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Sunday, December 26, 2010

Christmas Eve’s Gastronomical Bacchanalia

If you know any traditional Italian folks then you know about the Christmas Eve dinner of 7 fishes. Where i grew up the neighborhood was a mix of Italians, Irish, and Germans. Needless to say every holiday always involved a lot of good food. Of course being a kid i never realized it (i also didn’t realize we were poor).

Even before Beatrice and i found each other i had usually celebrated Christmas eve with with some sort of fish. The daughters were not always happy about this but they survived and now speak of it 100_0020fondly (kids????).

Keep in mind that this was the first time in three years we were celebrating Christmas at home . So even though we promised not go crazy decorating (not), and decided we had more than enough stuff and promised no presents (another not), the Christmas spirit overwhelmed us (as always).

But, bxmas eve food122410 (1)ack to Christmas Eve dinner. Keeping with the fish menu we had baked salmon, a shrimp platter, fried oysters (an Eastern Shore traditional delicacy) a big antipasto,  cheese and crackers, cookies, brownies, chocolate covered cherries, all washed down with eggnog. Needless to say, no one left hungry (another Irish/Italian tradition).  There would have been more pictures but it would have been a blur of hands and forks, and plates moving around, and most likely they would have been out of focus as i shot one handed.

Tomorrow will be a re-run of some delicacies and some new ones. For now i will say Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! i think i heard reindeer in the back field.

Grenville

4 comments:

Out on the prairie said...

"Can there ever be enough?", is what my grandmother always said.She made a bread with anchovies or sardines in it that looked like a turban, and red with spices. I would love to have some of that, it was a treat for many of her friends and she made lots of them, selling them each year with her wandas.We were assembly line workers with the cookies, "Don't taste unless I tell you."The lasagne look very good, I like the meat to the side with pasta.

Anonymous said...

Hi Steve, Yes there was more than enough (and there still is). As both my grandmothers said "no one leaves my house hungry". How i stayed skinny till i was 40 is a real mystery. On the plus side we don't have to worry about starving during this blizzard.

Montanagirl said...

Looks and sounds wonderful! Your tree is just beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Hi Mona, we have really had a great Christmas this year. And now a blizzard to top it off. Life is good!!!!!!