Home for the Holidays With Jack Carnavale

For Jack Carnevale and his wife, Andrea, owners of the Bedford Village Inn in Bedford, preparations for the holidays take on added meaning as they and their staff engage 100% in making sure that inn guests have a memorable experience.

Beyond attending to the comfort of his hotel guests — a never-ending to-do list — there is family to consider and how they will enjoy the holidays as well. That leads to the menu, which several of his family’s holiday traditions play into. With a nod to his Italian heritage, Carnevale created Trattoria Fondi, the cozy restaurant at the Bedford Village Inn named after Fondi, Italy, home to his Italian relatives on his father’s side. Surprisingly, the iconic Feast of the Seven Fishes is not the main course on the Carnevale family’s Christmas Eve or Christmas Day table. Instead, family favorites like spaghetti with clams are served, and the dessert always includes a simple ricotta cheesecake, tasty reminders that there is no place like home for the holidays.

Mary Ann Esposito [MAE]: What are some of your family’s favorite holiday foods, and how do you incorporate them with what is served to your restaurant guests?
Jack Carnavale [JC] : We usually start with lasagna as one of our main traditional dishes. In the past, my Aunt Vancy took the lead, preparing foods for 20 to 25 people that included many kinds of fish and seafood like spaghetti with clams. Our inn guests are treated to both traditional and nontraditional dishes, including a delicious pork belly.

MAE: How often are you able to cook at home, given your busy schedule?
JC: I am a serendipity type of cook — I never use recipes and like to use a lot of different spices to enhance what I am making. Even though I often eat in the restaurant, I like to get in the kitchen at home when I can.

MAE: What advice do you have for the home cook who might be overwhelmed by the thought of cooking for the holidays?
JC: Start planning early and don’t leave things until the last minute. Do as much food prep ahead of time. Do some research online to get ideas for holiday foods if you are at a loss, and keep the menu simple. You want to spend time with your guests and not be stuck in the kitchen.

MAE: Where did your inspiration for cooking come from?
JC: I fell in love with food and cooking in grade school and loved to bake with my mother and grandmother. My favorites were Wandi cookies, pizzelle waffle cookies and ricotta cheesecake.

MAE: Have you ever had a holiday food disaster?
JC: About six years ago, I had just finished cooking a crown roast for 12 people and left it on the table while welcoming guests. My two dogs jumped up on the table and helped themselves to that luscious roast! I had to scramble for something to serve and luckily had sauce and meatballs as a standby, and that became our main course!

MAE: Is there a particular family food tradition that you hope gets passed on for future generations?
JC: I hope the Old World traditions of my relatives will live on through my family, especially the foods that my Aunt Vancy prepared.

Spaghetti with Clams

 Serves 2

For Jack Carnevale and his family, preparing favorites like spaghetti with clams is an important part of their holiday traditions and a way to preserve the memories of times past.

4 ounces fresh or dry spaghetti
¾ pound (18 to 24) Manila or littleneck clams in the shell, rinsed and dried
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
½ cup white wine
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
Kosher salt to taste
2 tablespoons toasted breadcrumbs

Toasted Breadcrumbs:
½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon chopped parsley
Pinch kosher salt

Directions

1. For the breadcrumbs: In a small bowl, mix together extra virgin olive oil, breadcrumbs, minced garlic, chopped parsley and a pinch of kosher salt.
2. Toast the mixture in a small saucepan, over medium low heat. Make sure to stir. Toast until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
3. For the sauce: In a large saucepan, add ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil and the garlic, and cook over medium heat until the garlic begins to sizzle; add the clams and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in the wine. Cover the pan with a lid and allow the clams to steam open (about 1 to 2 minutes).
4. Once the clams have opened, save a few in their shells for garnish and pull the rest out of the liquid. Set clams aside and keep warm. Make sure to leave the clam liquid in the pan.
5. Immediately add the butter, lemon juice and crushed red pepper flakes to the clam liquid and turn off the heat.
6. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a pinch of kosher salt and cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain and combine the spaghetti with the pan sauce and stir the ingredients together until the sauce thickens slightly. Add the chopped parsley, and season with kosher salt to taste.
7. Divide and plate the spaghetti in each of two soup bowls or plates. Divide and add the clams on top of the spaghetti. Sprinkle the toasted breadcrumbs evenly over the spaghetti. Add a few clams in the shell for garnish. Serve immediately.

Ricotta Cheesecake

Serves 8-10

A Carnevale family favorite, this made-from-scratch creamy ricotta cheesecake is one of the dessert offerings on Trattoria Fondi’s holiday menu.

6 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Two 15-ounce containers whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Garnish:
½ cup toasted pistachio nuts
¼ cup wildflower honey
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
3. Separate the eggs, placing the whites in a large bowl and the yolks in the work bowl of a food processor.
4. Add the sugar and vanilla to the work bowl of the food processor and process until the mixture is thick and light yellow, about 1 minute. Add the ricotta and zest and process until smooth, another 30 seconds. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl.
5. In a separate large bowl, beat the whites on high speed with a handheld mixer until the whites hold stiff peaks. Fold the whites into the ricotta mixture and scrape it into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula.
6. Bake until the cake is a deep golden brown and the sides begin to pull away from the pan, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to let cool completely.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving, at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.
8. To serve, release the sides of the springform pan, dust with confectioners’ sugar using a strainer, and cut into wedges.
9. Drizzle the wildflower honey evenly over the wedges. Sprinkle toasted pistachios evenly over the top of each wedge.