The Langhe Menu What to bring to the table at Christmas

What could be better than a warm and enveloping family atmosphere to experience Christmas lunch or Christmas Eve dinner together with loved ones?

For many who feel this way, there are others who prefer to peek at restaurant menus, book a table and relax, enjoying dishes prepared by others.

If you belong to the handyman category and are convinced that you want to put yourself to work for the well-being of your guests, here are the dishes that just can’t be missed on a Langa Christmas table!

Appetizers

Meat carpaccio “all’albese” is the classic dish found on our tables. Quick and easy to prepare: just spread it out or plate it in the desired shape, add a drizzle of oil, garlic, coarse salt and you’re done. Some people prefer it without dressing.

Two things you need to remember: it is important that the meat retains its rosy coloring, so watch out for the lemon that tends to cook it and the short amount of time that must elapse between purchase and consumption.

We complete the dish with a grating of White Truffle of Alba.

In pairing we recommend a Dogliani DOCG from Cà Neuva (Dogliani).

First courses

Agnolotti with roast sauce. We can accompany this dish with a Barbera from Cascina Gramolere (Monforte d’Alba) or an organic Dolcetto d’Alba from Giorgio Barovero (Monforte d’Alba).

The main characteristic of Piedmontese agnolotto, compared to other stuffed pasta specialties in the rest of Italy, is the use of roast meat for the filling and gravy as a seasoning.

According to the peasant tradition “of wasting nothing,” leftover meat was minced and mixed with vegetables and other ingredients to create the filling.

This is a first course that gets everyone on the same page, tasty and very flavorful.

The Seconds

Milk to soften the meat and finely pounded hazelnuts are the ingredients to flavor theveal roast. This is a recipe sure to be successful and of little effort in preparation.

The less you chop the hazelnuts blended into the mixture to create the accompanying sauce, the creamier it will be.

We accompany it with a Barolo from Sylla Sebaste (Barolo).

Cheese and Sweets

Toward the end of the meal, the traditional mixed cheese wheel accompanied by a delicate home-made cognà cannot be missed.

Mont Blanc and traditional Grandma’s Bunet are our suggested desserts paired with a glass of Moscato d’Asti from Ghiga Giovanni (Castiglione Tinella).

This is followed by the traditional dried fruits, (walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, cashews, pistachios, and almonds) and fresh fruits typical of Christmas: tangerines, pears, persimmons, clementines, and mandaranges.

Enjoy your meal, Merry Christmas, and remember that to find out about events in the area related to the holidays simply click HERE