Celebrating Thanksgiving in Tuscany - turkey and mascarpone

November 9, 2:40 PM - by Serenella Leoni . When I was living in Viareggio, Tuscany, I did everything possible to maintain both my Italian and American traditions.  I wanted my two young sons, who were born in Italy but had dual Italian/U.S. citizenship, to learn about both cultures.  Besides, Tuscans welcome any excuse to celebrate, especially when food is involved. Italians are aware of Thanksgiving predominantly from this famous, all-American holiday being portrayed in movies, books and television.  They are very curious about a celebration that seems exotic to them.

I remember one year in particular when I invited two other Italian families to our home to help us celebrate Thanksgiving.  Both families had small children like ours, which made the gathering very fun and festive.

In preparation for this dinner, I needed to find all the necessary ingredients for a true American feast.  I needed a lot of things, including:

A fresh, free range organic turkey (is there any other kind in Italy?)
Sweet potatoes
Fresh Pumpkin
Fresh Spinach
Corn meal (substitute polenta flour)
Whole Wheat bread
Cranberry sauce: Oh, no!
Sour cream: Oh, no!
These last two ingredients were not available.  I contacted someone from an American military family who often bought me American supplies at the Camp Darby U.S. Army base in Livorno.  I was sure she could find me some Thanksgiving goodies at the base. She triumphantly returned with cranberries and cranberry sauce but alas, no sour cream.

My Tuscan creativity and determination kicked into gear.  I decided to try combining fresh yogurt (sour) with mascarpone cheese (rich and creamy).  After a few attempts getting the right proportion and balance, I was rewarded with an amazingly delicious result.

With all the makings for a great meal now in hand, I prepared turkey with bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, Thanksgiving sour cream fruit mold, vegetables, corn bread, salad and pumpkin pie.  I was a bit on pins and needles as these were all new flavors for the Italian guests.  I should not have worried the meal got rave reviews and we had a grand time. The little kids were fascinated by the turkey. And we will always have the memory of that Italian Thanksgiving meal.