Nov-Dec-2015_Pg 11_no bleed

HOLIDAYS

Feast of the Seven Fishes by Tim Acosta, Rouses Marketing Director I ’d heard about but never cooked the Feast of the Seven Fishes before, so while we were in Italy on a recent buying trip, I asked everyone I met about this Italian Christmas Eve tradition, and everyone gave me a different answer about why there are seven fishes. Nowwhy there is fish at all is easy.Roman Catholics observing “Cena della Vigilia” (the Christmas Eve dinner) had to abstain frommeat and milk in anticipation the birth of the baby Jesus on Christmas Day. Hence, seafood was served. Not fish necessarily, as the name implies, but seafood — although baccalà (salt cod) fish balls and fried sardines are popular Christmas Eve menu items. But why seven? Seven represents the day God rested. (Genesis 2:2 “By the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.”) Seven also represents the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. There are seven hills of Rome. Seven is the most popular number in the bible. And, at the casino, triple sevens on the slot machine is a win. So, ok, seven. But the Feast of the Seven Fishes can actually feature more than seven fishes. Some people make ten to mark the decade of the rosary, others do twelve for the apostles. Others mark the stations of the cross ... So seven. Or ten. Or twelve. Or as many as you want on the 24 th of December. But Christmas Day? After Roman Catholics receive Holy Communion during Midnight Mass, they can eat meat, so pork, beef and lamb are traditionally served on the 25 th . Whether there are seven different dishes is up to the cook.

Tim and Cindy Acosta’s Linguini With Seafood WHAT YOU WILL NEED Kosher salt 1 pound linguine 3

tablespoons Rouses extra virgin olive oil

6

garlic cloves, chopped

¾ cup Pernod 1

pound small clams, washed and scrubbed

2

pounds mussels, scrubbed

1

pound wild-caught Gulf Shrimp, peeled and deveined

Rouses ground black pepper 1 Fresh parsley, to granish

teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed and toasted

HOW TO PREP Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add linguini and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Remove 1 cup of the pasta water before straining into a colander. In a separate, large, heavy pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Pour in the Pernod, and add clams and mussels. Raise heat to high, cover and cook until clams and mussels open, about 5 minutes. Transfer clams and mussels to a plate (use tongs). Pour half-cup of pasta water to the pot and bring to a boil. Add pasta, shrimp and fennel seeds, and cook over high heat, tossing constantly, until shrimp are pink and the pasta has absorbed a bit of the sauce, about 2-3 minutes. Add the clams and mussels, and season with salt, pepper. Garnish with parsley. *I like to granish with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

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