Christmas is a holiday that only happens once every year. It is a joyous occasion that you get to spend with your family. An excellent dinner for fulfilling everyone’s appetite is very important to liven up to the occasion.
So if you want to cook something Italian for a change instead of the regular American dinner, you are in for a treat. Italian cuisine has a lot to offer for your palate and is a delicacy that would be worth the hype over a warm Christmas morsel.
Thanks to Origini Italian Market, you do not have to worry about finding the right ingredients. So order them as soon as you intend to cook the items.
Appetizer
Before you can start dinner, an appetizer is a must. Appetizers can be compared to the trailer of a film. You begin your dinner course with some appetizer so that you can be hungry and expectant of the main course later on.
1 Crostini
Ingredients:
● 12 Italian bread slices half-inch thick each
● ¼ cup olive oil
● 1 whole chopped tomato
● 3 tablespoons of basil leaves
● 1 chopped live olive
● ½ tablespoon salt
● ½ tablespoon pepper
● 1-ounce mozzarella cheese
Preparation:
● Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
● Place the pieces of bread on top of a non-stick cookie sheet.
● Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil over each bread slice.
● Mix tomato, basil, and pepper and spread them over the bread slices.
● Top with cheese and tomato garnishes.
● Bake for about 8 minutes or until the cheese melts over the bread.
2. Italian Stuffed Mushroom
Ingredients:
● 36 medium-sized fresh mushrooms.
● 2 tablespoons of butter.
● ¼ cup chopped green onion.
● ¼ cup chopped red bell pepper.
● 1 ¼ cup breadcrumbs.
● ¼ tablespoon Italian seasoning.
● ¼ tablespoon salt.
Procedure:
● Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
● Chop and clean the mushroom properly. Remove the caps.
● Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over the skillet and add the mushroom stems, onions, and bell pepper in the butter.
● Stir for about 3 minutes until the onions soften.
● Remove heat and add bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
● Fill the mushroom caps with this feeling that you have been stirring so long.
● Melt some butter over an oven pan and place the mushrooms in there.
● Broil mushrooms with tops 3 to 4 inches from heat for about 2 minutes or until the tops are light brown.
Dinner
The dinner is the main course and should be something grand and luxurious. It is the main part of the entire Christmas dinner session that people are waiting for.
1. Creamy Beef Lasagna
Ingredients:
● 1-1/2 pounds ground beef.
● 2 cans of tomato sauce.
● 1/4 cup chopped onion.
● 2 teaspoons sugar.
● 2 teaspoons of salt.
● 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce.
● 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt.
● 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened.
● 1 cup sour cream.
● 1/4 cup milk.
● Lasagna sheets.
● 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Procedures:
● Cook beef in a skillet over medium heat.
● Add tomato sauce, onion, sugar, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic salt and stir.
● Beat cream cheese, sour cream, and milk until smooth in a bowl.
● In a baking dish, lay a layered lasagna or pasta sheet and a layer of meat sauce, and then the cream cheese.
● Cover and bake in the oven for 40 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
● Sprinkle cheddar cheese and bake for a few more minutes until the cheese melts.
2. Chicken Pesto Meatballs
Ingredients:
● 6 ounces uncooked whole-grain spaghetti.
● ¼ cup breadcrumbs.
● 2 tablespoons of prepared pesto.
● 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese.
● 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
● 1 pound lean chicken that needs to be grounded.
● 1-1/2 cups marinara sauce.
● 1/4 cup water.
Procedure:
● Cook the spaghetti and drain the water accordingly.
● Combine bread crumbs, pesto, cheese, and garlic powder in a bowl. Then add the chicken and press them into small balls.
● Cook them over medium heat in a large skillet till the balls become brown.
● Reduce the heat and then add all the sauce and water.
● Keep cooking for about 5 minutes.
● Add the spaghetti and mix them well.
● Sprinkle with cheese and apply heat slightly till the cheese melts.
3. Pasta Alla Carbonara
Ingredients:
● 1 pound pasta.
● 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
● ½ pound diced guanciale.
● 4 large eggs.
● 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano.
● Kosher salt.
● Freshly-ground black pepper.
Procedure:
● Heat the olive oil on top of a saucepan.
● Add in the diced guanciale and cook them until they are light brown and crispy.
● In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, cheese, and 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.
● Boil a large pot of water and season with salt till it is intensely salty.
● Add the pasta to the pot of water and cook the pasta.
● Drain the water from the pasta.
● Transfer the pasta to a large saucepan and add in the guanciale.
● Keep stirring and add in the egg and cheese mixture after a while.
Cook thoroughly till the sauce mixes well, and it is free to be served.
Dessert
Of course, no dinner can be quite complete without dinner. Now that the serious main course is over, it is time that you bond with your family with something a little sweet, and we just happened to know what dessert would be best able to set the mood.
1. Panettone
Ingredients:
● 4 tbsp warm milk.
● 1 tbsp dried yeast.
● 8 tbsp sugar.
● 2 sticks of butter.
● 5 large beaten eggs.
● 2 tsp vanilla extract.
● Grated zest of 1 lemon.
● Grated zest of 1 orange
● 2 1/4 cups flour.
● Pinch of salt.
● 100g raisins.
● 3 tbsp rum extract.
● 2 tbsp icing sugar.
Procedure:
● Place the flour in a large bowl and add a pinch of salt. Mix them well.
● Add the yeast mixture and then the butter and egg to make the dough soft and fluffy.
● Knead for 10 minutes after putting the dough on a smooth surface.
● Place the dough in a bowl and cover with foil.
● Keep it in a warm place for two hours till the dough rises.
● In a small saucepan, place the resins and the rum extract,
● Heat on low for about 5 minutes or until the fruit has absorbed the liquid.
● Let it cool.
● Mix them well with the dough and leave the upgraded setting covered with a foil again for another hour.
● Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
● Make a mixture of icing and egg and brush it on top of the Panettone dough.
● Place the Panettone in the oven and bake for 40 – 50 minutes or until golden and risen.
● Leave to cool for 10 minutes and dust with icing powder.
● Cut into wedges, and it is ready to serve.
Conclusion
Christmas is a significant occasion, so you shouldn’t cut any corners when cooking the food. In addition, you might also want to taste torrone from the Origini Italian market over a traditional old-school dessert. Everyone loves it; you will too. It doesn’t have to be for dessert; you could also snack on it.