# Let The Fun Begin!



## denick (Feb 13, 2006)

In a few minutes we're off to Franklin Ave. In HTF CT to buy the main ingredients to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Meals at shops in the old Italian section of town. We try and keep the traditional Italian / American Feasts going. I hate shopping but this is fun.


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## Double-A (Jul 3, 2006)

Heck, that hardly counts as shopping. Anytime you get to peruse the menu in person, it ain't shopping.


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## Vinny (Jul 21, 2007)

Its my favorite too Nick. What do you like? How old fashioned is your meal? Does anyone still make or eat eel? That died with my mom. No one else would deal with it. Now that she and most of her sisters are gone I rarely see the things that were synonamous with my childhood Christmas,s like vinagar pickeled green tomatoes. You know, the last picked from the vine before the first frost. Then sliced, put in a jar with cider vinagar and spices. They would put that, eggplant, peppers, artichoke and who knows what else on the antipasto. 

I used to love going to buy the meats, cheese and breads down at Arthur Ave in the bronx. I love the parmisian so hard and sharp its almost painful to eat

My uncle owned a fish market so we always had the best shrimp and other seafoods on the holidays. My mom and her sisters would spend countless hours cooking huge amounts of foods.


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## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

Nick, do you have any extra seats at your dinner table ??


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## denick (Feb 13, 2006)

Vinny,

My wife is keeping the traditional meals alive. Christmas Eve is based on all fish. Antipasti with baccala salad, roasted eel, octopus salad, finger sized smelts fried heads and all eaten like french fries, Second course angel hair pasta with a tomato sauce with squid, baccala, and lobster. Then a salad, bread, a whole fish of some kind and the lobsters. Then fruit and nuts. Then the most important the Birthday cake for the Child Jesus and a lot of deserts.

Most years Midnight Mass after dinner.

Christmas Day is antipasti with dried meats and cheese etc. Then homemade ravioli Then meatballs, sausage, chicken and salad. Then fruit and nuts. Then desert, desert, desert.

We used to have up to 54 people at sit down dinner for Christmas Eve up to a few years ago. 

In the 50 years I can remember this celebration it has always been stressed above all things that all this work, food and expense was to honor the birth of the Child Jesus, period.

I may need to make a trip to Arthur Ave this week. All the pickled things you mentioned my aunt in Stamford always made.

Rino, 

In all these years there has never been anybody who was turned away from this celebration. There have been just about everyone you could possibly imagine at the table.

So yes rino there is always room.


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## dayexco (Mar 4, 2006)

i was on my way til i saw the eel, octopus, fried heads 

i suppose if you haven't experienced, grown up with it you wouldn't know just how good it is. 

in case i miss any of you, have a blessed Merry CHRISTmas!!!!


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## silvertree (Jul 22, 2007)

That brings back my memories of Christmas in Waterbury,CT. My family is French Canadian but we had Italian friends and neighbors. What a hoot. Smelt, heads and all were made by my Grandma and we had a crowd also.
The Italian market was right across the street from our church and it was open air when the weather was good. Italian bread with a crust so crisp you hear it being chewed across the room. We would leave baby Jesus out of the crib until Christmas morning when one of us kids would put him in the manger.
Those were good times.


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## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

dayexco said:


> i was on my way til i saw the eel, octopus, fried heads
> 
> i suppose if you haven't experienced, grown up with it you wouldn't know just how good it is.
> 
> in case i miss any of you, have a blessed Merry CHRISTmas!!!!


Me too.......maybe i'll catch ya on xmas day when you bring out the ravoli, meatballs, sausage and chicken. :thumbup:


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## jmic (Dec 10, 2005)

rino1494 said:


> Me too.......maybe i'll catch ya on xmas day when you bring out the ravoli, meatballs, sausage and chicken. :thumbup:


 Yeah I'm with Day and Rino. How bout a simple hamburger :w00t: ?:laughing:


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## Vinny (Jul 21, 2007)

Well Nick, It looks like some people just dont know a good thing when they can have it. Day, Jmic, and Rino arent into the fish thing, I guess but silvertree gets it.:whistling

I will admit, I was never crazy about the eels but It was to what ever degree about the spectical and tradition.

