Taste Dining Out By Victoria Woodard Harvey Photographs by Gary Moss A Feast of Fish LOCAL RESTAURANTS JOIN IN A FESTIVE TRADITION WITH A MEAL THAT SHOWCASES THE BOUNTY OF THE SEA.
f the salt cod known as baccalà is soaking in a kitchen in the days leading up to Christmas, chances are the kitchen is in an Italian household. The common Italian staple is featured in one of several dishes enjoyed at the Feast of the Seven Fishes, a multicourse, seafood- centric meal traditionally prepared for family and Ifriends before midnight mass on La Vigilia di Natale (Christmas Eve). The origins of the feast are somewhat vague; some say it is a uniquely Italian-American experience begun by immigrants from southern Italy who were homesick for the bounty of the Mediterranean and continued an ancient practice among Catholics in Rome of abstaining from eating meat on Christmas Eve. Here on the Central Coast, it’s an apropos tradition to borrow for a memorable winter celebration of the sea. No hard and fast rules dictate the types of seafood dishes served at the dinner. Starters could include a platter of fresh oysters, crab dip, clams casino, or a simple shrimp cocktail. Classic, home-style Italian dishes often feature calamari, grilled for inclusion in a cold salad, fried, or roasted; breaded and fried smelt or sardines; and capitone frito o grigliato, an ancient dish of fried or grilled eel that is especially popular in Naples. Baccalà braised in tomato sauce is common, as are pastas, such as linguine con vongole (linguini with clams) and main dishes like whiting, a large fish simply cooked in a skillet with salt and pepper. Typically, seven courses are served, repre- The Feast of the Seven senting either the seven Catholic sacraments or Fishes prix-fixe menu at Ojai Valley Inn’s Olivella the seven hills of Rome. However, honoring the begins with oysters on 10 stations of the cross by presenting as many the half shell (opposite), courses is not unheard of, nor is an ambitious doused in limoncello vinaigrette and heaped 13-course meal to pay homage to Jesus Christ and with basil granita. Chef the 12 apostles at the Last Supper. de cuisine Andrew Fortunately for contemporary Californians Foskey prepares cod fish (right) to fill his who might find preparation of such a feast a bit handmade pasta for daunting, there are talented chefs in the 805 who course 3, Baccalà understand the tradition and do all the planning Tortelli. Course 5 (above) is Stufato di and preparations with delicious results. Polpo, octopus stew. “I have a tremendous respect for Italian food, Italian cooking, and Italian culture as a whole,” says Andrew Foskey, chef de cuisine of Olivella at the Ojai Valley Inn (ojaivalleyinn.com), where he has created a Feast of the Seven Fishes prix-fixe menu with paired wines, which is served the week before Christmas. It opens “fresh and crisp to start things off,” he says, with oysters on the half > 100 DECEMBER 2019 / 805LIVING.COM DECEMBER 2019 / 805LIVING.COM 101 Taste Dining Out
a pureed potato soup with clams topped with crisp croutons; and hamachi (yellowtail) carpaccio served with sautéed asparagus and red and yellow peppers, a parmigiana fondue, and truffle caviar (pearls of reduced black truffle juice). Seppie e Piselli, a stew of cuttlefish and split peas, is served with crostini. Ganci, who comes from a long line of pasta makers in Bologna, is committed to perpetuating Bolognese culinary traditions, such as the Ravioli di Pesce Spada e Melanzane Croccanti, swordfish ravioli with cherry tomatoes, black olives, capers, and fresh mint, in eggplant sauce. Her entrées include Merluzzo in Salsa di Cocco e Cuori di Carciofi Fritti, pan-sautéed cod in a coconut and lemongrass sauce with fried artichokes, and Guazzetto di Pesce allo Zafferano, a saffron-laced stew that features no fewer than seven types of fish. The special menu offers a way to celebrate the tradition with just one hearty, comforting dish or an entire feast.
More Fish Dishes To get into the holiday spirit Italian-style, here are a few more dishes worth seeking out.
Course 4 on Olivella’s prix-fixe OLIO E LIMONE, AND OLIO CRUDO BAR menu is Calamaro, Ventura County squid stued with spicy pork. Santa Barbara, olioelimone.com Featured throughout the month of December, Zuppe di Pesce mingles mussels, clams, prawns, salmon, and sea bass in a white shell in limoncello vinaigrette along with a basil granita. The wine–fish broth with chili flakes, a touch of tomato, and a pinch of curry. At Olio Crudo Bar, pan-seared sand dabs are enhanced with second course begins with fried boquerones (anchovies) white wine vinegar, caramelized red onion, golden raisins, pine nuts, served on rosemary focaccia with agliata, a pungent garlic and chervil for the Sogliolette in Agrodolce. sauce, and gremolata. Next up is handmadetortelli pasta with a baccalà filling, served with winter chanterelles in MEDITERRANEO a wild mushroom brodo (broth), a popular dish Foskey Westlake Village, med-rest.com brought back from last year’s inaugural feast menu. For Linguini Vongole, fresh Manila clams are sautéed in a white wine For the calamari course, Foskey uses squid from and garlic sauce with a pinch of chili and Italian parsley. In Scampi Bruschetta, shrimp gets dressed in garlic butter and lemon and Ventura County. “We have some of the best squid in the served on grilled bread slices with baby tomatoes and caper berries. world right here in our local waters,” he says. He serves it stuffed with a blend of ‘nduja (a spreadable cured pork) BASTA and crushed taralli (a kind of Italian pretzel) that is pan- Agoura Hills, bastaagoura.com roasted in a tomato and fennel base. The Stufato di Polpo is Santa Barbara Mussels are wood-fired and served in a lemongrass, a Mediterranean octopus stew, slow-cooked with oregano, leek, and white wine broth with grilled bread and roasted bone marrow. Grilled dishes include with lemon, fennel, lemon, new potatoes, and cipollini onions. The savory Whole Branzino spinach, and a sprinkling of peppery smoked salt. grand finale is spiny lobster tail, butter-poached and served with Taggiasca olives (a dense black variety salt-brined in TRATTORIA GRAPPOLO olive oil), tomato confit, fresh basil, and capers. Santa Ynez, trattoriagrappolo.com For a sweet end to the dinner, executive pastry chef Carpaccio de Polipo is thinly sliced octopus with Kalamata olives, Joel Gonzalez creates a sea-themed dessert called Ocean capers, and dressed arugula. For Calamari alla Positano, calamari Pearls, an assortment of sorbet, mousse, tapioca, and is stuffed with smoked mozzarella and prosciutto, sautéed in lemon and olive oil, and served on a bed of tender roasted vegetables. sponge cake orbs flavored with chocolate, coconut, almond, and lime. IL CORTILE During the second week of December at Jacopo Paso Robles, ilcortileristorante.com Falleni’s restaurant Nonna (nonna.restaurant) in Spaghetti alla Bottarga is a tangle of long pasta strands studded Westlake Village, executive chef Pamela Ganci presents with shrimp, clams, mild pepperoncini, and garlic and topped with a special menu of holiday fish dishes that can be ordered shaved bottarga. Capesante spotlights farm-raised diver scallops, individually as starters or entrées. For openers, she which are seared and served atop a Japanese sweet potato puree, accompanied by seasonal wild mushrooms in a fontina and white offers focaccia with house-made smoked salmon, cream truffle oil sauce, and drizzled with balsamic reduction. cheese, and roasted pistachios; Zuppa di Vongole e Patate,
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