Christmas looks different for every family, but for the Rella family of La Famiglia Restaurant in Destin, Christmas is the embodiment of their entire outlook on life; food, festivities and above all, family.
"I love Christmas because you can get together like no other time of year," said Francesca Rella. "In Italy, we play a lot of games together and eat and eat and eat, that’s what we do. When I was younger we would spend three days without leaving my grandparent's house. My grandfather used to dress up and be Santa. Now, as an adult, I really love to see kids enjoy it, to see them happy, open presents and just all be together; that is my favorite part."
As only the second Christmas without the family patriarch, the late Pino Rella, Francesca said her and her sisters, Michela and Valentina, have bonded closely with their mother, Stefania. Christmas feels a bit different now, but Francesca said it still means time with family, copious amounts of food and long lazy days of festivities.
“All three sisters and both brothers-in-law and their families all come for Christmas. We all go to my mom’s house and invite friends that don’t have a family here and we always end up with 40-50 people," Francesca said. "Normally my mom starts cooking two days before Christmas and we have seven or eight courses of food there, that’s the Italian way.”
For those who don’t get a Rella family invite, or don't have an Italian mom on hand, Francesca said La Famiglia Restaurant offers a plethora of dishes to order and catering for holiday specials.
“Call us to set up catering because we like to talk to each customer to customize for their group size and dish selection,” Francesca said. “Our Christmas catering is all first-come-first-served so make sure you call us as soon as you can to order.”
When it comes to her favorite Italian Christmas foods, Francesca said traditional desserts are the best, hands down.
“We are from Rome, so for us, our traditional dessert is biscotti that we make from scratch,” Francesca said. “Tozzetti is the one that we make. We make them and dip them in the wine and eat it, that is one of the most traditional Italian things we make. We actually sell them by the pound.”
Ready to get a taste of an Italian Christmas? La Famiglia Restaurant is hosting a two day Christmas celebration on the evenings of December 20 and 21.
“We are going to have Josh Sirten and his Frank Sinatra tribute show and a special appearance of Santa Claus,” Francesca said. "We have this event every year, it's just a little taste of Italy for our Destin family."
Biscotti Natalizi
Ingredients:
2 egg yolks
1 cup unsalted butter
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
2/3 cup sugar
gel food coloring
candied cherries
shaved chocolate chips
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 320F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix butter and sugar. Add the egg yolks and vanilla. Beat well! In another bowl sift 1 3/4 cups of flour, baking powder and salt to combine. While the mixer is on low, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.
2. Add as much of the remaining 1/2 cup of flour to the dough to form a firm but sticky dough. Do not over mix! If the dough is forming a ball, add a few tablespoons of milk. Add gel food coloring now if you like.
3. Using a piping bag, form a line or an "S" shape, or however you would like your cookies shaped.
4. Add candied cherries in the middle of your cookies or chocolate chips before baking. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to the cooling rack.
5. Store in an airtight container in a cool place. Enjoy these traditional Italian holiday treats. Our family votes them the best cookies ever!
"I love Christmas because you can get together like no other time of year. In Italy, we play a lot of games together and eat and eat and eat, that’s what we do." said Francesca.