CHRISTMAS AT CHIARA'S

It's always a pleasure to dine at Chiara's house and to do so on Christmas Day was very special indeed.

There were all sorts of antipasti, including these ham and cheese puffs

and my friend Linda's perfectly formed aita [chard] pasties:

Being allergic to fish, I had to pass on the salmon but I'm sure it was delicious:

Then there were cestini [baskets] di pasta. I must remember to get the recipe for these!

There were pork chops

 and, of course, turkey:

There were lots of desserts, too, including these lovely, gooey pastries

and chocolate salami:

And it wouldn't have been Christmas without a tronco!

I made and took along this Christmas cake. [It's Nigella's "Incredibly Easy Chocolate Fruit Cake" recipe and yes, I'm still a fan.] I used dried cranberries for some of the fruit content. Christmas cake is largely wasted on Sicilians, who have a peculiar aversion to dried fruit, but the British contingent ate it and I'm going to keep making it anyway because I like the aroma as it cooks and it's pretty.

Oh! I almost forgot to tell you I wore my subtle Christmas angel earrings, which I'd found in Catania the week before. They were quite a hit!

Grazie per la festa, Chiara.