Seven Fishes Blog | Italian Christmas, Italian Food and Traditions

Chicken Roasted Red Peppers Recipe

2008-10-03T14:19:45-07:00

Here's a delicious recipe for Chicken Roasted Red Peppers from our favorite Shannon Tinnell. This a great recipe to fix we before we start publishing some of our favorite holiday dishes. That's right folks, it's already October.

Ingredients:

6 Red Peppers

6 Boneless, Skinless Thawed Chicken Breast

1 Small Can Diced Tomatoes

1 Diced White Onion

1/2 to 3/4 Small Jar of Capers

4 Cleaned and Sliced Potatoes

1 Cup Fresh Bread Crumbs

1 Cup of Grated Romano Cheese

Fresh Parsley, Basil, and Oregano (2 teaspoons each, plus extra for the top)

Salt/ Pepper to taste (1 teaspoon)

Olive Oil

Instructions:
1) Roast red peppers on a grill or in a 500 degree oven until the skin becomes charred and blistered. When peppers are cool, remove the skin, cut tops off and clean out seeds and membranes.

2) In a roasting pan combine the chicken breast, onions, capers, salt, pepper and herbs. Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 30-40 minuets.

3) After chicken mixture has cooled combine ingredients in a food processor. Process until the mixture becomes well combined. It will get a mousse-like texture.

4) Stuff the peppers with the chicken mixture.

5) Mix bread crumbs and cheese together.

6) In a roasting pan (can reuse the chicken pan) layer the potatoes and pour the can of diced tomatoes on top of the potatoes. Place the stuffed peppers on top of the potatoes. Sprinkle the bread crumbs and cheese mixture over the top of the peppers. Drizzle the top of the peppers with olive oil and fresh herbs.

7) Bake covered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.Fresh herbs can be sprinkled on the top before baking.

* The dish can be assembled the night before and baked the next day.

Robert Tinnell To Speak In December At John D. Calandra Italian American Institute

2008-09-23T05:50:00-07:00

Here's a little speaking engagement that's coming up later on this year that we thought you might be interested in.

Robert Tinnell To Speak In December At John D. Calandra Italian American Institute In New York City As Part Of Writers Read Series

According to the Institute’s website:

“Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Robert Tinnell presents Feast of the Seven Fishes (Allegheny Image Factory, 2005)

A 2006 Eisner Award-nominee for “Best Graphic Album: Reprint,” Feast of the Seven Fishes is hardcover collection of the online strip serialized in 2004-2005 by writer Robert Tinnell and artists Ed Piskor and Alex Saviuk. A romantic comedy, the Feast storyline revolves around an Italian-American family’s celebration of the traditional Christmas Eve dinner. The time is 1983 and one of the younger members of the family, who reside in a north-central West Virginia mining and mill town, brings home a blonde, blue-eyed Protestant girl to share in both the cooking and eating. Their path to romance, however, is not an easy one. This collection incorporates recipes from the families of Tinnell and his wife, Shannon.”

“I am very honored to have my work acknowledged by an institution as deeply-committed to the legacy of Italian-Americans as the Calandra Institute is,” said Tinnell.

The Institute’s website (http://qcpages.qc.edu/calandra/index.html) describes itself thusly: “The overall purpose of the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute is basic to the central mission of The City University of New York. Italian-Americans represent the largest European ancestral group in New York State, New York City and at CUNY. Thus, the primary purpose of the Institute is to foster higher education among Italian-Americans. This mission is carried out by:

Conducting and sponsoring empirical, theoretical and analytical research which will expand, deepen and strengthen critical understanding of the Italian American experience.
Serving as a central clearing house for the dissemination of research to academia, government, industry and the civic community.
Organizing conferences, lectures, seminars and symposia on the Italian American experience.
Operating specialized counseling programs in areas of outreach, articulation and student retention at CUNY.
Administering an Exchange Program between CUNY and Italian public universities.
Maintaining a resource library of printed material as well as videos pertaining to the Italian American experience.
Maintaining up-dated listings of Italian-American students and faculty at CUNY as well as faculty, academic scholars and professionals at other universities.
Providing a Speakers Bureau for students, faculty and community groups on topics relevant to the Italian American experience.
Producing and distributing a television program, informational in nature, geared to the Italian-American community.
The Calandra Institute seeks to accomplish its mission through its research unit, Career Counseling Center, Academic and Cultural Programs, outreach programs, resource library, Columbus CUNY/ITALY Exchange Program and various community projects. “

