We're getting food ready for Christmas Eve here.......an article in the paper
really hits home for me about what Christmas Eve was in our Family.....somewhat it still does....but not the same with out the old folks long gone. As the oldest living male in my family, I try to keep Christmas Eve similar to what it was in the good old days...
Shrimp, mussels, clams, scallops, Baccala (salted cod with olive oil and tons of garlic),
smelts and whiting deep fried, cheeses, kalamata olives, hot crab dip, marinated artichokes and marinated mushrooms....all of this washed down with generous amounts of Dago Red.
A little from the newspaper article...and a couple recipes...
Italian 'Feast of the Seven Fishes' is still a big Christmas Eve tradition here
Feast of Memories
Thursday, December 13, 2007
By Cathy Tigano Gianella
When I was growing up, Christmas Eve always meant the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
I remember what fun it used to be, everyone getting together and all the cooking that would be going on. There'd be friends and relatives everywhere, from both sides of the family, and my cousins' cousins and their cousins' cousins and friends of a cousin or uncle or aunt. Everyone would be in different spots of the house -- the living room, the dining room, and at small tables that were set up in the house just for the traditional Italian feast.
But the best seat in the house was at the kitchen table, listening and watching the women cook (and maybe an uncle pitching in to help). The food would just keep coming and everyone would be moving around from room to room, talking and eating and laughing.
It was so alive: Great plates of food, cookies, cakes, homemade wine, laughter and stories --oh so many stories, about the old country and great-grandparents who weren't with us anymore.
Quite a few years have gone by since. So many relatives have moved from our old neighborhood or out of town and all of our first generation have passed away.
There are so many dishes I never learned how to make and now there really isn't anyone left to ask.
That's why I signed up for the seven fishes class offered by Merante Gifts on Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield last month. I showed up at 11 a.m. sharp, hoping to learn what I had taken for granted.
As I walked up the narrow staircase to the second floor where the cooking classes are held, I could smell garlic. Perfect.
I proceeded down a narrow hallway toward the sound of women talking and laughing, then entered a room that looks like a combination kitchen/dining room.
This is no sterile modern cooking school. It felt just like I stepped back in time to my grandmother's house. The dining room table, the mural of the Italian countryside on the wall, even the dishes, cups and glasses -- it was the 1950s all over again.
The store's owner and instructor, Maria Merante Palmieri, greeted me with warmth and love as though it was a Christmas Eve night and we were about to begin the great feast.
Maria (as she insisted we 10 students call her) began by telling us the origins of the Feast of the Seven Fishes, which differs from family to family according to what part of Italy they're from. Because Christmas Eve is the day before a big feast, you don't eat meat but you can eat seafood. Some prepare seven dishes and some do 13 or more. The numbers are symbolic: Seven for the seven sacraments, 13 for the 12 apostles and Jesus. It's all based on religion and the celebration of the coming of the Christ child.
Maria and her sister, Gina Merante Ross, who was assisting that day, asked us to take a seat at the big table, which had a beautiful tablecloth just as I remember from the past.
Then we began our class by watching Maria prepare three simple appetizers. She moved around the kitchen with such ease and grace, it was like watching one of my own experienced family members.
The appetizers were Muffaletta with Olive and Pepper Tapenade, Marinated Mushrooms and a Salmon Spread. They were brought to the table for us to taste, and all were good. The marinated mushrooms were different than I have ever tasted and my favorite.
Then Maria and Gina began to teach us about calamari (squid) -- how to buy it, how to clean it and how to buy it already cleaned to save yourself lots of time.
They began with Breaded Calamari, then Calamari in Pizzaiola Sauce and Calamari Ripieni (stuffed squid). Forget the mushrooms -- this was great!
Next we moved on to learning to cook baccala, or dried salted cod.
Maria explained that her family was from the mountains in southern Italy, so the fish would be dried and salted to preserve it for cooking. It could last for months and be used as needed.
We were told how to get the cod ready to cook. It must be soaked for three days in fresh water, which should be changed twice a day.
That sounds like a lot of time and work, but Maria had her baccala all prepared and when we tasted the next two dishes, we could see that the effort is worth it.
We dug into her Chilled Baccala Salad and then a Baccala and Potato Stew.
Hmmmm, now maybe this was my favorite. It was really getting hard to choose.
