At Christini’s Ristorante Italiano, we appreciate Thanksgiving and its significance to the culture and history of America. It is the quintessential holiday in America for food consumption. Turkey, dressing (or stuffing depending on your preference), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, corn, cranberry sauce (homemade or jellied), pumpkin pie, apple pie, mincemeat pie….well, we could go on, and on, and on. In an Italian-American family, Thanksgiving is all that, plus more!
In many Italian-American families, especially in the northeast, a “traditional” Thanksgiving feast will begin with a lovely antipasto salad; meats, cheeses, olives, anchovies, stuffed pickled peppers, any assortment you could possibly conceive of, all artistically arranged on a beautiful platter. You will certainly find some crusty bread on the table as well.
The second course is usually a light soup of some kind. Italian Wedding Soup is a favorite on many tables. Pair it with some crusty bread, and you have a dish that is sure to delight. The soup is consumed, the soup bowls cleared away, and a pasta dish miraculously spirits its way to the table. This pasta course can be comprised of a multitude of options, including a light angel hair tossed with Pomodoro sauce, a homemade ravioli, or even full blown lasagna. More bread will be brought to the table–just in case you need to sop up some sauce.
With little time to rest in between, and while the table is cleared yet again, the cooks are in the kitchen preparing to present the main event. Between meals, family and guests at the table laugh and talk, allowing their stomach a brief moment of digestion. In most Italian-American families, turkey is still the star of the Thanksgiving table. Cornbread or oyster dressing may be considered the most American stuffing (or dressing), but the Italians are credited with bringing chestnuts to the party. Chestnuts are plentiful in northern Italy and are harvested in the fall. They make a delicious contribution to the Thanksgiving meal.
Most traditional Italian-American families will offer a wide variety of beverages with the meal including: wine, cider, water, and soft drinks. All, of course, are to be served age appropriate.
We aren’t ready to delve into dessert just yet; however, the next course will offer you an assortment of fresh and dried fruits, nuts, and perhaps a candy or two. Sometimes fresh fennel is included in this course to aid in digestion. Often at this point, just when you think you might explode, the coffee or espresso is brewed. After coffee, the desserts are brought to the table. Apple, pumpkin, pecan, and/or sweet potato pies magically appear. Don’t forget the dollop of whipped cream or a piece of cheddar cheese! Cannoli, biscotti, sesame seed cookies, pignoli cookies, and anisette cookies represent the Italian flare for a sweet finish. The list is almost endless. Aperitifs may also be presented. Sambuca, Amaretto, and Crème de Cocoa are time honored favorites as well.
Many families sit around the table for hours and hours just laughing, talking, and eating. The food is then put away and, in some families, the decks of cards are brought out for rousing games of pinochle, or gin rummy. Sipping on their beverage of choice, and usually about an hour or two later, someone at the table inevitably says they can go for a little snack and before you know it, all the food is back out and now there are rolls and turkey sandwiches being consumed. That’s an Italian-American Thanksgiving!
Don’t feel like cooking this Thanksgiving but still want to enjoy an Italian feast? Visit Christini’s Ristorante Italiano, and enjoy the best of fine dining Orlando! To keep the stress of cooking Thanksgiving dinner at a minimum, consider stopping by Christini’s for our traditional turkey dinner, offered only on Thanksgiving. You will be very thankful that you did!
How do you celebrate your Italian-American Thanksgiving dinner? Share your suggestions with us and we’ll share them with our followers.
