Here in Finland my favorite is a beet root salad called rosolli, made with cooked beet root, potato, carrots, chopped red onion, apple, and sweet pickles. the chilled in the fridge. the sauce is just whip cream(No sugar) with a bit of the juice from the beet root to make it pink. I like using creme fraiche ontop. served cold.
Dad used to make zeppole for dessert on Christmas. Mom would roast a turkey. We would also have calamari. Not to mention potatoes roasted with the turkey, Brussels sprouts, and sometimes sweet potatoes.
My husband is Portuguese, I am from Serbia, what ever Eva makes, especially this today looks like a mix of our cuisines. Although I know Italian one very well, I never looked it this way and it's really great. Love you guys, you make our day always. :)
As a Serbian American, I agree. I see dishes that resemble my moms cooking all the time from all many different cultures. And of course it makes sense as many different cultures invaded and controlled the Balkans throughout history. But when I tell my mom that this dish is Turkish and this dish Greek and that is from here or there, she gets really defensive and tells me that they got it from Serbia lol
All mediterranean kitchens (Italia, Serbia, Portugal...) are similar to each other due to similar climate and vegetation. Mainly cultural influences make them different, but this is in my opinion the most interesting part.
@@alexandercolic405 Ahaha I don't know if you speak Serbian, so I will reply in English. Absolutely never say that to Serbs, we now it, but most of them will never ever admit it
Best memories at Christmas 🎄with my Sicilian American family in Queens NY, was the Struffoli my great Aunt made. It was also my breakfast Xmas morning lol. She was an excellent baker. I have never had canoli as good as her's, probably because how fresh they were. I just found the wood dowels to make the shells. Oh, and the lasagna for Christmas Eve, & many boxes of Panettone. Buon Natale. 🎄☕️🌟
My Nonni, who was from Serre, used to make Struffoli every Christmas, and then her daughter (my mother) also made it, for years. When my Nonni made it, she did not make it into a ring though, she made a small mountain out of the Struffoli, and we did not cut portions, we would walk up to it on the table, and take one or two balls at a time. It was especially wonderful for us children, a beloved Christmas treat we looked forward to every year. I also loved my Nonni's Anginetti cookies, which she covered in a light lemony confectioner's sugar glaze. No one has been able to duplicate her recipe, they were perfect. We always had Baccala on Christmas Eve, in a tomato sauce, which we kids hated, but ate anyway, along with a pasta dish. My father is from Rome, his parents and many generations before him from Sardegna, and my mother was American born, her parents both from Serre. -- Flavia
Making Italian pasta is a labor of love that takes time. you put so much work in it and people come to the table eat in about 30 minutes maximum. They never realize the steps and the process of you efforts to to make things especially like tortellini or ravioli for them. I didn't realize the steps involve until I start making my own pasta. I truly enjoy it mainly because I like making new things like pasta and breads. When my sister and mother was alive we did it together, we had so much fun but it also gave us time to talk and reminisce growing up along with discussion the current times. It was a moment of building relationships. The Italian people I know they seem to use the process of cooking to do the same thing, and in the process they prepared a meal on things for the meal. I think that is what makes families close by cooking together. I like watching cooking video for the techniques but it reminds me of my sister and my mother as we enjoyed the company and the comraderie which ended up a meal from our good time
I'm literally blown away, I didn't know that in Italy you not only know “ Bacalhau" (cod fish) but that it's also a Christmas recipe!!! In Portugal Bacalhau is the traditional dinner on December 24th, with the exception of the North which eats octopus! Bacalhau is by far the most consumed and well-known Portuguese fish (and yes, I know it's not from our coast but from the North Sea), from the simplest dish to the most sophisticated! There are more codfish recipes than codfish in the sea!!! we are siblings ....... we have so much in common!
I do not intend to do the '' little match '' of the community, but I wanted to tell you that this holiday kitchen touches me to the depths of my heart and fills me with wonderful, precious memories of my family who unfortunately passed away. Thank you guys!🥺💖 Eva you are superlative, I love your care and respect for every food and ingredient👌✌🤩
Fourth-generation Italian American (by way of Sicily no less), as well as a fellow Arizonan! I grew up thinking every family ate Italian sausage sandwiches for Christmas Eve, and Homemade raviolis for Christmas Day. I’ve been carrying that tradition for over 30 years, and it isn’t Christmas without those smells and flavors. This year I’ve been doing more of my own pasta making, due in part to channels like yours! Thanks for creating great content.
Certain scents just mean Christmas to people... I took the ingredient list from one of my grandma's Christmas cookies and started seasoning smoothies the same way. :-)
MaMa Mia,,,,, Adam,,, we all need to stop thinking Sicilian is better than Campania. what does mean 'by way of Sicily, no less),,,,,, 'by way of sicily'. we dont need the thing that sicily is the best of italy,,,,, it has a different language,,,,, it is Different, so consider that our food is equal, but different. i've had more campagnia dishes in my family,,,, and maybe you had more Sicilian. they are the same,, but different. so pls. don't amke it like sicilian is better. we could sit down and try to work out how people can not put one over the other,,,,,, yeah, there is more to it, but italy doesn't need a food war and neither do american italians,,,,,, had to say it
What? In no way did I imply Sicily was better than any other region. I’ve been to several other areas in Italy and they’re all lovely with wonderful foods. So, no superiority complex here. Not sure how you might’ve gotten that impression. Also, I said “by way of Sicily” because my family is Italian, and that’s the region we came from. “By way of…” is a common phrase to explain a point of origin (like talking about emigration or moving). Best wishes to you, wherever you are!
The Struffoli takes me back to when I was a kid at Christmas time. My Grandma always made Struffoli and fried ribbons of pasta dough ….also a biscuit type cookie with icing on top. the Struffoli and ribbon one were covered in honey and the candy ball sprinkles. Thanks for this touching walk down memory lane during this season
Mister,how you scored a woman like Eva, I don’t know but RESPECT. I could listen to her talk all day and her recipes are fabulous and keep me hungry. I’m a fan for life.
The 24 of december (christmas eve) was a fasting day for the catholic religion, one of the numerous fasting days of the year (like all the fridays). At the start of 1900, the church changed the fasting day precept with the more moderate "meat abstinence" and so like fish on friday (very common in Italy), fish become the main dish for a lot of other days, like chrismas eve, the easter holy friday, or the ash wednesday.
Harper! Know this! Eva REALLY loves you. This is a priceless episode. One you will look back on years to come and smile. Here she was, probably thinking she was going to have a really laid back Christmas day, and next you are asking her for the impossible, to give you an Italian Christmas experience. She goes into all the reasons it is not possible (at length, freaking hilarious) and next, agrees to give you a "Taste" of Italian Christmas. My grandmother made that dessert for me as a little girl, she was off the boat from Sicily and your wife reminds me so much of her, with the accent and her personality. I'm so happy to learn from her how to make this treasured dessert! Hats off to you EVA! Thank you so much for sharing all of your knowledge and cooking skills. I love the show as you are the real deal when it comes to how to cook Italian. But I also love the show because you two are adorable together. Always treasure your love for one another.
Greetings from Puerto Rico, where we are ALSO eating bacalao for our traditional Boriqueño Christmas. It makes the house kind of stink but it's SO good.
on night before xmefore xmas we usually fish dishes only including salmon,...on xmas we just go wild (of course lasagna is always presente and lasagne alla parmigiana), on 26th we have tortellini in brodo (i ususually use meat and bone which cooks in about 3 hours for the broth) + other dishes, roasts etc., Anyhow, my favourite meal for christmas ? melanzane alla parmigiana. Eva for evening prio to xmas we fry : artichockes in batter, ricotta in batter, cavolfiori . Yuuuuuuum.
I’ve been watching pretty much since day 1 and I’ve seen ya’lls evolution into what you’ve become now. Entertaining, charming, and Eva’s encyclopedic knowledge of Italian food and traditions is unrivaled. Living in southeast Louisiana I totally understand the passion that is associated with the food we make. Ya’ll have a Merry Christmas and I send my hopes that ‘22 brings you happiness and prosperity.
