Feast of the Seven Fishes

last evening was a feast of fishes. the menu consisted the following:

stuffed calamari

3 lbs calamari

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups homemade bread crumbs

3/4 cup pine nuts

2 eggs

olive oil

salt & pepper

sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cans crushed tomatoes (i use san marzano tomatoes)

1 bay leaf

2 tbls dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

place in heavy sauce pan and simmer for 1 hour, or more.

stuff each calamari body and place in baking dish. cover with sauce and some parmesan cheese. bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

this dish was my favorite.

octopus

this past summer we had a spanish man named pablo stay with us for a couple of days. the last evening of his stay him and his crew made a typical Spanish meal. he cooked the octopus in my kitchen as i wanted to learn how this galacian dish is prepared. he boiled water and placed the octopus in the water. i tried to repeat this dish and what ended up happening was that we were having contests to see how long we could chew and swallow. many of us gave up and had to spit it out. i guess i need to go back to octopus cooking school.

baccala

salted cod fish

black and green olives,chopped

2 garlic cloves, sliced

pepper

overnight, soak the fish in cold water. place fish in boiling water until fish turns white in color. break pieces up and ad the olives, garlic, olive oil, and pepper. this dish is served cold.

eel

cleaned eel

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbls dried oregano

1 tbls dried basil

3 bay leaves, crumbled

cut eel in 3 inch pieces. marinate for 2 hours. cook on grill.

this dish was better than i thought it would be. i have to tell you that i have prepared many dishes and cutting these snake like pieces gave me the chills. i thought to myself, this better be tasty and worth it, and i was pleasantly surprised. dylan was the grill master for this dish.

shrimp cocktail

this one is the easiest to prepare, as i choose to buy the cooked, frozen shrimp.

cocktail sauce

ketchup

horseradish

worcestershire sauce

lemon juice

depending on how hot you like your sauce you can adjust all of the quantities above. give it a taste and add more of what you like.

smelt

cleaned smelt

flour

salt & pepper
eggs

olive oil

in a skillet, heat up olive oil. dip smelt in egg and then in to the flour (add the salt and pepper to the flour). fry until golden and crispy. my friend jess helped to fry these tasty treats.

pasta with tuna fish sauce

olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 large can of tomato paste

1 large can tomato puree

1 bay leaf

2 tbls dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

2 cups, or more of water

2 cans tuna fish, in water

2 lbs angel hair pasta

saute the garlic in the olive oil. add the other ingredients and simmer for at least an hour or more. before serving, add the two cans of tuna. put on top of cooked pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

additional dishes

in addition to the above i made a few antipasto plates that included: roasted red peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, black and green olives, lupine beans, pepperincini, marinated anchovies

broccoli rabi sauteed with garlic and olive oil

tossed salad

dessert

pizzelle

ewand

grandma theresa's cookies

brownies

wines served

la crema chardonnay

mark west pinot noir

Pre Christmas Eve

Tomorrow is the big day. I am preparing a Feast of the Seven Fishes. I haven't created this meal ever and am recreating the recipes based on my childhood memory. I have asked family for recollections of any of these recipes and have been given some food advice, but we will see what I can whip up. I visited the fish market to day and have purchased eel, smelt, octopus, calamari, shrimp, baccala, and tuna. My son is home from Chicago and will help me prepare all the dishes. Today we have done the shopping and have purchased the flowers for the table. I am excited mostly to share this meal with the friends that have invited. There will be 14 of us and it has been many years since I have celebrated Christmas Eve in this way. I am looking forward to the buzz and excitement of the day.

Holiday Gifts

For the holiday season this year I decided to make a homemade food gift.

Basil Pesto: Fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and salt.

For a quick and easy spread I used some extra pesto that I made and mixed it with some of the homemade ricotta cheese and served with crackers.

Chicken Pot Pie

One of the ways I use my leftover chicken from baking a whole chicken is to make a pot pie....you can be creative in what is inside this tasty treat. This pie has a basic white sauce with chicken and mixed vegetables.

The real treat is the crust....with the best crust recipe:

2-2/3 cups flour (I used spelt flour for this pie)

2/3 cup vegetable oil

6 tbls cold milk

In a large bowl put the flour and salt. Measure the oil and put the cold milk into the oil...the important part here is not to mix. Wet ingredients into dry and mix with a wooden spoon until you have dough (I sometimes use my hands to get the dough into two balls).

Roll bottom and top of crust in between two sheets of wax paper.

The results are flaky delicious crust every time.

Ricotta Cheese

I recently, successfully, made homemade ricotta cheese. It was a very simple process...all you need is some fresh whole milk, salt, lemon juice, and cheese cloth to drain the curds.

It is true that you get a little over one cup from 1/2 gallon of milk....but you can't beat the fresh creamy taste.

Viola...I'll next tell you what I did with some of the cheese.

Dinner Party with Amazing Women

I know it has been a very long time and I have to say I am back and commited to keeping you all updated.

This past Saturday night, in celebration of my dear friend Maureen going off to fulfill her dream--creating a documentary about The Little Brothers of St. Francis, we gathered to celebrate her endeavor. I unfortunately do not have an pictures, but promise to include in posts going forward. Here is the menu: (please take note that the ingredients I use are local and organic, when available).

Mixed green salad with roasted beets, chevre, and walnuts topped with balsamic vinagrette

Cod beignets with an herbed yogurt dip

Cornmeal crepes with kale and rainbow chard filling (an assortment of fresh herbs from my kitchen herb garden too)

Eggplant rotini stuffed with fresh ricotta cheese and a fresh tomato sauce

Chicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese, green onions, and herbs with a wine mushroom sauce

To finish I made eclairs with a coffee custard filling.

I realized after I had finished cooking that most of the menu was stuffed!! We all had fun and ate the evening away.

Sample Menus

Here are some sample items that you can choose from when considering Crisp.

Appetizers
black olive & fig tapenade
roasted eggplant and peppers bruschetta
sushi rolls
cheese platter
hummus w/ pita
shrimp cocktail
baked brie in puff pastry
smoked salmon w/ herbed butter and radishes on pumpernickel bread
crudite

Salads
traditional Italian
greek
mixed greens w/ pecans, goat cheese and pears
strawberry spinach salad
panzenella

Main Courses
pork ragu
beef tenderloin w/ wild mushroom stuffing and port wine sauce
pork tenderloin
eggplant Parmesan
lasagna
lamb shanks
shrimp pasta w/ pesto
Italian chicken
sausage and peppers
crispy duck
sea bass w/ curry sauce
encrusted salmon

Side Dishes
broccolini w/ garlic and Parmesan
green beans w/ shallots and walnuts
Brussels sprouts
quinoa w/ fennel and pomegranate
potatoes gratin
garlic mashed potatoes

Desserts
profiteroles
lemon pudding cake
chocolate lava cakes
cheese cake