Join Us for Christmas Eve feast Italian style -
La Festa dei Sette Pesci  (The Feast of the Seven Fish)

Greetings!
What is the Feast of the Seven Fishes? According to Giuseppe Zuozo “It’s what Italians do when they say they’re fasting.” More precisely, the Feast is a meal served in Italian households on La Vigilia (Christmas Eve). In many parts of Italy, the night is traditionally a partial fast, during which no meat should be served. But in true Italian style, this prescription has morphed into something very unfastlike indeed: course after course of luxurious seafood dishes, often as many as 7, 10, or even 13. “No one’s quite sure of the significance of the number,” says Zuozo. “Some families do seven for the sacraments. Some do ten for the stations of the cross. And some even do 13 for the 12 apostles plus Jesus.”
Regardless of the religious symbolism, for most people the main point of the meal is to gather family and friends and enjoy delicious food. In Zuozo’s Italian American family, his grandmother used to host the feast, with everyone pitching in. “She would let us kids help her make fresh pasta,” Zuozo recalls. “Then she’d lay it out on towels on our beds to dry for the day.” After dinner, they’d open half their presents, saving the rest for Christmas Day.
This Christmas, we asked Giuseppe with Chef Gustavo to put together a special Feast of the Seven Fishes menu for Anacapri. The dishes they chose represent the traditional elements of the meal: antipasti to get things going; simple, classic pastas; three hearty main courses; and plenty of desserts to finish on a sweet note. Most of the recipes hail from the Campania region, specifically the Amalfi coast and Capri Island, which Giuseppe feels produces Italy’s most spectacular seafood. (When asked why he loves the area so much, he simply said, “Have you been there?”)
One item that might be unfamiliar to some American palates is the baked eel, but Giuseppe stresses that this is an essential part of an Italian Christmas Eve celebration. “To most Italians, it would practically be sacrilegious not to have it,” he says. Have your fishmonger skin and gut the eel, and the dish will be a snap to prepare and you might be won over by its flavorful succulence.

Sincerely,

Giuseppe Zuozo

Menu

1st Course | Uno
choice of two
Lobster Bisque with fresh lobster
thick creamy seafood soup with chunks of lobster
Oysters Rockefeller
fresh oyster on half shell with spinach, parsley, onions and pernod.
Shrimp Cocktail
jumbo shrimp with house made cocktail sauce.

 

2nd Course | Due
Insalate di Natale
scungilli, calamari, clams, mussels, shrimp,celery, roast red peppers in citrus vinaigrette.

 

3rd Course | Tre
choice of four
Linguini Vongole
fresh baby clams, garlic, olive oil, red chili flakes served over linguini.
A’ Malafemmina
shrimp, clams, mussels, lobster tail, garlic, white wine and fish broth.
Cioppino
shrimp, mussels, scungilli, calamari, clams in a tomato sauce.
Branzino
mouth watering branzino (mediterranean seabass), served with lemon, parsley and rosemary over sautéed vegetables.
Dentice alla Francese
fillet snapper in eggs batter, lemon and white wine sauce.
Eel Livornese
olives, chilies and capers in tomato sauce (anguilla livornese).
Shrimp Risotto
shrimp scampi over saffron risotto.
Baccalà alla Vesuviana
fillet of cod with tomato and capers

 

The Sweet Ending | Quattro
flute limoncello | chocolate Anacapri | ricotta cheese cake

Anacapri Cucina Italiana
Pinecrest | Coral Gables | Miami | Cutler Bay

December 23 & 24, 2011
$45 pp | Entire Table Must Enjoy The Feast