Divina Cucina

Your Best Friend in Italy

  • About Judy
  • Video Classes
  • Journal
  • Culinary Guides
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook

Happy Holidays

December 24, 2011 by Divina Cucina

It really takes very little to be happy, sometimes just a bowl of hot broth and some pasta.

Usually I make the Bollito Misto dinner for xmas, as it is simple to prepare and provides us with several meals.

There are also other dishes I make in winter for Andrea that take a long time to prepare, like cardoons.


The cardoons, which look like a white celery, but taste like artichokes, are hard to prepare in that it takes a lot of time. First you must remove the stringy part, cut into pieces and let sit in water with lemon so they don’t brown. Then they are boiled. You can then flour and fry and then bake in either butter and cheese or with a tomato sauce and cheese. But my new recipe which I got at the local shop, is to mince them up and make into small “meatballs” bread fry and then cook in tomato sauce stovetop.

Luckily cardoons are in season in winter when I have more time to cook!

This year, Andrea asked me to make a lamb tajine. Ok, the truth is he watched Nigella’s Christmas and that is what she made. So who am I do be outdone by Nigella? I am going to use a recipe I did before from Paula Wolfert and tweek it with the garnish from Nigella’s recipe.

I am going one step further and even “rolling my own” couscous.

My first lesson, so to speak, was with the Goddess of all things Moroccan, Paula Wolfert, years ago in California. She was prepping a dinner party at Ramekins cooking school and in the back kitchen making the couscous while I was there teaching. I stayed on and watched her rolling the couscous. I love simple preparations which are almost zen-link in their repetition.

While on my Sicily tours, I have added lessons on making couscous. I have made cuscus, as it is written in Sicilian, with  Pino Maggiore one of the best chefs in Trapani, where fish cuscus, is the local specialty.

I am going to use my huge sicilian plate I bought years ago, which I found out is for rolling the couscous and put it to use today!


In dialect, it is called a mafaradda. 


I went down to Florence and did some shopping at a local arab butcher shop and picked up the semola to make the cous cous and also harissa and some tahini for hummus.  If I have time may also whip up some pita bread and go all out.

To me, the greatest gift is the gift of time. Time to spend cooking and sharing food. Taking time to eat together. Nothing you can really buy, but perhaps actually costs more to some people, instead of shopping.

I wish you the gift of TIME.

FacebookTweetPin

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Uncategorized

« Divina Cucina on the Road- Benevento
The Gift of Time- Xmas 2011 »

Comments

  1. Barbara F. says

    December 24, 2011 at 2:51 pm

    Merry Christmas to you and your family! Buon Natale e Buon Capo D’anno. Auguri xo

  2. Cathy says

    December 25, 2011 at 4:16 am

    what a beautiful sentiment Judy! As my kids get older I look forward to having more time to cook…. Buon Natale!

  3. Kay Johnston Tucker says

    December 25, 2011 at 5:48 am

    I hope you and Andrea have a very Merry Christmas!

  4. my. says

    December 25, 2011 at 5:17 pm

    Ciao Judy! This post warms my heart and my tummy! I have never heard of cardoons before. Do you know whether they are available in the States? Buon Natale! — Michelle

  5. Divina says

    December 25, 2011 at 5:21 pm

    there should be cardoons in USA- look for italian markets- where do you live?

Judy Witts Francini

Originally from California; Tuscany has been my home since 1984. I found the city of Florence to hold all my passions, food, wine, art all in one place. When I am not in Tuscany, I am often found in Sicily, my other favorite place to be. Always searching for recipes to share and exploring for the guides I write to my favorite cities for food and wine.

Follow Me

Sign up for newsletter

Join me on Patreon!

buy my cookbook

buy my cookbook

Visit Tuscany | Kitchenmate

Visit Tuscany | Kitchenmate

Cibò So Good Ambassodor

All Categories

  • Press
  • Contact Me

© Copyright 2023 Simply Divina, Inc. · All Rights Reserved