Sette Pesce for the Eve of Christmas

Cajun Barbecue Shrimp and Butterfly Shrimp and Key West style sauce
Oysters on the half shell with Cucumber Mignonette sauce
Spinach and Feta Stuffed Flounder
Alaska Salmon Bake with Pecan Crunch Coating
Savory Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
Warm Scallop and Green Bean Salad
Calamari Fritto

Ultimate Schamelot Stromboli

(Picture coming!)

We don't even make pizza anymore. It just doesn't compete with the stromboli!

Ingredients:

Dough:

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Sauce:

1 can tomato paste
1 1/2 cans water
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil

Fillings:

1 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese

any combination of the following:

pepperoni
sausage
bacon
mushrooms
onion
olives
roasted eggplant
ham
pineapple
anchovies
peppers

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.

2. Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.

3. Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out.

4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

5. Divine dough in half and roll out into a rectangle. Working in the middle third of rectangle, spread sauce, cheese and meat/veggie combination. Fold one side-third over and then the other, sealing edges, and transfer to cornmeal-dusted stone or oiled pan. You can drizzle oil and salt over the rolls, or sprinkle more shredded cheese if you want to.

6. Bake stromboli in preheated oven, until the crust is golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Buon Appetito!

Authentic Pasta e Fagioli (NOT Pasta Fazool!)

My mother always made this for us as kids (along with Pasta e Lentichie--lentils) and I crave it all throughout the winter months. My seventh child, born in the dead of winter, was grown in utero almost entirely on Pasta e Fagioli and milk--he weighed 11.5 lbs at birth! My mother learned to make this from her mother who is from Naples. I learned to make it from my mother with no measurements, but I've tried to approximate the measurements for you--give or take a little. We like to serve it sprinkled with fresh diced onions, and, of course, thick slices of buttered Pane Rustica!


Authentic Pasta e Fagioli (pronounced fah-jo-lie, like Angelina)

1 lb. dry cannellini, navy or great northern beans (I usually use navy beans)
2 stalks celery (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2-3 tomatoes, diced for 1-1/2 cups
2-3 cloves garlic (usually I just use the whole stinking blub!)
2-3 quarts water
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil

You can soak the beans in water and 1 tablespoon baking soda for 8-10 hours, drain and proceed with the recipe, of you can throw it all in a pressure cooker like I do. If you soak them, then drain them, place them in a large stock pot and add the remaining ingredients except for the salt and pasta.
Boil for 1-2 hours with lid on, checking to make sure the beans don't lose their boil, and stirring frequently.

If you pressure cook them, then just place the rinsed and picked over beans in the pressure cooker with all the other ingredients except the salt and pasta, and bring to full pressure. Lower the heat to medium low and cook for about an hour, adding salt after the beans are tender, but not mush.

Now for the pasta--you can either cook it separately, ladeling the beans over them in each individual bowl, or just throw the pasta into the boiling beans before serving. It's better when you cook it separately, but if you don't want to take up another burner on the stove, then just throw them in with the beans and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes, depending on the quality of the pasta. I like to use the small to medium shells because the bens get cupped inside. I hope you enjoy this old family recipe as much as we do!

Buon Apetito!

Pane Rustica, or Summorum Pontificum Bread

We baked 40 loaves of this bread between July 7 and September 14 to celebrate the liberation of the Traditional Latin Mass after nearly 40 years in captivity! This is the most amazing bread you'll ever bake! You don't have to knead it--in fact, you don't even have to touch it (just like the Traditional Latin Mass!). What you get is a crusty, chewy bread with big beautiful pores that can stand up to even the hottest French Onion Soup. Slice it nice and thin with an electric knife and you can make paninis like nobody's business! In the summertime cover thick slices with drizzled olive oil, fresh chopped tomatoes, oregano, s&p for a fresh pizzina to die for! Perfect for Panzanella, French Dipped Sandwiches--perfect for just about anything. Simply perfect, just like the Traditional Latin Mass!
Basically, you let it rise for 20 hours, one hour for each century since Christ instituted the Mass, and then you bake it for 40 minutes, one minute for each year it was eclipsed by a fabricated liturgy.

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery

Time: About 40 minutes plus 20 hours rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 20 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 20 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

HT: My Dad, for tracking this gem down!

Buon Apetito!