To begin, Happy holidays to all! You'll find Hanukah recipes here and Christmas recipes here. The latter also includes a discussion of the "seven fish dinner," which I have never encountered in Tuscany or other parts of Northern Italy -- Christmas Eve is a meatless vigil, so the meal is fish-based, but the number of dishes and exactly what they are depends upon the number of people partaking and what's available. I had assumed the same likely held true in the South from talking to people and reading a number of books that discuss Christmas meals, the most interesting of which is Caròla Francesconi's La Cucina Napoletana (Newton Compton Editori). However, Carmelita just sent a note mentioning that Carol Field talks, "in her wonderful book, Celebrating Italy, of Naples as the region where the pre Christmas celebrations were taken most seriously - 4 days of them [Ms. Francesconi mentions only three]. She also mentions enormous fish dinners in Abruzzo consisting of:
7 courses- the 7 virtues and the 7 sacraments
9 courses - 3 times the Trinity

"Finally, she [Carol Field] writes of 13 types of fruit and nuts to be offered at the end of the meal - 13 for Jesus and the Apostles - in regions of Italy that were once part of Magna Grecia."

As I said, none of this happens in Tuscany or other parts of Italy where I have celebrated Christmas. However, I have never celebrated it in the South. Someday. In any case, the season here, like almost everywhere else, has become tremendously commercial, a far cry from what it was when I was here in 1969 and all my classmates were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Befana, the witch who brings children stockings full of toys and candy on Epiphany. Then most Florentines didn't have trees, which are a more northern tradition, but instead set up crèches, and Christmas Day was a low-key family thing. Now the streets are decorated and the stores are gaudy, and there's usually a chilly looking pony attached to a sleigh, with an equally chilly looking Santa, in Florence's Via dei Calzaiuoli (between the Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio). Kids go to have their pictures taken and continue on to the stores with their parents. We don't yet have Warner Brothers, but there is a Disney shop on Via dei Calzaiuoli that's doing quite well.

Many of the boys (and fathers) will likely be looking into video games of one sort or another. With misgivings on the part of mothers, educators, and now health personnel as well. We've all heard about how video games can incite violence, and bring about epileptic attacks. They can also do more: Last month the papers were full a story about a 16-year-old who played all night 5 nights running, and was then found wandering the streets at 4 in the morning by the police. He identified himself as Ken and told them his mission was to fight evil. The doctors in the psychiatric ward of the hospital spent a month bringing him back to his real identity, and later told reporters they'd never seen anything like it. This is an extreme case, and one wonders where the parents were, but like all extreme cases it serves as a warning bell. You do have to come up for air every now and then, and read a book, take a walk, or do something else.

One option is to read restaurant guides. Not exciting, you say, but it can be interesting. This year Gualtiero Marchesi, long considered Italy's leading chef, was dropped from one of the more influential guides (I think L'Espresso's though I tossed the clipping). In any case, not by a star or two, but completely. "He's settled on his laurels," the editor said, adding that the removal was an agonizing group decision. As one might expect, a wave rippled through the food community and battle lines have been drawn up. The muck is still flying, and now Luigi Veronelli, dean of Italian food critics, has announced that Gianfranco Vissani, an Umbrian chef many are indicating as Gualtiero Marchesi's successor, knows nothing about cooking because he said he prefers olio di semi -- oil extracted from a variety of seeds -- for frying. So Veronelli is going to drop him. Vissani is unperturbed. And to be honest, I'm not that surprised that Gualtiero Marchesi slipped, though I am surprised how far. Last year's Gambero Rosso review was distinctly unenthusiastic, citing uneven quality of food, lackluster service, and a wine list with evident failings. They expected considerably more.

In case you were wondering about Veronelli's comment, he probably expected Vissani to say he used olive oil for frying. Few realize it has about the highest smoke point of any oil, and is consequently an excellent choice for frying.

Not interested in video games or restaurant guides? A number of calendars have recently come out featuring starlets in varying states of undress (sales are high, in the millions, with much of the profit going to charity), and some of the stars of the A-league soccer teams have also done one with carefully posed locker room photos, again donating the profits to charity. Today's lunchtime news said that the marble quarriers of Carrara, not to be left out, have put out a calendar in which they appear in their underwear. One wonders what will be next.

Marrons Glacees

Here, chestnuts -- I recently got a note from Edraline Lacson, who likes the chestnut recipes on the site but didn't find one for marrons glacés. Nor had she found any elsewhere. So here is one, from De Agostini's La Mia Cucina. It calls for marroni, which are the largest, tastiest, and most voluptuous chestnuts, those almost as big as a small egg. While you can use smaller chestnuts (those Italians call castagne, a word that also means chestnuts) the visual effect won't be quite the same. The authors note that the recipe is a simple one for home use. To make enough for 6 you'll need:

• 2 1/4 pounds (1 k) marroni
• 18 ounces (500 g) sugar -- this is a little more than 2 cups
• 1 quart (liter) of water
• A vanilla bean (optional)
• Salt

Peel the chestnuts and add them to a large pot of boiling, lightly salted water. Boil them for about 20 minutes, then remove the pot from the burner, and let the chestnuts steep five minutes more. Remove them one at a time with a slotted spoon, peeling off the thin skin that covers the nuts but being careful not to damage them (they'll be soft). One you have skinned them put them in a broad stainless steel skillet.

