Holiday, The Seven Fishes

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A popular southern Italian tradition celebrated all over the world, is the Feast of the Seven Fishes. In Italy it is called “la cena della vigilia,” or Christmas Eve Dinner, December 24th; observed by abstaining from eating meat on Christmas Eve and enjoying the holiday meal with family, filled with a seafood spread.

WHY SEVEN?:

Some say the number seven represents the seven sacraments, seven days of creation, or simply the fact that seven signifies

perfection

in the Bible. This may be speculation, however what is known is that this celebration is something that is very much appreciated and shared by most Italians and lovers of fish.

Fish:

You will find virtually any Mediterranean fish prepared from this region. Everything from anchovies to eel. Popular fishes in the feast include calamari, smelts, clams, and shrimp. 

One of my favorite is baccalá, a dried, salted cod. 

Baccala How To:

To reconstitute the baccalá, you soak it for two days, changing the water three or four times.

I prepare the baccalá several ways including sauted and with tomatoes, but it's also quite popular to prepare it in the oven with potatoes or even in a salad with potatoes and black olives.

The Seven Fishes is a feast that brings family and friends together to celebrate a very important evening, and the seafood is only the centerpiece of what really takes place... keeping a tradition alive with family and friends.

Isn’t this what holidays are really about?

Buone feste!

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Genovese Style

Pesto Genovese, so it is called in Nortern Italy; which is traditionally served with the addition of boiled sliced potatoes in the dish.

Pesto is not only for pasta, you can combine it with mayo for a great dressing or spread. Pesto is also tasty when topped on grilled poultry and grilled seafood. Dab a little pesto on crusty sliced ciabatta for an app. The key tip when making pesto is to use the very best quality extra virgin olive oil you have and don't be shy with the freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. My Pesto Recipe. I've added chick peas and boiled Yukon potatoes to pesto this recipe (in image) for a bit of summer variety. 

Handmade Ravioli

Ravioli, a pasta whose name derives from the verb "to wrap" (ravvolgere).

A century ago, stuffed pasta with vegetable-based fillings were eaten on Fridays and during Lent. The meat-stuffed varieties, on the other hand, were a day-after treat made with the left over meats from Sunday dinners or festive meals. Today, good enough for everyday of the week.

-Recipe, George’s Ricotta Pasta Dough

-Recipe, Ravioli Filling Recipe

Handmade Ravioli

This is a special dish I like to prepare around the holidays. Preparing handmade ravioli requires extra time and attention, but it's so worth all the effort. I have included a step-by-step for the dough and recipe for the filling. Maybe this week you can make an extra special dish for visiting relatives. Have everyone pitch in- the more cooking, the merrier. 

Handmade Ravioli Recipe, Filling and ravioli dough

Little Sour One

Agretti, meaning little sour one, is a salty-like heirloom herb with a succulent texture and a pleasantly acidic bite. I predict agretti soon to be a very popular green in the US. Originating in the mediterranean, it is now being harvested in California and available at Italian specialty markets. You may also see it identified at roscana aka in Italy.

It has a short harvest season in early spring. You'll find them packed in bunches that resemble the grass like look of spring chives. Agretti is best eaten when young and enjoyed fresh or cooked. 

Simply served chopped and tossed fresh in mixed salads for a slightly salty crunch. To cook, chop and sauté with olive oil, garlic and pepperchino as great by itself or mixed, better yet served with a little fresh pappardelle - to make fresh parpadelle use my Ricotta Dough Recipe, below.

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Agretti's botanical name is Salsola soda, a relative to the tumbleweed, Salsola tragus. Ukrainian immigrants settling in the Great Plains are thought to have brought these plants to establish their fragile roots into U.S. soil.

A bit more:  Agretti should not to be confused with Russian Thistle - the plant commonly known as Tumbleweed. You wouldn’t want to eat it, the thorns on Tumbleweed would be a little rough on the digestion, even though in times of drought ranchers of yesteryear fed it to cattle during excessive droughts.

Ricotta Pasta Dough | Recipe Chef George Hirsch 

3 1/2 to 4 cups all purpose flour, variable

10 ounces ricotta, well drained

2 whole eggs, beaten

1 egg yolk, add to beaten eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt 

To Mix By Hand:

Mound 3 1/2 cups of the flour and salt in the center of a large wooden cutting board or use a large deep bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour, add the ricotta and eggs. Begin to mix all ingredients by hand folding the flour round and round. 

The dough will come together when half of the flour is incorporated. At this point, start kneading the dough with both hands, using the palms of your hands. 

Once the dough comes together, remove the dough from the bowl and scrape up and discard any leftover bits. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 6 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. If too sticky add a little more flour.

Wrap the dough in plastic, refrigerate overnight or allow to rest for at least one hour. Because of the eggs, the Ricotta Dough should be cooked or frozen within three days.

Roll or shape as desired. 

From here you can prepare ravioli, fettuccini, pappardelle, or endless variety of shapes. 

Divide the dough into four pieces. Lightly dust a large wooden board with flour and roll slightly by hand, repeat dusting with flour flipping dough over as you make it thinner and thinner. The trick is to use just the right amount of flour, too little it will stick, too much and the pasta will become tough when cooked. 

A pasta dough machine with metal rollers and cutters is ideal to give you variety of options. But with a little practice by hand, you’ll roll the dough like a pro.