They kept cooking and we kept eating: A quick and wonderful Crab-stuffed Mushroom appetizer, a White Clam Sauce that was the lightest and smoothest I have ever tasted. My taste buds were screaming with joy.
Maria and Gina were full of quick tricks, showing us how fast and easily you can make Flounder Stuffed with Arugula and Sun-dried Tomatoes (make the stuffing ahead of time), along with Fried Smelts and Shrimp Scampi (use pre-cleaned frozen seafood) and Spaghettini with Fresh Tuna (cook the tuna in the sauce).
Some families really do prepare and eat this many dishes. As Maria says with a laugh, "That's Italian. God forbid you should run out of food."
By late afternoon I couldn't pick a favorite -- they were all my favorites, each and every dish.
We students were asked what foods we remembered from childhood. One woman mentioned pig's feet and snails, which she recalled crawling out of the basket.
"It's funny," Maria said. "It was basically all peasant food. People ate whatever was available to them."
Just when you thought things were slowing down, Maria said, "Let's try this just for fun." I'm thinking, Does her energy never end?
She and Gina cooked up some Broccoli Rabe al Aglio e Olio, some seasoned Baked Baccala just to taste and a platter of delicious Baked Mussels.
Now this was what I call a feast. It was all here the way I remember at Christmas Eve.
When we finally came to the end, we were served espresso and a dessert that almost brought tears to my eyes.
The dessert was Strufoli.
This is small pieces of dough rolled into balls, fried until they puff up and turn golden brown.
After the dough balls are arranged on a platter, a mixture of boiled honey and sugar is poured over top, then colored jimmies are sprinkled on top that look like tiny Christmas lights glowing.
Maria's Strufoli was shaped into a beautiful wreath. The only time I recall seeing so much time and effort put into a holiday treat was when my grandmother was still living. Such a touch of beauty and love through cooking.
After receiving lots of goodbye hugs and well wishes from not just Maria and Gina but also from everyone who attended, I thought to myself, Yes, going to Maria Merante Palmieri's Seven Fishes class not only taught me wonderful dishes to try this Christmas Eve, but also brought back happy memories of love that I hold deep in my heart.
Cathy Tigano Gianella is a retired Post-Gazette artist who lives on Mount Washington. Her nephew, Michael Rampa of Fox Chapel, also attended the class and contributed to this story.
SPAGHETTINI WITH TUNA SAUCE
* 6 cloves minced garlic
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 29-ounce cans tomato puree
* 1/2 cup red wine or chicken broth
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
* 1 to 11/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
* 1 teaspoon salt
* About 13/4 to 2 pounds fresh tuna steaks or 3 cans imported Italian tuna
* 1 tablespoon capers
* 11/2 to 2 pounds spaghettini or angel hair pasta
In a large saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil until tender but not browned. Stir in the tomatoes, wine or chicken broth, basil, pepper flakes and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 35 to 45 minutes until flavors are well blended.
In a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray, cook tuna over medium high heat for about 7 minutes on each side until fish flakes easily with a fork. Flake tuna into chunks and add to sauce. Add capers. Simmer sauce until fish is thoroughly heated.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Top with sauce. Serve with Parmesan cheese if desired and additional crushed pepper.
Serves about 8 or 10.
-- Maria Merante Palmieri
CALAMARI IN PIZZAIOLA SAUCE
* 2 or 3 large garlic cloves very finely chopped
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* Pinch of crushed red pepper
* 28-ounce can imported Italian crushed tomatoes, peeled and in their own juice
* 1 teaspoon oregano or more to taste
* Salt to taste
* About 1/4 to 1/2 cup white wine
* About 1 cup water or chicken broth
* About 1 pound calamari rings
* Angel hair pasta, cooked almost at serving time according to package directions
In a saucepan, saute the garlic in olive oil over medium heat until golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the crushed red pepper. Add the tomatoes, oregano and salt. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Add the wine and water or chicken broth.
Stir occasionally and cook about 20 minutes longer. Allow the sauce to thicken slightly.
Add the calamari rings and allow the sauce to simmer again for about 15 minutes. If you cook the calamari any longer it will toughen.
Serve hot over cooked pasta. Serve immediately as angel hair will absorb the sauce very quickly and become dry.
