Feast of the Seven Fishes – Christmas Eve

Feast of the Seven Fishes – Christmas Eve

While food surrounds many traditions in our house, no other holiday is more important than Christmas Eve.  In Italy, this is traditionally a day where you did not eat meat.  This was also the most important holiday of the year where we would gather with family and friends and eat fish until we sprouted gills.  This meal always starts with meatless Antipasta followed by pasta, fish and the first taste of the Christmas cookies which were being prepared for the last month.  Now tradition states that you make either 3 different types of fish to represent the trinity, 7 for the 7 sacraments, or 12 for the 12 apostles.  My mother always made everyone's favorite fish and then some, easily reaching 12.  This meal helps us understand the importance of family and friends and is always followed, several hours later by midnightmass.

Typical Christmas Eve Dinner


Antipasta

        Marinated vegetables

Marinated roasted red peppers

Marinated mushrooms

Marinated artichoke hearts

Eggplant Caponata

Olives

Black olives

Green olives

Kalamata olives

Fresh mozzarella

Fresh smoked mozzarella

Salata ricotta

Imported provolone

Pasta

      Spaghetti with Shrimp

Fish

      Shrimp Cocktail

      Baked Stuffed Clams

      Clam Stuffed Mushrooms

      Crispy Fried Fish

      Stuffed Fillet

Dessert
      Pignoli Cookies

      Biscotti

As you can see by the volume of the food, it takes several hours and a lot of conversation are needed to eat this much.  That, however, is why it is so much fun.  This is a meal that your friends will talk about for years and your family will look forward to each year.

Over the next few weeks I will share some of my favorite Christmas Eve recipes to inspire you to start a new tradition of your own.

Cannelloni with Shrimp

Recipe makes 18-20 Cannelloni


When my grandma Cira came to this country, she lived in Little Italy in New York City.  There she befriended a struggling baker named Ferrara.  This kind woman taught my grandmother how to make authentic manicotti and Easter pie.  Ferrara's is now the most famous Italian bakery in the US. 


It was because of this recipe that I first learned to cook.  My mother was not a very good teacher.  The only way to learn a recipe was to watch her.  However necessity changed that.  My mother had a catering job where she had to make 500 manicotti and she couldn't do it herself.  I not only learned how to make manicotti, I became very proficient at making this dish after making 500 manicotti shells.  This is still one of my most requested signature dishes.


Most Americans are familiar with the heavy premade pasta tubes that you buy in the grocery store.  In Naples they are made with a crepe-like shell (crispelli) that just melts in your mouth. The difference between cannelloni and manicotti is the addition of meat or fish. If you eliminated the shrimp from this recipe you would have manicotti. 

Manicotti Shells *
2 Lg Eggs
1 C Water (Room Temp)
1 1/3 C of Sifted Flour
Pinch of Salt
Crisco Shortening for greasing the pans*
     
Filling
1 lb Medium Shrimp
2 cloves Garlic minced
1 tsp salt
1 TBS Olive Oil
3 Lg Eggs
1.5 lbs Ricotta Cheese
8 oz Shredded Fontina Cheese
¼ C Grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese
1 tsp Dried Parsley
Manicotti shells
1 Qt Vodka Sauce *


Preparing the Manicotti Shells 


Beat 3 eggs and water with a rotary beater in a large bowl.  Add the flour and salt a little at a time with the beaters on low until completely incorporated.  It should have the consistency of a very thin batter.


Heat a 6", number 3, greased iron skillet or nonstick pan.  Using a paper towel spread some Crisco on the frying pan to coat, being careful not to touch the pan with your hands.  Place 3 TBS of batter in the center of the frying pan and using an oven mitt pick up the frying pan and swirl the batter so that it is spread evenly across the skillet.  Once the batter has stopped bubbling and the edges are dry, flip the shell using a spatula or butter knife.  Cook another thirty seconds or until the shell is a very light cream color.  Stack the shells on a dish until you have completed frying all the batter.  You will end up with 25-30 manicotti shells.