Watching this.... As Eva prepares all of that beautiful I Italian food.... (just a taste, LOL) but especially and particularly the dumplings: preparing, then grinding, then rolling the little balls into each dumpling and then forming that beautiful shape we all know and love, I was reminded of the message that I took away from A Charlie Brown Christmas: All it takes is LOVE to make anything wonderful and beautiful... As evidenced when the gang whipped that poor little misshapen bare branch into a lovely little decorated tree that EVERYONE loved....Harper and Eva... You two should consider yourselves extremely fortunate....you two have each other, you love each other, and although not in Italy *this* year for Christmas, your long term plan will one day come to fruition and the spirit of Christmas and bountiful food and Mama Rosa and The Professore and everyone and everything else will fill La Locanda with love, laughter, and each other. So see... that little lit cactus is beautiful and now a wonderful example of a most important canon: Christmas is wherever YOU are... It's not an essence that you can capture and put into a bottle; it travels inside you.. Inside those you love and whom love you.... Well GREAT.. now I'm teary eyed and want to ask one more question: Eva, where did you get your clear glass salt cellar with the glass lid? I bought one the other day because it was almost identical to yours. I'd love to really know if you could share. Thank you and this channel is grammatic and fantastic!!
Merry Christmas Harper and Eva! Love your cactus tree. We don’t do tortellini in brodo because my perfectly Roman son’s say it’s a waste of a good tortellini! 😖 I will be making a nice meaty lasagna followed by a roast (still deciding on the meat) along with a melanzana alla parmigiana (just to keep it light) and oven roasted potatoes and a green veggie. The Vigilia on the 24th will be all fish of course!
I simply love Eva’s explanation of how we can’t be back home by preparing the dishes we love. I’m with you!!! However, we must reminisce what made us oh, dear Lord, so happy at that exact moment. Thank you, Eva. You’re a star.
I never knew Italians had salted cod for Christmas. We make it in Brazil too, but due to Portuguese tradition, with a similar name, bacalhau. We also have Panettone, that's a big part of brazilian Christmas. And yes, you need a big family. I guess it's not that different after all
Ola tudo bem? It was for the past religion rules to eat fish the 24th Dec; also Med countries always got similar receipes and traditions: thats why you dont must be surprised about that! Panettone same, now exported and well knowed cake for Xmas all around the globe. Feliz Natal
My ex-partner is Cuban; she called it 'bacalao' - again, salted cod! I always thought it was a bit strange Cubans would have that for a Christmas dinner because the waters around Cuba don't have any cod in them - that's more of a North Atlantic thing; then again, maybe bringing the fish all the way from there to the island is what made it kind of special.
@@hannahpumpkins4359 The reason salt cod exists is so that it could be transported by ship all over the world. It's also one of the reasons the British, French, and Dutch colonies of North America were established.
Eva and Harper, I just loved your Italian Christmas video! For Christmas Eve, we make several fish dishes including pasta a la frutta di mare, cozze, merluzzo fritto, etc., and some non-fish dishes for those who don’t like it. On Christmas Day, we make zuppa di stracciatella, gnocchi or lasagne, maiale arrosto, rapini, and other traditional dishes. Buon Natale! 😊🇮🇹🇨🇦
My family always had more English traditions for Christmas. Rib roast, yorkshire pudding etc. It wasn't until my late 20's that I experienced Italian Christmas food. Baccalat was definitely there. As Eva said, different families have different ways of preparing it. Some I enjoy more than others. Thank you for your recipe.
I can't pick one dish for my favorite! Love them all! Every time I watch Eva cook, it brings me back to my grandmother's house & me helping her & learning so much! May the New Year bring you & your families health, happiness & prosperity. Buon Natale & Felice Anno Nuovo to you both & your families!
My grandmother from Napoli taught me to make struffoli. She would build a Christmas tree with them and lace the outside with honey and sprinkles. Eaten with the required anisette liquor. Such memories. Christmas Eve was squid spaghetti sauce.
Thank you Eva and Harper, for bringing back fond food memories of Christmas from my childhood. Tortellini in brodo is still one of my favorite comfort foods, and my dad to this day still loves his struffoli "birthday cake" that his mother would make for him. She passed on many years ago, but now I will try Eva's recipe and surprise him (his birthday is Dec 30th, and he will be 88 this year!)! Wishing you both Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo, and continued love and happiness in your lives and future success with the channel.
OMG, I spent the day making 120 ravioli, another kind of Italian dessert from my grandmother’s hometown and the last thing I made was the STRUFFOLI! In the part of Abruzzo where my family is from we call them, like Eva mentioned “Cicerchiata”. Both sides of my Italian family makes struffoli and I don’t think there is one family member who doesn’t like this traditional Italian Christmas dessert. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without it! The only thing I do differently than Eva did is use orange zest/extract instead of lemon. It is one of my very favorite traditions that we have for the Italian Christmas meals! So glad you enjoyed them Harper. I guarantee that you will want Eva to make struffoli every Christmas from now on. Buon Natale!
It is a beautiful simple hearty dish, how can you say it doesn't look like much? The hard work techniques, and love to make Tortellini En Brodo from Scratch is truly a lot, and you must be able to.taste all of the simple complexity of that beautiful delicious dish!
At the very beginning I thought Eva wasn't going to agree to a slight Christmas Theme but as always a super Sport! Eva went all out with these wonderful creations and the educational side to these too. Thank you Eva and Harper. I wish you Both a Merry Christmas and a Healthy Happy New Year. Bless
Thanks for sharing the reasoning behind the traditions Eva. I had completely forgotten about fasting on Christmas Eve, with no meat, then the Catholics got hip and decided, 'you've suffered long enough, prime rib and turkey for all'. They do a baccalau here in Mexico but it's with tomatoes, onions, green olives, and more served on a torta roll. I like your version much better and will give it a try. I remember my dad having to have his fried peppers and Italian sausage with a large slice of bread. So good. Merry Christmas, Buon Natale to the two of you and thanks so much for these great cooking videos.
My grandmother fried it flour batter,,, eggs (alot of egg on the fish and some crumbs or flour mixed with the egg),,, but her breading was with nice pieces of egg not too beaten,, barely beaten,, the egg batter was sooo good. but i Never ate it with any filling or frying those peppers,,, it seems too oily (for me),,, but plain as a beautifully nicely friend sidedish,,, and there was the big HUGE!!! bowls of extra gravy (special seafood sauce with olives, etc.black olives (i use less olives,, but they add flavor),,, Anway,,, That is how my Grandmother made it,,, and that is how i make it. (a sandwish would be nice to make from it any time of year,,,, to coo it fresh just for a bakkala sandwich on nice bread...i like mine with fresh baby spinach,,,, i don't think i'd add much to it,, (i would have to figure that out),,, Here they put tartar sauce on All fried fish,,, i don't mind that in a sandwish,,, (not italian exactly),,, i suppose maybe dried tomatoes be nice but I'd need the option of tartar sauce and greens,,, spinach maybe good ina sandwish of baccala. There usually was just right amount of Christmas Eve so everyone had some and there was a tiny bit leftover,,, (leftover fried baccala isn't appetizing) i stay away from fried foods, but maybe the spinach and bread would make it a treat and digestible,,,, the greens are very good for digestion and italian food i grew up with,,,, dandelion greens, those are the healthiest with some baby spinach leaves also. Im not sure people understand alot of italians have a odd anemia called. Thalassemia. i have it,,, so spinach has saved my life,,,,,,, if i eat a spinach sandwich every day or a half sandwich every day, my body digests foods (hard to explain) i will never get to the point wher they wanna give you transfusions,, no way. if i eat healthy and the way of certain foods,,,, (you can look them up),,,,, then you are eating as the italians in my family ate,,,, certain foods are there for a reason.
