Feast of the 7 Fishes

OK, so I'm not a vegetarian at all.  I found out recently that I'm actually a pescetarian.  I eat fish.

It's not Christmas without baccala and broccoli rabe.  When I was a kid, my Uncle Freddy would show up at our house once a year on Christmas Eve to enjoy my mom's version, which has survived the ages.  It was always a great night, that is, until Uncle Freddy decided to ask you your nationality - God forbid if you were Jewish.  "I asked you where your people are from, not your religion," he would say.

My sister Yvette has taken the Feast of the Seven Fishes to new extremes since mom passed away.  It used to be a simple family gathering, but "E" knows everyone in the world and has been inviting them all to the feast for the past few years.  One year, she got carried away and made about $1,000 worth of fishes, 13 different kinds in all.  After cooking for days on end, she justified her extravagance by saying it didn't have to be seven, just an uneven number.  Italians like to make things up.  Most don't even know where the number seven came from.  Could it be the seven hills of Rome, the seven virtues, the seven deadly sins?  Who knows?  Nobody really cares.  It's just a tradition that can never be broken.

Hopefully, since everyone's broke this year, it will be a more reserved gathering.  She told me on the phone yesterday that she was sticking to seven this year and that I could bring the shrimp.

Well, I couldn't wait until Friday night.  I got a jump on Christmas Eve by making my two favorites, one a little different than the traditional Italian-styled stuffed calamari E makes.  Instead of a red sauce, I cook mine in white wine, the French Marseillaise way.  E would like to kill me for that.

I must admit that after 30 years of marriage - with me cooking the festive meal at my own home for my neighbors for several of those years - I couldn't bear to see my ex actually spend the holiday without the fishes - even though he's Irish - although some days I would like to see him sleep with them.  So, I will prepare a little care package and send it over with the kid.  The kid, by the way, doesn't eat anything green, healthy or wholesome.  He's a WaWa man.

These are the two recipes I made.



Baccala with Broccoli Rabe

1 pound of semi-dried salted cod (in box or package, not the fully dried shoe leather kind)
3 C water

4 large cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 C olive oil
2 bunches of broccoli rabe
1 small can tomato sauce
Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes

Place baccala in a bowl of water and place in refrigerator for a day or two, changing water several times. Place baccala in sauce pan covered with water, cover and boil for two minutes.  Off heat and let stand until cooled.

Rinse broccoli rabe and remove large stems, cut large leaves in half.  Heat oil in large saute pan, add garlic, saute for a minute or two.  Add broccoli rabe and a little water, pepper flakes, salt and pepper.  Cover and steam for about 10 minutes or until broccoli rabe is just tender.  Do not overcook the broccoli rabe!  Flake the baccala and add it to the greens.  Add tomato sauce.  Adjust seasoning.  Leftovers make a great sandwich, heated on hard roll with a slice or two of melted provolone - a real elbow licker.


Stuffed Calamari a la Marseillaise

2 pound package of frozen, cleaned squid, thawed
4 T olive oil, separated
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 14-ounce can of petite cut tomatoes, drained
2 C fresh breadcrumbs
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
Salt, pepper
1 C dry white wine
1 C water, if needed
1 bay leaf

Finely mince tentacles, set aside.  Saute onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until golden, add garlic, tentacles and tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper, and cook five minutes.  Off heat.  Add breadcrumbs and parsley to make stuffing.  Stuff squid bodies with stuffing using a pastry bag, seal with toothpick.  Saute bodies in olive oil until slightly browned.  Add white wine and bay leaf, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.  Add water as needed if sauce gets too thick.   Remove toothpicks when serving so no one gets injured - remember George Peppard?

Adapted from the New Doubleday Cookbook.  Thanks Uncle Sam.

Holiday Baking with NPR

Starting to get into the holiday spirit.  I love NPR, especially the hour-long interviews with interesting people.  Here's one I think you'll enjoy that explores holiday baking recipes.
"A Delicious Dish."  MA only.  Enjoy.

Saturday Night Live - NPR's Delicious Dish - Schweddy Balls - Video - NBC.com

Pizzelles

I haven't received a batch yet.

A few weeks ago my ex asked if he could have the pizzelle iron.  Of course, I let him have it with the caveat that I get a batch every year.  Along with it, I gave him the shifty sifter, leftover bottles of anise oil and anise seeds too.  After all, I have more important things to do than make two cookies at a time.  Honestly, the man didn't have patience for me, but he would stand in front of the kitchen counter making batches of pizzelles for hours on end. That, and an occasional Caesar salad, was the extent of his culinary prowess.