Catching up

2008-09-16T05:45:10-07:00

As long-time readers of the Seven Fishes Blog will note, we've been quiet of late. Frankly, between assignments and the kids and productions and life in general - not too mention that in June the holidays seem a million miles away - we let things slide a bit. But suddenly Labor Day is past and thoughts turn to the holidays and food and, for me in particular, the Feast of the Seven Fishes. As we await the start of production on the film version of the book I've been working on - no surprise, I suppose - a sequel of sorts. Only this time I'm writing it as a prose novel. I'm happy with the direction it's taking although I wish I could plow through faster. Unfortunately I have other commitments that relegate the book to spare time - of which I have very little. I will share this much, however: I have a working title - SEVEN FISHES LOST, SEVEN FISHES FOUND. It picks up the action nearly twenty years after that in the first book. Not going to go into any details other than to say the story was very much inspired by conversations I had with folks while on the book tour last December. I discovered that a lot of my fellow Italian-Americans had the same feelings about the Feast and family and tradition and so on, that I did and what's more, we shared the same fears about losing all of that. In a sense, even more than the first book, the novel will have an awareness into this sort of emotion that, quite honestly, I didn't realize was so prevalent when I started out with the project way back in 2004.

Coming soon - much more stuff. Shannon has been cooking and canning like a fiend and taking a lot of pictures we hope to share as the holiday draws near. And the Feast of the Seven Fishes Festival will be in its third year in Fairmont, WV in December and I'll be sure to remind you all about that. It's amazing how it's growing - although everyone involved take great pains to retain a non-commercial, authentic atmosphere.

Thanks for visiting,
Bob

Spicy Cioppino

2008-05-06T15:46:00-07:00

Here's a great, healthy version of a classic Italian dish, Cioppino—enjoy!

Courtesy of Eating Well:

San Francisco's Italian immigrants developed this stew to use the abundant local seafood. We've opted for farm-raised tilapia and scallops, but feel free to experiment with whatever is fresh.

Makes 2 servings, 2 cups each

4 small (1- to 2-inch diameter) red potatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tilapia fillet, diced (about 5 ounces)
4 ounces dry bay scallops (see Note), patted dry
1 small sweet onion, sliced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning blend or poultry seasoning
1-2 teaspoons hot paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup water
3 plum tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed (optional)
2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (optional)

1. Place potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add tilapia and scallops; cook, stirring once or twice, until just opaque, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and onion to the pan and stir to coat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to medium-high, add Italian (or poultry) seasoning, paprika to taste, salt and pepper; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine, water and tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the fish, scallops, potatoes and capers (if using), return to a simmer and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

TIP: Note: Be sure to request "dry" scallops (i.e., not treated with sodium tripolyphosphate, or STP) from your fish store. Sea scallops that have been subjected to a chemical bath are not only mushy and less flavorful, but will not brown properly.

Zeppole

2008-05-01T16:10:44-07:00

I have zeppole on the brain today. Thank God for YouTube so I can relive the San Gennaro feast in New York.

-Mike

Stuffed pork tenderloin

2008-04-24T16:31:29-07:00

Every once in a blue moon—not often enough—we'll make a a stuffed pork loin for dinner. Pork isn't my favorite meat, but this dish still makes the top five on my list. Unfortunately, I don't now the exact recipe off the top of my head, but what I do remember is that we stuff the pork loin with spinach, parmesan cheese, mushrooms, garlic and a few different spices, roll it up and toss it in the oven with a couple of slices of onion on top (the semi-burnt onions are one of the best parts of the dish!).

Once at a restaurant here in Portland, my family and I had a pork loin that tasted exactly the same as our recipe. In fact, the restaurant served it family style and cut it right at the table. If ever you make it to the Northwest, try out Piazza Italia in the Pearl District in downtown Portland. Until then, I'll leave you with a recipe that I found online at TheOtherWhiteMeat.com. It's much different than my family's, but still sounds delicious (note: Italian Spice is the generic way of saying a mixture of dried oregano, basil leaves, parsley, garlic powder, rosemary and salt).

-Mike

Italian-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

2 whole pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each
2 tablespoons butter
1 8-oz. carton fresh mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 6-oz. package long-grain and wild rice mix, cooked according to package directions and cooled

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 10-oz. container refrigerated low-fat Alfredo sauce OR refrigerated Alfredo sauce

3 tablespoons Chardonnay OR other dry white wine

Cooking Directions
Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut lengthwise slit in each pork tenderloin, cutting to but not through the other side. Set pork aside. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and green onions; cook until tender. Remove from heat. Stir in cooked long grain and wild rice mix, pecans and parsley. Set aside 3/4 cup of the rice mixture. Spoon remaining rice mixture into 1 1/2-quart casserole; cover and set aside. Divide 3/4 cup rice mixture between slits in pork tenderloins, spreading evenly in slits. Close slits; secure with toothpicks.