Preparing the Shrimp


Clean and devein the shrimp.  Cut the shrimp into very small pieces.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet until hot but not smoking.  Add the shrimp, salt, and minced garlic and constantly move around the pan until the shrimp turns pink.  This will only take 1-2 minutes.  Put the cooked shrimp into a bowl to cool for at least ten minutes, then drain.


Making the Filling


In a large bowl beat the eggs with a whisk until uniform in color.  Add the three cheeses and the dried parsley.  Mix until uniform in color.  Add the shrimp and mix until evenly distributed.


Filling the Cannelloni


Preheat the oven to 325°F.  Take a large roasting pan and cover the bottom with 1C of the Vodka Sauce.  Take a cooled Manicotti shell in your hand and fill with ¼ C of the filling.  Fold it over like a crepe and place the cannelloni seam side down in the roasting pan. 


Cover the cannelloni in the roasting pan with the remaining vodka sauce.  Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes.  Serve hot out of the oven.  


PREPARING AHEAD:  You can prepare the Cannelloni ahead of time and place the covered roasting pan with the cannelloni in the refrigerator overnight.  If you do this increase the cooking time to 45 minutes.


FREEZING NOTE: If you do not want to bake all of the cannelloni at one time, place the remaining, uncooked, cannelloni on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  Place in the freezer for 24 hours until thoroughly frozen.  Remove from the cookie sheet and place in a zipper top bag in the freezer.  They will be good for 2 months in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking as directed below.


 * Pronto Substitutes


Manicotti Shells – You  can substitute the manicotti shells found in the pasta section of your grocery store. Prepare them according to the package directions. They will be heavier than the home made manicotti shells.


Crisco Shortening – You can substitute canola or peanut oil. Do not use olive oil or it will burn.


Vodka Sauce – You can substitute marinara sauce or any other tomato sauce or even alfredo sauce.


To print a copy of this recipe go to Canniloni with Shrimp

Sausage Stuffing/Dressing

 When Thanksgiving came around my mother always seemed to be cooking for days and it seemed that dinner lasted all day. We would always start with some sort of pasta, antipasta, turkey, and all the trimmings. One thing was certain. The turkey was always stuffed with sausage stuffing. The only change I’ve made to this recipe is to bake it in a casserole dish instead of in the bird for safety. It’s easy and everyone will love it.

1 lb. Italian Sausage, casing removed * 

1 Medium Yellow Onion (diced)

1 C Celery (diced)

2 Large Eggs

1 C Chicken Broth

1 Small bag of Seasoned Stuffing Cubes

2 Cloves Garlic (chopped)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Add the sausage to a hot skillet, breaking it up into small pieces.  When the sausage has started to brown add the onions, garlic, and celery.  When the onion is translucent and the sausage is thoroughly cooked drain any excess liquids.  Place the cooked sausage in a bowl and mix it with the stuffing cubes, ground pepper, eggs and ½ C of chicken broth.  Add additional chicken broth to bring it together. 

Place the dressing/stuffing in a covered, ovenproof dish and bake for 45 minutes at 350°F. 

* PRONTO SUBSTITUTE

Italian Sausage - You can use hot or sweet sausage and for a healthier version you can even use turkey Italian sausage

To print this recipe, go to Turkey Stuffing

Restaurant Review: Baby Moon Cafe

Baby Moon Cafe $$-$$$ ★★★★☆

Location: 100 Jerusalem Drive, Ste 106 Morrisville, NC 27560, (919) 465 9006
Open Mon–Fri: 11am–10pm & Sat: 4pm–10pm

I’ve always enjoyed going to Baby Moon Café for lunch but I’ve never gone there for dinner, so I revisited the café to try out there dinner menu. When I arrived I was surprised to find out that they have a new chef as well. We arrived at 6:30 on a Saturday evening and there was plenty of seating but by 7:00 the place was packed. The wait staff was superb. They were attentive, prompt and friendly, yet we felt relaxed with no rushing.

They start you out with homemade focaccia bread that is light, buttery, moist with a light coating of herbs, and it’s served with a dipping oil that is infused with cheese and herbs.

We decided to or three of the daily specials. The appetizer were shells stuffed with crab and ricotta blanketed with a rich tomato basil sauce. It was served with a side of arugula with shaved parmesan and walnuts. If you are a crab fan I highly recommend this appetizer.