Each italian region and maybe town has different typical dishes for Christmas. I'm making tajerin (very thin handmade tagliatelle) with duck ragu, ox stew, cheese platter and panettone with custard
The food looks so good! In Portugal we use the salted cod aswell for Christmas eve they say we have 365 different ways to make it! Merry Christmas it all looks so wonderful!
My husband is French and our first Christmas together he took me to Paris and then Bordeaux to celebrate Christmas with his family. I had a magical time.💖🎄🥰
The salted cod fry I can think of so many variations to I think you can fry so many things together in a long sequence. But that dessert takes the cake literally awesome!!!!
I’ve spent two Christmas’s in Northern Italy with my partner’s family. Tortellini in broth was a staple, risotto Milanese, and cotechino which was not my favorite. The Christmas markets were amazing and we came across torrone which was a honey nougat with roasted nuts. We celebrated New Years Eve in San Martino di Castrozza with Raclette and in Verona with fried pork cutlets. We were also there for the Epiphany and got to experience the festival of La Befana in Florence and in Recoaro. I’d love to see a similar episode on New Years Eve in Italy. Also, find time to go for Christmas. It’s amazing to see the different traditions.
Loved your videos from the beginning and share them with everyone else I know who appreciates new (to them) cuisine. I came for the recipes, stayed for the on-screen chemistry. Growing up in a large Italian family (from Bari and Latina) I have enjoyed these foods and look forward to trying these recipes. Makes me a little sad to see two people with such love for your families out in the desert alone at Christmas time. Hopefully you're having fly-in visitors and it's not as it appears. Merry Christmas Eva & Harper!
So happy to see this video before the upcoming holiday. Like you my mother in law was born in a little town in Calabria….Christmas Eve was all about the Seven Fishes, Baccala included, but it had a tomato base. Tortellini was always New Years Day dinner….I always looked forward to Pignolata and espresso after dinner( made by my mother in law and her sister in law from Palermo) My wife and her sisters have kept all the traditions they experienced growing up….being from Calabria your cooking is very similar, which we enjoy throughly!! Brava!!
Eva is absolutely right, my boyfriend is Italian so to spends “Christmas” with the family I arrived 3rd of Dec and I’m leaving 8th of Jan. Yup, staying for the befana! lol, love you guys!
Feast of the Fishes! Insalata di rinforzo! UK vegetarian here, but love Baccala pref in croquettes (bit Portugese, that) or in a big sandwich. Definitely not pannetone, so dull. A good English fruit cake, if I must have sweet, but I prefer savoury. Seasons greetings to everyone!
Interesting how Eva said that people won’t replicate her deep fried dishes. I presume it’s because people think such food is fattening. Deep frying isn’t really _that_ fattening if you make sure that the oil is hot enough and you fry for the right time. It’s no worse than a lot of roasted meats, pan braised dishes, etc.
I made bacala today on what would have been my father's 106th birthday. We always had it on Christmas Eve, but today I wanted to celebrate my dad. I miss him so much.
Buon Natale, Harper and Eva! I loved this video and it brought back so many memories of my family. We are from the the Province of Vicenza and your recipe for tortellini was perfect. My favorite Christmas dish is tortellini in Brodo!
Eva, the love and care you show for the preparation of food is extraordinary. I always wanted to be adopted by friends' Italian families. Especially at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.
Deo meo ! Strufila !! My Goodness, did that bring back memories for me. My Nanon used to make that. Oh, mia mama famila was Napilitano. I'm a metza metza. Half Polish and half Italian, All American. Graczie totie for this video. I have not had 'backala' for a very long time. My mother would make it with potatoes. wonderful memories.
Eva it is such a pleasure watching you cook. I feel like an excited child at the counter waiting to see what splendid dish comes out. I appreciate your wonderful Christmas dishes because they are delightful but also something that even I can try and recreate (not promising anything remotely as perfect as those tortellini). Mine will probably look more like oversize corn pops cereal floating in broth, lol. Harper and Eva, Buon Natale ❤
Eva, non so se mi stai leggendo ma voglio farti davvero i miei complimenti. Anche io come te vivo negli Stati Uniti, in Arizona precisamente. Volevo farti i miei complimenti perché hai una manualità nello stendere le paste che veramente io rimango senza parole, cucino tantissimo e piano piano cerco d'imparare pure io ma è una cosa che mi viene ancora difficile. Davvero Eva tantissimi complimenti e buon Natale!
I could not wait to get out of work on Christmas Eve, All my Italian friends were as excited as I was to go home and smell the house with all the dishes my mom and dad had prepared for the nights festivities. The company arrived at around 6 PM and the table was full of all delicious fishes and sea foods cooked to perfection. Everyone enjoyed everything. At midnight we all went to the midnight Mass. When we got home Mom had sausage and hot peppers and brocoli rabe and the desserts and coffee and grapa to put in the coffee. I keep all the traditions and it helps me keep my parents memories alive. Eva thanks for the memories. I want to wish you both Buon Natale and Buon Anno. Thanks for the wonderful memories and the awesome laughs and video's. Keep em coming. Greetings from NJ. Love you both.
yes. beautiful times. rushing home or when i didn't work, getting ready for my Dad to come home. We all dressed up no matter what day it fell on (back then it was always best clothes!) and he would drive us to Jersey City to my Nonna's. I would love looking at the brightly colored lights and we would search for parking. It always felt colder like real winter.. Getting out of the warm car with coats and going into my Nonna's small apartment very hot from cooking and smelling like fried foods and fish!!! can't say i loved it then (not a fish person) but what I would give NOW to go back and redo it. She had 3 rooms and there were more than 15 of us. We connected tables and squished in her small kitchen. once you were in place you were in place. i remember not wanting to eat anything back then. now as an adult yes i like some of the stuff but its all gone.. the people. the love.. the foods then and how they were prepared and tasted. all gone. To all-savor every moment you have with your families. take pics, videos, talk. stay off your phones at the table. love one another. memorialize recipes if you have the older generation in every way you can (video, written, etc). once they are gone. it's gone. ❤
@@rosannapizza6402 thank you for your comment. I felt like I was there with you in your story. Your Nonna's house sounds charming. You are so right. When the people are gone it's all over. I try to keep up most important traditions and know my parents and grandparents are smiling down from Heaven. My husband loves the traditions as well. Merry Christmas my friend and a happy and healthy new year. Stay safe.
Did you add italian parsley? ❤ I cried watching you make this. Its so much work! You're so ... there's no words to put the excellence and diligence and time efforts. I love Italy.You two are wonder-ment! Happy holidays and dreams of 7 fishes are dancing in your head. ❤
This is so amazing for me to watch. My mom is from Genova and my dad is from Pachino, but we are all in Canada, so we tried to blend Italian with Canadian Christmas my whole life. So we did the seafood on the 24th with my dad's side (which was ALWAYS big) and then we did ravioli on Christmas day AND turkey (but we never did cranberry sauce... That still confuses us!!) Thank you so much for this video. Your videos always help me explain to my very Dutch-Canadian boyfriend why we do things the way we do 😂
Eva's right! When I was a kid the Strufoli we made at Christmas were on the table into the NewYear! How I remember making them with my family. After cutting the little dough pieces from the "snake", we rolled them between the palms of our hands to make them into little balls, so our Strufoli were a little rounder, but other than that the same. We piled them like a mountain onto serving plates with the codette e ciliegie candite. The taste of that honey is sooo good 🎄🌟
I found the sprinkle bit so funny because that’s a 10% of what we put on struffoli in Naples ahahahahahahah my favourite diavolini on struffoli are the long white ones that taste like anice. Nice video!
it's hard to find those here in USA.. the diavolini.. I remember the bakery near where i live used to have them in a big jar and use them for cookie trays ❤
I only just started..."You need a large family." 😂😂😂 So true. Christmas for us was a minimum of 30 people. And you needed to start three weeks ago. 😂😂😂 Also true. My dad would order fish, cheese, chestnuts and everything at least a month ahead. I love it. Merry Christmas Eva and Harper!
