December Food Notes

december 2023 – la vigilia, feast of the seven fishes

Christmas Eve is my favorite day of the year. It always has been. As a family growing up, we were always able to put whatever mess we were in aside for the week of Christmas and enjoy the time together. Christmas eve though specifically meant that I’d be going with my family to my grandparents’ house from 11am until about 2 in the morning, eating the entire time. The Feast of the Seven Fishes was an all day nosh fest for us and by the time the night was through, I’d have eaten my weight in shrimp cocktail, baccala and fried eel. We celebrate Feast here at L’Oca d’Oro for two nights and I love stretching the holiday out as long as possible. We are excited to share a version of Feast with you all for your home. We have included most of the greatest hits, the spaghetti & clams, shrimp cocktail and my family baccala mantecato recipe. 

From all of us at L’Oca to all of you, Merry Christmas. We love you, we appreciate you and we look forward to feeding you more fun meals in the new year

We hope you enjoy. 

-Fiore

what we have prepared for you for this month:

Baccalà mantecato/Grana Baccalà:

This traditional Italian Christmas favorite is made up of salt cod and creamy whipped potatoes. Baccalà’s bright peppery lemon notes complement the briny flavor of the salt cod in a way that really makes this unique christmas dish shine. to reheat this dish add a small amount of water to a pan, gently mix in the baccalà and heat slowly over medium low heat until hot. allergies: allium, dairy, & nightshade. Best refrigerated, within 3 days.

Shrimp cocktail:

Poached in an aromatic bath of bay leaf, wine, and peppercorn, these chilled shrimp pair perfectly with our zesty cocktail sauce. To enjoy, simply remove from packaging and dip in our cocktail sauce. allergies: allium & nightshade. Best refrigerated, within 3 days.

Roasted broccolini and miso bagna cauda:

In the place of shrimp cocktail, we have included a roasted brassica dish served with a vegetarian version of Bagna Cauda. Traditionally, bagna cauda uses the salty umami flavors of anchovies and cheese to achieve its signature taste. In this rendition, we have used our house-made miso to achieve the same effect. To enjoy, simply allow broccolini and Bagna Cauda to come to room temperature.  allergies: allium, dairy, & eggs. Best refrigerated, within 5 days.

Spaghetti with clams and sausage/spaghetti with miso kale

This dish is a L’oca take on an amalgam of southern Italian classics. Chopped clams, garlic sausage, and kale swirl together in a buttery sauce with spaghetti as the medium for it all. To heat this dish, boil a pot of salted water, add spaghetti and allow to cook for 6 minutes. While your spaghetti is cooking, put a saute pan on medium heat, add in sausage, clams, and kale ( miso kale stems and kale for vegetarians). Add in a 3 oz ladle of pasta water and about 3 tablespoons of butter. Add the spaghetti to the pan and cook into a loose buttery sauce. Enjoy with a small squeeze of lemon for a little extra brightness.  Allergies: shellfish, allium, dairy, & gluten.  Best refrigerated, within 3 days.

Eggplant caponata:

Eggplant caponata is one of our favorite things to come out of Sicily. Brightly acidic allium caramel holds onto spicy roasted eggplant pieces in a sauce meant to be enjoyed over almost anything. To enjoy our eggplant caponata, allow it to come up to room temperature and spread over bread, your favorite seafood, or even a swirl of vanilla soft serve.  Allergies: nightshade, allium, chocolate. Best refrigerated, within 7 days.

Rainbow cookies:

These signature Italian cookies are the best thing to wrap up your subscription meal. Flavored with housemade almond paste and covered with a thin layer of chocolate, these cute little cookies can be enjoyed as is.  Allergies: almond, gluten, & chocolate. Best refrigerated, within 5 days.

Hospitality Charges

20% Pre-Tax service charge

is added to all checks to ensure our employees a thriving base wage, provide paid sick leave and health benefits.  Additional gratuity is not required but is appreciated and is distributed to the entire staff.

2.85% Credit Card Convenience

We charge 2.85% on credit cards to help offset processing costs.  This amount is not more than what we pay in fees.  We do not surcharge on debit cards, gift cards or cash payments.

Thank you for supporting L'Oca d'Oro!