For Christmas, La Penna makes a few key dishes that are staples in his family, like panettone. — AZMAN GHANI/The Star
For Italian chef Stefano La Penna, growing up in his hometown of Abruzzo in Italy meant an annual Christmas celebration that was always centred around family and food.
“The most beautiful Christmas memories I have from when I was little are spending time with family and connecting over food.
“So in most Italian families, the morning starts with the mother, the grandmother, or the son – whoever wants to help – all getting together and cooking for a big football team of guests.
“And then we normally have Christmas lunch at 12pm and continue eating until about 5pm or 6pm, with maybe a 30-minute break and then we come back to eat again!” says La Penna, who is now the chef behind Kuala Lumpur’s hugely popular Natalina Italian Kitchen.
Christmas in Italy often varies depending on where Italians originate from. Some things are perennial, though – for example, 8 December is the day that the Christmas tree is mounted in most Italian homes, to commemorate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
Celebrations in Italy also often feature nativity scenes, as this tradition originated in the nation. On the food front, Christmas Eve meals are often vegetarian, while Christmas Day itself is a day of feasting on everything from pasta to panettone.
La Penna grew up in Abruzzo, Italy and says his fondest memories of Christmas were being surrounded by family and food. — Photos: AZMAN GHANI/The Star
For La Penna, his Christmas celebrations growing up were all about the region’s famous produce. Abruzzo is surrounded by national parks and is one of the greenest regions in Europe. It is also bordered by the Adriatic Sea, which is why seafood is a prominent feature on most Christmas menus in the region.
“For Christmas, we eat a lot of seafood, like red prawns. So now I make a more modern starter that reminds me of home, a red prawn carpaccio with a simple red pepper sauce,” says La Penna.
La Penna’s prawn starter is both simple and yet phenomenally good – the prawns are slightly sticky and fluffily soft and this freshness is accentuated by the capsicum sauce, which gives it a rich, vibrant overcoat.
Part of La Penna’s Christmas menu also includes a tortello dish. Tortello is a rounded Italian stuffed pasta similar to tortellini. In La Penna’s case, he stuffs the pasta with chicken and vegetables and then drenches it in a homemade chicken broth infused with porcini mushrooms. It’s marvellously rustic fare that pays homage to the land that he grew up in.
“Porcini mushrooms grow around the mountainous area in Abruzzo. You can actually go foraging for the mushroom when it is in season,” he says.
Saffron is prized in La Penna's hometown in Abruzzo, which is why he makes this dish of coral trout with saffron. — AZMAN GHANI/The Star
Since Abruzzo is surrounded by the coast, La Penna says fish is typically something that most Italians in the region have for Christmas. La Penna, for example, makes a coral trout with saffron, another ingredient that Abruzzo is famous for.
“In Europe, Abruzzo is known for its high-quality saffron – it’s very expensive but is an important export,” says La Penna.
Like most Italians, La Penna says no Christmas is complete without Italian panettone, a domed-top sweet bread that originated in Milan and has since become a holiday staple throughout the country.
La Penna’s iteration is served alongside homemade mascarpone cream and is fabulous – the bread sweet and doughy and the cheesy sauce rich and textured.
“Panettone is served everywhere in Italy, and it is filled with candied fruits and raisins, and we finish it off with some cocoa powder to add a touch of bitterness because it’s too sweet otherwise,” says La Penna.
Ultimately though, La Penna says his recipes for these dishes reflect both his childhood memories as well as the ways in which he has grown as a chef.
“These are more modern takes on classic recipes that are familiar and comforting. In terms of the difficulty of making these dishes on a scale of one to 10, I would say it’s quite easy, especially if you buy ready-made options. But like most things in life, the more you do it, the better you’ll get at perfecting these delicious Italian dishes,” says La Penna.
PANETTONE MASCARPONE
- 1 store-bought panettone
- 150g mascarpone cheese
- 150g sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
To make
Slice the panettone into quarters and bake for 3 minutes in the oven at 160ºC.
Meanwhile start to whip the mascarpone with the sugar and once fully immersed, add one egg yolk until the egg is well absorbed. Move the cream to a piping bag and leave in the chiller to rest.
To plate
Put a slice of panettone in the middle of the plate, add the mascarpone cream on the side or on the top and finish with a touch of cocoa powder for decoration.
CARPACCIO E GAMBERI
- 50g Argentinian red prawns
- 1 slice sourdough bread
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt to taste
- zest from half a lemon
For the sauce
- 100ml water
- 85g sugar
- 230g red capsicum
Peel and devein prawns (ensure they are very, very fresh), then place between 2 sheets of parchment paper and gently smash the prawns until they break down slightly.
For the red sauce, boil water and sugar together until boiling (100ºC) and add the capsicum. Cook for a few minutes until the capsicum softens, then blend and strain the mixture until you get a silky texture. Set aside.
Bake a thin slice of sourdough until crispy.
To plate, place the prawn carpaccio to form a square or round shape, then drizzle extra virgin olive oil over this, followed by a pinch of salt and lemon zest. Decorate with the sauce and top with the crispy bread.
TORTELLI IN BRODO
For the broth
- 1kg chicken bones and neck
- 1 piece chicken breast
- 100g celery
- 100g carrot
- 100g white onion
- 50g porcini mushrooms
For the pasta dough
- 5 eggs
- 650g semolina flour
To make chicken broth
In a casserole pot, gently sauté the chicken bones and neck until golden brown.
Add cold water to cover the bones by roughly 3 times their height.
Add the chicken breast and all the vegetables (except mushrooms). Bring to a gentle simmer (do not allow to reach a roiling boil).
Once the broth is simmering, add the porcini mushrooms and let them infuse in the broth while it cooks.
Simmer for at least 1.5 hours over low heat, skimming if needed. Season with salt and pepper.
Strain the broth, keeping the broth, chicken breast, vegetables and porcini. Discard the bones and neck.
To make stuffing
Blend the cooked chicken breast, vegetables, and porcini until smooth. If the mixture feels too dry, add a small amount of broth while blending.
The stuffing should be thick, not watery (it will firm up further once chilled). Transfer to a piping bag and rest in the chiller.
To make dough
Place the semolina flour in a stand mixer (KitchenAid) fitted with a dough hook.
Add the eggs and mix until the dough becomes compact and smooth.
Wrap in plastic film and rest in the chiller for 1 hour.
To make tortelli
Roll the dough using a pasta machine (laminator) or rolling pin until it is thin. Cut into rounds.
Pipe a small amount of stuffing into the centre of each round.
Fold and seal to form a tortello, pressing firmly to remove air and ensure a tight seal.
Cook in boiling salted water for 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside.
To plate
Pour the hot chicken broth into a bowl. Add the tortelli. Finish with fresh Parmesan and/or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
