All the dishes of the Christmas holidays in Abruzzo, for those who are homesick and want to savor them even just by reading them. Calcionetti, roast lamb and boiled beef, but not only.
An Abruzzese saying goes like this: “Dove ci magne ddu 'ci magne pure tre” (where you eat in two you also eat in three). That is in Abruzzo eating means sharing good food in good company. What better moment represents this love for good food than Christmas, the day when you get together to taste the traditional dishes of your city. So follow me on this gastronomic tour of Pescara to learn about the cuisine of Christmas in Abruzzo.
Christmas in Abruzzo: the kitchen
Let's start the dance with a hot and complete dish, la soup of thistles, which all the grandmothers of Pescara prepare on Christmas day. In this dish the delicate flavor of the thistle is combined with a mixture of eggs, Parmesan and nutmeg on which a meat broth and a fried chicken and turkey giblets are poured. I assure you that the flavor is truly unique.
Another typical dish in broth is le scrippelle 'mbusse, the name derives from the French crepes, it is one of the most refined dishes of Abruzzo cuisine. Do you know them? They are classic crepes, often enriched with chopped parsley, stuffed with grated pecorino, dipped in a chicken broth flavored with carrots and onion.
As we know, the people of Abruzzo love a rich table, so to please everyone, the Abruzzese timbale, Reed chiamato timbale of crepes. In fact, this dish is reminiscent of lasagna but instead of the pastry, crepes are used. An excellent and certainly very original dish.
Two variants of meat
To accompany three first courses, a single second is not enough, and then the grandmothers of Pescara bring to the table two variants of meat: roast lamb and boiled beef, accompanied of course by a generous green salad.
Abruzzo Christmas sweets
Finally, the most awaited moment for all gluttons, including me, arrives: the moment for sweets! Traditions vary from area to area: Pescara will not miss the parrozzo.
In the past it was called Pane Rozzo, and it was a loaf made of corn and baked in a wood oven. Around 1920, Luigi D'Amico, a historic pastry chef from Pescara, decided to re-produce Pane Rozzo in confectionery form. This is how the Parrozzo was born: the eggs reproduced the yellow color of the crumb, the almonds are chopped for the consistency of the loaf and a covering of chocolate represented the burnt parts from cooking in the wood oven. An excellent greedy idea, really not to be missed.
I calcionetti they are sweets prepared throughout the region and vary only in name (in the province of Teramo they are called caggionetti). One thing does not change, their rich taste: the pasta, light and crumbly, has the shape of ravioli and is filled with a soft chestnut purée. Different variations in the filling, we can taste them with cocoa and almonds or with grape jam. I recommend you try them all, they are very good and delicious to see too!
Lunch is over, now everyone is playing bingo!
Maybe, with such a hearty lunch, I recommend an invigorating digestive nap before playing. What do you think?
