This year, we elected to stay closer to "home." (I am referring to Naples, but I cannot in good conscience remove those quotation marks: during the holidays, home is where the family is, and ours was not in Naples.)
We enjoyed a quiet, though not altogether lazy, Christmas. We toiled in the kitchen for much of the 24th and the 25th, stopping only to feast on our creations. If we were to be alone for Christmas, we would, at the very least, compensate by keeping the menu festive and "traditional" (more on those quotation marks later).
In my family, Christmas Eve is very important, and perhaps more venerated than Christmas Day itself. It's on the 24th that we assemble--and eat!--canapés, call family in France, attend Mass, and open presents. In 2007, just a few days before Alan and I got engaged, we celebrated Christmas with my folks. Though just one bite of salami won him over to the canapés, Alan was skeptical of "not opening presents on Christmas." Despite my protests--as he well knows, it is hard to give up your childhood traditions--he remains unyeilding on this front, but the canapés almost make up for it:
It is doubly satisfying that he has become quite the expert canapé-maker. (In my house, Dad is Chief of Canapé Operations, so I am simply continuing the tradition. That, and it frees me up to tackle the rest of the nibbles.) Every time I ask Alan to take on the trifecta of smoked salmon, salami, and soft cheese, I hear a few "do I have to?" whimpers. Curiously, these die down once the work of "taking care of the scraps" has begun.
We enjoyed our Christmas Eve treats on the couch as we watched It's a Wonderful Life: a sweet way to end the evening.
Dessert was not so traditional. Normally, we wash down our canapés with tea and Christmas cookies, plus a slice of Bûche de Noël. Since the family-recipe cookies had long been consumed--I'd made several batches for our party a few weeks before--I decided to dabble in my cooking magazines and try a new recipe. I picked Chai Shortbread for its simplicity and its pairability with something chocolatey. Since the shining ingredient, cardamom, was hiding at every store I tried, I had to make some unfortunate substitutions, but the end result was still satisfying.
I ducked out of making a bûche for two reasons: (a) I did not have the mold for my mother's unrolled/unfilled version, and (b) the more traditional version is technically challenging. I'm not usually one to shy away from new culinary adventures, but I needed to have more than fumes left for Christmas Day. The Creamy Chocolate Pudding I made instead was satisfying, but, like the Chai Shortbread, a clear runner-up to Mom's Christmas desserts.
Christmas Day began at the foot of our wimpy Tannen-brawn. We owe our families, and our good friend Jacob, special thanks for taking the time send wrapped gifts all the way from the States!
We did not waste much time before moving to stage 2 of our Christmas cooking:
Yes, that is our first-ever turkey! We had actually purchased it frozen, a few weeks before Thanksgiving and a few days before receiving an invitation to spend the holiday with friends. So on Thanksgiving Day the old Butterball continued its sojourn in the freezer, its fate put off until Christmas.
Beautiful bird, right? Unfortunately we encountered a slight problem as we bathed him and stuffed him silly with veggies and herbs: Nancy Drew was not around to help solve our Case of the Missing Giblets. Again and again we searched the turkey cavity for these, but all we could come up with was the neck. Eventually we chalked it up to a mistake, and went ahead with the buttered rubdown, salt & pepper scrub, and other turkey "spa treatments."
Halfway through cooking time--which was probably around 5 hours!--we discovered a steaming, but thankfully unadulterated bag of giblets at the other end of the bird. What an embarrassment!
To add insult to injury, I'd planned on a colorful mix of roasted root vegetables, plus a simple side of citrus green beans. I did not realize until the 23rd, when I finally did all my grocery-shopping, that almost every green on my menu was out of season. (Just another example of American convenience! Sure, it's tastier, and ecologically friendlier, to stick to what's in season...but whodathunk I couldn't get my hands on parsnips and turnips in the beginning of winter?! Friendly as those local green grocers are, it is quite frustrating to be met with a shrug and a "finito" as I read down my bullet list of produce.)
Not to be outdone, I came up with a second game plan. Since we hadn't really tackled a whole Thanksgiving meal on our own--I'd contributed sides and desserts, but turkey-wise had done little more than squirt some basting juices--and since I had all the necessary ingredients, we would make it a Thanksgiving Christmas. And despite a few minor roadblocks, it was a complete success!
(No Room at the Fridge: Roasted Turkey and Truffle Gravy, Basic Stuffing, Cranberry-Citrus Sauce, Brussels Sprouts and Pancetta Gratin, Mashed Potatoes and Carrots...all homemade!).
We had to take a dishwashing and Scrabble break before moving on to the Bourbon-Pecan Tart.
Despite a horribly unfair pick of letters (Alan was the unlucky one this time around), it was the perfect end to a perfect Christmas day of food and togetherness.
New Year's Eve was significantly louder than our previous festivities. You may remember from last year's New Year's post that the Neapolitans don't play around on December 31st. This year, we celebrated with dear Naples friends, whose home offers a stunning view of the Bay of Naples. Hence, as far as the midnight show was concerned, we had some of the best seats in the house.
We have now celebrated two Neapolitan New Years, and I've come to the conclusion that le feste di Capodanno are a fitting representation of Naples. The fireworks last well over half an hour, and they are set off continuously in a haphazard manner. Noisemakers abound, and car alarms add to the commotion. It may not be the most choreographed show, but it's definitely a passionate, if slightly dangerous, one.
Thankfully, no one was hurt, save for this poor dog's courage:
He cowered behind that bidet almost the entire night!
It's been a great run of partying and relaxing. We went all out last night, staying up past 4 in the morning, which is unheard of for me. Now it's already 3 in the afternoon on January 1st, and I'm still struggling to wake up. It may not be an up-and-at-'em kind of morning, brimming with the hope of resolutions kept, but it's nevertheless a great start to the New Year.
Tanti Auguri di Buon Anno! Thanks to all who celebrated with us, whether in person or in spirit. We are blessed to have such a wonderful family of Naples friends, and we are blessed to have thoughtful friends and family back home, who have showered us with Christmas gifts, cards, emails, phone calls, and messages. This year holds so much promise; may we all make the most of it.
Look at you staying up late! Your holidays sounded very jolly, and I love the idea of canapes on Christmas Eve :)I also dusted off the scrabble board when I was home for Thanksgiving, but somehow I think you two sound a little more cutthroat...
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