Love watching the videos, my fathers father was from Naples, so we had fried eels on Christmas eve. The were so good and tasty. My mother's side was from Calabria, a town called Sersale. My grandmother and my mother both made the Calabrian Christmas cake called a Pettenguisa,.It took a long time to make, and was a lot of work ,but it was so good. We all loved it every Christmas. My mother also made strufoli and something called" fried bows "with powered sugar,on top and taralli with fennel seeds.
Hi Steve, my maternal great grandfather was from Sersale. My maternal grandmother also made pitta nchiusa and pignolata every Christmas. I so miss those days!
Eva…you bring so much happiness to my heart with all the dishes you have made that my family also made❣️ so, so many wonderful memories! We alone have 10 in my family! Mom did not know when to stop!😊 But my father was a definite Italian stallion!😂…….. We also had a little simple side dish we served among the many side dishes…was Italian Orange Slices…orange slices drizzled with olive oil and cracked black pepper. If Harper has not tried it, please make it for him! Merry Christmas to you both❣️🎄🎅🏻🎁. Thank you for bringing so much laughter and wonderful lessons from Eva. I hope Food Network will not pass on the opportunity for Eva to have her own cooking show!!! Much love💕
I had to look up stocco, as I was shocked that there was this supposedly bad Italian dish. Turns out it's dried and salted fish (stokvis here in Flanders), and I agree with Eva: it's absolutely delicious! It's often sold on fish markets and at carnivals here. On the other hand Harper also had a point. Here too you either love it or hate it. Many a time I've had friends look at me with disgust in their eyes as I was joyfully tearing into it. 😅
Eva you are so right you need a large family for Christmas! I am from Brooklyn New York, and I am half Italian half Puerto Rican second generation here in America. I am use to huge family gatherings… because my daughters and I have moved to California thankfully the church has become a family to us and I bought a touch of New York, Puerto Rico,and Italy with us, we had 72 people at our house Christmas Eve not only were all of these people blessed but we were I cooked for 2 weeks… I’m not happy unless everybody eats the house is noisy and there’s laughter…God is so good 😊🙌🏼Merry Christmas to you and your family 🥰🎄✝️
Happy Xmas guys, been watching every episode since near the start of your journey as pasta gammar and been a pleasure through the pandemic too. All the best to you two and your families have fun!!
My grandmother from Molise used to do struffoli a lot but she called them " ciciarielli".. Being from Rome I would enjoy baccalá alla giudia and vegetables ( broccoli, artichokes, zucchine,etc) fried in a batter.... Unfortunately living abroad now but doing my best to keep up our family tradition! Merry Xmas to you all and thanks for the great videos
This video makes me even more sad that our Christmas feast was canceled for the second time due to covid19. :( Making tortellini for 30-40 people is a huge production. We spend a full afternoon making them with 6 people. And that's only the first course of a feast that lasts throughout the entire day! Thank you for the great video, Eva and Harper. :)
@@charlestait5303 FL population 21.5 million FL Covid deaths 62,220 But California with almost double the population: CA population 40 million CA Covid deaths 75,917 Florida motto: Live free, die of stupidity
Awww i feel for You ! Where do You live ? Where i live , christmas party with familly is not a personal choice... its actually illégal for the second year because of COVID :(
@@charlestait5303 Not a baby, an old lady. And I’d like to grow up to be a very old lady. Charles, you, on the other hand, don’t care if I live or die.
My Sicilian MIL makes the Salt Cod in Olive Oil and onion. My Father in law and my self are the only 2 that like it. When she first made it and I loved it. I think that's when I was in the family.
Eva che spiega per due ore il Natale in Italia mi ha fatta morire dal ridere. Specie perché è metà settembre e noi stiamo già iniziando a pensare a come dividere i vari menù dalla vigilia all'Epifania 🤣
I got everyone I know addicted to your channel. Easter has more traditional fare in the Russian culture but my mom is German and she makes these awesome nut cookies and gingerbread for Christmas. We always have goose, Red cabbage and kartoffelglase.
Yay!!! Struffoli! Thank you for making one of our favorites!! Funny side note is that I actually eat them with powdered sugar instead of honey because that reminds me of a Polish dessert my grandma used to make us. Unfortunately, I do not remember what she called it but instead of little balls, hers were long ribbons of the same dough fried and dusted in powdered sugar. Thank you, and Merry Christmas!
Buon Natale, ragazzi! What's your favorite Christmas dish? 🎄
Il capitone :)
Secondo me se lo fai ad Harper sbianca :)
Here in Finland my favorite is a beet root salad called rosolli, made with cooked beet root, potato, carrots, chopped red onion, apple, and sweet pickles. the chilled in the fridge. the sauce is just whip cream(No sugar) with a bit of the juice from the beet root to make it pink. I like using creme fraiche ontop. served cold.
Dad used to make zeppole for dessert on Christmas. Mom would roast a turkey. We would also have calamari. Not to mention potatoes roasted with the turkey, Brussels sprouts, and sometimes sweet potatoes.
Xmas Eve: Sua maestà il baccalà alla vicentina. Xmas lunch: pasticcio al ragù and arrosto di vitello al forno.
We always do prime rib for Christmas. It’s great, but the thing I actually love is the Yorkshire pudding we serve with it!
My husband is Portuguese, I am from Serbia, what ever Eva makes, especially this today looks like a mix of our cuisines. Although I know Italian one very well, I never looked it this way and it's really great. Love you guys, you make our day always. :)
As a Serbian American, I agree. I see dishes that resemble my moms cooking all the time from all many different cultures. And of course it makes sense as many different cultures invaded and controlled the Balkans throughout history. But when I tell my mom that this dish is Turkish and this dish Greek and that is from here or there, she gets really defensive and tells me that they got it from Serbia lol
All mediterranean kitchens (Italia, Serbia, Portugal...) are similar to each other due to similar climate and vegetation. Mainly cultural influences make them different, but this is in my opinion the most interesting part.
@@alexandercolic405 The Silk Road!
@@medialex78 Actually Serbia is not Mediterranean at all, we don't have a sea, we have completely different vegetation and climate.
@@alexandercolic405 Ahaha I don't know if you speak Serbian, so I will reply in English. Absolutely never say that to Serbs, we now it, but most of them will never ever admit it
Best memories at Christmas 🎄with my Sicilian American family in Queens NY, was the Struffoli my great Aunt made. It was also my breakfast Xmas morning lol. She was an excellent baker. I have never had canoli as good as her's, probably because how fresh they were. I just found the wood dowels to make the shells. Oh, and the lasagna for Christmas Eve, & many boxes of Panettone. Buon Natale.
🎄☕️🌟
’Parmigiano makes everything better’.....so true Eva!
Parmigiano - Reggiano ,that is .
People grabbed toilet paper during the covid crisis, I grabbed the Parmiginao Reggiano😂
My Nonni, who was from Serre, used to make Struffoli every Christmas, and then her daughter (my mother) also made it, for years. When my Nonni made it, she did not make it into a ring though, she made a small mountain out of the Struffoli, and we did not cut portions, we would walk up to it on the table, and take one or two balls at a time. It was especially wonderful for us children, a beloved Christmas treat we looked forward to every year. I also loved my Nonni's Anginetti cookies, which she covered in a light lemony confectioner's sugar glaze. No one has been able to duplicate her recipe, they were perfect. We always had Baccala on Christmas Eve, in a tomato sauce, which we kids hated, but ate anyway, along with a pasta dish. My father is from Rome, his parents and many generations before him from Sardegna, and my mother was American born, her parents both from Serre. -- Flavia
"Live a little! Just fry something!" 😋 That needs to be on a T-shirt!!
Thomas!!! Buon Natale!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
❤
My wonderful grandma made baccala for Christmas, which I loved!!!!
Was she Norwegian?
@@tuberNunya No, Italian.
@@katieirish5765 Salt cod is originally Norwegian. Also eaten traditionally at the holidays. I was kidding.
