Method

A dish of ancient origins handed down from generation to generation. A local specialty that, especially during the Christmas holidays, warms the heart and stomach: the Natalini in broth. The natalini or Christmas macaroni have a long format slightly wider than the Neapolitan ziti and are cut obliquely. Born in Genoa by master pasta makers have subsequently spread over the Ligurian territory.

They are served, on Christmas day, in capon broth without being broken. They can also be served in the broth obtained by cooking the genovese cima, or seasoned with the classic meat tucco. Eating Natalini during Christmas lunch is almost a good luck ritual for all the guests: in fact, it is used to crumble sausages that symbolize the ancient copper coins.  Even more ancient was the use to combine besides the sausages also the entrails of the capon (liver, heart, ridges) previously fried in Ligurian oil. The Genoese, you know, did not throw anything away and skillfully knew how to combine flavors, scents and colors in a very elegant way.