Our first Holiday Menu and a quick glimpse of the Holidays...

Holiday events are just around the corner - if not closer - and there's nothing that typifies a family gathering more than a nice, big spaghetti dinner (of course, ravioli are a perfectly acceptable substitute!). It never sounds all that enticing to have 15 people crammed around a table meant for 8. You kind of need to sit sideways just so that your arm has enough space to flex, and to provide a nook for your other arm to rest while nearly sealed to your oblique - unusable. You look around quickly, and everyone else looks the same - one-armed bandits wearing a smattering of faded red and green attire with the obligatory snowflake somewhere on them. But finally, you situate yourself right in the middle of the table for prime pasta real estate. It's about to pay dividends. Go ahead, reach out and get it started...You grab the over-sized bowl of fresh spaghetti, which may as well be a wash basin it's so big, and start pulling it towards you. And then -

Papa: Aspetta la nonna!
You: Dov'e lei?
Fratello #1: E al piano di sotto...*sigh*
You: Perche?! Ho molto fame!
Cugino: Porta piu salsa per Zio Giacomo.
Fratello #2: Ogni anno! Sempre lo stesso!
Papa: Sta' zitto!
Mama: Basta! Lei viene adesso...
Nonna: Giacomo -Che hai voluto? Ho dimenticato.
Tutti: Oh madonna...

And that's just the first course. Let the Holidays begin... :-)

Menu

Paste Ripiene / Stuffed Pasta

*Ravioli ai funghi: foraged Maine black trumpet mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, crimini mushrooms sauteed with shallots and butter, gorgonzola dolce, parmigiano

*Ravioli di porri: braised leeks and fennel from Level 3 Farm, ricotta, pecorino romano

*Ravioli di due zucche: roasted butternut and delicata squashes from Level 3 Farm and Goranson's Farm, mascarpone, parmigiano, nutmeg, and a dash of clove

*Cappelletti Romagnolo: creamy italian cheese (burrata), nutmeg, lemon zest stuffed in a "tortelloni" (no meat = cappelletti). This type of pasta is a traditional Christmas pasta that will be a small-batch production of Ancora Pasta due to the difficulty in procuring burrata. First come first served for ordering!

*Fagottini al I'Toscano: pear, pecorino romano, and ricotta "purses." We discovered these at our favorite restaurant in Florence, I'Toscano.

Paste Fresche / Fresh Pasta

*Spaghetti alla chitarra
*Linguine
*Mafaldine

Paste Secche / Dried Pasta

*Orecchiette (most likely these will be available as red pasta and/or green pasta, as well. We'll
color the pasta according to the season!)
*Pici
*TBA