Spice Up Your Christmas Eve and Christmas Feast with Seafood Fra Diavolo, Lasagna, Sicilian ziti and Cuban Fire!
Spice up your Christmas feast with these traditional classics. For your Christmas Eve feast, Seafood Fra Diavolo includes most if not all of your seven fishes prepared with a spicy marinara. Then, your Christmas day menu blends the best of our Italian and Latin cultures with a braised beef lasagna and spicy and citrusy Cuban pork loin. This is a pair of feasts fit for a king!
Traditional foods for Christmas
For many, the holiday feast includes a turkey with all the fixings, or a decadent beef roast. Our home is a blend of Italian and Spanish cultures, therefor our holiday feast is a bit different for many. For the Eve, the feast of seven fishes is the theme. We traditionally have a seafood salad followed by seafood Fra Diavolo or seafood paella.
Our Christmas Day feast must include a baked pasta dish. For the meat course, our pork loin has become a yearly tradition. The best part, any leftover pork can easily be turned into cubanos a day or two later!
Christmas Eve Feast of 7 fishes
Our Christmas Eve is influenced by our Sicilian heritage and always focuses on the feast of seven fishes. We begin with a seafood salad then followed by a main course of seafood paella or linguine Fra Diavolo with seafood
Juicy prawns, plump mussels and clams, delicate calamari and cuttlefish and possible a lobster tail bask in a fiery San Marzano based tomato sauce spiked with red chili flakes and garlic. Crusty Italian bread is a must to mop up every drop of this spicy masterpiece.
This recipe includes at least five varieties of seafood. The seafood salad puts us over the required seven for the feast. Other options include some fried shrimp or baked flounder. Click below for the recipe.
Seafood Fra Diavolo
Difficulty: MediumThis classic Italian meal is full of healthy high protein and low calorie shellfish. Combine that with a spicy and delicious marinara sauce served over a bed of fresh linguine.
Christmas Day Feast
For Christmas Day, our feast starts with appetizers, or antipasto. To start, imagine a colorful table laden with cheeses and crackers to nibble, cured meats for a savory bite, and a mix of classic apps like spring rolls and nachos. The second course of our Italian- Latin Christmas Day feast must include a baked pasta entree. Over the years, this included stuffed shells, baked ravioli, baked cavatelli, Sicilian ziti or lasagna.
Our Sicilian ziti recipe has become a family favorite, and a food blog hit! What’s the secret? It’s rich and satisfying, yet surprisingly light on its feet. Unlike most baked pastas, this recipe skips the ricotta. Why? Well, it can be a bit heavy, and frankly, not everyone’s best friend. The result? A dish you can pile high on your plate and still have room for a full Christmas feast!
Our lasagna, is a crash course in decadence. The San Marzano based tomato sauce flavored for hours while the beef braises into a delightfully tender accompaniment. The sauce is then combined into a traditional Sicilian lasagna made with ricotta, mozzerella and pecorino Romano. A dish truly worthy of a feast.
Click on the links below for the recipes to our Sicilian ziti and braised beef lasagna.
Sicilian Ziti
Difficulty: MediumA lighter version of baked ziti with a zesty ragu, sweet green peas, mozzerella and a crunchy breadcrumb topping.
Mom’s Braised Beef Lasagna
Difficulty: EasyIndulge yourself in this slow-cooked braised beef, beautifully layered, cheesy lasagna dish. An impressive yet still comforting twist on the classic.
The third course I focuses on a meat entree. This is where the Latin influence within our home takes over. Our citrus infused Cuban pork loin has become a yearly tradition. The loin is served with Spanish rice, roasted vegetables and ussually some pico, or hot sauce.
We always prepare a loin well oversized to ensure leftover. Why? Cubanos the next week with the leftover loin. Click below for the recipe.
Reimagine Holiday Cheer
This Christmas, let your guard down and let the holiday feast become a reflection of your unique spirit. Embrace the joy of culinary exploration. Experiment with flavors, celebrate diverse tastes, and create a menu that speaks to your heart (and stomach!).
So, gather your loved ones, break out the festive tablecloth, and raise a toast to a Christmas feast that’s anything but ordinary. If our menu suggestions help you try something new and different, please let us know. That is why we do this!
Bonus Tips:
- Share festive cocktail suggestions to pair with each course. A good Chianti is magic with the baked pasta!
- Use easy side dishes that complement the main flavors.
- Offer tips for prepping and cooking the dishes in advance for a stress-free holiday. Purhaps your guests can bring the sides?
- Please share their own non-traditional Christmas feast ideas in the comments.
Let’s make this Christmas a culinary adventure one bite at a time!
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