I got lucky though. I married Italian and she was raised traditional so I still get some of the old things but different families do it differntly. So while we still do the fish on Christamas Eve, its not to the extent it was when it was at moms. Not all change is good:sad:

BTW Day, Jmic, Rino, fried callamari is the upper portion of squid, sliced and fried. You guys know that, right? :laughing:


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## dayexco (Mar 4, 2006)

i had an offer for a free lunch today, somehow i just lost my appetite


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## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

I'm a meat and potatoes kind of guy. I'm not up for that uppity fancy shmancy CT food.


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## jmic (Dec 10, 2005)

I love Italian food........Pizza, Lasagne, Spaghetti, all the good stuff. Nothing that swims. :w00t:


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## jmic (Dec 10, 2005)

rino1494 said:


> I'm a meat and potatoes kind of guy. I'm not up for that uppity fancy shmancy CT food.


:thumbup: Ditto !


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## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

Man, I am getting hungry now. I need to go to Olive Garden.


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## Vinny (Jul 21, 2007)

Look guys, we might have some leftover's. Send me your addresses and I'll have it shipped right out.:laughing:

Dont thank me now, you can do that later

Seriuosly though, I enjoy Italian basics also but I wouldnt call that fancy schmancy:laughing:. 

I enjoy the pasta,s, the meats and chicken for the most part but when the seafood is done well, its great. 

Rino, do you make your way into philly ever? There are some great places there.


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## rino1494 (Jan 31, 2006)

Yeah, I make it to the philly area sometimes, but not without my pistol at my side.


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## oldfrt (Oct 10, 2007)

denick said:


> In a few minutes we're off to Franklin Ave. In HTF CT to buy the main ingredients to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Meals at shops in the old Italian section of town. We try and keep the traditional Italian / American Feasts going. I hate shopping but this is fun.



Yea Denick,
My family made that yearly trip to Franklin Ave.I'm glad to hear that area still has the goods.
Maybe I ought to restart the tradition in what is left of our family during the holidays.
There use to be my mothers whole family with 5 other sibs,all the cousins,(about 20 of em)my old non English speaking grandparents,and friends of the family ,second cousins,all together every holiday.
There was enough food to feed an army.We always had the meat dishes,but never the fish.


Yep,
Those were the days,
I try to make at least one of the old traditional dishes for Christmas,but my wife is Irish so most of the old Italian dishes don't appeal to everyone.

Maybe I'll just get the cookies and Pastries from franklin St,..............and maybe some Ravioli................good Italian fresh bread......................Definately the cannolies anyways!!!!

Man,your making me hungry!!!


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## Vinny (Jul 21, 2007)

oldfrt said:


> Definately the cannolies anyways!!!! Man,your making me hungry!!!


Me too. LOL


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## Vinny (Jul 21, 2007)

:2guns:


rino1494 said:


> Yeah, I make it to the philly area sometimes, but not without my pistol at my side.


I go fairly often, never thought it was that bad. 

Anyway, theres a place caled "Mama Marias" there on east pasyunk between 10th and 11th. Unbelievable food. 7 courses of non stop food and wine then a tray of about 8 different cordials to drink as much as you want. 

Next time I'm down I'll let you know. 

Dont bring the pistol though, thats only for the more *organized* locals. LOL


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## oldfrt (Oct 10, 2007)

* I will admit, I was never crazy about the eels but It was to what ever degree about the spectical and tradition.*

It's amazing what some in that generation cooked.

I remember as a kid about 8-10 years old,opening the refrigerator and seeing snails crawling all over the inside walls.When my mother told me this was going to be for supper,I was ready to run away from home.
I couldn't bring myself to eat Escargoe till I was in my 20's.

First time I saw a raw squid going into a sauce almost made me puke,but now I love calamari.

Pigs feet in sauce?,gimme a break.
Sure tastes good now.


*I'm a meat and potatoes kind of guy. I'm not up for that uppity fancy shmancy CT food.
*
Oughta send some of this stuff over to rino1494 for the holidays.


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## denick (Feb 13, 2006)

Vinny,

With things slowing down we ought to get a bunch of these guys, like jmic, fhdesign, ctkite, PoolmanCT, Poolman possibly a couple of others and have lunch at Pellici's???


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## jmic (Dec 10, 2005)

I'm in. :thumbup:


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## fhdesign (Jan 17, 2007)

denick said:


> Vinny,
> 
> With things slowing down we ought to get a bunch of these guys, like jmic, fhdesign, ctkite, PoolmanCT, Poolman possibly a couple of others and have lunch at Pellici's???


 
Sounds good!


