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 Italy, and is a culinary paean to the sacrament of the holiday and the abundance of that country's coastline.

 

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

Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA
By Christina Longo                                          

Special to the SPI

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

I grew up by the Jersey shore and later in coastal Florida, so my family's Italian Catholic heritage dictated Fridays meant fish for dinner, and we followed that tradition religiously. My sisters and I would accompany our mother to the local seafood market, pressing our noses to the glass cases that held the catch of the day, marveling at the shiny eyes and colorful scales of the whole fishes.

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 Italy, the meal is a culinary paean to the sacrament of the holiday and the abundance of that country's coastline. 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. In fact, Cena della Vigilia, the dinner of the vigil, commonly is referred to by Italian Americans as "The Feast of the Seven Fishes."

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 Seattle 10 years ago and becoming immersed in the world of professional cooking, preparing elaborate banquets for hotel and restaurant guests has been the way I've welcomed the holidays. Getting away to celebrate with family, let alone a night off during December, has become a rare luxury. I often have dreamed of re-creating the holiday meals I enjoyed growing up and introducing this warm tradition to my Northwest friends and my husband's Norwegian American family; both cultures enjoy the bounty of the sea and have a reverence for simple, seasonal preparations. Seattle may lack an easily identifiable Italian American community, but it has all the ingredients for a stellar seafood feast.

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) Columbia River smelts. What follows is a guideline for creating your own La Vigilia feast. All the recipes can be expanded easily to accommodate a crowd, or reduced for a smaller group. Even if you are not observing a day of fasting for religious reasons, try not to eat much in the hours before embarking on this gustatory adventure.

Buon Natale and buon appetito!


BACCAL@ SALAD
SERVES 8

  • 1 pound salt cod fillets
  • 1/4 medium red onion, sliced thin and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
  • 12 Cerignola or large California olives, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • Fresh ground black pepper to taste

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

  • 16 raw Northwest oysters
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed blood orange juice
  • 1/2 cup Prosecco sparkling wine
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco (optional)

Squeeze the blood oranges and strain juice through a fine sieve, measure after straining. Stir Prosecco into juice. Add Tabasco, if using, and pour into a shallow metal pan. Freeze. Stir granita occasionally with a fork as it freezes, to break up the ice crystals.

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 Kumamoto or Dabob oysters. California blood oranges should be arriving in local markets by mid- to late December. Prepare the granita at least one day ahead; up to one week ahead is OK. No special equipment is needed, just a shallow metal pan or bowl and your home freezer.


SPAGHETTI WITH SHRIMP MARINARA
SERVES 8-12

  • 2 pounds spaghetti
  • 2 pounds raw medium-size shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
  • One 28-ounce can plus one 14-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

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

  • 2 pounds whole silver smelts, cleaned
  • 2 pounds sea scallops
  • 2 pounds calamari rings and tentacles
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2-3 eggs whisked with a little water
  • 2-3 cups seasoned bread crumbs
  • 6-8 cups olive oil or canola oil for deep-frying

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

  • 2 whole live Dungeness crabs
  • 8 ounces pancetta, unrolled and cut into 1/4-inch matchsticks
  • 3 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1 medium onion, 1/2-inch dice
  • 1 head radicchio, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 cup red wine, such as Sangiovese
  • 2 cups diced tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
  • Salt and pepper to taste

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 Bellevue's Porcella Urban Market (porcellaurbanmarket.com) to make this dish extra special.


STRUFFOLI
SERVES 12

  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 4 ounces melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon Sambuca liqueur or anise extract
  • 5-6 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups honey
  • Colored sprinkles if desired
  • 6-8 cups olive or peanut oil for frying

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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