@@tuberNunya oh, lol
Well, where ever it came from, I love it!
[ 16:34 ] and the delicate question of frying...
*"It's my party and I'll fry if I want to..."*
"live a little bit, fry something"
Eva, you made my day. I'll remember that phrase for the rest of my life.
Merry Chrstmas 🎄
Buon Natale!
😍😍😂😂😎😎
Making Italian pasta is a labor of love that takes time. you put so much work in it and people come to the table eat in about 30 minutes maximum. They never realize the steps and the process of you efforts to to make things especially like tortellini or ravioli for them. I didn't realize the steps involve until I start making my own pasta. I truly enjoy it mainly because I like making new things like pasta and breads. When my sister and mother was alive we did it together, we had so much fun but it also gave us time to talk and reminisce growing up along with discussion the current times. It was a moment of building relationships. The Italian people I know they seem to use the process of cooking to do the same thing, and in the process they prepared a meal on things for the meal. I think that is what makes families close by cooking together. I like watching cooking video for the techniques but it reminds me of my sister and my mother as we enjoyed the company and the comraderie which ended up a meal from our good time
5:28 the look on Eva's face when Harper goes on about how simple it is.....
Completely ignoring the fact that she made everything from SCRATCH
I'm literally blown away, I didn't know that in Italy you not only know “ Bacalhau" (cod fish) but that it's also a Christmas recipe!!! In Portugal Bacalhau is the traditional dinner on December 24th, with the exception of the North which eats octopus! Bacalhau is by far the most consumed and well-known Portuguese fish (and yes, I know it's not from our coast but from the North Sea), from the simplest dish to the most sophisticated! There are more codfish recipes than codfish in the sea!!! we are siblings ....... we have so much in common!
I do not intend to do the '' little match '' of the community, but I wanted to tell you that this holiday kitchen touches me to the depths of my heart and fills me with wonderful, precious memories of my family who unfortunately passed away. Thank you guys!🥺💖
Eva you are superlative, I love your care and respect for every food and ingredient👌✌🤩
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Brilliant work & love💖
Yep Eva is one of a kind that rarely exists nowadays.. ❤
“The first thing we need is a huge family”. Truer words have never been spoken. 👍
Fourth-generation Italian American (by way of Sicily no less), as well as a fellow Arizonan! I grew up thinking every family ate Italian sausage sandwiches for Christmas Eve, and Homemade raviolis for Christmas Day. I’ve been carrying that tradition for over 30 years, and it isn’t Christmas without those smells and flavors. This year I’ve been doing more of my own pasta making, due in part to channels like yours! Thanks for creating great content.
Certain scents just mean Christmas to people... I took the ingredient list from one of my grandma's Christmas cookies and started seasoning smoothies the same way. :-)
MaMa Mia,,,,, Adam,,, we all need to stop thinking Sicilian is better than Campania. what does mean 'by way of Sicily, no less),,,,,, 'by way of sicily'. we dont need the thing that sicily is the best of italy,,,,, it has a different language,,,,, it is Different, so consider that our food is equal, but different. i've had more campagnia dishes in my family,,,, and maybe you had more Sicilian. they are the same,, but different. so pls. don't amke it like sicilian is better. we could sit down and try to work out how people can not put one over the other,,,,,, yeah, there is more to it, but italy doesn't need a food war and neither do american italians,,,,,, had to say it
What? In no way did I imply Sicily was better than any other region. I’ve been to several other areas in Italy and they’re all lovely with wonderful foods. So, no superiority complex here. Not sure how you might’ve gotten that impression. Also, I said “by way of Sicily” because my family is Italian, and that’s the region we came from. “By way of…” is a common phrase to explain a point of origin (like talking about emigration or moving). Best wishes to you, wherever you are!
We always eat lasagna for thanksgiving
We never eat meat on Christmas Eve. We have 'la cena dei sette pesci'.
My God...THAT HAIR!!!!!! I've NEVER seen hair that full and healthy looking. God bless you.
The Struffoli takes me back to when I was a kid at Christmas time. My Grandma always made Struffoli and fried ribbons of pasta dough ….also a biscuit type cookie with icing on top. the Struffoli and ribbon one were covered in honey and the candy ball sprinkles. Thanks for this touching walk down memory lane during this season
Yes me to!!❤
same here, I miss my nonna😢
There we go!!! my people are from Naples!!,, We always have Strufolli
Lets invite each other for Christmas 😍😍😍
Let’s do it! But I want the Parrozzo e scrippelle ‘mbusse! 😂😂😂
@@PastaGrammar this crossover is more ambicious than Avengers. DO IT
😍😍😍😍😍😍
Gudday Vincenzo. Great to see you here 😎
Aww Vincenzo and Eva&Harper
My most favorite TH-camrs ever!
Mister,how you scored a woman like Eva, I don’t know but RESPECT. I could listen to her talk all day and her recipes are fabulous and keep me hungry. I’m a fan for life.
In Piedmont we tend to use agnolotti, diavoletti, or ravioli del plin instead of tortellini on Christmas, but the spirit is the same
Seeing the struffoli brought tears to my ears. Amazing memories to have. Thank ou for sharing
Buon Natale!
So glad you enjoyed it! Buon Natale!
The 24 of december (christmas eve) was a fasting day for the catholic religion, one of the numerous fasting days of the year (like all the fridays).
At the start of 1900, the church changed the fasting day precept with the more moderate "meat abstinence" and so like fish on friday (very common in Italy), fish become the main dish for a lot of other days, like chrismas eve, the easter holy friday, or the ash wednesday.
Harper! Know this! Eva REALLY loves you. This is a priceless episode. One you will look back on years to come and smile. Here she was, probably thinking she was going to have a really laid back Christmas day, and next you are asking her for the impossible, to give you an Italian Christmas experience. She goes into all the reasons it is not possible (at length, freaking hilarious) and next, agrees to give you a "Taste" of Italian Christmas. My grandmother made that dessert for me as a little girl, she was off the boat from Sicily and your wife reminds me so much of her, with the accent and her personality. I'm so happy to learn from her how to make this treasured dessert! Hats off to you EVA! Thank you so much for sharing all of your knowledge and cooking skills. I love the show as you are the real deal when it comes to how to cook Italian. But I also love the show because you two are adorable together. Always treasure your love for one another.
Greetings from Puerto Rico, where we are ALSO eating bacalao for our traditional Boriqueño Christmas. It makes the house kind of stink but it's SO good.
on night before xmefore xmas we usually fish dishes only including salmon,...on xmas we just go wild (of course lasagna is always presente and lasagne alla parmigiana), on 26th we have tortellini in brodo (i ususually use meat and bone which cooks in about 3 hours for the broth) + other dishes, roasts etc., Anyhow, my favourite meal for christmas ? melanzane alla parmigiana. Eva for evening prio to xmas we fry : artichockes in batter, ricotta in batter, cavolfiori . Yuuuuuuum.
Capelleri
I’ve been watching pretty much since day 1 and I’ve seen ya’lls evolution into what you’ve become now. Entertaining, charming, and Eva’s encyclopedic knowledge of Italian food and traditions is unrivaled. Living in southeast Louisiana I totally understand the passion that is associated with the food we make. Ya’ll have a Merry Christmas and I send my hopes that ‘22 brings you happiness and prosperity.
Thank YOU!!! All the best ❤️❤️❤️
Christmas we had etoufee, new year gumbo, in Maryland
Watching this.... As Eva prepares all of that beautiful I Italian food.... (just a taste, LOL) but especially and particularly the dumplings: preparing, then grinding, then rolling the little balls into each dumpling and then forming that beautiful shape we all know and love, I was reminded of the message that I took away from A Charlie Brown Christmas: All it takes is LOVE to make anything wonderful and beautiful... As evidenced when the gang whipped that poor little misshapen bare branch into
a lovely little decorated tree that EVERYONE loved....Harper and Eva... You two should consider yourselves extremely fortunate....you two have each other, you love each other, and although not in Italy *this* year for Christmas, your long term plan will one day come to fruition and the spirit of Christmas and bountiful food and Mama Rosa and The Professore and everyone and everything else will fill La Locanda with love, laughter, and each other. So see... that little lit cactus is beautiful and now a wonderful example of a most important canon: Christmas is wherever YOU are... It's not an essence that you can capture and put into a bottle; it travels
inside you.. Inside those you love and whom love you.... Well GREAT.. now I'm teary eyed and want to ask one more question: Eva, where did you get your clear glass salt cellar with the glass lid? I bought one the other day because it was almost identical to yours. I'd love to really know if you could share. Thank you and this channel is grammatic and fantastic!!
