Our Christmas Eve Dinner

Before

Spiced Panko-Fried Calamari with Hellman's mayo

3-way Gnocchi--Ricotta Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce, Basil Pesto, and Butter & Romano

Sopressatta, Gruyere, Country Olives, and crackers

Meatballs and Sausage Marinara

During

Meat and Spinach Lasagne 

Pork Loin Stuffed with Prosciutto, Spinach, Pignolia, and Wisconsin Fontina, with Roasted Fuji Apples and Shallots, Cran-Apple Glaze

Potato-Gruyere Gratin

Brown Sugar Sweet Potatoes

Caesar Salad

Villa Fassini Toscana Sangiovese-Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

After

Pecan Pie

Apple Pie

Ice Cream Pie

Fresh Whipped Cream for all...

Cappuccino and American Coffees

Frangelico

the Gnocchi are Isabella's holiday specialty.. She also made the Caesar Salad, Whipped Cream, and Pecan Pie.

Stephen made the Apple Pie!

Auntie Diane brought the fabulous Lasagne, Meatballs and Sausage

Mimi of course sweetened up the sweet potatoes...and brought me the Calamari tubes...

Amanda made the Ice Cream Pie

My lovely wife made the Antipasto and made the tables happen.

Salt your vegetables

I started with onions because I almost always start with onions, whether making a stock, sauce, stew, chili, soup, mojo, vinaigrette, aioli, remoulade, salsa, soffritto.....

Alot of the same rules of using salt when cooking onions apply to most vegetables as well. Notsomuch to kill the pungency as to bring out ALL POSSIBLE FLAVOR. Salt plays a key role in our enjoyment of food, as it is wakes up our taste buds quickly. One theory that I have is that the human body is very receptive to changes in salt levels, and your mouth is the main point of entry.....

Salt plays vital functions within the body....

There have been theories and opinions about where on the tongue salt is received first, with the bogus tongue map being the most popular.

No matter how you slice it, salt=flavor.

Salt your onions

OK here's the thing--you gotta salt your onions, ANY onions, garlic included, when you begin cooking them. You gotta lubricate them. too, with alittle oil in the pan. Actually this applies also to when you're not actually HEATING them, but when you want to soften them and take the edge off--i.e. when starting to make a vinaigrette...In that case, you don't add the oil until later. Salt the onions, and let them sit for a few minutes, then add your acid, and let it steep a few more minutes before adding the oil and other flavors. If you are making an emulisified vinaigrette with egg yolk, the yolk would be added just before the oil.

Not to say you need so much salt as to be offensive, just enough to start bringing out the moisture from the onion. Be especially careful not to use too much salt when making caramelized onions...

One exception to this rule is when using shallots in a wine reduction(beurre blanc), add the wine directly to the cold sliced or minced shallots then turn on the heat to reduce. Add salt later on as needed. This only applies to shallots, as they are sweet and not so pungent as other onions.

DO NOT put raw onions on a pizza. Always cook at least alittle first! (with salt of course)

The smaller that you mince or slice the onion, the faster the salt will bring out the moisture and soften the onion's flavor...

Other exceptions to the rule:

• I was taught to make fish fumet or consomme with finely robot-couped mirepoix, no salt needed.
• Chicken, Veal, Duck, Lamb stocks, larger diced mirepoix straight into the pot
• 'Pot Roast'-type braises where the meat will be cooked to death, the onion will have plenty time to soften

note: most of the time, when I refer to salt, I mean coarse Kosher Salt...

IF you're one of those people who LIKES raw onion, then disregard all of this!