FRANCO FEDERICO Franco Federico, one of the region’s premier restaurateurs, was born in Calabria, in Italy’s boot, and recalls with warmth and fondness the grand meal and the boyhood holidays he enjoyed with his large family at the end (and beginning) of every year. In America, we call this grand meal the Feast of the Seven Fishes. In southern Italy, it was called La Vigilia, as it celebrated the vigil, or the wait, for the birth of the baby Jesus. La Vigilia, said Federico, “was a combination of reverence and joy, of abundance. We would fast on the day of the vigil. It was a kind of cleansing before the big meal. “Every Christmas Eve,” he continued, sitting across from me at his acclaimed Fountain Side Seafood & Grill, “the kids couldn’t wait. The whole family would come together and everyone contributed to the meal. Some would bring the vegetables, others the bread, and some would bring the baccala,” the salted cod fish that was a staple of this meal. “The kids would put the letters they wrote to Santa underneath their dishes. They would kiss the hands of their relatives and their fathers would open the letters.” These letters, of course, contained the various gifts each child wished to receive for the holidays. However, Federico pointed out, the gifts weren’t “delivered until the Feast of Befana [the Greek word for epiphany] on January 6, also known as the Epiphany.” Befana is the kindly witch, as the legend goes, who flies from rooftop to rooftop to deliver all the gifts she failed to deliver when invited to by the Magi, who arrived in Bethlehem to bring their gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus. Federico smiled at the recollection. The family would abstain from meat until Christmas Day itself. But what a meal they enjoyed on La Vigilia. And to this day, in America and other parts of the world, Italian (and other) families celebrate by preparing seven or more types of seafood dishes. Readers who would like to enjoy the Feast of the Seven Fishes can do so at two of Federico’s four restaurants —Fountain Side Seafood & Grill in Horsham and Ariana’s Ristorante & Raw Bar in North Wales. He is also the owner of BBQ: A Real Barbecue Restaurant, a few doors down from Fountain Side in Horsham, and coowner of Boccadito, a cozy little tapas restaurant located in Doylestown. For this story, Federico, who has been cooking for years alongside his other executive and sous chefs in more than a dozen suburban restaurants, prepared seven seafood dishes, including a baccala salad, sautéed shrimp, broccoli au gratin with anchovies and breadcrumbs, fried smelts, baby polpetti (octopus), stuffed calamari, and Capesante Gratinate (breaded scallops), which he has graciously provided below. The presentation of the scallops dish is quite symbolic. Imagine the halo behind the heads of saintly figures in medieval and Renaissance paintings and sculptures, and there you have Franco Federico’s holiday treat for you. Franco Federico is Chef Owner, Fountain Side Seafood & Grill, 537 Easton Road, Horsham, PA 19040; 215-957-5122; www.fountainsidegrill.com. RECIPE Capesante Gratinate 1 clove garlic 2 tablespoons butter 1 bunch parsley 9 capesante (scallops in shells) 5 ounces fine bread crumbs ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 2 ounces brandy salt and black pepper to taste Cut butter into small cubes and begin to melt in medium-sized sauce pan. Once melted, add crushed garlic clove until golden brown. Add chopped parsley and mix together (take pan off heat). Slowly add breadcrumbs and mix until you have a homogeneous mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste and then add nutmeg. Add brandy to breadcrumb mix. If too dry, add a few drops of water. Place clean capesante neatly back into their shells. Put 2 smaller spoonfuls of breadcrumbs over each capesante and level the crumbs with the back of a spoon. Place capesante in the oven pre-heated at 420˚F. and bake until brown—for 5 to 7 minutes maximum! DO NOT OVERCOOK! Serve piping hot. 40 M O N T C O M A G . C O M
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