A whole lot of fish

On Christmas Eve, my family feasts on fish. Traditionally, the meal is supposed to be meatless and we try to serve at least seven different types of fish. This year we had scrod (baked), baccala (fried), shrimp (cocktail and scampi), lobster (casserole), crab (stuffed into mushroom caps), scallops (baked and scampi), calamari (fried, stuffed and in sauce) and clams (raw).

Why fish? First, because its an easy tradition to keep up in our family - we like fish. We all have our favorites: my brother likes lobster; my father, baccala; and me, stuffed squid. Secondly, my aunt does all the work to get the meal together (with some help from me).

OK... but why fish? Well, like Good Friday, Christmas Eve is considered a day of abstinence by the Catholic Church. Good Catholics are supposed to make a personal sacrifice by not eating meat. So instead of meat, we eat lobster tails ($45.00/lb at Boston's James Hook Lobster Co.), giant sea scallops ($25.00/lb) and jumbo shrimp ($19.99/lb). Not bad for a sacrifice, huh?

Now... why seven? It's a southern Italian thing. Some think it symbolizes the seven days it took Joseph and Mary to get to Bethlehem. Others think it represents the days in a week, or the seven pilgrimage churches in Rome, or the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, or the seven days of creation. I even found one reference to Biblical numerology that identifies seven as a number of perfection (whatever that means). But the most widely held belief is that it represents the seven sacraments. As if seven fishes weren't enough, some families' Christmas Eve Feast of Fish traditions call for nine fishes (to represent the Holy Trinity times three), ten fishes (one for each of the Stations of the Cross), eleven fishes (which stands for the 12 Apostles minus Judas), and thirteen fishes (representing the 12 Apostles plus Jesus).

Peppadews are good

I am definitely late to the game, but last night I discovered Peppadew peppers. Mmm, mmm. The bit-sized red bell-shaped peppers from South Africa have a flavor that is perfectly balanced between sweet and spicy, and they have a nice crunch. They come seeded, and preserved (with no preservatives) in what I'm guessing is mostly vinegar. They, are, good.

They are perfect as an antipasto served straight out of the jar, or as they were served last night, straight out of a Dean and DeLuca plastic deli container. I don't know how much they cost at D&D, but I bet the price is at the high end. The Web says you can also get them (more cheaply, I'm guessing again) at your local A&P, Food Emporium or Gristedes.

I haven't figure out if these "sweet piquanté peppers", as the marketing people at Peppadew International call them, are a recent botanical creation of the South African company, or if Peppadew just dominates the international market for these little belles, which for all I know are as common in South Africa as chilis in Texas. Either way, don't be surprised when the brand name and the product become synomous despite the food company's efforts to prevent that from happening.

Best oatmeal cookies in the land

Who makes the best oatmeal-raisin cookies ever? My mother, of course.

Her not-so-secret, secret: the recipe found on the inside of the cover to most Quaker Oatmeal cansisters. She adds some chopped walnuts and she tweeks the recipe here and there to my liking, but her cookies are essentially the same as those baked in homes across America. What makes her cookies so special? Do not underestimate years of kitchen experience and TLC.

Here's the recipe for Quaker's Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies:

ingredients
- 2 sticks of softened margarine or butter
- 1 cup of packed brown sugar
- 1/2 of cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups quick Quaker Oats
- 1 cup of chopped walnuts
- 1 cup raisins

instructions
1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. In large bowl, beat margarine and sugars until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat some more.
3. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats, walnuts and raisins; mix some more.
4. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown.

Caffe Moka

I want to buy a La Pavoni lever espresso machine. Prices range from about $550 to around $1,000. La Pavoni has cheaper pump models, and similar machines by other makers receive good consumer reviews, but I like the personality a semi-manual machine gives each cup.

Until I have the bucks to spring on my dream machine, I'm sticking with my Bialetti Stove Top Moka Espresso Maker. It does the trick and using good grinds will maximize flavor. But don't expect a perfect, crema-topped cup - that requires the difficult combination of high tempertaure, high pressure and quick brew time that can only be achieved with the help of machines.

Soon after I switched from french-pressed to espresso for my morning fix, I bought a 3-cup Moka (my version of single serving size) for $25.00 from Bowery Kitchen Supplies in Chelsea Market. The 6-cup size was priced $28.00. (Oddly, Bowery lists the 3-cup size on-line for $22.00, and the 6-cup size for $30.00). To serve company, I still break out the 30-year old 6-cup maker I snagged from my grandmother's kitchen.

Here are some canned grinds that work well with the Moka, starting with my current favorite:

- Kimbo Gold Medal. 8.8 oz., a blend of beans - Buon Italia in Chelsea Market - $5.95
- Kimbo Aroma Espresso (Napolitano style). 8.8 oz., Brazilian - Buon Italia in Chelsea Market - $5.99
- Cafe Bustelo (Cuban style). 10 oz., a blend of beans - 24 hour deli at 34th and 10th - $5.49 ($4.19 for a 10 oz vacuum packed bag at Duane Reade)
- Illy Espresso. 8.8 oz., Arabica - Sullivan Street Bakery on W. 47th Street - $10.00 ($11.99 at Wholefoods)
- Lavazza Qualita Oro. 8.8 oz., blended beans - Wholefoods - $7.99

Mario's Crostini

Here are two crostini toppings I really like and rely on when cooking for others. Both are based on recipes found in Simple Italian Food by Mario Batali.