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## denick (Feb 13, 2006)

rino1494 said:


> I'm a meat and potatoes kind of guy. I'm not up for that uppity fancy shmancy CT food.



Rino, 

It sounds uppity but in reality all this is peasant food. It's only these last 25 to 40 years or so most of these things are thought of as "fancy shmancy"

Baccala is only salted Cod fish, poor people's fish. Squid (calamari) were so cheap because no one wanted them. You see squingili salad on Italian restaurant menu's for $10.00. When I was a kid the lobster men in Norwalk used to give them to my father by the bushel basket for a 10 dollars. Other wise they would use them for bait or throw them back. 

Meatballs were a way of taking some meat and stretching it to go around. Same with sausage.

All this cheap food prepared in abundance with love was what it was all about. It all was so good it now is "special"


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## POOLMANinCT (Oct 7, 2006)

fhdesign said:


> Sounds good!


ditto that, before I signed on I dipped into the christmas stash & wolfed down 1/4 soppasot (spelling) & hunk of fig almond cake.... guess ill be back at martinos, replacing saturdays menu...

ray


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## Vinny (Jul 21, 2007)

denick said:


> Vinny,
> 
> With things slowing down we ought to get a bunch of these guys, like jmic, fhdesign, ctkite, PoolmanCT, Poolman possibly a couple of others and have lunch at Pellici's???


You dont need to twist my arm on that Nick. I'm in. 

Just after the holidays? 

Rino,s not that far away either. I bet he can make it.

Is Dominicks too far? LOL, just a thought


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## POOLMANinCT (Oct 7, 2006)

where are you guys? 
plymouth here, nicks up north, vinny fairfield, some good midpoint food waterbury area.....

ray


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## POOLMANinCT (Oct 7, 2006)

when I was younger I would drive to ny & pick up grandma, about 2 weeks before holidays. I was on college breaks & living w parents. we would do all the cooking in pop' s basement. never eels, she would speak of them & she didn't miss 'em, I know my pop would catch them for her to prepare when he was a kid. anyway one year I set up a video camera & she "hammed" it up for an italian cooking show. every know & then the tape is mentiioned, but non of us have had the "guts" to watcch it yet.
in my family my brother, pop & I cook. its actually great fun to go to each others kitchens & get busy. you would think we are treasure hunters, when we start discussing 
the ingredients we "scored."
btw fairfield guys is a&s market still on blackrock turnpike?

oldfrt, where are you?

ray


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## Vinny (Jul 21, 2007)

POOLMANinCT said:


> where are you guys?
> plymouth here, nicks up north, vinny fairfield, some good midpoint food waterbury area.....
> 
> ray


Thats a good suggestion. I know a place, not quite in waterbury, but in Derby or Ansonia. Graceland Pizza. Its a real old townie kind of place with awsome fresh tomatoe pie's and real good main course stuff. 

Any other suggestions? I also know a couple of places in New Haven. Is that any closer to mid way?

As Homer may say, MMMMMMM, Guinea food.


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## denick (Feb 13, 2006)

Okay how do we do this?

When? Early, Mid, late January? During the week? Lunch? Early dinner?

Where? I'm on the Northwestern most tip in CT, MA / NY border. I will 
travel that's not a problem. Is Italian (really good Italian good for 
everybody?)

Who? E&SW posters only? Anyone?

How? jmic is picking up the entire tab!!!!

Do we start another thread to keep track or do we pm, email or start making calls?

Lunch is over back to work.


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## Vinny (Jul 21, 2007)

denick said:


> How? jmic is picking up the entire tab!!!!


In that case, we really should open it to the entire Contractor Talk Forum :laughing::thumbup:.

Right about now Jmic is clutching his wallet and his heart at the same time:whistling


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## jmic (Dec 10, 2005)

Vinny said:


> In that case, we really should open it to the entire Contractor Talk Forum :laughing::thumbup:.
> 
> Right about now Jmic is clutching his wallet and his heart at the same time:whistling


:w00t:  The whole forum ?  I'll buy Rino's lunch :clap:, think he'll travel all that way for a slice of pizza ? What the heck everyone gets a free slice. :thumbsup:


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## denick (Feb 13, 2006)

Well pm me wth your preference of date, time and food choice. And we'll see what we can put together. Open to all. Location will probably be west / central Connecticut.


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## dayexco (Mar 4, 2006)

they do carry out?


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## POOLMANinCT (Oct 7, 2006)

lets set it up mid jan, weekday lunch, open to all connecticut guys?


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