Christmas Dinner Recipes

If you haven't seen my post on the prime rib, I HIGHLY recommend checking that out. That was definitely the star of the meal! However, the rest of the meal should not be dismissed. My idea was to combine a little of my mom's tradition, prime rib roast (cooked my way), and a little of my own Italian flair. The result was well-received and I'm pretty sure I solidified the new traditional McFarland Christmas dinner. So here we go, my take on Christmas...mushroom risotto, vegetable parmigiana and roasted acorn squash soup.

Mushroom Risotto (Serves about 4)

4 Tbls butter
2 Tbls EVOO
1 large (or 2 small) shallots, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, diced
About 2.5 cups mixed mushrooms, sliced (I used a combo of button, baby bella, shitake and oyster mushrooms)
3 large handfuls risotto
About 1 cup dry white wine (I used chardonnay)
About 2 cups chicken broth
2 handfuls grated parmiggiano reggiano
Salt and pepper

In a large pan or wok, heat butter and EVOO over medium heat until butter is melted. Add shallots and garlic and saute until translucent. Add mushrooms and saute until soft. Add risotto and saute about 5 minutes, until edges are translucent. Add 1/2 wine and stir until absorbed. Add other half of wine and stir until absorbed. Add chicken broth about a 1/2 cup at a time, each time waiting until it is absorbed to add more. Should take about 5 minutes with each 1/2 cup. Once risotto is cooked through, al dente, add parmiggiano. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Vegetable Parmigiana

1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch slices
4 small zucchini, cut longwise into 1/4 inch slices
1 yellow onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 fennel (bulb only), cut into 1/4 inch slices
3.5 - 4 cups marinara sauce (I recommend my recipe but if you must, use any you like)
1 block mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
About 1 cup grated parmiggiano reggiano
EVOO
Handful of breadcrumbs (You can toast a few slices of leftover bread and process to crumbs in a food processor)

Preheat oven to 450. Arrange eggplant on a baking sheet and drizzle with EVOO. Roast in oven for about 10-15 minutes, until soft. Do the same for the onion and fennel. In a large casserole dish, start with a layer of eggplant. Cover the eggplant with sauce, using about 1/3 of it. Sprinkle with parmiggiano. Layer with slices of mozzarella. Next, make a layer of onion and fennel. Layer with more sauce, then parmiggiano, then mozzarella. Lastly, layer with slices of zucchini, then rest of sauce, rest of parmiggiano and mozzarella. Top with breadcrumbs and bake about 15-20 minutes, until hot and bubbly and cheese is melted.

Roasted Acorn Squash Soup

2 acorn squash
4 shallots
3 cloves garlic
1.5 cups chicken broth
2 Tbls butter
1/2 ts cumin
1/4 ts allspice
1/4 ts nutmeg
Handful of grated parmiggiano reggiano
EVOO
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450. Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Discard seeds. Place 4 halves of squash on a baking sheet, cut side up. Take 3 shallots and cut into quarters. Cut garlic cloves in half. Divide 3 cut shallots and garlic cloves among squash and put in hole where seeds were scooped from. Drizzle with EVOO. Roast in oven about 25 minutes, until flesh is soft. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Meanwhile, dice fourth shallot and saute in a large saucepan with butter over medium heat until soft and translucent. When squash is cooled, scoop out flesh and put in a blender with shallots and garlic from centers. Add the shallots sauteed in butter, along with chicken broth. Puree until smooth. Pour into saucepan used to saute shallots. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in cumin, allspice, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Add parmiggiano and continue cooking over medium heat about 15 minutes until cheese has melted and blended well.

I topped the soup with a sprinkle of parmiggiano. Would also taste great with homemade croutons or crusty bread.