Eva your knowledge about Italy's foods is so extensive. It is wonderful. Thank you for all of your knowledge and intelligence!!
Merry Christmas Harper and Eva! Love your cactus tree. We don’t do tortellini in brodo because my perfectly Roman son’s say it’s a waste of a good tortellini! 😖 I will be making a nice meaty lasagna followed by a roast (still deciding on the meat) along with a melanzana alla parmigiana (just to keep it light) and oven roasted potatoes and a green veggie. The Vigilia on the 24th will be all fish of course!
I simply love Eva’s explanation of how we can’t be back home by preparing the dishes we love. I’m with you!!! However, we must reminisce what made us oh, dear Lord, so happy at that exact moment. Thank you, Eva. You’re a star.
I never knew Italians had salted cod for Christmas. We make it in Brazil too, but due to Portuguese tradition, with a similar name, bacalhau. We also have Panettone, that's a big part of brazilian Christmas. And yes, you need a big family. I guess it's not that different after all
Ola tudo bem? It was for the past religion rules to eat fish the 24th Dec; also Med countries always got similar receipes and traditions: thats why you dont must be surprised about that! Panettone same, now exported and well knowed cake for Xmas all around the globe. Feliz Natal
My ex-partner is Cuban; she called it 'bacalao' - again, salted cod! I always thought it was a bit strange Cubans would have that for a Christmas dinner because the waters around Cuba don't have any cod in them - that's more of a North Atlantic thing; then again, maybe bringing the fish all the way from there to the island is what made it kind of special.
@@hannahpumpkins4359 The reason salt cod exists is so that it could be transported by ship all over the world. It's also one of the reasons the British, French, and Dutch colonies of North America were established.
Cod is also a big part of Spanish cuisine.
Remember the song Che Le Luna? La lariula! pisce fritte bacala!
Watching Eva cook is like watching an artist paint a picture on canvas.
My husband is from North Carolina and has no idea what it’s like having a real Italian Christmas like my family has!!
La faccia di eva quando Harper dice che i tortellini sono un piatto semplice ahahhaa
Ci metti ore per fare quel piatto
Merry christmas and happy new year! Buon natale e buon capodanno a voi!
Buone feste!
Eva and Harper, I just loved your Italian Christmas video! For Christmas Eve, we make several fish dishes including pasta a la frutta di mare, cozze, merluzzo fritto, etc., and some non-fish dishes for those who don’t like it. On Christmas Day, we make zuppa di stracciatella, gnocchi or lasagne, maiale arrosto, rapini, and other traditional dishes. Buon Natale! 😊🇮🇹🇨🇦
I love you guys god bless you always you are amazing!!!
My family always had more English traditions for Christmas. Rib roast, yorkshire pudding etc. It wasn't until my late 20's that I experienced Italian Christmas food. Baccalat was definitely there. As Eva said, different families have different ways of preparing it. Some I enjoy more than others. Thank you for your recipe.
"Live a little, just fry something!" Soo adorable. My old Italian aunt used to make the Struffo
I can't pick one dish for my favorite! Love them all! Every time I watch Eva cook, it brings me back to my grandmother's house & me helping her & learning so much! May the New Year bring you & your families health, happiness & prosperity. Buon Natale & Felice Anno Nuovo to you both & your families!
Auguri!
My grandmother from Napoli taught me to make struffoli. She would build a Christmas tree with them and lace the outside with honey and sprinkles. Eaten with the required anisette liquor. Such memories. Christmas Eve was squid spaghetti sauce.
I desperately want a clip of Eva explain italian christmas preparation to Harper!!!
I love Eva’s reaction. Oh and the Christmas cactus is beautiful. 🌵🎄
My mom (Sicily) made this dessert at Christmas and we all loved it.
Thank you Eva and Harper, for bringing back fond food memories of Christmas from my childhood. Tortellini in brodo is still one of my favorite comfort foods, and my dad to this day still loves his struffoli "birthday cake" that his mother would make for him. She passed on many years ago, but now I will try Eva's recipe and surprise him (his birthday is Dec 30th, and he will be 88 this year!)! Wishing you both Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo, and continued love and happiness in your lives and future success with the channel.
OMG, I spent the day making 120 ravioli, another kind of Italian dessert from my grandmother’s hometown and the last thing I made was the STRUFFOLI! In the part of Abruzzo where my family is from we call them, like Eva mentioned “Cicerchiata”. Both sides of my Italian family makes struffoli and I don’t think there is one family member who doesn’t like this traditional Italian Christmas dessert. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without it! The only thing I do differently than Eva did is use orange zest/extract instead of lemon. It is one of my very favorite traditions that we have for the Italian Christmas meals! So glad you enjoyed them Harper. I guarantee that you will want Eva to make struffoli every Christmas from now on. Buon Natale!
It is a beautiful simple hearty dish, how can you say it doesn't look like much? The hard work techniques, and love to make Tortellini En Brodo from Scratch is truly a lot, and you must be able to.taste all of the simple complexity of that beautiful delicious dish!
So many memories. My friend's Nona would make a lot of these for Christmas. So delicious.
At the very beginning I thought Eva wasn't going to agree to a slight Christmas Theme but as always a super Sport! Eva went all out with these wonderful creations and the educational side to these too. Thank you Eva and Harper. I wish you Both a Merry Christmas and a Healthy Happy New Year. Bless
Auguri!
Thanks for sharing the reasoning behind the traditions Eva. I had completely forgotten about fasting on Christmas Eve, with no meat, then the Catholics got hip and decided, 'you've suffered long enough, prime rib and turkey for all'. They do a baccalau here in Mexico but it's with tomatoes, onions, green olives, and more served on a torta roll. I like your version much better and will give it a try. I remember my dad having to have his fried peppers and Italian sausage with a large slice of bread. So good. Merry Christmas, Buon Natale to the two of you and thanks so much for these great cooking videos.
My grandmother fried it flour batter,,, eggs (alot of egg on the fish and some crumbs or flour mixed with the egg),,, but her breading was with nice pieces of egg not too beaten,, barely beaten,, the egg batter was sooo good. but i Never ate it with any filling or frying those peppers,,, it seems too oily (for me),,, but plain as a beautifully nicely friend sidedish,,, and there was the big HUGE!!! bowls of extra gravy (special seafood sauce with olives, etc.black olives (i use less olives,, but they add flavor),,, Anway,,, That is how my Grandmother made it,,, and that is how i make it. (a sandwish would be nice to make from it any time of year,,,, to coo it fresh just for a bakkala sandwich on nice bread...i like mine with fresh baby spinach,,,, i don't think i'd add much to it,, (i would have to figure that out),,, Here they put tartar sauce on All fried fish,,, i don't mind that in a sandwish,,, (not italian exactly),,, i suppose maybe dried tomatoes be nice but I'd need the option of tartar sauce and greens,,, spinach maybe good ina sandwish of baccala. There usually was just right amount of Christmas Eve so everyone had some and there was a tiny bit leftover,,, (leftover fried baccala isn't appetizing) i stay away from fried foods, but maybe the spinach and bread would make it a treat and digestible,,,, the greens are very good for digestion and italian food i grew up with,,,, dandelion greens, those are the healthiest with some baby spinach leaves also. Im not sure people understand alot of italians have a odd anemia called. Thalassemia. i have it,,, so spinach has saved my life,,,,,,, if i eat a spinach sandwich every day or a half sandwich every day, my body digests foods (hard to explain) i will never get to the point wher they wanna give you transfusions,, no way. if i eat healthy and the way of certain foods,,,, (you can look them up),,,,, then you are eating as the italians in my family ate,,,, certain foods are there for a reason.
