Buon Natale – Italian Christmas eve feast.
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 a huge Italian family -hence I was born and raised in the bosom of nothing but the Italian culture. 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 2nd cousin to the late famous Toronto hair dresser Gus Caruso who revolutionized womens’ hairstyling in the 50’s and 60’s from his shop on Bloor’s now mink mile before opening salons in NY, Rome and Paris ( I think ) 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 #comanice: light battered smelt , Baked mussels in shell , Grilled calamari in sea salted olive oil tossed in rappini Grilled Octopus, Pasta with clams oyster and shrimp in a red sauce. – Chestnuts ( not roasted on an open fire ). My mother and grandmother used to prepare the traditional baccala ( salted cod ) , but I can’t stand the smell in house as its working its magic so its one of the dishes I have dropped. -Baked goods courtesy of Cousin Marianne.
So glad I watched closely though as my mother and grandmother were cooking as I became an adult and so glad I harnessed a ton of traditional Italian recipes before they both passed long ago. Neither one of them I might add were very specific with the recipe’s but what matters most is the spirit with which they both cooked- something I’m glad to have inherited. Miss them both mostly on Christmas Eve. Buon Natale
