With the holiday season upon us anyone got any traditions they’d like to share?

I’ve got some Italian heritage in my family so we have a fish fry every year on December 23.

It’s not the same as the Feast of the Seven Fishes; we mainly just do smelts and calamari.

Next week my dad, brother, & I will go up to the strip district in Pittsburg. We’ll buy fifteen pounds of smelts (60ct) and 10 pounds of whole squid. We’ll also buy bacala (salt cod), prosciutto, supersotta, fontinella cheese, buffalo mozzarella cheese, foccacha bread, all types of stuffed peppers & olives, and about twenty magnum bottles of red table wine (at least three bottles get drank the night before when we clean all the fish & squid).

On the 23’rd my mom, sisters, and my sister’s girls will fry zeppole in the morning (girls fry the zeppole and the boys fry the fish). Zeppole is a type of fried dough that is either stuffed with raisins or anchovies (I prefer the anchovies).

After the grease is changed from the fried dough we start the fish. This is where the real party begins. We’ll (me & my nephews) will have five electric skillets going and one deep fryer. I’ll pour a tall glass of wine and get to work. Fish are done in the skillet till golden brown; calamari is done in the deep fryer. This is all done indoors so you can imagine the smell and heat!

We’ll have at least two hundred people pass through and the party usually winds down around midnight. All the food will be eaten and all the wine drank. This is one of my absolute favorite celebrations. Just thought I’d share it with you all. Salute….

Wow, I wonder if I could blend into the crowd whith my red hair and fair skin.

I remember the smell of the Bacala my mother cooked for my father and it was a good reason to stay outside an play all day.

Tasso

quote:

Originally posted by riverman1:
Wow, I wonder if I could blend into the crowd whith my red hair and fair skin.

You would be surprised...

I'm only 1/4 tally...

My nephews are 3/4 and have blond hair & blue eyes...

Tasso,

That's why I'm glad we have it at my brother's house...