Stir together Italian seasoning and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over top of pork tenderloins. Place pork tenderloins on rack in shallow roasting pan.
Roast tenderloins, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes until internal temperature is 160 degrees F. Bake casserole of rice mixture alongside tenderloins. Meanwhile, for sauce, combine Alfredo sauce and Chardonnay in medium saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until bubbly. To serve, spoon rice mixture onto serving platter. Remove toothpicks from tenderloins. Cut pork tenderloins into 1-inch-thick pieces; arrange on rice mixture on platter. Serve sauce with pork and rice mixture.

A duet with Dino and Tony

2008-04-22T16:13:19-07:00

Just came across this duet with Dean Martin and Tony Bennett on YouTube, so I thought I'd share it with you guys. I grew up listening to these two, as well as Frank Sinatra of course, and it's really great to see a video of them performing when they were in their prime. I'm only 23, so all of them are obviously from a different era than I, but their music is timeless and great. It still is pretty much the only stuff you'll hear on the radio at my parents house.

It's interesting to think about today's music and how, one day in the future, we'll be thinking "this song is a classic" about many of our favorites. Actually, I can't imagine ever saying that about a Ben Harper or Incubus song, or any other great songs from some of my favs. Of course, they're of a different genre. Still, the new class of crooners (Harry Connick Jr., Michael Bublé, etc.) don't seem to be as memorable as Tony, Dino, Franky Boy and the rest were, and still are.

-Mike

"Postcards" nominated for an Eisner Award

2008-04-17T14:44:02-07:00

It's been some time since I posted on here about participating in the cool comics anthology "Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened." The book came out last year from Villard and received a lot of critical acclaim. I was particularly gratified to be singled out, along with artists Brian and Brendon Fraim, for our story "The Midnight Caller: Holiday in Hades," by USA Today.

Well, the icing on the cake was the announcement of a nomination for "Postcards" in the prestigious Eisner Awards for Best Anthology. Congratulations to Jason Rodriguez, the book's editor and driving force. Jason worked like a dog promoting the book and this acknowledgment is well-deserved for him and the cast of talented creators he assembled.

When "Feast" was nominated for an Eisner it was a wonderful affirmation for something that took a long time and great leap of faith by a lot of people starting with the artists, Ed Piskor and Alex Saviuk, our art director, Mike Anderson, and continuing on through my brother Jeff, our wives, and many other supportive people who worked so hard to make the festival and the upcoming film a reality. It's so hard to have your voice heard above the din of so much entertainment competing for audience attention. As such, to be singled out in the form of a nomination is very validating. Here's a link for more on "Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened."

- Bob

Pickled ramps?

2008-04-15T10:59:00-07:00

Several years ago, John Sayles made a great film, called "MATEWAN," about the labor struggles of West Virginia coal miners trying to achieve fair working conditions shortly after World War I. There's a nice moment in the film when some of the local people, who are descended from the early settlers, introduce some Italian immigrants to "ramps," which one Italian lady promptly labels "garlic." Well, ramps aren't garlic—they are actually a wild leek—but they can and do offer an interesting taste not dissimilar when properly prepared. They grow wild in the forests of Appalachia and are usually ready to harvest in mid-April through late May. From what I understand, they've actually become something of a recognized delicacy in fancy New York restaurants. Anyway, what strikes me every time I watch "MATEWAN," during that moment when the ramps are introduced, is how swiftly Italian immigrants seemed to make use of what existed here naturally. I know my great-grandparents dug native plants to augment their larder, although I can't say for sure if ramps were among those plants. However, I do know their son, my grandfather, John Oliverio, loved ramps. In fact, when my mother was young, my grandfather transplanted ramps from the wild to his yard so that he could harvest them more conveniently.

