Buon Natale
Celebrated an early Christmas this weekend with oldest daughter who will be away with her other half for the real deal. She requested the awesomely authentic #Italian Christmas Eve dinner – so the authentically Italian Master chef ( in his own mind) enjoyed a full day preparing the traditional 7 meatless dishes ( sometimes 12 ) but not last night. Yes, It may come as a surprise to some ( if anyone cares at all ) that Stall is in any way attached to the Italian culture. The… reality is my father married into an Italian family -hence I was born and raised in the bosom of nothing but Italian. My Grandmother was a “Caruso” from the little mountain top town of Pisticci in the Basilicata region in the south east of Italy ( same home town as the late Johnny Lombardi of Toronto) Yes, I’m 3rd cousin to the late famous hair dresser Gus Caruso who revolutionized womens’ hairstyling in the 50’s and 60’s from his shop in Toronto before opening salons in NY, and Italy – here is a cool link to his legacy http://tinyurl.com/n9p8sbu
So anyway, back to the Christmas Eve feast. Pics will speak for themselves but if your interested in the menu: Everything #come-a-nize
– light battered smelt
-Baked mussels in shell
– Grilled calamari in sea salted olive oil.
-Rapini
-Grilled Octopus.
– Pasta with clams,oyster and shrimp in a red sauce.
– Chestnuts ( not roasted on an open fire )
-Baked goods courtesy of Cousin Marianne
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night – for now.
#come-a-nize