Traditional Italian Christmas Recipes
Each Christian community in any part of the world has its own distinctive way of celebrating the festivities of Christmas. Depending on the culture of the country, each country has its own unique and characteristic dishes to serve in Christmas feasts. Italy is one of the most diverse countries that celebrates Christmas in its own characteristic way. Widely characterized by the Italian culture and traditions, the Italians usually prefer eating sea food on Christmas Eve. The Feast of the Seven Fishes is a famous and traditional feast, organized mainly by Italian Christians at daybreak to celebrate Christmas. This feast is distinguished by seven dishes of seafood, although most feasts today have more than seven dishes.
Here are some innovative ideas forItalian-styled Christmas dishes:
Fried Smelts:
The ingredients for this dish include flour, milk, eggs, 3 to 4 pounds of smelt, olive or cooking oil, salt and pepper.
First, remove and discard the heads of the smelt, and wash the remaining body. After drying the smelts, dip them in milk. Next, Mix some salt and pepper with a cup of flour in a large bowl, and put the smelt in this mixture. Put some oil to heat on the stove. While the oil is being heated, remove the smelt from the flour mixture and place them on a separate tray or plate. When the oil is hot enough, but not boiling, place a couple of smelt into the oil, and cook until they are golden brown. While the smelt are being cooked, keep flipping them to make sure that they do not burn. Smelt cook quite fast, so make sure that you don’t think of completing any other chores while they are being cooked. When golden brown, remove the smelt and lay them on tissues of paper towels to dry the oil. The smelts are ready to serve. For additional taste, you can serve smelts with your favorite sauce.
Baccala:
To prepare baccala, you will need 1 pound of center-cut, boneless salt cod, olive oil, vegetable oil, flour, salt, and ¼ cup of finely chopped parsley.
Rinse the cod with water, and soak it for about 48 hours in water. Place the bowl of water with the cod in a refrigerator, and change the water at least twice a day for two days. Place a quart of vegetable oil to heat on the stove. While the oil is being heated, mix some flour, salt, olive oil, parsley in a large bowl, and add some water in the mixture to make a batter. Take the soaked cod, slice it into thin pieces, and dip it into the mixture. When the oil reaches about 390 degrees F, put a few strips of cod in the oil. Flip the cod to prevent burning, and fry it until it is light brown. Remove the cod from the oil and place it on a tissue or paper towel to dry. Sprinkle salt as needed and serve with your favorite sauce.
With these easy recipes, you can also have an Italian-style feast this Christmas. If you want a change this Christmas, then these dishes will help to make your Christmas unique and more enjoyable.
