The shift into cooler weather always brings my favourite autumn produce in Victoria. This week’s market haul was especially inspiring: vibrant cime di rapa, glossy artichokes, fennel bulbs, chicory, and beautifully firm heads of red radicchio—much sturdier than just two weeks ago.
Cime di Rapa with Italian Sausages
As soon as I saw the cime di rapa, I knew what dinner would be. I sautéed the greens with chilli-flavoured Italian pork sausages and tossed them through orecchiette with plenty of strong, salty pecorino. A classic, comforting Pugliese combination that never disappoints.
Cime Di Rapa
There were artichokes, fennel and even chicory for sale, and because of the colder weather the heads of red Radicchio seemed firmer than two weeks ago.
Fresh autumn produce from Victoria: chicory, radicchio, fennel and artichokes.
Lemons, Quinces and Autumn Baking
A dear friend dropped off a generous bag of lemons from her father’s tree—fresh, fragrant, and perfect for the quinces I still had from last week.
This time, I baked the quinces with honey and Tuaca, the golden-brown liqueur from Livorno made with brandy, citrus, vanilla and gentle spices. I added black peppercorns, cinnamon quills, star anise, a dash of vanilla, and slices of four large lemons.
The lemons caramelise into something like a crisp-edged marmalade: intensely flavoured and wonderfully sharp against the sweet quince. A modest splash of alcohol is enough, though a more generous pour would certainly be luxurious.
Yet again, I baked the quinces with different flavours. Honey as the sweetener and Tuaca from Livorno – this is a sweetish, golden brown liqueur, and the ingredients include brandy, citrus essences, vanilla, and other secret spices – probably ordinary simple cinnamon and nutmeg .
There was also a bit of water.
The baked quinces were fragrant, magnificent tasting and I enjoyed preparing them.
A Gift of Wild Pine Mushrooms
Another surprise was a delivery of saffron-coloured pine mushrooms (Lactarius deliciosus)—also called saffron milk caps—from friends in Red Hill. The small ones are beautiful left whole, while the larger mushrooms slice perfectly and become meaty and rich when cooked.
Holly our friends’ Cocker Spaniel, loves her photo being taken. She seized the opportunity for another photo session. She is a muse like photographer William Wegman’s photographic Weimaraner dogs.
Cooking the Pine Mushrooms
I cooked the mushrooms gently with garlic, parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary, a little nepitella, and a splash of white wine. The result was a deeply savoury sauce that paired beautifully with freshly made egg tagliatelle.
THE COOKING OF THE MUSHROOMS AND THE HOME MADE TAGLIATELLE
Homemade Pasta: Simple and Satisfying
Making pasta at home is easier than many people think—just 100g of flour per egg.
For two people (with a small portion leftover), I used 300g of durum wheat flour and three eggs:
Place the flour in a bowl and make a well.
Add eggs and a pinch of salt.
Bring the mixture together with your fingers.
Knead into a smooth dough.
You can also use a food processor—mix until the dough looks like breadcrumbs, then gather it into a ball with your hands.
I divide the dough into three pieces, wrap them, and rest them in the fridge for an hour. Rested dough passes much more easily through the pasta machine. Flatten slightly and roll several times before cutting into tagliatelle.
Freshly rolled egg tagliatelle made with durum wheat flour.
JUST TO SHOW OFF
This week I also made a rustic pasta from rye flour, rolling it between sheets of baking paper and cutting it into simple strips. Earthy, quick, and very satisfying.
Sauces are one of the easiest ways to expand your Christmas repertoire and brighten up your Christmas without changing the core of your menu. Whether your table is seafood-focused, meat-heavy, vegetarian, or a mix of all three, a thoughtfully chosen sauce can bring freshness, complexity and colour.
Because one of the books I’ve written is Sicilian Seafood Cooking—and because my blog is called All Things Sicilian And More—many readers assume that my Christmas table must be strictly Sicilian. It’s a lovely assumption, but like most Italian traditions, the reality is far more regional, varied, and personal.
Buon Natale, and happy cooking!
What Do Italians Eat at Christmas? It Depends Where You Live
Italy has no single “national” Christmas menu.
Food traditions shift dramatically from region to region, and even from town to town.
When I lived in Trieste (in the north), Christmas Day always began with brodo—a clear, comforting broth that signalled the start of a long, leisurely lunch.
Years later, celebrating Christmas in Sicily, the menu was completely different. First courses would be gnucchiteddi (tiny hand-rolled gnocchi) or delicate ravioli di ricotta scented with cinnamon, sugar, and local cheese.
Even within Sicily—an island smaller than Tasmania—the diversity is astonishing.
Christmas in Ragusa always meant scacce: layered, folded pastries filled with vegetables, ricotta, sausage, tomato, or combinations of all three. They remain a staple of festival tables.
Scacce.
Would Sicilians in Australia be making scacce for Christmas? Perhaps some from Ragusa will—but most Sicilian-Australian menus are shaped by a mixture of regional traditions, personal favourites, and of course the Australian summer.
People often ask what I’ll cook for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. The honest answer: I rarely know until the last minute.
On Christmas Eve, I usually follow Italian custom and eat fish.
