Key Points
- Traditional Italian dishes such as lasagne, cannelloni, pannacotta and cannelloni are a must on an Italian Christmas table.
- Given the high temperatures, Christmas lunch can also incorporate seafood, prawns, smoked salmon and pavlova
- Wines to be paired include the best of Italian vineyards: Prosecco di Valdobbiadene, Chianti Riserva, Montepulicano d'Abruzzo and Moscato d'Asti
At Anthony Nania's home, Christmas is a special occasion to bring the whole family together and celebrate the best that traditional Italian and Australian cuisine have to offer.
The Nania family's Christmas dishes include traditional Italian dishes such as cannelloni, lasagne, cotolette al sugo and typical Italian Christmas desserts such as tiramisù, pannacotta and panettone.
Being in Australia, however, many of these dishes may seem a little 'hot' to many, so you can add some traditional Australian specialities such as seafood, prawns, smoked salmon and the inevitable pavlova with fresh fruit.
With a meal comprising up to 12 courses, the choice of wines must necessarily be well thought out. Sommelier Anthony Nania recommends starting with a light aperitivo with Aperol Spritz or with a simple glass of Prosecco di Valdobbiadene.
First courses based on pasta can be accompanied by rosé wines or pinot grigio, and then pinot nero, Chianti Riserva and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo for main courses based on meat.
For the desserts, we recommend Vinsanto and Moscato d'Asti, and to conclude and aid digestion, you can also put Amaro Averna and Limoncello on the table.
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