Holiday recipes by chef Daniel Costa - The Tomato (2024)

A collection of recipes that celebrate the season

by Daniel Costa
photos by Steven Babish

We asked Daniel Costa, chef/owner of the Corso32 Group to create a collection of recipes for the holidays. Have the prosciutto and risotto one night and the soup followed by the tagliolini on another night; the salad followed by game hens for dinner with friends. “The recipes are quite forgiving and they play well with each other,” says Daniel. Pull these recipes into your repertoire for a season’s worth of delicious and luxurious meals.

Prosciutto with Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Walnuts and Parmigiano Reggiano
Simple, slightly acidic salads work so well with prosciutto. Easy to size up, use a handful of Brussels sprouts and a few slices of prosciutto per person. Substitute the sprouts with shaved fennel or thinly-sliced celery hearts if you like.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Roast a handful of walnuts on a baking tray for approximately seven minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Using a mandolin or sharp knife, thinly slice a handful of Brussels sprouts and place in a mixing bowl along with a few freshly-picked parsley leaves, a squeeze of lemon, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Toss to coat. Season to taste.

Arrange the thinly sliced prosciutto on a flat plate. Scatter the Brussels sprout salad over the prosciutto, top with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, roasted walnuts and freshly cracked black pepper.

Serves 2-4 (in photo).

Endive Salad with Pink Lady Apple and Roasted Almonds

Roughly chop the roasted almonds.

Add the vinegar or lemon juice, olive oil and salt to a large mixing bowl, whisk to emulsify.

Add the endive, apple and almonds to the bowl, toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and lemon juice. Transfer the salad to a platter. Top the salad with a few cracks of black pepper and a generous amount of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Serve immediately.

Serves 2 as a starter.

Celery Root and Pear Soup
The rinds of Parmigiano are a great way to build depth of flavour in soups and ragus. Try topping this soup with roasted hazelnuts or almonds for additional texture.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium sized pot over medium-high heat. Add the celery root, leek, fennel, garlic clove, ½ tablespoon of salt and sage. Fry until fully cooked and softened but not browned. Add the white wine, cook for 3 minutes or until the alcohol aroma has dissipated. Add the remaining ingredients and allow to simmer for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Remove and discard the Parmigiano rinds. Using a blender or hand blender, blitz the soup until completely smooth. Season to taste with more salt if needed. Serve immediately with a drizzle of high-quality extra virgin olive oil.

Serves 4.

Valpolicella and Treviso Radicchio Risotto
The richly-flavoured Valpolicella Ripasso from Veneto has both acidity and sweetness; it’s truly the backbone of this risotto. I love the texture and contrast of flavour from the slightly bitter Treviso radicchio. If possible, try sourcing Asiago Mezzano which is made in the same region as the wine and brings a delicious bite to the finished risotto.

Bring the broth to a gentle simmer.

In a separate medium-sized, heavy-bottomed wide pot, fry the onion and 1 teaspoon of salt in the oil over medium-high heat until softened but not browned. Add the rice and continue to fry for 1 minute stirring continuously. Add the wine, cook until reduced by 50 per cent, add a cup of the broth, continue to cook and occasionally stir until the broth has reduced by 50 per cent, then add another cup of broth. Continue this process until the rice is 75 per cent cooked. Stir in the radicchio and remaining salt. Continue to cook and add broth until the rice is just cooked, meaning it still has texture and slight give. Remove from the heat, season to taste with more salt if needed. Cover with a lid for 1 minute.

Serve in warm bowls topped with a little raw Treviso and freshly-grated Grana Padano, Piave or Asiago Mezzano.

Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a starter.

Tagliolini al Sugo d’Arrosto
Traditionally, sugo d’arrosto is made with the remaining juices from a piece of roasted meat. The meat is then served as a main course along with contorni. Whether you are following tradition or my method, the flavours are rich and deep and pair beautifully with Nebbiolo. Use osso buco cut or lamb shanks.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed, medium sized pot over medium-high heat. Sear the shank(s) on both sides until dark golden brown. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside. Carefully discard the remaining oil. Return the pot to medium-high heat along with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the carrot, celery and onion, fry until the vegetables are partially caramelized. Add the white wine, salt, rosemary sprig and black pepper. Allow the white wine to boil for 1 minute. Return the shanks to the pot. Add enough broth to cover the shank by 1 inch. Bring the liquid to a simmer, cover tightly with a lid or foil and place in the oven.

Allow the shank to braise for 3 hours or until just falling apart when touched with a fork. Allow the shank to rest in its braising liquid for at least 45 minutes.

Remove the shank from the liquid and set aside. Strain the vegetables and rosemary from the braising liquid and discard. Place 3 cups of the strained braising liquid in a medium size pot or large pan. Reduce the liquid by half. While the liquid is reducing, pull the shank meat into small pieces, and add to the reducing liquid.

Cook the tagliolini in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Using tongs, pull the tagliolini directly from the water into the pan of reduced braising liquid, along with the knob of butter and 2 tablespoons of freshly-grated Grana Padano. Stir or toss vigorously, to emulsify the sauce.

Serve immediately topped with more Grana Padano and a few cracks of black pepper.

Serves 2-4, depending on cut.

Roasted Game Hen with Pancetta, Rosemary and Saba
Saba or vincotto is made during the grape harvest season when mosto or grape must is plentiful. The mosto is slowly cooked, often with aromatics, until it is thick and syrupy. Saba is delicious drizzled over tarts or gelato but I also love it in savoury dishes like this one, where the sweetness contrasts with the salty cured pancetta. You can substitute any type of fowl such as duck, quail or pigeon for the hens.

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Cut each of the game hens in half. Season both sides with kosher salt.

Heat the olive oil in a medium, heavy- bottomed ovenproof pan over high heat. Carefully place the hens skin side down and fry until the skins are dark golden brown in colour, using tongs to check the colour periodically to avoid burning. Gently flip the hens and place in the oven for approximately 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven. Remove the hens from the pan while you make the sauce. Discard the frying oil from the pan. Return the pan to medium-high heat, add the butter, pancetta and rosemary, allow to fry until the pancetta is golden. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add the saba and vinegar. Return the hens to the pan, baste them with the pan sauce. Serve with a little freshly- cracked black pepper.

Serves 2-4 depending on size of the fowl.

Pecorino with Pear Marmellata
A classic combination found throughout central and northern Italy is young sheep’s milk cheese known as pecorino fresco and fresh pears. It is an incredible marriage of flavours. Making this simple pear marmellata preserves the fresh pears when they fall out of season. You can also make a delicious grilled cheese sandwich with the marmellata and pecorino inside.

Place the cubed pears, lemon zest and water in a medium sized heavy-bottomed pot. Boil for 15 minutes or until the pears are very soft. Using a blender or hand blender puree the pears and water to desired consistency, I prefer a fairly coarse texture. Return the puree to the pot along with the sugar and lemon juice. Cook over medium-high heat until thick and reduced, approximately 30 minutes. Place a spoonful of the marmellata on a plate and cool in the freezer for 5 minutes to check the consistency. If the marmellata is too runny continue to simmer until you have reached your desired consistency. Season to taste with more lemon. Allow the marmellata to cool. Store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.

Serve the marmellata alongside the young Pecorino.

Daniel Costa is the owner/chef of the Corso 32 Group. He finds speciality Italian ingredients like saba at the Italian Centre Shops.