Serves about 6 to 8.
-- Maria Merante Palmieri
BACCALA AND POTATOES
This is a great stew-type dish that works well with either salt cod or fresh. If you want to revive the dried cod the way Maria Merante Palmieri does, cut it into pieces and place in a container large enough to cover them in cold water for three days, changing the water several times each day. Then drain well. This is one of her favorite recipes; without it, she says, "It wouldn't be Christmas!"
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 2 ribs of celery, cleaned and chopped
* 1 green pepper, chopped
* 2/3 cup olive oil
* 2 cloves garlic
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 1 large can crushed tomatoes
* 1 large can tomato sauce
* 3 potatoes, peeled, washed and cubed
About 1 1/2 pounds cod, cubed about the same size as the potatoes
In a sauce pot, saute onions, celery and green pepper in olive oil until tender. Add garlic, salt and pepper. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Simmer to a gentle boil.
Add potatoes. Cover and cook until potatoes are fork-tender; bring sauce to a faster boil. Gently drop in fish a few pieces at a time and lower flame.
Cook until fish flakes apart. Serve hot with crushed pepper and plenty of crusty Italian bread.
Serves about 6.
Strufoli
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Depending on the region of Italy, this wonderful Christmas treat is know by several names. Strufoli, Pignolata or Ciccerchiata are all the same delightful preparation and seen all over Italy but only during the holidays.
* 5 eggs
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
* About 4 to 5 cups of flour (more or less; enough to make pasta type dough)
* Oil for deep frying
* Syrup (see below)
Mix all ingredients together and knead until dough that has a pasta texture forms. Roll dough into a large circle about 12-inch thick. Cut that circle into strips.
Roll each strip into a rope about 12-inch thick. Cut the ropes into small piece (about the size of little butter mints).
With a slotted spoon, deep fry the small pieces until they puff and turn golden brown. Cool.
For the syrup
* About 2 cups honey
* 3/4 cup sugar
* Colored jimmies
Boil honey and sugar together. Coat the cooled puffs in hot syrup. Drain over the pot and arrange on serving platter. Sprinkle with colored jimmies.
Serves about 10.
-- Maria Merante Palmier
really hits home for me about what Christmas Eve was in our Family.....somewhat it still does....but not the same with out the old folks long gone. As the oldest living male in my family, I try to keep Christmas Eve similar to what it was in the good old days...
Shrimp, mussels, clams, scallops, Baccala (salted cod with olive oil and tons of garlic),
smelts and whiting deep fried, cheeses, kalamata olives, hot crab dip, marinated artichokes and marinated mushrooms....all of this washed down with generous amounts of Dago Red.
A little from the newspaper article...and a couple recipes...
Italian 'Feast of the Seven Fishes' is still a big Christmas Eve tradition here
Feast of Memories
Thursday, December 13, 2007
By Cathy Tigano Gianella
When I was growing up, Christmas Eve always meant the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
I remember what fun it used to be, everyone getting together and all the cooking that would be going on. There'd be friends and relatives everywhere, from both sides of the family, and my cousins' cousins and their cousins' cousins and friends of a cousin or uncle or aunt. Everyone would be in different spots of the house -- the living room, the dining room, and at small tables that were set up in the house just for the traditional Italian feast.
But the best seat in the house was at the kitchen table, listening and watching the women cook (and maybe an uncle pitching in to help). The food would just keep coming and everyone would be moving around from room to room, talking and eating and laughing.
It was so alive: Great plates of food, cookies, cakes, homemade wine, laughter and stories --oh so many stories, about the old country and great-grandparents who weren't with us anymore.
Quite a few years have gone by since. So many relatives have moved from our old neighborhood or out of town and all of our first generation have passed away.
There are so many dishes I never learned how to make and now there really isn't anyone left to ask.
That's why I signed up for the seven fishes class offered by Merante Gifts on Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield last month. I showed up at 11 a.m. sharp, hoping to learn what I had taken for granted.
As I walked up the narrow staircase to the second floor where the cooking classes are held, I could smell garlic. Perfect.
I proceeded down a narrow hallway toward the sound of women talking and laughing, then entered a room that looks like a combination kitchen/dining room.
