Some think that each fish represents a day of the week, but most traditions come from the observance of the Cena della Vigilia (the dinner of the vigil), the wait for the birth of Christ in which early… Traditional Christmas dinner features turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and vegetables such as carrots, turnip, parsnips, etc. Fried Olives. The Italian Christmas dinner … Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Turn the steaks over and cook another 5 minutes. Cultivating Christmas cheer is as easy as serving up a home cooked meal along with excellent wine. I had my menu prepared, but I love the pepper dish, so I might have to add that – but melt in the anchovies as my guests may not approve! Cook until the swordfish is easily penetrated with a skewer or paring knife. Timing will vary depending on the thickness of the steaks — thin steaks may take less than 5 minutes while very thick steaks may take as long as 15 minutes. At the beginning, the light dinner consisted of locally caught fish and in the hinterland of eels which could be caught in waterways, in pound and streams. Fried, steamed or dried eel is usually one of the fish included in the "Seven Fishes" tradition, though many Italians and Sicilians in particular simply refer to it as the vigil or Christmas dinner; a meal typically free of red meat and consisting entirely of seafood. Other fish that are locally caught are broiled, fried or cooked in sauce; an assortment of vegetable and salads are served sautéed fried or stuffed, moreover in Naples the Insalata di Rinforzo made with boiled cauliflower, pappacelle (pickled peppers), olives, giardiniera, capers, salted anchovies and oil and vinegar, is a ritual dish consumed on the Eve and on Christmas Day. Sicilian cuisine is incredibly unique – while much of it is clearly Italian (there’s plenty of pastas, olive oils, wines and seafood) there are some commonly used ingredients that clearly stand out. See all. For dessert, pumpkin or apple pie, raisin pudding, Christmas pudding, or fruitcake are the staple. Every Italian family tends to keep with the traditions of the older generations, so the Italian Christmas dinner often includes the grandmother’s recipes adored by the whole family. In Italy , Christmas Eve dinner is traditionally lighter with no meat and a lot of seafood, while the Italian -American meal has evolved into much more of a feast. ( Log Out /  You’ve managed to include most of my favourite dishes on the menu. Remove, place in a bowl and keep it in the refrigerator to cool slightly. The seven fish dishes refer to the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic church, or the seven days it took God to make the Universe, or the seven virtues, or the seven deadly sins. December 25, Natale, is an holiday celebrated almost all over the world, by Christians and by a very large number of lay people with rich formal dinners, with the exchange of gifts, with gleaming house decorations and great offering of merchandise from stores, markets and malls where this holiday has given to businesses the opportunity to generate extra sales, making the profit for this period a good percentage of the year trading. Stir in the basil leaves and pour the sauce over the swordfish steaks. Our Fair Dinkum Raffle is on now! Home NEWS Sicilian Christmas Dinner Recipes & Wine Pairings. The line says Share This. Alternately, lay anchovy filets and strips of roasted pepper on a serving platter in one layer. CASSATA DECONSTRUCTED – a postmodernist take on Sicilian Cassata CHRISTMAS DOLCI and DOLCETTI and Pistachio Shortbread Biscuit. Shrimps, calamari and fish sliced in small pieces or bits of fillets were floured and fried; baccala’ salad with lemon dressing was served besides sarde a beccafico or stuffed fillets of sole as well, my mother’s specialty, a variety of fried vegetables, primosale cheeses and baccala’ “a pastetta” which was a batter of flour and eggs that would absorb very little oil and with a taste that only she could create. Using tongs, transfer clams to a bowl; set aside. When I lived in Palermo, in our family, for la Vigilia, Christmas Eve, we ate a thick stew prepared with chunks of boneless fish in a light tomato sauce and garnished with parsley and saffron. Philosophy is all about being curious, asking basic questions. Very useful health tips for all diseases. Before going to midnight  Mass, around 10 PM. It is tradition that the Sicilians (and many Italians) have a seven fish dinner on Christmas Eve. The typical Neapolitan