Growing up in Southern Italy, my mother, who had been raised in the U.S. years prior, would often tell my sister and I stories about Thanksgiving. “There’s always a giant turkey,” she would explain to us, and everyone expresses what they are thankful for. I must admit, in hindsight, my eight or nine year old self didn’t much grasp the concept of this holiday. For one thing, whole turkeys are rarely seen in Italy, so I had never seen one, let alone stuffed! Picturing one roasted was a bit hard! And why a day to say thanks? Can’t it be said every day? Despite my somewhat hesitation towards the holiday, I was very much looking forward to it in 1988, our first year in the States. My mom, whose heart had always longed to return to Boston, was very excited about it, and eager to teach us what this holiday meant. It was, and still remains, her favorite holiday after all, and it would soon become mine as well.
Gaining some popularity in Italy as La Festa Del Ringrazziamento, Thanksgiving still remains very much an American holiday, as American as it gets, really! And rightfully so. History suggests that the Pilgrims and Puritans, having settled in modern day Plymouth, MA from England, were celebrating a particularly good harvest. To celebrate a period of fasting and lack, a feast was born, one lasting several days! And what better way to celebrate than with food and family? I guess they had a lot in common with Italians!
I am often asked if my family and I eat turkey on Thanksgiving. I think they expect me to say no, but of course we do! After all these years living here, our cultures have fully blended and “the giant turkey” my mom used to talk about in Italy gets an Italian makeover. Our sides, or contorni, are traditional Italian dishes, (sorry cranberry sauce, no room for you at our Italian table) and the meal typically ends with an Italian dessert or two. I apologize in advance to the pumpkin pie lovers reading this.
Here are a few ideas on how to “Italianize” your Thanksgiving table this year.
Antipasto Plate
There’s nothing I love more than a good antipasto plate, to be displayed on the coffee table or kitchen counter and to be nibbled on while the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is on in the background and the main meal cooks. In this picture, you can see that we have prepared a platter of cheeses, cured salami, mixed olives, roasted peppers and some pickled mushrooms and artichoke hearts. This is not cooking but just assembling and it's delicious! Add a few Parmesan crackers add a little glass of vino and you have the perfect snack while the turkey cooks. Nibble at these, but don’t let it spoil your main course!
“The Giant Turkey”
Oh, what would Thanksgiving be without the star of the table? To give your turkey an Italian twist, very generously season it with traditional Italian herbs and spices. In this image from last year, we created a buttery paste by blending one stick of room temperature butter with dried oregano, rosemary, fresh basil, parsley and crushed garlic. The paste is then "gingerly" rubbed underneath the skin. This creates a super moist layer and ultimately helps in preventing the from drying out, particularly the white meat. The top is then rubbed with a similar paste and additional dried herbs are added on top. Place the bird on a bed of onions, carrots, celery, lemons, and we added some inexpensive white wine at the bottom of the pan to prevent burning. This gives it a bit of flavor, especially when preparing the gravy with the juices! The bird is stuffed with citrus fruits and fresh rosemary, which add flavor and moisture. You can remove and discard them after the turkey is cooked. The juices that remain in the pan after cooking create a very delicious gravy.
Contorni
The options are limitless with the side dishes! If you will be serving a pasta dish, allow me to suggest a side of orecchiette with sausages and broccoli rabe. Avoid heavy pastas like lasagne or stuffed shells, these will likely be too fulfilling, when so much other food will be served. A lovely mushroom risotto also seems fitting for Thanksgiving! See our recipe here. But if you’re thinking of skipping the pasta all together, why not opt for stuffed mushrooms instead. Very traditional, at least in my household, stuffed mushrooms are our go-to side on Thanksgiving. Since the oven is already turned on, place the mushrooms on the top rack and cook for about 20 – 25 minutes, during the last 20 – 25 minutes of your turkey’s cooking time, or while the turkey is resting. See the recipe below for stuffed mushrooms. Another Thanksgiving classic on our family’s table is sauted broccoli rabe, without the pasta. Simply sautéed with garlic and a high-quality olive oil after they have been par-boiled. In this image, we’ve added a can of par-boiled cannellini beans, which have been drained and rinsed.
Chestnuts
Nothing like ending the Thanksgiving meal with some freshly roasted chestnuts. It’s peak season during this time of the year, and roasted chestnuts are another must on my family’s Thanksgiving dinner table. They go down very nicely (too nicely!) with a nice glass of wine! If you missed my previous post on how to roast chestnuts, be sure to check it out here. And now, for desserts!
Dessert plate
I’ll apologize again to all the pumpkin pie lovers. We are, after all, trying to Italianize our Thanksgiving, so a nice berry crostata and some anise cookies are a must. My family also loves these hazelnut butterballs! Perhaps these are our favorites! These go well with an espresso or digestive, which you will definitely need after all the food you will be consuming. That and a nice, long walk! But first, the required post-turkey nap.... Happy Thanksgiving! or Buon Festa di Ringrazziamento!
Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients 8 large stuffing mushrooms 2 garlic gloves, thinly minced 1 tablespoons chopped parsley 3 – 4 tablespoons olive oil 1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs (plus extra for topping) 1/3 cup grated parmigiano cheese (plus extra for topping) salt *dices of chopped cured salami (optional) Directions
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10 Comments
MaryCatharine
11/18/2016 01:05:42 pm
How do you make the fish soup for Christmas Eve? Grazi
Reply
Francesca
11/20/2016 01:08:00 pm
Mary Catharine, please send me a note at francesca@thelazyitalian.com and I will send you a relatively easy recipe for cioppino - or the traditional fish soup eaten on Christmas eve. Thanks for stopping by my site!
Reply
Jackie van Wallinga
11/18/2016 04:10:51 pm
My nod to my Italian roots with thanksgiving dinner is a stuffing made with french bread, italian sausage, onion, celery, parsley and some italian seasoning. Cooked breast down after being well olive oiled and butter (of course with garlic under the skin
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Francesca
11/20/2016 01:04:01 pm
Sounds delish!
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Anna
11/18/2016 09:30:49 pm
I love your festa di ringraziamento! It's similar to my family's. But I remember growing up (and still to this day) my parents always called it la festa della tacchino when explaining it to family in Italy. Either way, auguri for our wonderful Italian thanksgiving celebrations.
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Francesca
11/20/2016 01:06:16 pm
Thanks for stopping by my site Anna! My mom would tell us about this feast growing up in Italy. It was so strange to me as a young child, but really is my favorite Holiday today. Auguri per un bella festa!
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Victoria Sonstegard
11/8/2017 09:53:38 pm
Growing up on the East Coast, mi famiglia would have a traditional American Thanksgiving meal, but the salad was dressed with fresh Italian dressing (made old school with red wine vinegar) and a steaming platter of spaghetti and meatballs instead of potatoes! Mangia 😉
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Francesca
11/9/2017 04:52:35 pm
I love it! Spaghetti and Meatballs on Thanksgiving! We've cut the pasta on Thanksgiving but the sides and antipasti are still all Italian!
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Annette
11/19/2019 01:43:30 pm
I grew up in an Italian household in Brooklyn. My grandparents were born in Sicily so we always had Italian dishes on our thanksgiving table including the antipasto and stuffed mushrooms which I still make. A few years ago I started making butternut squash raviolis with a brown butter sage sauce, they are such a hit I have to make them ever year. I do cheat a little and use wonton wrappers instead of making my own pasta dough and that works beautifully
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Francesca
11/20/2019 05:30:55 am
Thanks for the note Annettee, enjoy the holiday with your family!
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