It is a tradition with many Southern Italian families to celebrate Christmas Eve with an elaborate fish banquet, Il Cenone di Vigilia. Sometimes referred to as The Feast of the Seven Fishes, not everybody
sticks to exactly seven; some go up to 11 or 12, predominantly shellfish. Personally, since I am allergic to shellfish, I usually have a feast of one fish, Red Snapper Livornesa. Since my Christmas Eve dinner is scaled down, I decided to consult with my cousin Sal for some menu suggestions.
Italian Recipes
For years, I thought Sicilian Pesto was some weird, made-up American sun-dried-tomato abomination. It wasn't until my first trip to Sicily that I discovered that pesto alla Siciliano was actually Italian--and more to the point, that there was a reason to eat it, I did some research, diving into old Sicilian cookbooks, and I found a handful of recipes, all using the tender leaves at the heart of celery as a key ingredient.