and southern Italian traditional Christmas Eve menu’ include: pasta with clams, mussels or fish sauce;   capitone fritto – fried eels,  baccala’- salted cod, aragoste al limone o fra’ diavolo – lobsters in lemon sauce or in a spice sauce, calamari fritti o in salsa – fried or stewed squid, scungilli – conches and polpo – octopus. Pat the swordfish steaks dry with a paper towel on both sides. There are a lot of dishes to keep track of if you’re thinking of creating your own Italian Christmas menu. Congratulations! Very often one of the fishes served during Christmas Eve’s Feast of the 7 Fishes, eel is considered to be good luck for those who eat it. Christmas Eve is a vigil or fasting day, and the abundance of seafood reflects the observance of abstinence from meat until the feast of Christmas Day itself. Cassata al Forno. Heat the olive oil, garlic and fennel seeds in a skillet with a cover over medium heat until the garlic softens and becomes fragrant, about 3 minutes. Remove and decorate with the sprinkles. There are no upcoming events at this time. For dessert, pumpkin or apple pie, raisin pudding, Christmas pudding, or fruitcake are the staple. Married Soup is a rich broth made with pork loin, and a mixture of sausages, capicollo, salami, pancetta, prosciutto, and soppressata, cut into bite-size pieces; after the meats are cooked, the soup is “married”, which is combined with coarsely chopped cabbage, broccoli rape, chicory, escarole, kale and diced cheese. https://jovinacooksitalian.com/2013/12/19/a-sicilian-style-christmas-eve-dinner In most places, it's enough to gather around a table for a dinner, some wine, and a game of cards or tombola (by the way, there is no such thing as the "urn of fate" at Christmas). Football updates,Entertainment,celeb gossip,fassion,social updates. Divide dough into halves and lightly roll each half 1/4 inch thick to form a rectangle. ). https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/269670/sicilian-christmas-pizza-sfincione In Naples, for instance, the devout leave certain treats on the table overnight for the angel who heralds Christ’s birth; for this reason, many dishes are vinegar-based to preserve them. Traditional rules are strictly observed by some families, featuring Christmas Eve dinners proposing three fish courses to symbolize the three Wise Men, or seven fish courses to symbolize the biblical seven days of the creation, or thirteen fish courses to symbolize the twelve Apostles and our Lord Jesus. Caponata – a Sicilian aubergine (eggplant) dish consisting of a cooked vegetable salad made from chopped fried eggplant and celery seasoned with sweetened vinegar, with capers in a sweet and sour sauce. Broccoli and Chicken Salad with Lemon Dressing. She goes on to say "In Sicily it wouldn't be Christmas without eels and larks." Christmas dinner is a meal traditionally eaten at Christmas.This meal can take place any time from the evening of Christmas Eve to the evening of Christmas Day itself. The "capitone" is the female eel, and it is named like that because of the larger size of the head compared to the male (in Neapolitan dialect, capitone means big head). Classic recipes reinvented for the modern cook. Christmas- Natale day was a day of celebration and a special dinner was served according to the local traditions, available food, and the family economic. ; Sicilian orange salad – (Insalata di arance) is a typical salad dish of Sicilian and Spanish cuisine which uses oranges as its main ingredient. Just before Christmas, markets in New York’s Italian neighborhoods, for instance, stock up on a variety of Mediterranean and Adriatic products, such as triglia or red mullet; seppie called cuttlefish or inkfish in English (similar to squid but with a rounder body and thicker flesh); cicale a relative of shrimp; langostino a small, spiny lobster; tiny vongole or clams; baby eels for frying; fresh sardines and fresh anchovies. This course often consists of a variety of bread-based dishes. In Italy, Christmas eating starts at lunchtime then continues well into the night. In a different pan heat the honey until it is hot. Struffoli are a southern Italian Christmas treat. Use the palm of your hand to roll strips to pencil thickness. Enjoy our Sicilian Recipes! What is the tradition about eating eels over Christmas in Italy? Report inappropriate content . Those of you who have a copy of my book Sicilian Seafood Cooking will find recipes for these. Filed In: Entertaining. 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