Seven Fishes Simplified

 Oneof the biggest holiday meals for any Southern Italian is The Feast Of The Seven Fishes. Mothers and daughters went crazy , first shopping for a vast variety of fish  in early winter. Then they had to cook all of it on CHristmas Eve, a very religious day in the Catholic calendar but also a wild one too. The day held nothing but stress. Until now. There's an easier way of  dealing with this imprtant meal and the seafood that accompanies it.

Cookbook author Dan Pelosi wrote this fabulous piece on the dinner in todays' New York Times Wednesday section. He gives a streamlined version of the feast, allowing home chefs to relax a bit more and stress less.In Southern Italy the day is known as La Vigilia or The Vigil.it's rooted in Roman Catholicism which calls for abstaining of any meat on the eve of any holiday.Hence the abundance of seafood. The amount of seven different seafood dishes comes from a Biblical significance. There are no strict rules and every family has their own go to menu. The problem is to bring seven fish dishes to the table, to honor the generations of dinners before prepared lovingly by parents, grandparents , aunta and uncles. The complex menu has evolved to keep the heart of it beating. However it's a bit too much by modern standards. According to Italalian American chef, Chris Petroni owner of Manhattan's Bertucci's restaurant, it can be a heavy lift for many home chefs and their families.

Luckily you can bring seven fishes  - not seven dishes to the Christmas Eve table.Mr Pelosi has a good mix of hot and cold dishes. He offers a zesty cold seafood salad that combines shrimp, scallops, and calamari. Celery , fennel and olives provide a coolness that works well with the chilled seafood. There are also sliced hot cherry peppers for a dash of color and a zing fo fire to liven it up. A good starter with it are the zeppoli con le alici or anchovies. There's are th e classic Italian feast zeppolis made saovry with the addition of salty anchiovies. These balls are deep fried until crunchy and served with lemon wedges and parsley. With these serve the clams oreganata. Ritz crackers mixed with butter fried shallots and Parmesan cheese top off this classic dish. They're baked in abath of white wine and clam broth reserved from them steaming Butter is also added to this and olive oil is drizzwed on the clams. For the main dish there are mussels and cod in a tomato sauce served over thick strands of bucatini. You could add Calabrian chili paste forheat if you want.

This is the Feast Of The Seven Fishes streamelined for a better enjoyment of the feast.It combines tradition with a new spin on classic seafood dishes. it makes for less  stress and moroe time with family.

Squid Making A Better Calamari And Roast

Squid can take some getting used to, taste and texturewise. One of the best ways to become acclimated with this seafood classic is trying it as calamari. No, not those overly salty rings that most sports bars sell, but a light crispy kind There are other ways to enjoy them as well from stuffed to roasted.

David Tanis devoted his entire A City Kitchen column to them in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Most people have only had squid cut into rings , then battered dipped and fried.This calamari is usually dipped into a strongly spiced marinara sauce, masking the sea creature's flavor. The best intro to squid as Mr. Tanis recommends is an Italian restaurant with it being part of a fritto misto. there it will have a light, almost tempura like coating and be served with only fresh lemon and salt. Surprisingly enough Thai restaurants also offer squid but it is usually stir fried and spiced up with ginger and chile peppers.Baby squid can be fried whole as they do in Spain These are called chipirones and they're  are like an elegant cousin to calamari.Neophytes should buy fresh squid, ones with a fresh ocean scent with a shiny, plump bodies They shouldn't be flat or deflated. Also they come with a purplish gray  membrane or hood that can be removed.

Home chefs should start with simple recipes first. Squid can be roasted in the oven with a bit of olive oil and garlic.This is easy , with the squid being cut and laid flat on a roasting pan.It can also be braised in either a hearty tomato or red wine sauce.The fish  can also  be stewed in is' own ink and serve over rice as a paella nero or black rice. Mr. Tanis gives a Sicilian classic calamari ripiene or stuffed squid.It is filled with a savory bread crumb filling that he punches up with the addition of chard, fennel  anchovy pecorino and pine nuts. Fennel seeds and oregano are what give the stuffing and squid an nice herbal taste. You can use toothpicks to keep the stuffing in but it really isn't necessary. Mr. Tanis als recommends getting the tentacles too , as these are good roasted.A good drink with it is Etna Bianco a crisp Sicilian white wine or even a good sherry.


Home chefs should be introduced to this versatile sea creature. It can be made a variety of different ways from the crispy calamari to stuffed with herbs and bread crumbs. Serve it this season for something tasty and out of the ordinary.