I often talk and write about this, but for any first time readers, my earliest memories of growing up in a big Italian family are the aromas of Sundays and Holidays. I was especially blessed to live in an apartment downstairs from my grandparents in Upstate New York. I had firsthand experience helping my Grandmother prepare and cook meatballs and sauce every Sunday, as well as helping to prepare the family’s traditional foods for the holidays.

On Christmas Eve, my grandmother would prepare what is known as the “Feast of the Seven Fishes”. The use of seven different seafoods is rooted in old Italian Catholic tradition. Our family would use calamari, scungilli (whelk; conch is often substituted in the US), baccalà (dry, salt cod), shrimp, clams (served with pasta), mussels, and filet of sole (snapper, sea trout, tuna, and salmon can also used in place of filet of sole). We would all enjoy the feast before heading out to midnight mass.

Christmas Day would be my grandfather’s turn to lead the cooking. My grandfather (who was actually the only non-Italian in the family being from the Isle of Madiera in Portugal), would cook his variation of chicharrón (which actually finds its origin in Andalusia, Spain), which consisted of pork butt cubes marinated for one week in equal parts white vinegar and water with bay leaves added. They would then be skewered and grilled in a coal oven. He would also prepare grilled beef and garlic bread to go with the chicharrón.

I believe it is important to make meals a special time of sharing and making memories just as my grandparents did for my family. Most people are somewhat familiar with the preparation of most of the seafood mentioned above, but the baccalà isn’t served as often (my family actually only prepared it once a year at Christmas time). Here is a baccalà recipe to familiarize you with the required preparation of this fish:

Ingredients:
2-3 pounds of dried baccalà
2 or more cloves of garlic, minced
½ cup chopped Italian parsley
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup cured black olives, pitted
1 lemon, quartered

Prep:
Soak baccalà in cold water for three days (yes, days) changing the water at least twice a day. When it is softened, boil it or steam it until it is cooked and flakes easily. Let it cool. Get a nice decorative bowl and break up the baccalà into pieces (bite size or bigger). Toss in the garlic and chopped Italian parsley. Add the olive oil and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste as desired. Add the black olives and mix gently. Place quartered pieces of lemon around the bowl. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Serves 4-6.