On Christmas Day, I like to cook something special that I haven’t made for a while—perhaps pasta with sea urchin (ricci), bottarga, squid ink, crayfish, or crab.
There are many posts on this blog that delve into Christmas dishes from Sicily and other regions of Italy—feel free to explore and adapt them for your own festive table.
But this post is not about planning an entire menu. Instead, it’s about something more universal – Sauces.
Whatever you’re serving this year—seafood salad, roast turkey, grilled vegetables, barbecued meat— a fresh, vibrant sauce can instantly transform a familiar dish into something festive.
Essential Sauces and Dressings for Christmas
Below are some of my favourite sauces—Italian, Sicilian, and beyond—that can brighten any Christmas spread.
Highlight sauces include:
Salsa d’Agresto – medieval green grape and nut sauce for roasted meats
Salsa Verde – Italian parsley, anchovy and caper sauce for vegetables, fish or cold meats
Sicilian Sarsa di Chiappareddi – capers, anchovies and olive oil for grilled fish
Bagna Cauda – warm garlic and anchovy dip for mixed vegetables
Salmoriglio – Sicilian lemon and oregano dressing ideal for BBQ seafood
Homemade Mayonnaise – classic, saffron or tuna versions for cold dishes
Romesco Sauce – roasted peppers and almonds for fish and vegetables
Salsa Saracina – sweet-and-savoury Sicilian sauce with olives, pine nuts and saffron
Hot Mint Sauce – mint, cumin and vinegar for lamb or goat
Use these sauces to lift any Christmas meal—seafood salad, roast turkey, summer vegetables or a simple backyard BBQ. A fresh sauce can transform your festive table.
Salsa d’Agresto (Green Grape Sauce)
A medieval sauce that predates the widespread use of lemons. Traditionally, it relies on the tart juice of unripe grapes (agresto).
It dates pre-Renaissance time and went out of fashion because lemons became popular in cooking and superseded the use of green grape juice. The recipes suggested that the juice of the green grapes can be extracted by using a mouli or a juicer.
Walnuts and almonds are blanched to remove as much skin as possible. My sources indicated that there may have been more walnuts used than almonds in these sauces.
Today you can substitute: verjuice or dry white wine
Key ingredients:
blanched walnuts and almonds
onion, garlic, parsley
breadcrumbs for body
a touch of sugar
enough agresto/verjuice to form a soft paste.
Onions, garlic and parsley and a few breadcrumbs are pounded together with the nuts. Add a bit of sugar, some chopped parsley and sufficient grape juice to make the amalgamated ingredients soft – like a paste.
Heat these ingredients and add a little broth as the sauce will thickened because the bread crumbs.
Warm gently and thin with broth as needed. Perfect for roast meats, especially pork, chicken or turkey.
Salsa verde can be used to jazz anything up – vegetables, roasts, cold meats, smoked fish, crayfish etc. I sometimes use it to stuff hard boiled eggs (remove the yolk, mix with salsa verde and return it to the egg).
Parsley, anchovies, capers, green olives and good olive oil form the backbone of this lively sauce.
Sarsa di Chiappareddi (Sicilian Caper and Anchovy Sauce)
There may be times when an accompanying sauce for fish cooked in various ways will bring you greater compliments.
Salted capers need to be soaked and rinsed well before use.
The sauce is called sarsa di chiappareddi in Sicilian. Salsa con capperi in Italian.
A beautiful sauce for grilled, baked or fried fish.
What makes it special: high-quality extra virgin olive oil, capers and anchovies from Sicily a fresh, herbal perfume released the moment cold sauce meets hot fish.
Bagna Cauda, translated as “hot bath,” is a dip for any combination of firm vegetables – cooked or uncooked.
A warm, deeply savoury dip from Piedmont. Traditionally served in a communal pot surrounded by:
raw or cooked fennel
carrots
celery
cauliflower
peppers
Made from:
garlic
anchovies
butter
sometimes a little olive oil
It is a hot sauce and it is most essential to use quality, extra virgin, olive oil. This is especially important for cold sauces, – when the cold sauce hits the hot food, the fragrance of the oil will be strongly evident.
Originally from Tarragona in Catalonia, though many mistakenly think it is Roman because of the name.
Excellent with:
This sauce is usually associated as a condiment for shellfish and fish. It is also good with eggs and grilled and roasted vegetables (especially cold, left over ones that need dressing up the next day).
Recently, I have been to two restaurants and this sauce was presented with cold asparagus.
Often used with fish, but versatile enough for grilled vegetables, cold meats, or even room-temperature salads.It is sweet-and-savoury in the most Sicilian way.
This is a recipe from Sam and Sam Clark’s Casa Moro, The Second Cookbook. I first had this sauce at a friend’s house accompanying roast goat. I too had this book.
it is a Middle Eastern-inspired sauce that pairs beautifully with:
roast goat
lamb
grilled meats
Made with:
mint
cumin
garlic
red wine vinegar or balsamic
Vibrant, earthy, and excellent for outdoor summer meals.
There are many other posts on this blog that delve into Christmas dishes from Sicily and other regions of Italy. Whether you live in a cold or hot country explore the content and adapt them for your own festive table.
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