Zampone or cotechino served with lentils is what most Italians eat for dinner at New Year’s Eve. Zampone is a stuffed pig’s foot which has been deboned and filled with ground pork meat and rind mixed with spices, while cotechino is a large size sausage filled with the same type of mixture.

In Italy, the main reason for having a Christmas Eve dinner at home is to cook, eat and have a merry good time. In the USA, this is known also as the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Find the menu here.

Simple Delicious Italian Recipes is a great collection of Italian recipes written by Cinzia Aversa, Editor of the Italian Food website at BellaOnline.com.

Zeppole are a type of Italian fritters very popular for festivities like Christmas and Saint Joseph.

Pasta Frittata is a very quick recipe and can be made with leftover pasta and tomato sauce. If no leftovers, make a delicious “white” pasta frittata, like in this recipe.

Baccalà, or salt cod fish, stewed in a light tomato sauce with potatoes and black olives, is traditionally prepared throughout the South of Italy as part of the Christmas Eve dinner and for the Feast of the Seven Fishes in the U.S.

Risotto alla Pescatora, or Fisherman Style Risotto, with mussels, clams, calamari and shrimps, is a recipe traditionally prepared and served as first course during the Christmas Eve dinner.

Stracciatella alla Romana, Roman style egg soup, is a typical soup from the traditional Roman cuisine. This soup recipe is very easy and fast to prepare.

Fillet of Sole Florentine Style is a delicious Tuscan recipe and a great way to prepare a delicate tasting fish like sole.

Risotto with Pumpkin is another recipe from the Italian northern region of Lombardy. Rather simple, it is a perfect dish for the first chilly days of fall and a favorite for the entire season.