Brace Yourselves, Christmas is Coming!

 

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I'm Italian and with great Italian ethnicity comes great responsibility... to food.

We love food! We grow it, we cook it and we most whole-heartedly eat it in abundance. "Love" is an understatement.

Ever since I was a kid, food was the center of the Casiello-Ranieri household. Considering both of my parents are Italian, you could call it a double-dose of gastronomy.

Birthdays, Easter, Thanksgiving (speaking of, my nonno thinks turkey is a snack, but that's a whole different post), and Christmas. Christmas is the epitome of my family’s gluttony. On Christmas Eve, we refrain from eating meat (a tradition for many Catholics), so my nonna makes fish. Not one fish, two fish, or three types of fish (Dr. Seuss would be proud), but over five types of fish! What types of fish you ask? Lobster tails, crab legs, halibut, grilled shrimp, breaded shrimp, coconut shrimp (did I mention my nonna really likes shrimp?), mussels, squid, scallops.... Hold on a second! We can’t forget the ricotta and spinach cannelloni. The cannelloni marks the beginning of our Christmas Eve feast, then follows the various fish accompanied by salads and vegetables. Are you full yet?

Well, I hope you have room because now it’s time for dessert! Picture this -- a lavish red Christmas tablecloth with 2 white candlesticks centered and surrounded by 12 satiated Italians. Satiated? There's no such word in Italian for full. "Abbastanza" may come close; however, nonna thinks "dessert". She enters the dining room, glass plate in hand, a pyramid of homemade chocolate eclairs grace us with their presence. The espresso is hissing as it hits boiling point on the stove top. I see my uncles eyeing one another, ravenous with sheer determination to see who will snatch an eclair first. The plate is set down and all heck breaks lose. Seconds pass and the plate is bare. It’s no wonder my nonna doesn't believe us when we say we’re "full". Than again, nothing ever compares to nonna’s cooking, so why resist? :)

When your family celebrates a holiday, does food play a major role? If so, what kind of food is served? and why?