I am thankful to have friends and family in Italy to share Thanksgiving with.
This is my 4th continuous Thanksgiving in Italy and I couldn't be luckier than to share it with those who have been there since the beginning. Today we are più o meno 30 people – mostly American and Italians with a few Aussies and Brits sprinkled in for good measure.
The Americans conquer the meal of course. We preordered the largest turkey available from the Mercato Centrale, which received a large shipment for Thanksgiving, otherwise whole turkeys are hard to come by. It helps that Nancy goes to order the turkey in person and flirts with "her cute butcher" ensuring the largest turkey has our name on it. Then Nancy makes a list of the "must-do's" and we divide and cook.
Many, and I mean many, of the dishes require ingredients or foods from America that you just can't find here in Italy. Nancy has to have her mom ship over a yearly supply of pecans and cranberry sauce just to get the ball rolling. Then we all set out on a treasure hunt for the ingredients we need.
In the end, we usually come up with a tried and true American Thanksgiving meal complete with large turkey, multiple stuffings, mashed potatoes and gravy, brussel sprouts, creamed corn, cranberry sauce, and more + multiple pecan and pumpkin pies. We gather to share this meal with great friends, amazing wine, home-cooked American holiday fare, and of course close it out with an Italian grappa or two.
This is my 4th continuous Thanksgiving in Italy and I couldn't be luckier than to share it with those who have been there since the beginning. Today we are più o meno 30 people – mostly American and Italians with a few Aussies and Brits sprinkled in for good measure.
The Americans conquer the meal of course. We preordered the largest turkey available from the Mercato Centrale, which received a large shipment for Thanksgiving, otherwise whole turkeys are hard to come by. It helps that Nancy goes to order the turkey in person and flirts with "her cute butcher" ensuring the largest turkey has our name on it. Then Nancy makes a list of the "must-do's" and we divide and cook.
Many, and I mean many, of the dishes require ingredients or foods from America that you just can't find here in Italy. Nancy has to have her mom ship over a yearly supply of pecans and cranberry sauce just to get the ball rolling. Then we all set out on a treasure hunt for the ingredients we need.
In the end, we usually come up with a tried and true American Thanksgiving meal complete with large turkey, multiple stuffings, mashed potatoes and gravy, brussel sprouts, creamed corn, cranberry sauce, and more + multiple pecan and pumpkin pies. We gather to share this meal with great friends, amazing wine, home-cooked American holiday fare, and of course close it out with an Italian grappa or two.
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