by Therese de Grace

From before I was even born the Southern Italian side of my family has celebrated the 24th of December as “The Vigil.”  Basically this Canadian/Italian interpretation of an old world tradition involves a fish feast without any meat in sight and a prep list as long as your arm.  My Nonna has spear headed this event every year for as long as I remember and as neither of her daughters showed any interest in cooking I naturally became her helper. I remember vividly my first trip to the Fish Monger, he had live eels in a tank the size of a swimming pool and it retrospect it looked like a grotesque Gaggle Of Peni.  If you were lucky every once in a while you could witness the suicide jump of a flying eel followed by shrieks of horror before some poor bastard who worked there had to pick up the one of his associates for the hundredth time that day and toss him back into his death chamber. 

The truth of the matter is that Nanny is in charge.  It would be like me trying to take over Jabot Cosmetics I would think I had the power but than the Matriarch would come out of nowhere and bam! I am back in the Copy Room.  This yearly undertaking involves serious debate; you see as talented a cook as my grandmother is her portions are seriously askew.  Our loving argument regarding pounds and ounces with the occasional interjection from my grandfather can go on for about two days until she finally gets fed up and says something like “That’s fine, you know everything, you big Chef you.”  This guilt trump card wins her the yearly debate hands down and I succumb to going to the market and purchasing fish aware that I will be eating leftovers for days on end. 

Honestly, my grandmother is a kindred spirit and a keen lover of cooking and entertaining.  If it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t even have my culinary passion, the receipe below is a dish that my grandmother created and that I have changed slightly over the years.  We both love it’s simple, rustic and healthy style and the best part is that the ingredients are available all year round. 

Broiled Tilapia with Cracked Olives and Grape Tomatoes 

You will require the following ingredients:

5 x 5oz portions of boneless skinless tilapia fillets

2 tablespoons of pesto

Extra virgin olive oil (have on hand)

Juice of one lemon

1 pint of grape tomatoes cut in halves

2 cloves of crushed garlic

1 small diced white onion

1 tablespoon of chopped capers

1 cup of cracked black Sicilian Olives (others will do but these are preferred)

¼ of a cup of white wine

¼ cup of water

¼ cup of butter

Cracked pepper to taste

A bunch of torn fresh oregano 

Method: Set your oven to a high broil, brush your tilapia with Pesto that has been mixed with a little bit of olive oil so it is loose.  Take the baking pan you are going to use for the fish and brush the interior with olive oil.  Lay your fish in the pan and set aside.  In a skillet over medium heat add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté your onion and garlic until golden brown.  Deglaze with lemon juice, wine and allow half the liquid to dissolve.  Toss in your grape tomatoes, olives and capers, sauté for another minute and finish with ¼ cup of water, butter and cracked pepper.  Turn off your burner and cover your pan with a lid.  Broil your fish for about 5-6 minutes and serve topped with your olive mixture and top with scattered oregano.   I do not add salt to this dish as the capers and olives provide ample salt factor. 

Tip:  Serve this with Portuguese Cornbread which is easy to get at any European Bakery in Toronto.