Take another pot and dissolve the sugar in the water over low heat. Add the vanilla bean if you are using it, and simmer the syrup, stirring it gently with a wooden spoon, until the syrup thickens somewhat (you want it to remain fairly fluid). Pour the syrup over the chestnuts and simmer them over a very low flame for a half hour, then turn off the flame and let them sit for ten minutes more.

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Remove the chestnuts one at a time and arrange them on a serving plate and serve them with unsweetened whipped cream (if you like it). You can also sprinkle them with brandy, or serve them in cups, with a little of their syrup spooned over them.

If you want something more elaborate, you can make Marroni al Liquore, Chestnuts in spirits. Again, you'll need marroni and not simple castagne. The recipe makes a lot, so this could be a good Epiphany gift:

• 4 1/2 pounds (2 k) marroni
• 18 ounces (500 g) sugar
• 1 quart 91 l) water)
• 1/2 quart (500 ml) rum, cognac or brandy
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cloves

Carefully peel off the outer skins of the chestnuts, without nicking the inner skins, and set them in a large pot of cold water, with the bay leaf and the cloves. When you are finished peeling bring the pot to a slow boil and cook the chestnuts 25 minutes. Carefully remove the chestnuts with a slotted spoon and set them on a plate to cool. When they have almost completely cooled use a thin bladed knife to remove the inner skins, being careful because the chestnuts will be crumbly.

Combine the sugar and the water in a broad pot, bring it to a boil, and skim the froth that rises to the surface. After 8 minutes add the chestnuts to the syrup and let them simmer without stirring them for 5 more minutes, over a very low flame.

Let everything cool and then carefully remove the chestnuts with a slotted spoon, layering them in an elegant, wide-mouthed jar. Return the pot to the fire and bring the syrup back to a boil. Skim off the froth several times, add the liquor, stir, and let it cool to room temperature. Once it has cooled gently pour it over the chestnuts. If there's not enough liquid to cover them add more alcohol to cover, without stirring. Seal the jar with a lid, and set it in a cool dark place for 2 weeks or more.

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If chestnuts are not your thing, Barbara kindly sent another sfingi recipe:

"I have the recipe just in time for Christmas. Having visited Mama this weekend I wrote down her verbal recipe. Here it is:

Combine:

• 4 eggs beaten
• 1 lb. Ricotta
• Sugar to taste
• Add:
• 1 Tbsp. Baking Powder - let rest 5 minutes.
  Then add:
• Flour (unbleached, wheat) - enough to make firm. Form shapes by taking rounded spoonfuls, and let rest 10 minutes.

Heat Oil in skillet or electric fry pan.

Fry in hot oil until golden brown. Turn as necessary, if the balls do not turn on their own.

Sprinkle with sugar. Best if served soon after made.

Well, this is not very detailed, but I have watched her do it. They are good!"

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Winding down, Kaye Noble kindly sent instructions on drying orange or citrus peel at home (from "Make Your Own Groceries" by Daphne Metaxas Hartwig): Use the coarse side of a cheese grater to grate off the citrus skin in strips; use only the orange (or yellow) part of the skin avoiding the bitter white part. Spread the peel strips on two ceramic plates and let dry, uncovered, at room temperature, for 3 to 4 days. When the peels become brittle and shriveled, store them in a small glass jar.

And Jack Seelye also touched on the subject with this recipe, which has nothing to do with Italy but will certainly be very good (I've been treated to his cooking many times and never come away disappointed):

"I've been annoyed that it is hard to find candied orange or lemon zest in local stores, except at Christmas for fruitcakes. Recently I had a hard time finding crystallized ginger. But since I have a supply, I used it yesterday in my baked sweet potato with lime recipe. It was the hit of Thanksgiving dinner!

I think I've sent it to you before, but here is a revised version:

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Lime and Ginger

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes
• Freshly ground white pepper
• 1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons dark rum
• 1 tablespoon grated orange rind
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger, fresh or candied
• 3/4 teaspoon Jamaican pepper (allspice)
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the sweet potatoes for thirty to forty minutes (or boil them in their skins).

When cool enough to handle, peel the sweet potatoes and slice them into half-inch rounds. Arrange the slices in two layers in a shallow baking dish, grating the pepper over them.

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter, brown sugar, juice of one lime, rum, orange zest, ginger, other spices, and salt, until sugar is dissolved. Pour this mixture over the sweet potatoes. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, basting occasionally.

This dish may be best prepared ahead of time and reheated before serving. The same glaze would be delicious with acorn or other baked squash."

A printer-friendly version of this recipe.

Last thing: If you're still working on your gift list and have a cookbook fan to please, check out the Art of Eating Well, my translation of Pellegrino Artusi's immortal classic, La Scienza in Cucina e l'Arte di Mangiar Bene. I've posted information on it at http://www.seetuscany.com/commercial/artusi1.htm.

A presto!
Kyle Phillips

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