Thursday,
December 14, 2006
Are you Ready for "Cena della Vigilia" or "The Feast of the Seven Fishes."
The
ANNOTICO Report
"The
Cena della Vigilia", the dinner of the vigil, commonly referred
to by Italian Americans as "The Feast of the Seven Fishes" the
Christmas Eve traditional meal, is Celebrated throughout
Opinions
differ as to its origins or the number of dishes to be prepared, but most agree
that a minimum of seven different fishes, representing the seven sacraments of
the Catholic Church, is a symbolically accurate starting point.
Italians
Celebrate Christmas Eve with the Bounty of the Sea
By Christina Longo
Special to the SPI
Wednesday, December 13,
2006
I grew up by the
Jersey shore and later in coastal
Even as a child,
I found the aromas of fresh seafood, the damp boardwalk underneath, and the
salty breeze wafting from the bay comforting and appetizing. Most weeks, my
mother would select a fillet of flounder or cod -- whichever mild,
white-fleshed fish was freshest -- but once a year the trip to market yielded
parcels far more exotic: fresh shrimp, succulent sea scallops, silvery smelts
with their heads still on, a mysterious wooden box of dried salt cod.
The occasion was
Christmas week, and the upcoming celebration of La Vigilia,
the multicourse seafood feast that is a beloved
Christmas Eve tradition for Italian American families.
Celebrated
throughout
In our home, my
mother prepared a wide variety of dishes for our family of six, some tailored
to the finicky palates of four young children, such as fried shrimp, scallops,
cod and spaghetti with a sweet shrimp marinara sauce. (I admired but didn't
consume those whole smelts, their eyes still visible through a thin layer of
breading, until my teen years.)
Since moving to
Most important to
the tradition of La Vigilia is that the fish chosen
is the best of what is available locally. The meal should be easy to execute --
ideally, some courses can be prepared in advance and the labor of others can be
distributed among your guests. As with most Italian holiday gatherings, the
food is served family style, and the feast is drawn out over several hours.
This allows the focus to remain on the social and religious customs of the day,
freeing the cook to relax and mingle with friends and family (this isn't always
the case with Italian mothers, but we help out however we can).
Of course, no
Italian feast would be complete without a sampling of dolci
to round out the menu. The proverbial sugarplum we dreamed of all year was
Neapolitan struffoli, or what we kids referred
to as "honey balls, little fried balls of dough coated with warm honey,
addictively sticky and celebratory. The table included Mom's homemade Christmas
cookies, fresh and dried fruit, nuts, and coffee with Sambuca
for the adults.
This year, I
created a menu that marries the best of my Southern Italian heritage with my
favorite things about cooking and eating in the Northwest. My guidelines were
simply seven fishes and the freshest and most local ingredients, with a few
concessions: Italian Prosecco (although Northwest
sparkling would be just fine), blood oranges, canned tomatoes and previously
frozen (but impeccable)
Buon Natale and buon appetito!
BACCAL@ SALAD
SERVES 8
Soak salt cod covered in
fresh water 24-48 hours, changing water twice.
Cook fish in gently
simmering water until it flakes easily, then cool to
room temperature.
Shred cod by hand into
small pieces and place in bowl. Add sliced onion, garlic, olives, olive oil,
vinegar and parsley. Mix and refrigerate to blend flavors; toss again and
adjust seasoning as needed.
NOTE: Prepare this salad a day ahead to allow the flavors to blend and
adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve accompanied by crostini,
crackers or salad greens.
FRESH SHUCKED OYSTERS WITH
BLOOD ORANGE-PROSECCO GRANITA
SERVES 8
Squeeze the blood oranges
and strain juice through a fine sieve, measure after straining. Stir Prosecco into juice. Add
To serve: Prepare a large
platter with crushed ice sprinkled with salt. Freeze a small serving bowl, and
nest it in the center of the ice. Shuck the oysters and place on the ice around
the bowl. Add the granita to the bowl and garnish
with additional blood orange and lemon wedges.
NOTE: Choose local
SPAGHETTI WITH SHRIMP
MARINARA
SERVES 8-12
In a large saucepan, warm
the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute
1-2 minutes. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Stir well, cover,
and bring up to a simmer. When sauce has simmered, add basil and oregano. If
the sauce appears too thick, thin with hot water.
Cook the spaghetti per
package directions. When the pasta is close to being done, add the raw shrimp
to the marinara sauce and cook gently just until pink and tender. Remove from
heat and pour shrimp sauce over spaghetti in a large serving bowl. The shrimp
will sweeten the sauce a bit, but if it is too acidic add 1-2 tablespoons sugar
to the pot.
FRITTO MISTO OF
SMELTS, SCALLOPS AND CALAMARI
SERVES 8-12
Preheat the oil in a 6- to
8-quart saucepan or electric fryer to 375 degrees.
Meanwhile, prepare 3
shallow bowls, one with flour, one with egg mixture and one with seasoned bread
crumbs. Dredge each piece of fish (you can work with handfuls for the calamari)
in flour first, then coat lightly with egg, and finish with a coating of bread
crumbs. Set breaded fish on a baking sheet.
Working in batches, fry the
fish until golden, remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Check that the
oil has returned to 375 degrees before adding the next batch. If necessary,
keep warm in a low oven until ready to serve with plenty of fresh lemon wedges
and your favorite condiments.
WHOLE DUNGENESS CRAB
WITH PANCETTA- RADICCHIO SAUCE
SERVES 8-10
In a large saucepan, brown
the pancetta over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, add the onion and
garlic and cook until it begins to caramelize. Add the radicchio and saute until it begins to wilt. Add the red wine to the pan
to deglaze, add tomatoes, olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Simmer 3-4
minutes, reduce to low, and keep warm while you cook the crab.
Bring a large pot of salted
water to a boil and gently lower the crabs into it and cook (they can be
trussed if they seem feisty) until shells turn reddish, about 5 minutes per
pound. Remove crabs from water with a large slotted spoon and place on serving
platter deep enough to hold the sauce. Pour warm pancetta-radicchio sauce over
crabs and serve.
NOTE: Prepare the sauce while the water boils. Get locally made pancetta
from
STRUFFOLI
SERVES 12
To make the dough, begin
with 5 cups flour in a large mixing bowl. Stir the sugar and baking powder into
the flour. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the rest of
the ingredients into the well. Begin mixing the flour into the liquid
ingredients a bit at a time with a fork or your fingers until a soft dough
forms. If the dough seems too sticky, add a little more flour until it is easy
to handle.
Turn dough out onto a
lightly floured board. Roll small handfuls of dough into long ropes, about 1/2
inch thick, and cut 1/2-inch pieces off the rope until all dough is cut.
Bring oil to 375 degrees in
a deep pot or fryer. Fry struffoli in batches until
puffed and uniformly golden brown. Drain and cool on paper towels.
Warm the honey over low
heat in a large saucepan. Add the cooled struffoli to
the honey and stir to coat completely. Pour coated struffoli
into a serving bowl, or shape into a wreath or mound on a large plate. Garnish
with colored sprinkles.
NOTE: There are
many different recipes for these Italian honey fritters, but we like this one
in my family because the dough puffs up because of the leavening and is more tender than some versions. They continue to absorb the
honey as they sit, and are even better on the second or third day.
Christina
Longo is a pastry chef and freelance writer. Reach her at sweetstory@earthlink.net.
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