves into two and bring them to the boil in a pot of cold water with a large pinch of sea salt. Let them boil for five minutes before adding the sprouts and cauliflower and letting them boil another four. Then add the tomatoes and leave for two minutes. Drain and spread out.
When they are mostly dry but still hot toss with the vinegar and put in a jar or bowl and cover with oil (and more salt, to taste). When they are cool, cover and move to the fridge.
Eat cold. Better after 24 hours. They’ll keep all holiday (10 days) in the fridge. Make the person with a cold eat the garlic cloves and, so as not to be wasteful, re-use the oil.
Celery, radicchio and brazil nuts
Brazil nuts are full of nutrients but, don’t worry, they’re also wildly rich. The cooking and squeezing of the radicchio helps to remove its bitterness, however, if you can find a posh forced Italian radicchio, it’s not so much of an issue.
Serves 4
brazil nuts 8
radicchio ½ head
water 3 tbsp
extra virgin olive oil 30ml
garlic a thin slice from the tip of a clove
lemon
celery 1 head
truffle 1 (optional)
Soak the brazil nuts overnight in water. Tear the leaves from the radicchio and blanch in highly salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Move straight into a bowl of ice water and quickly cool. Then return to the boiling water for another 2 minutes and again to the ice. Once cold, squeeze dry.
Drain the nuts and put in a blender with the water, oil, garlic, a small spritz of lemon and pinch of salt. Whizz for a minute and pass through a fine sieve or tea strainer.
Peel the celery back to half its size and slice off only the exposed part of the root. Pick some of the pale leaves and slice thinly. Toss everything and serve with the truffle grated or sliced on top.
Pear, persimmon and ricotta crostata
Persimmons are overlooked, particularly as there are fewer varieties of winter fruit. This crostata is not too sweet, so be careful with the nutmeg lest it take over.
Serves 8
toasted hazelnuts 50g
flour 200g
icing sugar 70g
salt a pinch
butter 90g, cubed
whole eggs 3
pears 2, very ripe
persimmons 2
lemon zest and juice of 1
ricotta 350g
golden caster sugar 70g
egg yolk 1
cream 100ml
nutmeg
Blitz the nuts in a food processor. Add the flour, blitz some more and then pulse in the sugar, salt and finally the butter. When crumbed, add an egg taking care not to overwork. Bring the dough together on the surface and chill for 45 minutes. Then break or cut off pieces and press into a 25cm tart shell until uniformly covered and freeze for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5 and blind bake the shell with a piece of baking paper filled with baking beans. Cook until golden, about 30 minutes, removing the paper for the last five.
Lower the oven to 160C/gas mark 2½. Bring 400ml of water to the boil with the lemon juice. Slice the pears into ½ cm slices removing the pips and poach for 4 minutes, less if very ripe. Take out of the syrup. Slice the persimmons the same size. Whisk the ricotta with sugar, 2 eggs and 1 yolk, cream, ½ the lemon zest, and a scratch of fresh nutmeg. Fill up the tart shell by alternating fruit and ricotta until full the brim. Bake for 35 minutes turning half way through. Serve completely cool, dusted with icing sugar.
Sorbetto al caffè corretto
This is almost a drink where the alcohol nearly stops it from freezing. Serve in frozen espresso cups and consume quickly. You can dance all night if you eat it all.
Serves 4
mint leaves 4
very strong double espresso 1
egg white 1
icing sugar 45g
water 45ml
grappa 45ml
Infuse the mint leaves into the hot coffee. Whisk the egg white with the sugar in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water until thick, shiny and hot. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before adding the coffee, leaves removed, water and grappa. Cover and freeze for four hours in the bowl, whisking with a fork after the first hour and again before serving. Don’t worry if it looks like it’s separating – it’ll come together in the end.
Joe Trivelli is head chef of the River Cafe, London W6 9HA