I ordered salmon stuffed with crab. The salmon was moist, tender, and very flavorful. The crab stuffing was a mixture of crab and bread that melted in your mouth when you ate it. All of this was on a bed of creamy smashed potatoes. It was excellent.

My wife had the pasta special which consisted of Fuselli pasta (corkscrew shaped pasta), sundried tomatoes, shrimp, and broccoli in a light cream sauce. It was a great combination of flavors that blended perfectly in the mouth.

One of the features of the restaurant that I really liked is that they ask you if you want any extra parmesan or Romano (my favorite) cheese. Unlike other restaurants that sprinkle it on for you, Baby Moon gives you a bowl of shaved Romano or parmesan on your table for you to put on your own food.

Baby moon offers a wide selection of wine and beer. If you can’t stay or you want to bring dinner home you can order off of the entire menu for take-out.

Basil Pesto

Basil Pesto

Every summer I grow basil and end up with so much that I never know what to do with it.  I usually end up making a large batch of pesto. Pesto is a sauce/paste made from fresh basil, garlic and a variety of other ingredients that vary according to cook. It is great mixed with pasta or spread on fish prior to baking.

In a food processor, add the crushed garlic, basil leaves, pine nuts, salt, cheese and pulse until it forms a paste.  Gradually add the olive oil through the food chute until thoroughly blended.

Ingredients

2 cloves Garlic (crushed)
2 C packed Fresh Basil (coarsely chopped)
1 TBS Pine Nuts (optional)
½ tsp Kosher salt or ¼ tsp table salt
3 TBS Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/3 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil


Freezing Pesto
To have pesto available all year long, place 1-2 TBS in each section of an ice cube tray and freeze. Once the pesto has frozen, remove the pesto cubes and wrap each one with a small piece of plastic wrap. Place the wrapped cubes in a Ziploc bag in the freezer.  When you need the pesto, remove it from the freezer and microwave to thaw.

Pumpkin Bread

Growing up, pumpkin bread was one of my favorite treats in the fall. I remembered this recipe while I was carving my pumpkin for Halloween (see photo). Don’t worry, he did not get sick from the bread. This recipe is a simple quick bread that your whole family will enjoy. It can be toasted with jam or served with some cream cheese. I’ve always baked it in coffee cans to give it a round shape, however it will taste just as good baked in loaf pans.

3 C Sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Nutmeg

1 ½ tsp Salt

1 C Canola Oil

4 Large Eggs

1 C Canned Pumpkin

2/3 C Water

3 C All Purpose Flour

2 tsp Baking Soda

Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease and flour two large loaf pans or three coffee cans.

In a large bowl, mix the sugar through the eggs, using an electric mixer.  When it is thoroughly mixed add the pumpkin and water, mixing well.  Add the flour and baking soda while the electric mixer is on its lowest setting.  Beat for an additional 2 minutes after the flour is completely incorporated. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pans.  Only fill the pans 2/3 full.  Place the loaf pans in the center of the oven for about one hour or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  You may want to place them on a cookie sheet in case of overflow. 

To print this recipe, go to Pumpkin Bread

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Copyright © 2011 by Nicholas Verna. All Rights Reserved. No part of this recipe may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without written permission from the author.

Robiola Bosina Cheese

Robiola Bosina Cheese

I wanted to share a new cheese that I’ve just tried from Northern Italy called Robiola Bosina. It’s a creamy blend of cow’s and sheep’s milk surrounded by a rind that is reminiscent of Brie but with a milder flavor. This flat, square little pillow of cheese contains a luxurious, silky paste with smooth, well-balanced flavors. It’s great as a table cheese spread on some fresh crusty Ciabatta bread or it can be used in cooking with dishes like risotto. Special care should be exercised in properly storing the cheese (do not wrap in plastic, as the cheese can "choke" and spoil). Best stored refrigerated unwrapped in its crust, or wrapped in wax paper. Best used within a week of purchase but it can last for up to 1 month if stored properly. I highly recommend this cheese. It’s available at Italian speciality stores or at stores specializing in cheese. If you live in RTP you can get it at Capri Flavors in Morrisville.