A Non Traditional Christmas Dinner

A standing rib roast Christmas dinner is one of my favorites.  

We have made it many times.  Prime rib, too....so delicious!  

However, I did not have the oomph this year to prepare and cook those beefy main courses along with the countless side dishes that must accompany such a grand meal. 

It just wasn't in me.  

The Christmas spirit was alive and well, but I longed for a different and yes, simpler meal. 

We were a small group this year, our family and my parents.  

They were happy to step off the beaten path, too, 

so we went Italian.  

Now this might be a traditional meal if your last name is Mariani, Piscatelli or Barbarino, but to us Benson's from the Old Country of Norway, hitting the pasta is a new thing at Christmas.  

My dad has a famed recipe for Braciole, which he reinvents every time he makes it.  

Essentially, it is a flank steak, pounded thin and then stuffed with pine nuts, hard boiled eggs, parmesan, spinach and a whole host of spices. 

It is then seared and then braised in his aromatic red sauce until the meat falls apart.  

This extravaganza is served over spaghetti pasta.  

This braciole will fill you up for days....with a smile.  

To add to this feast, I decided, not lightly, to attempt to make my Aunt Nancy's famous Rice Balls, 

otherwise known as Arancini in other parts.  

My aunt learned to make the most perfect and satisfying Italian food from her mother in law, aka "Nanna".  

Her rice balls were one of the most anticipated dishes served at Christmas.  

These tasty, baseball-sized orbs are made of seasoned ground beef with Romano cheese in the center, surrounded by cooked rice, lightly coated in bread crumbs and then deep fried.  

They sound heavy, but they are surprisingly light and very flavorful.  

Served with her famous red sauce and you are full and happy.  

Comfort food at its best.  

Never before have I had the courage or implication to make Rice Balls, 

but a burst of insanity compelled me to pick up the bag of rice and romano cheese at the store.  

With Aunt Nan's recipe in hand, I called her for moral support. 

She spoke in the quick short hand of an excellent cook, who rarely measures anything while cooking.  

"You will be fine, " she reassured me.  

So yesterday I took a deep breath, sent the kids off with their father and started.  

Much to my surprise, the process, while a little time consuming, was not as daunting. 

I worried that the making the "snowball" part of the recipe would cause me to have sticky grains of rice peppering my body like confetti as I tried to stick the whole mess together.  

Wet hands keep the rice in check.  

I worried that the ball of rice would disintegrate in the hot oil.  

It didn't happen.  

For sure the fried ball would become soggy while draining on the paper bags.  

Nope.  

Okay, would they taste okay on the next day?  

Sure did!  Success!  

While this is not a recipe for a Tuesday night before CCD, It will enter my repertoire for special events.  

Also for dinner we served a tossed salad, dinner rolls and a lovely trifle, compliments of Lucinda Scala Quinn of Mad Hungry.  

Traditions get passed in zigzags sometimes.  

Rice Balls went from Sicily, to Rock Island to Melrose Street.  

Fine by me.....

ITALIAN RICE BALLS

Ingredients:

1 lb Ground Beef

1 6oz can Tomato Paste, diluted with 1-2 cans water

Pinch Sugar

3 C Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs

Salt & Pepper to taste

Pinch Seasoned Salt

1 48oz bottle of Corn Oil

1 small Onion, finely chopped

1 C finely grated Romano Cheese

1 lb long grain rice

Prepare Rice according to pkg directions.  Let cool.  Fry onion until translucent.  Add ground beef and cook until brown.  Drain.  Return meat to pan and add tomato paste and 2 cans water, sugar and simmer until sauce is absorbed.  Sprinkle cheese on top of meat and cool.  Stir cheese into meat mixture. Rinse hands in cold water.  Cup hands and spoon 3 heaping tablespoons of rice into hand.  Pack firmly.  Add 2 tablespoonfuls of the meat mixture on top of the rice and add 3 more tablespoonfuls of rice on top.  Form and firmly shape into a "snowball".  Gently roll in seasoned breadcrumbs.  Deep fry in very hot oil until golden brown.  Drain on cookie sheets lines with brown grocery bags.  Serve hot with red sauce.  I recommend this marinara.  Can be made ahead and stored on parchment lined Tupperware airtight containers.  Refrigerate.