Broccoli Rabe Crostini with Crotonese

ingredients:
- broccoli rabe
- garlic
- olive oil
- red wine vinegar
- fresh oregano (dried is OK)
- salt and pepper
- crotonese

Broccoli photo credit: CooksThesaurus

(Mario's recipe calls for topping off these crostini with black pepper-fresh oregano oil. To avoid the trouble of making it (you need a blender), I instead mix in fresh oregano with the other stuff.)

instructions:
1. trim stems from rabe and add to boiling water for about 3 mins. - until bright green
2. remove rabe into cold water and allow to cool for about 5 mins.
3. drain rabe well, them cut into 1/2 inch pieces; squeeze out excess water
4. add rabe into a bowl with very thinly sliced garlic cloves, olive oil, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper.
5. let the mixture sit for a bit
6. spoon some onto toasted slices of good italian bread
7. drizzle on a little oil, and top with a very thin piece of crotonese

Eat.


Melanzane al Fungo (Eggplant, Mushroom-Style)

ingredients:
- olive oil
- 1 medium red onion
- garlic
- 4 medium eggplants
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup of parsley (i like a little more)

eggplant photo credit: tastefulgarden.com

instructions:
1. heat olive oil in a saute pan
2. add diced onion - lightly brown and soften
3. add thinly sliced garlic - lightly brown and soften, too
4. add eggplant cut into half-moons or triangluar shapes - cook until golden brown and soft
5. remove from heat, season with salt and pepper
6. let cool down a bit, then add chopped parsley and mix well
7. spoon some onto toasted slices of good italian bread

Eat.

Stuffing the Bird

My family celebrates Thanksgiving like we do most other holidays - with very little reflection and lots of eating. Thanksgiving is a special day for us because of the turkey stuffing. Some people like turkey stuffed with croutons seasoned with sage or other herbs and mixed with chestnuts, oysters or even apples. All good, but we stuff the bird with beef.

Here's how my family makes stuffing:

Note: this a recipe is for a 27-28 pound bird. (In our family, that comes out to about 3-4 pounds per person. No, we dont eat it all in one sitting, but the carcass is usually totally stripped by the end of the next day.) Adjust your proportions accordingly.

ingredients:
- olive oil
- one large bunch of celery (my variation: anise)
- 2-3 medium onions
- bunch of parsley
- salt and pepper
- half of a big round italian bread (very important - the bread should be totally stale, and should have been dense but not gummy when it was fresh)
- 2 lbs of 85% lean ground beef (my variation: sweet italian sausage)
- 2 eggs
- cup of pecorino romano cheese

instructions:
1. soak the bread in luke warm water until soft all the way through. Strip the dark crust off the bread and squeeze out the water. Set the bread aside in a large bowl.
2. finely chop the onions and celery and saute over medium-low heat until very soft. Season with salt and pepper.
3. add ground beef to the sauce pan, breaking up the meat into small pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until its cooked.
4. pour the entire contents of the saute pan over the bread in the bowl.
5. crack the two eggs over the meat while it is still very hot and stir everything together.
6. add the parsley and cheese, and continue to stir (or use your hands) until well-mixed.
7. stuff the turkey completely, its OK if its pouring out of the cavity. Cover the overflow with aluminium foil. Remove the foil when the turkey is almost cooked to allow the stuffing to brown.
8. extra stuffing may be cooked in a baking dish.

Stuff away!

Atlas 150 Pasta Machine

I bought a Marcato Atlas 150 manual pasta machine last Sunday at Sur La Table in SoHo. This is the classic Italian-made "chromed" machine that cranks out 150 mm (almost 6-inches) wide sheets of pasta and comes with the standard cutters for making fettucine and tagliolini. It was the smaller of the two sizes on the shelf and cost $59.95. (The wider version - the Atlas 180 - makes 7-inch wide sheets and was $10 more.) The are all types of attachments for the machine - various cutters, a motor, a ravioli maker. Several other models and the full line of attachments and accessories are easily found on-line at good prices.

The machines come with a booklet that provides instructions in 10 languages for how to make the dough and use the machine. Interesting tid-bits: use room temperature eggs and never rinse the machine with water.

Recipes for fresh pasta are easy and pretty flexible. The one that comes with the machine calls for 1 lb of "soft" (all purpose) flour and 5 eggs. The soft flour, all egg mixture produces a dough that is best when you want a lighter pasta - like for lasagna, ravioli, and tortelini, or for pappardelle, fettucine or tagliolini. If you like your pasta al dente, use fewer eggs and add a little water instead. For machine-less, hand-shaped pasta like orecchiette, I mix half semolina and half soft flour and use no eggs at all. When making pasta just for me, I use only semolina and water.

The Atlas 150 is ready to use right out of the box. What you do with the clamp, the crank, the rollers and the cutters is pretty intuitive. Blow off any dust and prime the rollers and cutters with a piece of dough to pick up any dirt or excessive oil (then toss it). Now get cranking.