Buon natale! (From Halesowen News)

Buon natale!

7:00am Saturday 20th December 2008

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Italian chef Gennaro Contaldo - who Jamie Oliver credits as one of his most important mentors - shares his memories, tips and recipes for an Italian-style Christmas feast.

Gennaro Contaldo - best known as the man who put Jamie Oliver on the path to good food - has been cooking since he was eight years old.

Even though he's been living in the UK since 1969, the irrepressible Italian remains close to his Amalfi roots.

No where is this more evident than when he talks about his favourite Christmas menu.

"Traditionally in southern Italy for Christmas Eve supper, dishes are based on fish and vegetables - baked eel, deep-fried vegetables, roasted artichokes, salt cod dressed with olive oil and lemon juice, followed by pasta with clams and mussels and baked seabass for the main course," he explains.

Struffoli, which is made with pieces of sweet pastry deep-fried, then covered with runny honey and decorated with strips of orange zest, candied fruits and flaked almonds, is another regional dish that features high on his list of festive must-haves.

Most importantly though, the 49-year-old enjoys the social aspects of the festive season.

"The essence of Christmas is the getting together of family and friends and enjoying lots of good food and wine," he says.

Gennaro has recently collated dozens of his favourite recipes into a new book, Gennaro's Italian Home Cooking. It's overflowing with mouthwatering ideas - from antipasto dishes like marinated sardines and tuna and ricotta crostini, to rustic dishes like hare with potatoes, apples and lemon or braised eel with peas and sage. There are plenty of options for dessert lovers too - fancy a fruity tiramisu, or a decadent chocolate tart?

He's also put together a Christmas lunch menu, which puts a new twist on the classic roast turkey.

Even if you've got your festive meal all sorted, Gennaro has a few good suggestions.

It wouldn't be Christmas without chesnuts - "not only they are good to eat roasted on their own, but chopped up can be added to stuffing for turkey, capon or goose" - and he says a little bit of organisation goes a long way.

"Plan your menu well ahead and make sure you order any unusual ingredients," he says.

"Prepare as much as you can in advance, for example, the stuffing for your bird can be made before, all the vegetables cleaned and prepared, so you have more time to enjoy a glass or two of prosecco with your family and friends !

Gennaro shares three recipes for an Italian-style family Christmas feast. Buon appetito and buon natale!

:: INSALATA DI CAPESANTE E FUNGHI MISTI - SCALLOP AND WILD MUSHROOM SALAD The combination of delicate scallops and wild mushrooms with the added kick of balsamic vinegar is wonderful and this makes a great starter for the Christmas meal.

If you prefer a more tangy taste, Gennaro suggests adding more good quality balsamic vinegar - but only a few drops at a time.

Serves 12 12 scallops 10tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves, left whole 1 large ripe tomato, peeled, deseeded and cut into small cubes 180g wild mushrooms, thinly sliced salt and pepper, to taste 100ml white wine 4tbsp balsamic vinegar a handful of parsley, finely chopped rocket leaves, to serve Rinse and open up the scallops with a knife: cut them away from the shell and set aside.

Pour the olive oil into a large frying pan, add the garlic and stir-fry until it becomes golden. Discard the garlic. Add the tomato and mushrooms and stir-fry on a medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add the scallops and salt and pepper. Add the wine and continue to cook for 15 minutes.

Remove the mushrooms and scallops from the heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar and parsley. Arrange some rocket leaves on a large serving dish, or individual serving plates, and top with the scallops and mushrooms. Allow one scallop per person. Serve immediately.

:: TACCHINO ARROSTO CON IL MELOGRANO E ARANCIA - TURKEY ROASTED WITH POMEGRANATE AND ORANGE Pomegranates and oranges go really well together and give a delicious tangy flavour to the turkey. The dish is very simple to make and is perfect served to a large group of people, accompanied by roast potatoes and steamed vegetables.

Serves 12 80g butter salt and pepper, to taste 2 oranges, pierced all over with a fork 1 free-range, organic turkey (weighing approx. 3kg) 200g sliced pancetta juice of 4 pomegranates (or 300ml pomegranate juice) FOR THE SAUCE 2 oranges, roughly chopped into pieces with the skin on 100g unsalted butter 3 sage leaves 1 glass white wine 6tbsp pomegranate juice seeds of 1 pomegranate salt and pepper, to taste Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

Stuff the butter, a little salt and the oranges into the cavity of the turkey. Drape the slices of pancetta all over the turkey. Place the turkey in an ovenproof dish and put it in the oven for one and a half hours, basting from time to time. At the end of this time, remove the turkey, pour over the pomegranate juice and season with a little salt and pepper. Return to the oven and continue to cook for a further hour or until the turkey is cooked through.

Take the turkey out of the oven and remove the oranges from the cavity. Cover the turkey with foil and leave it to rest.

To make the sauce: roughly chop the cooked and uncooked oranges, including the peel, and set aside. Melt the butter in a small pan, add the sage leaves and leave to infuse (on the heat) for a minute, then add the chopped oranges and allow them to release their flavour for a minute or so. Add the wine and allow it to evaporate. Add the pomegranate juice, pomegranate seeds, salt and pepper and cook for three or four minutes until you obtain a smooth sauce.