Each italian region and maybe town has different typical dishes for Christmas. I'm making tajerin (very thin handmade tagliatelle) with duck ragu, ox stew, cheese platter and panettone with custard
The food looks so good! In Portugal we use the salted cod aswell for Christmas eve they say we have 365 different ways to make it! Merry Christmas it all looks so wonderful!
Hands down to portogueses about bacalhau.
My favourite food is my region way to make the stockfish/baccalà.
My husband is French and our first Christmas together he took me to Paris and then Bordeaux to celebrate Christmas with his family. I had a magical time.💖🎄🥰
Your tortellini are so perfect Eva!!! Love from Italy and have the best Xmas ever ❤️
La faccia di Eva quando Harper dice ah sembra facile sembra semplice....I'd love to see him trying doing them!
The salted cod fry I can think of so many variations to I think you can fry so many things together in a long sequence. But that dessert takes the cake literally awesome!!!!
I’ve spent two Christmas’s in Northern Italy with my partner’s family. Tortellini in broth was a staple, risotto Milanese, and cotechino which was not my favorite. The Christmas markets were amazing and we came across torrone which was a honey nougat with roasted nuts. We celebrated New Years Eve in San Martino di Castrozza with Raclette and in Verona with fried pork cutlets. We were also there for the Epiphany and got to experience the festival of La Befana in Florence and in Recoaro. I’d love to see a similar episode on New Years Eve in Italy. Also, find time to go for Christmas. It’s amazing to see the different traditions.
Loved your videos from the beginning and share them with everyone else I know who appreciates new (to them) cuisine. I came for the recipes, stayed for the on-screen chemistry. Growing up in a large Italian family (from Bari and Latina) I have enjoyed these foods and look forward to trying these recipes. Makes me a little sad to see two people with such love for your families out in the desert alone at Christmas time. Hopefully you're having fly-in visitors and it's not as it appears. Merry Christmas Eva & Harper!
Peppers are the smell in Eva's home, frying onions and celery is the smell I know best, that is the beginning of our holiday cuisine.
PS - Love the Christmas cactus 🌵 I know some newlyweds who decorated an old ladder for a "tree" (it's wooden so was once a tree). Anything goes.
So happy to see this video before the upcoming holiday. Like you my mother in law was born in a little town in Calabria….Christmas Eve was all about the Seven Fishes, Baccala included, but it had a tomato base. Tortellini was always New Years Day dinner….I always looked forward to Pignolata and espresso after dinner( made by my mother in law and her sister in law from Palermo) My wife and her sisters have kept all the traditions they experienced growing up….being from Calabria your cooking is very similar, which we enjoy throughly!! Brava!!
Eva is absolutely right, my boyfriend is Italian so to spends “Christmas” with the family I arrived 3rd of Dec and I’m leaving 8th of Jan. Yup, staying for the befana! lol, love you guys!
I’m jealous! ❤️
Feast of the Fishes! Insalata di rinforzo! UK vegetarian here, but love Baccala pref in croquettes (bit Portugese, that) or in a big sandwich. Definitely not pannetone, so dull. A good English fruit cake, if I must have sweet, but I prefer savoury. Seasons greetings to everyone!
Interesting how Eva said that people won’t replicate her deep fried dishes.
I presume it’s because people think such food is fattening. Deep frying isn’t really _that_ fattening if you make sure that the oil is hot enough and you fry for the right time. It’s no worse than a lot of roasted meats, pan braised dishes, etc.
I made bacala today on what would have been my father's 106th birthday. We always had it on Christmas Eve, but today I wanted to celebrate my dad. I miss him so much.
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Buon Natale, Harper and Eva! I loved this video and it brought back so many memories of my family. We are from the the Province of Vicenza and your recipe for tortellini was perfect. My favorite Christmas dish is tortellini in Brodo!
Buon Natale, Eva and Harper! Grazie mille for all that you share. Ti Amo!
Merry Christmas Eva and Harper 🎄 you bring a lot of joy to so many, may your holiday be filled with love and of course delicious food. ♥️🌟✨
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Eva, the love and care you show for the preparation of food is extraordinary. I always wanted to be adopted by friends' Italian families. Especially at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.
Eva's long explanation of Italian Christmas had me laughing hard. XD I'm so curious about Christmas in Italy now 💜
Deo meo ! Strufila !! My Goodness, did that bring back memories for me. My Nanon used to make that. Oh, mia mama famila was Napilitano. I'm a metza metza. Half Polish and half Italian, All American. Graczie totie for this video. I have not had 'backala' for a very long time. My mother would make it with potatoes. wonderful memories.
Eva it is such a pleasure watching you cook. I feel like an excited child at the counter waiting to see what splendid dish comes out. I appreciate your wonderful Christmas dishes because they are delightful but also something that even I can try and recreate (not promising anything remotely as perfect as those tortellini). Mine will probably look more like oversize corn pops cereal floating in broth, lol. Harper and Eva, Buon Natale ❤
If made with love and passion, they will be amazing!!! Buon Natale!
Eva, non so se mi stai leggendo ma voglio farti davvero i miei complimenti. Anche io come te vivo negli Stati Uniti, in Arizona precisamente. Volevo farti i miei complimenti perché hai una manualità nello stendere le paste che veramente io rimango senza parole, cucino tantissimo e piano piano cerco d'imparare pure io ma è una cosa che mi viene ancora difficile. Davvero Eva tantissimi complimenti e buon Natale!
Ciao e grazie mille!!! Basta solo un pò di allenamento 😉
Ah, Buon Natale!
I could not wait to get out of work on Christmas Eve, All my Italian friends were as excited as I was to go home and smell the house with all the dishes my mom and dad had prepared for the nights festivities. The company arrived at around 6 PM and the table was full of all delicious fishes and sea foods cooked to perfection. Everyone enjoyed everything. At midnight we all went to the midnight Mass. When we got home Mom had sausage and hot peppers and brocoli rabe and the desserts and coffee and grapa to put in the coffee. I keep all the traditions and it helps me keep my parents memories alive. Eva thanks for the memories. I want to wish you both Buon Natale and Buon Anno. Thanks for the wonderful memories and the awesome laughs and video's. Keep em coming. Greetings from NJ. Love you both.
Buon Natale!
yes. beautiful times. rushing home or when i didn't work, getting ready for my Dad to come home. We all dressed up no matter what day it fell on (back then it was always best clothes!) and he would drive us to Jersey City to my Nonna's. I would love looking at the brightly colored lights and we would search for parking. It always felt colder like real winter.. Getting out of the warm car with coats and going into my Nonna's small apartment very hot from cooking and smelling like fried foods and fish!!! can't say i loved it then (not a fish person) but what I would give NOW to go back and redo it. She had 3 rooms and there were more than 15 of us. We connected tables and squished in her small kitchen. once you were in place you were in place. i remember not wanting to eat anything back then. now as an adult yes i like some of the stuff but its all gone.. the people. the love.. the foods then and how they were prepared and tasted. all gone. To all-savor every moment you have with your families. take pics, videos, talk. stay off your phones at the table. love one another. memorialize recipes if you have the older generation in every way you can (video, written, etc). once they are gone. it's gone. ❤
Memories of the same...if only we could relive them
@@rosannapizza6402 thank you for your comment. I felt like I was there with you in your story. Your Nonna's house sounds charming. You are so right. When the people are gone it's all over. I try to keep up most important traditions and know my parents and grandparents are smiling down from Heaven. My husband loves the traditions as well. Merry Christmas my friend and a happy and healthy new year. Stay safe.
