Christmas Eve Menu

My home town is only about an hour to an hour and a half from the Texas coast.  Back in the '60s, there used to be a fish monger in the next town, about 15 minutes away.  A truck would come from the coast to this fish monger and we would get great Texas coast fish, shrimp, oysters etc.  My mother would always make a great  seafood buffet for Christmas Eve.  I don't remember what my younger sister ate because she refused to eat and still refuses to eat seafood.  Our grandmother had jokingly told us that if we ate fish a bone might get in our throats and we'd choke.  Trust me.  She was a wonderful and loving grandmother regardless of the remark.  My older sister and I said, yeah, right, grandma.  But our younger sister took the hook and never ate fish not even shrimp. What she ate on Christmas Eve, I don't have a clue. So when I married an Italian Catholic, I was quiet happy to make an all seafood dinner (there is a little sausage but just a bit.)  The italicized items are on this site:

Boiled shrimp with red sauce (I buy mine.  Whole Foods has a great one.  I jazz it up with some diced jalapenos and fresh lemon juice) Or, you can make the Whole Foods Horseradish sauce.

Raw oysters (bought from a reputable dealer like Kathleen's Catch here in Atlanta) and your sauce of choice:
Hogwash -
Whole Foods Oyster Migunett  (classic oyster mignonette sauce).
Whole Foods Horseradish Sauce (this would also be good with fried oysters and shrimp...boiled or fried)

Simple salad of arugula with an Italian vinaigrette

Chorizo and Clams over linguine :

I have this on the site as an appetizer but all you have to do is add a little more clam juice and boil your linguine al dente.  One trick I've learned is after your pasta is cooked to perfection, drain it and then put it back in the pot.  Place back on high heat and add some of your stock (or marinara) and coat the pasta.  Stir for just a few minutes and don't let the pasta stick to the bottom of the pan!  Then you'll have perfectly coated pasta and not just pasta with sauce glopped on top.

Italian Vanilla gelato (purchased)

Bon Appetito!

It's Oyster Season!

And I'm in heaven!  I know that it takes a particular palate to "like" to eat oysters.  Some people are put off by the smell, by the look, by the slipperyness.  But not I! Down the hatch they'll go...Yes, they are an acquired taste.  When my daughter was a junior in college, she did a study abroad semester in Seville, Spain..  The Spanish love their seafood.  At this particular time in my daughter's life, she refused to eat ANY seafood.  When it was time for her to come home, we met her in Paris.  The French also love their seafood.  So my husband and I order a tower of cold raw and cooked seafood i.e. oysters, clams and then shrimp.  Much to our surprise, our daughter picked up and oyster and without hesitation, downed one.  In the culinary world of my house, life is now good.  Here are three different sauces to top your raw oyster display.  One I got from the London eatery, J Sheeky's.  It's the Hogwash sauce.  Not the best name in the world but named after the Hog Island Oyster Company. And if you live in the Atlanta area and are in the Duluth/Johns Creek area, be sure and stop by Kathleen's Catch for some amazing oysters...

Hogwash - (classic oyster mignonette sauce).

1/4 C seasoned rice vinegar

1/4 C unseasoned rice vinegar
1 large shallot, peeled, minced
1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded, minced
1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime

Procedure:
Combine ingredients in a medium bowl. When serving, stir the Hogwash beforehand to include all the goodies in the bowl. Place a teaspoon or so over freshly shucked oysters. Use the Hogwash the same day it's made.

Whole Foods Oyster Migunett

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 tbls sherry vinegar

1 shallot, finely chopped

white pepper to taste

salt as needed

Combine all ingredients.

Whole Foods Horseradish Sauce (this would also be good with fried oysters and shrimp...boiled or fried)

1 cup ketsup

2 tbls grated frsh horseradish

dash of hot sauce

dash of Worcestershire sauce

1 tbls fresh lime jiuce

Combine ingredients in medium bowl.