Food Notes: 12/24
Pickles, cabbage, stuffed shells, and more
Buon Natale! Christmas Eve is an important food holiday in the Italian American tradition. You might have heard a thing or two about the Feast of the Seven Fishes, a meal celebrated by Italian Americans featuring a variety of fish, but not actually celebrated by Italians. But what meal would be complete without some kind of pasta?
Stuffed pasta is relatively common, like the above shells stuffed with ricotta cheese, or manicotti (better known as cannelloni in Italy). There’s a history of eating these kinds of foods during celebrations, but they are practical too because they can be prepared ahead of time.
Last night I was buying a last minute Christmas gift and wished the bartender a “happy Chrismukkah,” an obvious reference to The O.C. television series. Apparently it wasn’t so obviously, and when I explained, they said: “I think my parents watched that show.”
Meanwhile, alternate side parking was still in effect in New York today, which seemed like anti-Italian discrimination. I had in my possession my father’s car. We were headed to south Jersey to celebrate Italian Christmas Eve with my brother’s in-laws. We spent about 90 minutes just getting through Brooklyn and Staten Island. Luckily I had a copy of the new album, A Very Italian Christmas Eve Party. The album comes from the folks behind the Italian American Podcast with classics like Dominick the Christmas Donkey and some reworked holiday songs.
In South Jersey, we ate chicken parm, stuffed shells, and spicy meatballs. It wasn’t exactly seven fish, but it was certainly Italian American. The stuffed shells were particularly good, with creamy ricotta cheese. The toddler ate a meatball, which is always a win.
Afterward, we headed back to north Jersey to spend the night with my wife’s parents. They’re hosting dinner tomorrow, and, *gasp*, we’re breaking tradition. Instead of pasta, my mother-in-law is cooking up a risotto. She’s actually still cooking pasta too, because our three-year-old is unlikely to eat the risotto. Will report back with whether the risotto turns out to be a Chrismukkah miracle or not.
As for fish, we had some shrimp cocktail over the weekend while celebrating with my parents. But that’s okay. I’m cooking up a feast of fish for New Year’s Eve.
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Glitter Pickles Are Apparently a Thing
I had no idea. Apparently, people make, and eat, sparkly pickles. Unsurprisingly, its a TikTok thing. Food & Wine investigated.
Pickles, So Hot Right Now
Why is everything turning up pickles? Over at the The Takeout, Alexandria Brooks argues for using Old Bay seasoning in pickles.
Pickles, in Your Latkes? More Likely Than You Think
The folks at AOL and Good Morning America have a fried pickle latke recipe.
Is This The Golden Age of Bakeries?
The New York Times asserts we’re in peak bakery thanks to lower overhead and fewer pastry chef jobs in restaurants.
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We’re compiling a list of lists for the best things of 2024. The full list is available here.