@@graceinsinga5831 Grace Buon Natale to you and yours! ♥
Did you add italian parsley? ❤ I cried watching you make this. Its so much work! You're so ... there's no words to put the excellence and diligence and time efforts. I love Italy.You two are wonder-ment! Happy holidays and dreams of 7 fishes are dancing in your head. ❤
This is so amazing for me to watch. My mom is from Genova and my dad is from Pachino, but we are all in Canada, so we tried to blend Italian with Canadian Christmas my whole life. So we did the seafood on the 24th with my dad's side (which was ALWAYS big) and then we did ravioli on Christmas day AND turkey (but we never did cranberry sauce... That still confuses us!!)
Thank you so much for this video. Your videos always help me explain to my very Dutch-Canadian boyfriend why we do things the way we do 😂
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Eva's right! When I was a kid the Strufoli we made at Christmas were on the table into the NewYear! How I remember making them with my family. After cutting the little dough pieces from the "snake", we rolled them between the palms of our hands to make them into little balls, so our Strufoli were a little rounder, but other than that the same. We piled them like a mountain onto serving plates with the codette e ciliegie candite. The taste of that honey is sooo good 🎄🌟
I found the sprinkle bit so funny because that’s a 10% of what we put on struffoli in Naples ahahahahahahah my favourite diavolini on struffoli are the long white ones that taste like anice.
Nice video!
it's hard to find those here in USA.. the diavolini.. I remember the bakery near where i live used to have them in a big jar and use them for cookie trays ❤
Seriously
I used to help cut the strufoli when I was a kid…takes me back to all the wonderful Christmases as a kid…all the wonderful food. Miss it.
I only just started..."You need a large family." 😂😂😂 So true. Christmas for us was a minimum of 30 people. And you needed to start three weeks ago. 😂😂😂 Also true. My dad would order fish, cheese, chestnuts and everything at least a month ahead. I love it. Merry Christmas Eva and Harper!
Eva hai nominato lo stock, ora devi fare lo stock alla ghiotta.
Complimenti per gli struffoli.
Auguri a voi di buon Natale e di un Buon Anno Nuovo.
I have no reason to go to Arizona, but if Eva opened a restaurant I’d be on the next flight out. ✈️. Buon Natale to all!
YEP!
Love watching the videos, my fathers father was from Naples, so we had fried eels on Christmas eve. The were so good and tasty. My mother's side was from Calabria, a town called Sersale. My grandmother and my mother both made the Calabrian Christmas cake called a Pettenguisa,.It took a long time to make, and was a lot of work ,but it was so good. We all loved it every Christmas. My mother also made strufoli and something called" fried bows "with powered sugar,on top and taralli with fennel seeds.
Hi Steve, my maternal great grandfather was from Sersale. My maternal grandmother also made pitta nchiusa and pignolata every Christmas. I so miss those days!
Are the fried bows called 'chiacchere' ?
Eva…you bring so much happiness to my heart with all the dishes you have made that my family also made❣️ so, so many wonderful memories! We alone have 10 in my family! Mom did not know when to stop!😊 But my father was a definite Italian stallion!😂…….. We also had a little simple side dish we served among the many side dishes…was Italian Orange Slices…orange slices drizzled with olive oil and cracked black pepper. If Harper has not tried it, please make it for him! Merry Christmas to you both❣️🎄🎅🏻🎁. Thank you for bringing so much laughter and wonderful lessons from Eva. I hope Food Network will not pass on the opportunity for Eva to have her own cooking show!!! Much love💕
Buon Natale!
You two are fantastic, I have follow many of you dishes with great success. Thank you both for sharing all that you do.
I had to look up stocco, as I was shocked that there was this supposedly bad Italian dish. Turns out it's dried and salted fish (stokvis here in Flanders), and I agree with Eva: it's absolutely delicious! It's often sold on fish markets and at carnivals here.
On the other hand Harper also had a point. Here too you either love it or hate it. Many a time I've had friends look at me with disgust in their eyes as I was joyfully tearing into it. 😅
Eva you are so right you need a large family for Christmas! I am from Brooklyn New York, and I am half Italian half Puerto Rican second generation here in America. I am use to huge family gatherings… because my daughters and I have moved to California thankfully the church has become a family to us and I bought a touch of New York, Puerto Rico,and Italy with us, we had 72 people at our house Christmas Eve not only were all of these people blessed but we were I cooked for 2 weeks… I’m not happy unless everybody eats the house is noisy and there’s laughter…God is so good 😊🙌🏼Merry Christmas to you and your family 🥰🎄✝️
I loved the starting collage about what's like to cook for Christmas in Italy, happy holidays from Venice (where we cook somewhat less😅) !
You're right Christmas is family and friends with good food made at home Merry Christmas Eva and Harper
Happy Xmas guys, been watching every episode since near the start of your journey as pasta gammar and been a pleasure through the pandemic too. All the best to you two and your families have fun!!
Auguri!!!
My grandmother from Molise used to do struffoli a lot but she called them " ciciarielli"..
Being from Rome I would enjoy baccalá alla giudia and vegetables ( broccoli, artichokes, zucchine,etc) fried in a batter.... Unfortunately living abroad now but doing my best to keep up our family tradition!
Merry Xmas to you all and thanks for the great videos
Auguri
This video makes me even more sad that our Christmas feast was canceled for the second time due to covid19. :(
Making tortellini for 30-40 people is a huge production. We spend a full afternoon making them with 6 people. And that's only the first course of a feast that lasts throughout the entire day!
Thank you for the great video, Eva and Harper. :)
Why not have your celebration in a free state like Florida?
@@charlestait5303
FL population 21.5 million
FL Covid deaths 62,220
But California with almost double the population:
CA population 40 million
CA Covid deaths 75,917
Florida motto: Live free, die of stupidity
@@denisepaul7274 fine don’t see your family because of slight chance of getting sick! Jeeeeesh what a baby!
Awww i feel for You ! Where do You live ? Where i live , christmas party with familly is not a personal choice... its actually illégal for the second year because of COVID :(
@@charlestait5303 Not a baby, an old lady. And I’d like to grow up to be a very old lady. Charles, you, on the other hand, don’t care if I live or die.
My Sicilian MIL makes the Salt Cod in Olive Oil and onion. My Father in law and my self are the only 2 that like it. When she first made it and I loved it. I think that's when I was in the family.
Eva che spiega per due ore il Natale in Italia mi ha fatta morire dal ridere. Specie perché è metà settembre e noi stiamo già iniziando a pensare a come dividere i vari menù dalla vigilia all'Epifania 🤣
Eva makes everything look so easy. She's an amazing cook.
Thank you!
Evuccia del mio cuore insegna agli americani e tutto il mondo cosa vuol dire mangiare buono 😍😍😍
Ci sto provando!!
@@PastaGrammar ci stai riuscendo alla grande
Grazie!!!! ❤️❤️❤️
@@PastaGrammar prego zuccarata meee ❤️❤️
Cuari mio! ❤️
I Remember my Grandfather always made Smelts for the feast of the seven fishes… Love all of the Italian Traditions!!!
I got everyone I know addicted to your channel. Easter has more traditional fare in the Russian culture but my mom is German and she makes these awesome nut cookies and gingerbread for Christmas. We always have goose, Red cabbage and kartoffelglase.
Do you mean the potato klöse, the balls? They’re my favorite! Sometimes for Christmas I go visit my brother who lives in Germany:)
I love Eva! She makes me laugh! Harper, you put together great videos! You are a wonderful team. I love your cactus Christmas Tree.
Yay!!! Struffoli! Thank you for making one of our favorites!! Funny side note is that I actually eat them with powdered sugar instead of honey because that reminds me of a Polish dessert my grandma used to make us. Unfortunately, I do not remember what she called it but instead of little balls, hers were long ribbons of the same dough fried and dusted in powdered sugar. Thank you, and Merry Christmas!
The Yiddish name is teyglakh. Is it something like that?
Crusciki (in English angel wings).
@@andydzieciaszek586 That could actually be it? Sounds like it. Thank you!
😃