It's that time of year again!

Once the fuss of Christmas is over and done with, every Friday in January finds me at the counter of our local bar demanding of the owner “are they in yet?”  He knows what I mean.   Every time Vito mentions he is going to the bar at the weekend, I ask him to ask the same thing and warn him not to dare return home without any if they are there.  Vito always laughs at me, and sometimes pretends he forgot or didn’t buy any just to tease.  What are “they”?  They are these, “Bignè di San Giuseppe” as they are known in Rome.

Are they in yet?

In other parts of Italy they are called differently.  These cakes are made in two ways.  They are either baked in the oven, or there is a much greasier, richer, fatter and in no-way-low-on-calories fried version, which of course make the latter without a doubt the tastier option!  Believe me, to die for, and in my humble opinion, worth dying for!  Traditionally made to celebrate the feast of St. Joseph (he of carpenter fame), which falls on March 19^th, these cakes are not made at any other time of the year.  Thankfully celebrations seem to start earlier each year and certainly local bars and patisseries begin to stock their bignè by the end of January.  Our local bar sells them at the weekends, and this is what keeps me going during the flat stint after Christmas until spring arrives.  They are our weekend treat. 

They are our weekend treat

The bar owner orders the cakes from a baker in Albano, which has a well-deserved reputation for his wares.  Some places serve them with fillings that are too dense, or too rich or sweet, or the cakes themselves too greasy or even too dry.  However to quote Goldilocks, these “are just right”, (and believe me I’ve tried plenty).  The fact they cannot be bought after the festival ends does a lot to assuage the guilt of overdoing the calories.  I mean you can’t get them after 19^th March, so might as well have one (or maybe two) now.  Can’t have them later can you?  Not as if you are eating them all year round is it? (In which case I’d probably be all round too). 

Can't have them all year round

Oh and one other use I found for them the other day apart from eating them which ended up with us laughing hysterically in the street outside the patisserie in Rome where we bought them while waiting for my dentist appointment.  Vito had been teasing me mercilessly while he happened to be eating a bignè.  I don’t know what made me do it, but my hand moved upwards.  Folks they also make wonderful custard pies!  Smash one in someone’s face and they find they are covered in thick yellow custard. 

They make wonderful custard pies too!!

 Vito will, I’m sure, back me up on this as he was the one who got covered (yessssssss!!!!!!!)  Except of course now he’s threatening revenge L 

Christmas Lunch in the UK

Almost exactly one month ago, we were sitting down about to begin our Christmas Dinner.  It had been years since Vito and I had had a full-blown British Christmas lunch, and we’d been looking forward to it ever since our tickets had been booked.  We were not disappointed! 

Presents!!!

I found that Lisa had already been very busy even before I got up on Christmas morning, and the table was already beginning to look festive.   Her parents arrived a while later, and we decided to start the day off with opening all the presents “Father Christmas” had brought.  No-one it seemed had been forgotten J  The little pooch had a great time “killing” her new toys. 

Killing her toys.

 Then Lisa, her mother and Andrew got busy in the kitchen while we steered clear so as not to get under anyone’s feet.  Andrew decided we should formally start proceedings and opened a bottle of champagne,

Champagne!

 a lovely treat!  Our tummies soon began to rumble as delicious smells wafted across the room from the kitchen area, and by the time we sat down to eat we were starving. 

The table looked beautiful.

The table looked absolutely beautiful, with lovely candles, sparkling glasses and crockery and of course Christmas Crackers.  Crackers are an old British custom at Christmas.  They are put on the table, one for each person who offers one end to a fellow at the table while holding on to the other.  Then the crackers are literally pulled apart. 

Christmas Crackers

Inside there is a specially treated strip of card, which creates a small “bang” when the cracker is pulled.  Inside there is a paper hat, a small toy or ornament of some kind, and a (usually appalling) joke!  Pulling the crackers is almost the first thing to be done once people have sat round the table, and the paper hats are immediately worn,

Paper hats are immediately put on

 and often the jokes are read out loud, accompanied by loud groans when the punch line is reached.   Then the meal begins.  Usually a light starter is served as lunch is so enormous and it’s almost impossible to move after the main course.  Lisa had made a dish with asparagus and eggs

A light starter with asparagus

 to whet our appetite before we moved on the to the main business of the day. 

Roast Turkey

Roast Turkey and all the “trimmings”.   By trimmings we mean things like “pigs in blankets” which are little sausages wrapped in bacon,

Stuffing (left) and "Pigs in blankets" (right)

 and stuffing, that is made of onions and sage and which fills the cavity in the turkey, and then of course there are all the vegetables.  

Brussels sprouts, carrot and potatoes

Traditionally we have Brussels sprouts, and often roasted parsnips, potatoes and carrots.  Also served is cranberry sauce a traditional accompaniment to turkey, and also bread sauce, made from, you guessed it, bread.  One addition I was not expecting was that of Yorkshire pudding, which I have always associated with Roast Beef.  It was explained to me that in Yorkshire (where we were) the pudding is in fact served with all kinds of meat, and not just beef.  I am not exaggerating when I say the entire plate was to put it mildly, rather filling! 

Filling plate with turkey, potatoes, stuffing, pigs in blankets, carrots, parsnips, brussels, yorkshire pud, cranberry sauce, bread sauce, and not much room to put anything else!

Then came the “pud”, or Christmas pudding, a rich type of cake, made of dried fruits and served flambéed in brandy and accompanied with cream or a special type of custard.  In fact we were so full of food after the main course that we saved the Christmas pudding for the next day as none of us had space left for it. 

Christmas pudding

 Although Vito and I hadn’t had a proper Xmas dinner for years, we agreed afterwards that Lisa and Andrew had really done us proud.  It was well worth waiting for, and we enjoyed every moment we were with them.  Hope we can do it all again without having to wait another seven years though!   If you’d like to know more about Christmas dinner traditions around the world, click here.  You need to scroll down to read about the UK.  There is more on the origins of Christmas pudding here.