Carve the turkey and serve the slices with the pomegranate and orange sauce.

:: TORTA DI NOCCIOLE - HAZELNUT CAKE This is a mouthwateringly moist cake made with ricotta and ground hazelnuts.

"It is a delight to bake - especially for special occasions when you can get really carried away with the decoration," Gennaro says.

"Although rather rich, it always amazes me how quickly the slices are eaten up each time I make it. It is delicious served as a dessert with the mascarpone cream or a mixed berry coulis, or simply enjoyed with a nice cup of tea!"

Serves 8-10 120g butter, softened at room temperature, plus more for greasing the tin 40g plain flour, sieved, plus more for dusting the tin 6 eggs 150g sugar 170g ricotta cheese grated zest of 1 lemon grated zest of 1 orange 150g hazelnuts, roasted, shelled and coarsely ground 1/2tbsp lemon juice FOR THE GLAZE 8tbsp apricot jam FOR THE TOPPING 50g dark chocolate, thickly grated 6 whole hazelnuts (mixed with a little apricot jam so that they stick together to form a small pile) a little icing sugar, sieved TO SERVE 200g mascarpone cheese 2tbsp Frangelico liqueur (optional) 3tbsp runny honey You will need one round, shallow cake tin, 20cm in diameter Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease the cake tin with a little butter and lightly dust it with flour. Place the tin in the fridge until ready to use.

Separate the eggs and place the whites and yolks in two large bowls. Add 125g of the sugar to the egg yolks and beat well, then add the butter and continue to beat until light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, beat the ricotta lightly to loosen it. Add this to the egg yolk mixture and continue to beat until well amalgamated. Add the lemon and orange zest. Add the ground hazelnuts and mix well. Fold in the sieved flour.

Take the bowl of egg whites and whisk them together with the remaining 25g of sugar and the lemon juice, until light and fluffy. Fold this carefully into the cake mixture.

Remove the cake tin from the fridge and pour the mixture into it. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool, then remove from the tin and place on a plate.

Stir the apricot jam to loosen it a little and spread it evenly over the top of the cake. Sprinkle with grated chocolate and place a small pile of whole hazelnuts centrally on the top. To finish, lightly dust with sieved icing sugar.

Mix together the mascarpone, Frangelico (if using) and honey to a creamy consistency. Cut the cake into slices and serve with the mascarpone cream.

LITTLE BITES :: Goose fat may be flying off supermarket shelves at this time of year but at least one celeb chef - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, to be precise - is flying the flag for a different kind of oil.

The River Cottage chef recommends cooking your roast potatoes in Good Oil - 100% cold-pressed hemp seed oil.

"It has a unique nutty flavour, with a pleasing, lingering aftertaste," he says.

"It has plenty of character for trickling on toast, over soups and salads, and making all kinds of dressings. And - perhaps the ultimate test - it makes terrific roast potatoes."

Good Oil is very low in saturated fat and packed full of omegas 3, 6 and 9, so you can feel less guilty as you help yourself to a second helping of roast potatoes on Christmas Day.

Good Oil is available from Tesco, Waitrose, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Co-op stores, RRP £5.99.

:: Panicking about having to cope with a vegetarian this Christmas? Fret not - VeggieVision.TV has all the answers.

The website has a free 40+ page book available, which is packed with gift ideas, celebrity tips and lots of advice from fellow vegetarians who have enjoyed years of veggie and vegan Christmases.

Here's a few to whet your appetite: :: If you have a veggie guest coming for Christmas dinner make sure that the vegetables and roast potatoes are cooked separately from the meat. Gravy can easily be made without animal products.

:: Check ingredients of mice pies and Christmas puddings - and ask! Simply ask your guest what they do or don't eat, where they buy products from - and even if they could bring something to share.

:: There are lots of tasty meat-free roasts so the veggie Christmas dinner could look just like the traditional roast. Many people just love the stuffing (not from inside a bird!) potatoes and veg - so it could be a simple as leaving off the turkey.

Visit www.veggievision.tv for more inspiration.

:: One of my favourite childhood memories is that of 'helping' my mother make gravy from the drippings in the ancient roasting dish. It always seemed so easy then - but I've definitely lost the knack in the ensuing 25 years.

My gravy-making skills have improved out of sight in the last couple of months however, all due to a sneaky little jar I keep in the fridge.

As much as I hate to admit it, Antony Worrall Thompson's Chicken Gravy Paste is fantastic. All you have to do is mix the paste with cold water, then heat it gently until it thickens. I usually add a couple of tablespoons of chicken cooking juices for extra flavour - so this Christmas I'll be doing the same with the turkey.

I know it seems like cheating, but it is so less stressful than making it from scratch. And no one need know unless you tell them...

Antony Worrall Thompson's Chicken Gravy Paste is available from independent health stores and www.jardox.com, RRP £2.

:: Gennaro's Italian Home Cooking by Gennaro Contaldo is published by Headline, priced £20. Available now.

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