Last night, I took my mother-in-law for a ride in the country to my own personal ramp patch to dig up a few. I tend never to hit the patch very hard—usually only taking about three dozen plants—which hardly makes a dent in the crop. We brought the ramps home and washed them, cut away the bulbs from the leaves (which we froze to use in months to come as an additional seasoning for pesto). Then we prepared a simple pickling solution—equal parts vinegar and sugar which we heated up (but didn't boil). Then we mixed the ramp bulbs with the solution in a small jar and placed it in the refrigerator (no need to dip in boiling water) in anticipation of enjoying them in a few weeks. This is my first attempt at pickling ramps (usually we fry them up with eggs and potatoes and peppers ), but given my love for pickled eggplant I thought this might be worth a try, if for no other reason than it gives me the chance to tap into a little bit of the culinary pragmatism of my ancestors. What's more, of late, I'm getting more and more interested in breaking away from the mass-produced. I much prefer tramping through the woods, digging up native edible plants than sitting around the house. And once prepared it seems like nothing tastes better than food you've either grown or procured from the wild.

I don't think I'm alone in this desire to have something more, well, authentic, I guess is the word I'm looking for. Several folks I know in the area who are of Italian descent are building outdoor ovens in which to bake bread—much like their parents or grandparents did. I'm hoping to do the same thing. It might not be convenient, but I know for a fact it will taste better.

Back to ramps. I know that here in West Virginia there's a ramp festival down in the charming little town of Helvetia—usually around the last weekend in April (I'm too lazy to check at the moment!)—it's nothing fancy but it is good fun, and more importantly the event still maintains an authentic country vibe.

I'll let you know how the pickled ramps taste!

-Bob

Commemorating the Monongah Mine Disaster

2008-04-10T15:04:17-07:00

Recently, Shannon and I had the very good fortune to attend a lecture by Dr. Joan Saverino, who spoke about the terrible 1907 mine disaster in Monongah, WV. I went to high school in Monongah and every day passed the historical marker commemorating this tragedy. Many of the miners who died in the explosion were of Italian origin. Dr. Saverino did a compelling job of illustrating the deep impact the event had not only in the U.S. but in Italy as well. I'm going to paste in the press release that West Virginia University ran on her presentation, and if ever you get the chance to hear her speak on the subject, please do not hesitate (and for the record I am furious with myself for not running this prior to the event).

-Bob

Author to discuss Monongah mine disaster, Italian identity March 16 at WVU

MONONGAH MINE DISASTER — The worst mining disaster in U.S. history occurred on Dec. 6, 1907, when an underground explosion at Monongah in Marion County killed hundreds of miners.
Photo by: West Virginia Division of Culture and History

A discussion of the worst mine disaster in U.S. history and Italian-American identity will take place at West Virginia University Sunday, March 16.

Joan Saverino will give the 3:30 p.m. presentation, “’Il Fuoco di Minonga’: The 1907 Mine Disaster, the Landscape of Coal, and the Making of Transnational Italian Identity in West Virginia.”

The talk – sponsored by WVU’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences and the Committee for the Preservation of Italian-American Heritage and Culture – will be in Durrett Hall of the Erickson Alumni Center on WVU’s Evansdale Campus. It is free and open to the public.

Saverino will discuss the recent 100th anniversary of the Monongah mine disaster and the relationship between the people of Marion County and the mine victims, many of whom were Italians who had migrated from San Giovanni in Fiore, San Nicola dell’Alto, Falerna, Gizzeria, Civitella Roveto, Duronia, Civita d’Antino, Canistro, Torella del Sannio and other villages in Calabria, Abruzzo and Molise.

The mine disaster occurred Dec. 6, 1907. Hundreds of men and boys lost their lives, leaving 250 widows and more than 1,000 children without support.

Saverino will examine the relationships surrounding the disaster and ask a series of questions: What are the many associations of the immigrants who came and those they left behind? How are these relationships embodied in their adopted landscape in West Virginia and in that of their home country? What meaning does the historic mine disaster have for Italian-Americans in West Virginia, and what are its implications for a changing Italian-American identity in the 21st century?

Saverino is the assistant director for education at The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. She attended WVU and earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and sociology in 1975, along with a master’s from The George Washington University in anthropology and a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in folklore and folklife.

She is the author of many scholarly articles, including “An Appalachian Vignette,” published in Italian Americana; “Domani Ci Zappa: Italian Immigration and Ethnicity in Pennsylvania” in Pennsylvania Folklife; and “Memories in Artifact and Stone: Italians Build a Neighborhood” in Germantown Crier.

Saverino’s presentation is supported by the Endowment for the Preservation of Italian-American History and Culture. The endowment – housed in WVU Foundation Inc. and administered through the Office of the Dean of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences – supports a series of programs and activities which preserve and share the experience of early Italian immigrants to the United States.