This is no sterile modern cooking school. It felt just like I stepped back in time to my grandmother's house. The dining room table, the mural of the Italian countryside on the wall, even the dishes, cups and glasses -- it was the 1950s all over again.
The store's owner and instructor, Maria Merante Palmieri, greeted me with warmth and love as though it was a Christmas Eve night and we were about to begin the great feast.
Maria (as she insisted we 10 students call her) began by telling us the origins of the Feast of the Seven Fishes, which differs from family to family according to what part of Italy they're from. Because Christmas Eve is the day before a big feast, you don't eat meat but you can eat seafood. Some prepare seven dishes and some do 13 or more. The numbers are symbolic: Seven for the seven sacraments, 13 for the 12 apostles and Jesus. It's all based on religion and the celebration of the coming of the Christ child.
Maria and her sister, Gina Merante Ross, who was assisting that day, asked us to take a seat at the big table, which had a beautiful tablecloth just as I remember from the past.
Then we began our class by watching Maria prepare three simple appetizers. She moved around the kitchen with such ease and grace, it was like watching one of my own experienced family members.
The appetizers were Muffaletta with Olive and Pepper Tapenade, Marinated Mushrooms and a Salmon Spread. They were brought to the table for us to taste, and all were good. The marinated mushrooms were different than I have ever tasted and my favorite.
Then Maria and Gina began to teach us about calamari (squid) -- how to buy it, how to clean it and how to buy it already cleaned to save yourself lots of time.
They began with Breaded Calamari, then Calamari in Pizzaiola Sauce and Calamari Ripieni (stuffed squid). Forget the mushrooms -- this was great!
Next we moved on to learning to cook baccala, or dried salted cod.
Maria explained that her family was from the mountains in southern Italy, so the fish would be dried and salted to preserve it for cooking. It could last for months and be used as needed.
We were told how to get the cod ready to cook. It must be soaked for three days in fresh water, which should be changed twice a day.
That sounds like a lot of time and work, but Maria had her baccala all prepared and when we tasted the next two dishes, we could see that the effort is worth it.
We dug into her Chilled Baccala Salad and then a Baccala and Potato Stew.
Hmmmm, now maybe this was my favorite. It was really getting hard to choose.
They kept cooking and we kept eating: A quick and wonderful Crab-stuffed Mushroom appetizer, a White Clam Sauce that was the lightest and smoothest I have ever tasted. My taste buds were screaming with joy.
Maria and Gina were full of quick tricks, showing us how fast and easily you can make Flounder Stuffed with Arugula and Sun-dried Tomatoes (make the stuffing ahead of time), along with Fried Smelts and Shrimp Scampi (use pre-cleaned frozen seafood) and Spaghettini with Fresh Tuna (cook the tuna in the sauce).
Some families really do prepare and eat this many dishes. As Maria says with a laugh, "That's Italian. God forbid you should run out of food."
By late afternoon I couldn't pick a favorite -- they were all my favorites, each and every dish.
We students were asked what foods we remembered from childhood. One woman mentioned pig's feet and snails, which she recalled crawling out of the basket.
"It's funny," Maria said. "It was basically all peasant food. People ate whatever was available to them."
Just when you thought things were slowing down, Maria said, "Let's try this just for fun." I'm thinking, Does her energy never end?
She and Gina cooked up some Broccoli Rabe al Aglio e Olio, some seasoned Baked Baccala just to taste and a platter of delicious Baked Mussels.
Now this was what I call a feast. It was all here the way I remember at Christmas Eve.
When we finally came to the end, we were served espresso and a dessert that almost brought tears to my eyes.
The dessert was Strufoli.
This is small pieces of dough rolled into balls, fried until they puff up and turn golden brown.
After the dough balls are arranged on a platter, a mixture of boiled honey and sugar is poured over top, then colored jimmies are sprinkled on top that look like tiny Christmas lights glowing.
Maria's Strufoli was shaped into a beautiful wreath. The only time I recall seeing so much time and effort put into a holiday treat was when my grandmother was still living. Such a touch of beauty and love through cooking.
After receiving lots of goodbye hugs and well wishes from not just Maria and Gina but also from everyone who attended, I thought to myself, Yes, going to Maria Merante Palmieri's Seven Fishes class not only taught me wonderful dishes to try this Christmas Eve, but also brought back happy memories of love that I hold deep in my heart.
