We missed you! Christmas eats. Some restocks.
Stuffed mussels. Fried chicken. Rested. Restocked Tre3.
Ciao! How are you? I’m so happy to sit down and write to y’all for the first time this year!!
Giuseppe and I took a long break over the holiday and it was delightful. The week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is one of my favorite times of the year because it’s quiet, the world feels still, and I feel that I can fully and deeply rest.
I love running EXAU, creating content, and connecting with you because it gives me a place to truly funnel my creativity while building something delicious and meaningful. But I also work from home, my business partner is my husband, and I have a hard time putting work down. Over the past few years, I’ve become particularly obsessed with checking email… But as my friend Atara says,
“Skyler, we’re in the olive oil business, it’s not open-heart surgery.”
Of course, she’s right. Oh and btw, if you’re an open heart surgeon, THANK YOU.
That’s the way I’m entering 2023. With ease, peace, and prioritizing rest. How are you entering the new year?
Christmas Eve in Calabria
In Calabria (and much of southern Italy) the theme for Christmas Eve is fish. You’ll find it served up fried, baked, poached, sauteed, or grilled. This might sound a lot like the Feast of the Seven Fishes, a popular Italian-American tradition. But in Italy, at least from what we’ve gathered, there isn’t a set number of dishes or official name for Christmas Eve dinner aside from La Vigilia di Natale.
However, the significance and origin of this tradition for Italian-Americans and their ancestors who made the long journey to unknown lands are pretty clear. And lucky for us, seafood is a Calabrian specialty!
We usually eat at Giuseppe’s Zia’s house, and there’s always a full table. We shared a video on Tiktok! Here’s the full menu…
Antipasto
We began the meal with mushrooms and olives sott’olio (cured under oil). There was also regular bread and focaccia for snacking.
Primo (First)
The primo (primi is plural) is usually a pasta or rice dish. We enjoyed…
Risotto ai Frutti di Mare: Risotto made with a mix of shrimp, calamari, mussels, and clams. The risotto was scented with brandy instead of the usual white wine and it was delicious!
Secondi (Second/Main)
The secondi (secondo is singular) dish is usually meat, fish, or a heavy vegetable-based dish (think parmigiana). We had lots of secondi!
Cozze Gratinate: AKA mussels au gratin, these are my absolute favorite. They’re mussels on a half shell filled with breadcrumbs, cheese (parm), and garlic then baked until the top is slightly crunchy and golden brown.
Saute di Cozze e Vongole: Mussels and clams gently steamed with garlic and lemon. Served in a large pot and served by the spoonful.
Baccala al Pepe Rosso: WOWZA, this dish was very very good. It was saucy and very seasoned (think loads of pepe rosso/paprika). This was my first time trying it and definitely a recipe Giuseppe and I would like to get written down.
Vrasciole (AKA Polpette di Carne): TikTok is calling Zia a rebel for serving meat on Christmas Eve. We think it makes all the sense in the world because she’s a maximalist at heart! Vrasciole are a type of Calabrian meatball usually shaped like a log or disc. They’re a forever favorite of those young and old. Grab the recipe here.
Contorni (Sides)
Contorni (contorno is singular) can include salads, grilled veggies, or even simple bean salads. We had…
Broccoli: Boiled then sauteed in extra virgin olive oil, smashed garlic, and a few fresh pepperoncini. Cooked until mushy, a signature of homemade Italian vegetables.
Piselli: Cooked in extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and a few XL fresh pepperoncini (spicy Calabrian peppers).
Insalata di Raddichio e Finocchio: A simple salad made with radicchio and fennel. Tossed in extra virgin olive oil, lemon, and a sprinkle of salt. Sometimes simple is best. Especially with this large meal!
In Conclusion…
Christmas Eve dinner was probably one of the best (and largest) meals we enjoyed in 2022. The company was great, the food was delicious and it felt like revisiting all of our favorite savory things!
Christmas Day Menu
In our last newsletter, we talked about the Calabrian Menu of Christmas Past which was so fun to revisit! This year we took things easy and had a ‘takeaway’ meal. And by takeaway I mean Giuseppe’s Zia made us a huge tray of cannelloni and a piping hot plate of chicken and sent it over.
Canneloni
A tubular pasta filled with a thick meat ragu, prosciutto, cheese, and tomato sauce. The tomato sauce and meat ragu are cooked separately so it’s easy to add tomato sauce to the bottom of the pan, adjust the consistency within the cannelloni, and top everything off!
These cannelloni were delicious and definitely one of our favorites. I also feel like this dish is so underrated as folks usually go for lasagna. But cannelloni to me feels like an Italian enchilada. What more needs to be said?!
Zia’s Pollo Fritto (Aunt’s Fried Chicken)
Giuseppe has been raving about his Zia’s fried chicken for months. And I was so excited to hear she made it for Christmas so I could finally try it!
I’m always curious about Calabrian recipes and methods of cooking meat because they’re not big on marinating before cooking. And this also applies to Zia’s fried chicken.
We asked her how she makes her pollo fritto and she says she uses really fresh chicken and prefers smaller birds. She only uses bone-in pieces of meat and leaves the skin on. Then coat each piece in a mixture of flour, salt, and pepper before immediately frying in olive oil. Once the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the skin is crunchy she removes it from the oil and places it on a plate with paper towels to soak up the oil.
I was surprised at how simple this recipe is because the chicken was so good, tender, and well-spiced. But I think this has to do with the type of chicken she used, small white chicken, and loads of fresh cracked black pepper. This style of frying differs from classic American fried chicken that we typically marinate and dredge before frying. The skin and exterior crust were much thinner. I personally love both methods.
Lastly, fried chicken isn’t a very popular food in Italy. Which I find interesting because in the south they fry just about anything they can coat in bread or flour. However, after asking many of our Italian friends we have come to the conclusion that it’s simply not a common dish (although many Italians are starting to eat it because of the increase in interest in American cuisine).
La Befana
Last week, January 6, was La Befana, a big holiday in Italy. La Befana marks the end of the holiday season in Italy so most businesses are now back to regular business hours.
When I first heard about the rituals around the holiday I could not stop laughing. It went something like this.
Pardon me Giuseppe, did I just hear you say an old lady on a broom (be FR a witch) flies around the night of January 5, Epiphany Eve, filling well behaved children’s stockings with delicious snacks/presents or coal/a stick if they’re naughty?
The answer was yes.
Now Halloween is my all-time favorite holiday. I love all things spooky and am a sucker for a good costume party, so I wanted to know exactly when it was okay to be a witch in Italy. October 31, no. But January 5, yes. Got it.
Jokes aside, Giuseppe was a huge fan of La Befana growing up and says “she brought [him] the best gifts when I was a kid!”. Read more about La Befana here.
Restocked Tre3
We have restocked the Tre3! If you’re interested in trying all three EXAU oils now is your chance! There are only about 50 sets left so grab them while you can : )
Olive Oil Club is Closed
The club is closed for now but will reopen in a few months! If you’re interested in joining please join the waitlist below. In the meantime, you can shop EXAU products by the bottle.
That’s all for this week! Thanks so much for reaching. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Xx
-Skyler & Giuseppe
P.S. Are you following me on TikTok? We’re having fun over there.
In response to “this isn’t open heart surgery” - I work at an arts nonprofit and someone told me, “there’s no such thing as an art emergency” and it stuck with me in the same way. Hooray for holiday rest. Buon Anno!