Thanksgiving in Italy

The day started just like any other traditional Thanksgiving:  I woke up and looked out the window at the Italian countryside.  Ok, maybe it was not so traditional - but we were certainly prepared to make the holiday as authentic as it can be in the middle of Italy.  

A few of us went to the local grocery store in the morning to search for all the items we would need for the foods that we would be eating if we were at home.  Surprisingly, most things were easy enough to find.  One surprising exception was bread, which all seemed to have a crusty exterior that doesn't quite work for stuffing.  Of course, the most important item for the day (wine) was in plentiful supply. 

Brian and his aunt were well prepared for the lack of turkeys in Italian butcher shops, so they ordered one in advance.  To my surprise, we ended up with a fresh one (so fresh, in fact, that it still had some feathers attached)!   

The centerpiece of our Thanksgiving dinner.

Nick also predicted difficulty in finding cranberries, so he brought a bag all the way from the US.  He was talking about how Massachusetts is a huge provider of the world's cranberry stock, so I did some research and  learned some interesting random facts about the cranberry:
-  It is one of only 3 commerically-grown fruits native to North America. 
- It is Massachusetts' #1 agricultural commodity crop and Massachusetts is home to 40% of all cranberry growers in North America.  (Who knew there was agriculture in Massachusetts?!)

Shortly after returning to the villa with groceries, the cooking activities had begun and the first bottle of wine was uncorked.  I am not much of a chef (I haven't even cooked a meal for myself since August), so I just took the role of prep and support.   

By mid-afternoon, Brian had suggested a hike in the hills around the villa, which was the perfect activity for me.  We hadn't done any physical activity since the marathon (4 days ago), so it felt nice to get outside and actually stretch out my leg muscles a bit.  Our task for the hike was to come back with a "table-scape" (too much influence from the Food Network), so we grabbed some leaves and twigs on the way back.    

Views from our hike

Doing some activity for the first time in 4 days.

Vineyards (post-harvest)

Throughout the afternoon, our kitchen was remarkably efficient.  Emily and Nick took the roles of head chefs and the rest of us stayed busy with various tasks and, of course, more wine drinking.  

Nick and Jason slice apples for the pie

Brian sautees leeks for something (gravy? stuffing?)

Paul prepares some sausage stuffing.

Emily prepares the brussels sprouts

Brian and Paul test the mashed potatoes. 

There was also a lot of hanging around with wine. 

Our Italian neighbors arrived just as the food was finishing and it was finally time to sit down and see if our cooking was up to standards.  It's hard to know whether Italians would enjoy traditional American dishes but I think the flavors are universal enough to appeal to almost anyone.  With a toast of champagne, it was time to dig in.  

Toasting to start the Thanksgiving Dinner

I was pleased to see the Italians not only filling their plates for one course but actually returning to the buffet for second helpings.  They obviously understand how to eat like Americans on this holiday.  

Here's a picture of the entire group at the table

After we finished eating, we even taught the Italians about breaking the wishbone.  The only tradition that seemed to be missing was an American football game, but I guess I can forgive Italian tv coverage for not offering this as an option.

2013 marked the fourth time I have been out of the country for Thanksgiving and, of all four years, it definitely felt the most like being at home.  (Last year in Istanbul, the only thing that reminded me of Thanksgiving was the fact that we were in Turkey).  This year, reminders of home were just what I needed and I'm thankful to my friends for making it happen.