Thanksgiving Dinner Then and Now

Italian-Americans eat a lot of food on Thanksgiving, but not as much as we used to when I was growing up.  There were at least five courses…starting with an appetizer, pasta dish, turkey and all the sides, fruits and nuts, and then dessert with espresso.  Usually we started with an antipasto which consisted of all different variations of cheeses, meats, vegetables, etc. served with Italian bread of course.

Next would be the pasta. It was either lasagna, ravioli, manicotti, but it wasn’t just the pasta. We would serve all of the gravy meat along with the pasta which included meatballs, sausage, bracciole, different cuts of pork such as ribs, pork loin, etc.  There was also another type of bracciole that was included back in the day which I haven’t made for many years, mainly because no one in the younger generation would eat it.  It was called cotenna or stuffed rolled pig skin.  If done correctly, it was delicious. We would stuff the pig skin just like we stuffed a meat bracciole. I liked it best the way my sister Rose would stuff it, she would make a stuffing with eggs, cheese, garlic, breadcrumbs parsley and mix it into a paste consistency.  Then she spread it on the pig skin and rolled it and tied it with baking twine.  If overcooked it could be mushy which was not very appealing. The secret was cooking it so it was a bit chewy, so it had a little bite to it.

Then came the turkey with all the sides. Of course we stuffed the turkey with many different variations of stuffing.  My favorite stuffing which I still make to this day is a recipe that I have been using for a long time. I have tweaked it and made it my own over the years. Of course, gravy for the turkey and stuffing.

Most of the side dishes have pretty much been consistent over the years such as stuffed artichokes, candied yams, mushrooms, either sauteed or stuffed, panzerotti, and whatever vegetable you preferred.  This year I’m adding aparagus fritters and corn casserole made by my daughter-in-law’s mother.  Of course this course wouldn’t be complete without a huge salad, which we eat along with the turkey and sides or right after.  For some reason we never ate the salad before the main course.  You can find some of these recipes on my YouTube cooking channel if you are interested https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCVDEufSGd-NBIZYE514yDQ

After dinner came the fruit, mixed nuts, figs, roasted chestnuts and finocchio or in English “Fennel;” it was supposedly a digestive and also good for an upset stomach. After eating all that food, anything that helped the stomach was welcome.  I’ve stopped making most of these courses because it’s just TOO much!

Then came the dessert…when I was growing up it was usually Italian pastries…cannoli, sfogliatelle, pasticotti, biscotti, zeppole and cookies…pignoli, anginetti, pizzelles, and many more too numerous to mention.  Dessert was usually served with espresso and either Anisette or Sambuco with a tiny lemon rind to top off the meal.  I’ve Americanized the desserts I serve on Thanksgiving. I’ve included pumpkin pie, pecan pie, apple pie and more of the traditional American recipes; although at Christmas time I do bake the Italian-American favorites such as struffoli, wine cookies and our all-time favorite… Italian Christmas cookies. Some people call them Angelleti, some people call them Taralles or Anise cookies.  Whatever you call them, they are delicious. 

Thanksgiving is next week and as usual I will be cooking, baking, and enjoying my family.  I don’t make everything for the holidays that my parents and grandparents before me cooked because it’s just simply too much food.  We’ve slimmed it down considerably and it’s still more than enough.  I don’t know about you but I can’t eat as much as I used to.  We will be giving thanks this year for all our blessings including our family and continued health for everyone. Salute!