Baked Cod

 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 minced clove of garlic

½ cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

4 skinless 1 1/2-inch thick cod fillets, about 6 oz. each

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

In a small skillet over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add bread crumbs, stir to coat with butter, then cook, stirring frequently, until light golden brown, about 6-7 minutes. 

Remove from heat and stir in parsley and lemon zest. Let cool. Combine mustard and mayonnaise in a small bowl.

Rinse fish and pat dry. Sprinkle each fillet lightly with salt and pepper, then place on a rimmed, foil-lined baking sheet and brush with mustard mixture. Press 1/4 of crumbs onto each filet.

Transfer baking sheet to oven and bake until fish is no longer translucent (cut to test) and flakes easily, 10 to 15 minutes. If crumbs aren't sufficiently browned, broil fish 2 inches from heating element until crumbs are crisp and dark golden brown (watching carefully to prevent burning), 2 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

Italian Ricotta Lemon Cookies

 2 1/4 Flour

1 stick butter soften

1 3/4 sugar

2 room temperature eggs

1-15 ounce container of whole milk ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest (1 lemon)

Glaze

1 1/4 powdered sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon of fresh lemon zest

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl combine butter, sugar, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy for about 7 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, mix between additions until well mixed.  Add the ricotta , lemon juice and zest. Combine together well.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. shift in the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients. Tightly cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight if making next day.

Scoop dough about 1 tablespoon for each cookie on parchment paper lined baking sheets.

Bake 12-14 minutes. Do not overcooked and pale looking.  let cookies rest on sheets for about 15 minutes.

Glaze

Combine powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl whisking until very smooth. Dip or spoon cooled cookies in a bowl of glaze.  Let dry at least 3 hours.

Italian Amaretti Cookies

 2 1/2 cups almond flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup powdered sugar

3 large (egg whites only)

Zest of one lemon

1 teaspoon almond extract

36 or so without skin/optional

Dish with 1/2 cup of sugar for rolling cookies

• Preheat oven 325 
• Rack in center
• Cookie pans lined with parchment paper
• In a large bowl whisk the almond flour and sugar together, add grated lemon zest, and salt making sure well mixed with no lumps.
• In another bowl, whisk egg whites to a almost a peak, then whisk in almond flour.
• Slowly add egg whites to the dry mix, once well mixed should be all set.
• Place batter into pastry bag with a large round tip and make small rounds onto baking sheets.
• Sprinkle with sugar.
• Place Almond on center of cookie gently. (optional)
• Bake for 13-15 minutes or until cookies are slightly golden brown.
• Cool 
• Store in airtight containers.

Italian Sugar Cookies

 3 cup flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 vegetable shortening

3/4 sugar

3 room temperature eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon Almond extract

Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

4 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream

2 tablespoons melted  butter

1 teaspoon almond

Mix together powdered sugar, milk, melted butter, and choose of extract. Whisk together. Spoon or dip top of cookies and add sprinkles.  Set aside and let dry before serving or packing for the holidays in airtight container. 

Glaze, Sprinkles (Optional)

1. Preheat oven 350 and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In small bowl add flour and baking powder and whisk together.
3. In a larger bowl beat together shortening, and sugar with hand mixer at medium until light and fluffy about 2 minutes. 
4. Beat in eggs and extracts for 30 minutes, then add half the flour mixture. Beat until fully mixed, then slowly add remaining flour. 
5. Use a cookie scoop to add onto parchment lined cookie sheets. You can roll in hands if you want a smooth appearance.
6. Bake for 10 minutes until very lightly golden.  
7. Cool cookies until totally cooled.

What is the Italian La Vigilia? The Feast of the Seven Fishes celebrated Christmas Eve

The history is believed to have originated in Southern Italy but nobody knows for sure. Today, it is an Italian-American feast that typically consists of seven different seafood dishes. Some Italian American families have been known to celebrate with 9, 11 or 13 different seafood dishes. This celebration is a commemoration of the wait, Vigilia di Natale, for the midnight birth of baby Jesus.

The long tradition of eating seafood on Christmas Eve dates from the Roman Catholic tradition of abstinence in this case, refraining consumption of meat or milk products—on Fridays and specific holy days. , Catholics would eat fish.

There are many questions as to why "7" relates to, one being the number of Sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church. Another theory is that seven is a number representing perfection: the traditional Biblical number for divinity is three, and for Earth is four, and the combination of these numbers, seven, represents God on Earth, or Jesus Christ.

Although the feast is referred to as the "Feast of the Seven Fishes", there could be seven, eight, or even nine specific fishes that are considered traditional. The most dishes Southern Italians are known for is baccalà (salted cod fish), Fried smelts, calamari, and other types of seafood eaten for Christmas Eve dinner over the years.

• Stuffed calamari in tomato sauce
• Stuffed-baked lobsters
• Smelts
• Dried salted cod
• eels
• Squid
• Mussels
• Clams
• Scungilli salad
• Deep fried calamari
• Deep fried cod
• Baccalà
• Cod fish balls in tomato sauce
• Crab stuffed mushrooms
• Stuffed-baked quahogs
• Deep fried fish/shrimp
• Deep fried scallops
• Fried smelts
• Insalata di mare (seafood salad)
• Kale patties (baked or fried)
• Linguine with anchovy, clam, lobster, or tuna sauce
• Marinated eel
• Octopus salad
• Oysters

Christmas rabe recipe! Excellent with seafood and any meat dishes.

• 1 head of rabe
• 2 large cloves garlic chopped
• 1/4 cup virgin olive oil
• Salt and red pepper to taste

Remove the stems from the rabe. Then chop the rabe. Chopping will prevent rabe from being too long and stringy.

Then boil for 2 minutes but do not boil for too long...you want the almost soft.

Drain well and set aside

Pour oil into a fry pan add the chopped garlic. Heat garlic which will become golden brown and don’t burn , cooking at low

Add rabe to the pan mix well to coat with garlic and oil and cook about 10 minutes continue mixing. Once cooked to your liking season as desired.