Providence Journal / Frieda Squires
Chef Kevin Thiele, of One Bellevue at the Hotel Viking, in Newport, suggests serving this Herb and Sea Salt-Crusted Bone-In Rib Roast with Truffled Steak Fries and Creamed Spinach.

Wednesday is Food-section day throughout much of the news industry. So Christmas falling on a Friday this year is awkward -- two days before the feast is really too late to start planning. In that situation, the Journal of yesteryear would sometimes publish the Food section on Monday.

But I'm ready to plan now, and Gail Ciampa, our Food Editor, came through Wednesday with roast recipes from three Rhode Island chefs as well as a passel of seafood recipes for the traditional Italian Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes. (I've devoted a separate post to recipes for that; if you're not Italian or Scandinavian, the closest you're likely to get to fish Christmas Eve is a bit of sauteed lobster.)

I was surprised to find most other Food sections this week holding off, focusing instead on food gifts, cookies and perhaps the (very optional) Christmas brunch. What's below are the early adopters, the first wave of Christmas 2009 recipes, many from top chefs in other cities. (if you want more, and want them now, many of last year's Christmas dinner links still work.)

Providence Journal: Grace the holiday table with a juicy roast includes Herb-and-Sea-Salt-Crusted-Bone-In Rib Roast with Truffled Steak Fries and Creamed Spinach, pictured at the top of the page, Roast Prime Rib of Beef With Shallot & Shiitake Mushroom, and Madeleine's Pork Crown Roast with Poppasquash Point Oyster and Cranberry Stuffing.

Denver Post: To your holiday rescue: A roast The roast is Breast of Veal Braised with Chiles.

San Francisco Chronicle: Christmas feasts that won't wear out the cook: Smoked Trout Rillettes, Oven-Baked Cioppino, Winter Fruit Salad With Maple Spice Yogurt, Egg Tartlets With Black Forest Ham & Gouda, Soy-Glazed Maple Yams, Roasted Cauliflower & Shaved Brussels Sprouts With Whole Grain Mustard Vinaigrette, pictured at right, Fennel & Herb-Brined Pork Rib Roast With Cherry-Fennel Relish -- and there are photos of each.

Toronto Globe and Mail: offers Chef Massimo Capra's Christmas feast of Roasted Stuffed Capon Wrapped In Bacon, Bigoli In Salsa Di Acciughe (hand-pressed spaghetti with anchovy sauce) and Panettone With Eggnog Zabaglione.

Associated Press: In keeping with the year's economic slump, they moved a meal you don't often see for Christmas dinner, a cheaper cut of meat: Ribs just taste better braised elevates short ribs with Guinness.

Chicago Sun-Times tapped chefs too. Season's eatings! Foreign-born chefs offer tastes of home offers some uncommon choices: English Mincemeat Pie, Moo Palo (Stewed Pork with Eggs in Soy Sauce), Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Apple Fennel Slaw.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer suggests Elizabethan Yuletide Feaste recipes: Wassail, and Mixed Greens with Dried Cranberries, Candied Walnuts, English Stilton and Roasted Garlic Balsamic Dressing, pictured at right.

Also, Slow-Cooked Mustard-Crusted Pork Loin with Vanilla Sweet Potato Puree, Sauteed Greens and Demiglace, Vanilla Sweet Potato Puree, Elizabethan Bread Pudding.

The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger: Chefs' favorite holiday recipes, Maple Pecan Buttons, Cranberry Chutney, Turducken Pinwheel, Wild Rice Pilaf, Eggnog, Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding with Frangelico Sauce, Frangelico Sauce, Pepper Crusted Beef Tenderloin, Ambrosia Salad.

Syracuse (N.Y.) Post Standard asks supermarket chefs, What's for Christmas dinner? The answers: Roast Beef Tenderloin in Red Wine Sauce, Harvest Vegetables, Roasted Yams, Roasted Cold-Water Lobster Tails with Bearnaise Butter, Green Beans Amandine, Latkes (Potato Pancakes), Cider-Glazed Carrots With Pumpkin Seeds.

Los Angeles Times: Christmas turducken: A whole lot of a good thing -- "The layered assemblage of chicken, duck, turkey and stuffing is a holiday entree your family and friends won't soon forget."

This bad boy starts with a boned chicken stuffed with dirty rice. (That's just a name, people!) Next comes a boned duck lined with corn bread stuffing. Then, you bone a turkey, but leave the wings and drumsticks intact. Line that with a pound of bacon -- just because we can -- and stuff it with andouille sausage stuffing.

Sew it all up like you mean it, and you've got yourself a turducken, which can take up to 10 hours to make, including roasting time, and weighs in at an unapologetic 900 calories per slice.

Finally, as a one-off, ABC News offers recipes from Nigella Lawson's new book, Nigella Christmas: Nigella's irresistible butternut orzotto and Chestnut Chocolate Pots.

Later: One more, an Easy feast from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, with recipes for Citrus Salad with Spicy Candied Walnuts, Brussels Sprout Chiffonade with Caramelized Shallots, Rosemary New Potatoes and Pearl Onions, Roast Tenderloin with Creamy Mustard Sauce or Horseradish Cream Sauce, Maple-Thyme Biscuits, Cranberry and Pear Crisp.