A Unique Thanksgiving in Italy
In 2017, Virginia and I were invited to the 60th birthday party of a really nice guy named Luigi Di Martino whom I met at work. Luigi works for the Boeing Company and he periodically visits our factory to conduct supplier audits. Luigi lives in Rome. He’s also half American (his mother was popular radio DJ in Italy back in the 70’s). Also, his birthday happens to be on Thanksgiving day! Luigi was really excited about celebrating his 60th birthday and Thanksgiving together. He was making a “traditional” dinner and he wanted us Americans to to join in the celebration! Of course, how could we pass up the opportunity?
Consider this: Thanksgiving is a uniquely North American tradition. Most Italians know very little about it except, perhaps, that turkey is served at a big dinner. Also, the whole idea of “giving thanks” in this way isn’t quite as obvious or natural to Italians. Luigi had invited a lot of friends and family and I spent the evening explaining the history and traditions connected with the holiday.
In the end, Chef Luigi prepared a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner.
Just the Two of Us - Usually
Over the years, we Tandem Spirits have found ourselves far away from family and friends during the holidays. More often than not, I have cooked Thanksgiving dinner for the two of us.
This year the COVID situation is going to make Thanksgiving difficult for a lot of families who are used to a big celebration with the traditional dinner and all that goes with it. So, I thought it might be fun to share some of our past Thanksgiving dinners with you. I want to inspire you to “cook outside the box” and feel free to make something special and unique if you’re serving a smaller group of people or just the two of you!
Dungeness Crab Cakes and Asian Slaw
I prepared this dinner in Seattle in 2011. The seafood there is of the highest quality. The prawns are always sweet and succulent. Dungeness crab isn’t available here so I can’t make these crab cakes in Italy. This squash soup is the creation of Chef Kathy Casey and is one of my favorite recipes. You should try making it. The rustic apple pie is easy to make. You simply roll the dough out, put the pie filling in the middle and fold over the edges!
Seared Ahi Tuna and Stuffed Prawns
This was Thanksgiving dinner 2012. Once again, you can cook with some delicious, high-quality seafood in Seattle. Virginia and I love sushi which inspired this meal.
Cooking a Turkey - Like Riding a Bicycle
In 2018, Virginia and I returned to the U.S. for a 1-year assignment in Saginaw, MI where UMBRAGROUP had acquired another company. As November approached I was asked to roast a turkey for a Thanksgiving dinner at the Beatrice Baldaccin’s home. She is one of the owners of our company, so OF COURSE, how could I say no? Also, this was going to be a special day, because my sister Sheri and niece Debbie had come to Saginaw for the celebration.
I have to say, there are some things you never forget how to do and roasting a turkey is one of them. Even though I had not roasted a whole bird in many years, I was pleased when I pulled the turkey from the oven. It made me very happy to hear the reaction from the Italians, many of whom had never enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Of course, the Italians brought plenty of their own wonderful dishes and, yes, we ate way too much that day!!!
I’m not much of a turkey person, but God I miss those crab cakes!!!! 🤤
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