He'd make them to share with family and friends.  He'd clean them up around the edges and we'd feast on the crumbs for days.

I left the package on the front porch for him to pick up and quickly found something to do elsewhere so I wouldn't run into him.  Too painful to see, and to happy to argue.  An hour later, I returned and the booty was gone. Hope his "part-time" girlfriend gets fat.

Anyway, he got a version of this recipe from a much-beloved former burlesque queen friend of ours.  Year after year, he would make adjustments to Kippy DeVille's recipe because he said he likes them sweet and tender. He finally perfected it and this is his formula.  (I later found out he doesn't like it sweet and tender after all.  He actually likes it rough and hard. Go figure.)

The recipe makes not-too-flaky-to-hold, delicious pizzelles with a rich, but not too strong flavor of anise.  Everyone raves about them.  I like them sprinkled with confectioner sugar and a cup of hot green tea.

Honestly, it's not Christmas until you smell the pizzelles.  Even the neighbors said so when they smelled the anise emanating from the house.  I'm going to miss that.  But hopefully, he'll be kind enough to drop off a dozen or so for me to enjoy during the holidays.

Pizzelles

4 eggs
2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 1/2 C sugar
1 T anise oil
1 C margarine, melted (do not use butter)
4 tsp. baking powder
1 T anise seeds

Beat eggs and gradually add sugar.  Beat until smooth.  Add cooled margarine, anise oil and seeds.  Sift flour and baking powder.  Blend into egg mixture till smooth.  Dough will be sticky enough to be dropped by spoon.  Makes about 40 pizzelles.

Potato Latkes

Ok, so I celebrated Chanukah a day late this year.  I was too busy to cook yesterday – hopefully starting a new chapter in this roller coaster I’m on called life.

I have always made it a point to celebrate every ethnic holiday with food.  Some of my favorites were corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day (less than immaculate conception day), chicken fajitas for Cinco de Mayo, and of course, latkes and beef brisket for Chanukah.  

I have to rethink the animal portion of my meal in future celebrations.  Although, I have to admit, it was tempting to go with my fabulous beef brisket in the crock-pot recipe, but, thankfully, my job hunt got the better of me and I was too hurried and stressed to cook.

Turns out, I didn’t miss the brisket – or the hubby – after all.  Arrived home late this afternoon with lots of energy to make my favorite of the Chanukah meal – latkes with sour cream and applesauce.  I served it with a side salad of baby spinach and tomatoes and a little broccoli de rape – not Jewish at all – to keep it “real” for good measure.  (Sorry, I ate it all before I realized I should take a picture for publication here.)

God bless the late Jeff Smith, the “Frugal Gourmet” and Methodist minister foodie – what a chameleon!!!  See  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Smith_(TV_personality).

Despite his flaws – I guess a lot of men have them – Jeff’s latkes recipe in the “Frugal Gourmet Celebrates Christmas” cookbook is right on.  Any Jewish momma would approve.  KISS – keep it simple stupid – potatoes, egg, onion, salt ‘n pepper.  Can it get any simpler?

Anyway, I adapted this from Jeff’s recipe and try not to think of the turmoil he may have caused his young chef assistants:

Latkes

2 C grated potatoes

½ onion, grated

1 large egg, beaten

Juice of ½ lemon (to prevent discoloration)

Salt, pepper

1 C vegetable oil

½ pint sour cream (go for the fattening kind)

1 C applesauce (the best you can find)

Grate potatoes and squeeze out any liquid in paper towels or a very clean dishcloth.  Place in bowl with lemon juice, salt and pepper to season.  Add onion and beaten egg; mix well.  Heat about a 1/2-inch of oil in frying pay.  Drop ¼ cup of mixture into hot oil.  Fry until golden brown, turn and fry on the other side a few minutes more.  Drain on paper towels.  Serve with sour cream and applesauce.  Makes about 8-10 latkes to serve 4 sides or 2 mains.

EVOO??

Here's an interesting post about olive oil vs. extra virgin olive oil.

Olive Oil on HuffPo

I only use EVOO.  Considering my budget, the cheaper the better.  I also find I favor olive oil from Spain for its stronger flavor and darker color.