Cathy Tigano Gianella is a retired Post-Gazette artist who lives on Mount Washington. Her nephew, Michael Rampa of Fox Chapel, also attended the class and contributed to this story.
SPAGHETTINI WITH TUNA SAUCE
* 6 cloves minced garlic
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 29-ounce cans tomato puree
* 1/2 cup red wine or chicken broth
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
* 1 to 11/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
* 1 teaspoon salt
* About 13/4 to 2 pounds fresh tuna steaks or 3 cans imported Italian tuna
* 1 tablespoon capers
* 11/2 to 2 pounds spaghettini or angel hair pasta
In a large saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil until tender but not browned. Stir in the tomatoes, wine or chicken broth, basil, pepper flakes and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 35 to 45 minutes until flavors are well blended.
In a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray, cook tuna over medium high heat for about 7 minutes on each side until fish flakes easily with a fork. Flake tuna into chunks and add to sauce. Add capers. Simmer sauce until fish is thoroughly heated.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Top with sauce. Serve with Parmesan cheese if desired and additional crushed pepper.
Serves about 8 or 10.
-- Maria Merante Palmieri
CALAMARI IN PIZZAIOLA SAUCE
* 2 or 3 large garlic cloves very finely chopped
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* Pinch of crushed red pepper
* 28-ounce can imported Italian crushed tomatoes, peeled and in their own juice
* 1 teaspoon oregano or more to taste
* Salt to taste
* About 1/4 to 1/2 cup white wine
* About 1 cup water or chicken broth
* About 1 pound calamari rings
* Angel hair pasta, cooked almost at serving time according to package directions
In a saucepan, saute the garlic in olive oil over medium heat until golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the crushed red pepper. Add the tomatoes, oregano and salt. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Add the wine and water or chicken broth.
Stir occasionally and cook about 20 minutes longer. Allow the sauce to thicken slightly.
Add the calamari rings and allow the sauce to simmer again for about 15 minutes. If you cook the calamari any longer it will toughen.
Serve hot over cooked pasta. Serve immediately as angel hair will absorb the sauce very quickly and become dry.
Serves about 6 to 8.
-- Maria Merante Palmieri
BACCALA AND POTATOES
This is a great stew-type dish that works well with either salt cod or fresh. If you want to revive the dried cod the way Maria Merante Palmieri does, cut it into pieces and place in a container large enough to cover them in cold water for three days, changing the water several times each day. Then drain well. This is one of her favorite recipes; without it, she says, "It wouldn't be Christmas!"
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 2 ribs of celery, cleaned and chopped
* 1 green pepper, chopped
* 2/3 cup olive oil
* 2 cloves garlic
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 1 large can crushed tomatoes
* 1 large can tomato sauce
* 3 potatoes, peeled, washed and cubed
About 1 1/2 pounds cod, cubed about the same size as the potatoes
In a sauce pot, saute onions, celery and green pepper in olive oil until tender. Add garlic, salt and pepper. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Simmer to a gentle boil.
Add potatoes. Cover and cook until potatoes are fork-tender; bring sauce to a faster boil. Gently drop in fish a few pieces at a time and lower flame.
Cook until fish flakes apart. Serve hot with crushed pepper and plenty of crusty Italian bread.
Serves about 6.
Strufoli
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Depending on the region of Italy, this wonderful Christmas treat is know by several names. Strufoli, Pignolata or Ciccerchiata are all the same delightful preparation and seen all over Italy but only during the holidays.
* 5 eggs
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
* About 4 to 5 cups of flour (more or less; enough to make pasta type dough)
* Oil for deep frying
* Syrup (see below)
Mix all ingredients together and knead until dough that has a pasta texture forms. Roll dough into a large circle about 12-inch thick. Cut that circle into strips.
Roll each strip into a rope about 12-inch thick. Cut the ropes into small piece (about the size of little butter mints).
With a slotted spoon, deep fry the small pieces until they puff and turn golden brown. Cool.
For the syrup
* About 2 cups honey
* 3/4 cup sugar
* Colored jimmies
Boil honey and sugar together. Coat the cooled puffs in hot syrup. Drain over the pot and arrange on serving platter. Sprinkle with colored jimmies.
Serves about 10.
-- Maria Merante Palmier