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Baccalà in umido with tomato, onion and olives
Photos by New York Scugnizzo |
Like many Duosiciliano Americans, my family still keeps the tradition of La Vigilia di Natale, the southern Italian ritual of eating seafood and eschewing meat on Christmas Eve. We don’t do the so-called Festa dei sette pesci, or “Feast of the Seven Fishes,” but we do eat a variety of aquatic delicacies.
Despite regular and varied claims to authenticity, I believe the “Seven Fish” custom is a recent fabrication. Though much more lavish then in the past, according to our matriarchs there were never a set number of dishes served. We simply ate what we could afford, and what was fresh and available.
Today, we normally have shrimp, calamari, clams, mussels and scungilli (whelk), which all can be prepared in a variety of ways. Capitone fritto alla napoletana (fried eel) use to be the main course, but nowadays, since the passing of my grandparents, the dish has been replaced with aragosta (lobster), ricci di mare (sea urchin), seppia (cuttlefish), or baccalà (salt cod). This year, we enjoyed baccalà in umido (stewed codfish) and mini lobster tails.
Following the fish bonanza, we had three different types of meatless panzerotti, a delicious deep-fried crescent-shaped dough filled with onions and capers; sweet ricotta; and the classic mozzarella and tomato.
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| Insalata di mare |
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| Mini lobster tails |
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| Fritto misto di mare |
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| Spaghetti alle vongole |
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| White wine from Campania |
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| Panzerotti |
Having left early for Midnight Mass this year (see: Celebrating Traditional Midnight Mass at the Shrine Church of the Holy Innocents), I missed out on the usual assortment of fruit, nuts, and delicious sweets, as well as playing games with the kids (tombola and chess). I also missed our customary passeggiata through Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, to admire the festive Christmas decorations. My family has been doing this for as long as I can remember, though originally it was in East New York, Brooklyn, where my maternal grandparents and great-grandparents were from.
Christmas morning we exchanged presents and made the rounds, visiting family and friends until dinnertime. No less extravagant than the Eve, Christmas dinner was a culinary tour de force with plenty of hot and cold antipasti, insalata, baked manicotti and perfectly cooked filet mignon. The steak was a new addition. Fruit, dessert and caffè completed the meal.
Not quite finished yet, on December 26th, the second day of Christmas and St. Stephen's Day (my saintly Confirmation namesake), we celebrate with imported torrone from Avellino, a sticky nougat candy made from honey, nuts and egg whites that dates back to Roman times. I like mine with a glass of Strega or Amaro.
As always, the ladies outdid themselves and treated us to another memorable Christmas. Buon Natale!
~ Giovanni di Napoli, December 26th, Feast of Santo Stefano primo Martire
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| Prosciutto e melone, focaccia Pugliese, and frittata di scarola |
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| Manicotti |
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| Filet mignon |
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| Homemade torrone |
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| Homemade cartellate with fig syrup |
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| Add Stratego to game night. For the record, Cardinal Fabrizio Ruffo & the Sanfedisti (me) duly defeated the Parthenopaean Republic (my opponent) |
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| Santa really gets me |
Amended for 2019
