Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100Featuring original works of fine art, photography and limited-edition prints by regional and local artists. 372 Fore Street Portland, Maine 04101 (207) 874-8084 www.forestreetgallery.com Wharf Street, Winter, 1986 24" x 36" Oil on canvas, by Paul Black Featuring original works of fine art, photography and limited-edition prints by regional and local artists. 372 Fore Street Portland, Maine 04101 (207) 874-8084 www.forestreetgallery.com Monhegan Morning Paul Black 11 x 14 oil from top: courtesy cook smarts; redbubble Lucky Sevens Editorial Colin W. Sargent, Editor & Publisher 8 p o r t l a n d monthly magazine F ew places are more Italian at Christmas than Portland, Maine. Our city is famous for its genius to celebrate The Feast of the Seven Fishes. For Tony Napolitano of Maria’s Ristoran- te, memories run deep. “When we were kids, we’d go to Vigil Mass on Christmas Eve at Saint Peter’s Cathedral. Then we’d rush back to observe the Feast of the Seven Fishes. My father always made a big, beautiful bowl of Baccalà–salt cod with tomatoes and capers– to start things off.” Volcanically delicious, Baccalà alla Vesuviana is cooked in extra-virgin olive oil, diced onions, red pepper flakes, parsley, and fresh mint. The sense of Italian tradition derives from Catho- lic roots. “We abstain from meat on Christmas Eve,” Napolitano says. At Maria’s on that special night, look for “Zuppa de Pesce. We cook seven different fishes in a Fra Diavolo sauce.” Cooked in white wine, the recipe calls for celery, garlic, tomato sauce, marjo- ram leaves, and extra-virgin olive oil. Fish vary. One Amalfi zuppa de pesce includes crayfish, mullet, ra- zor clams, and mussels. “We also have fried fish and fried eel that night,” Napolitano says. “We do a Misto.” According to Robert Schira, writing for fin- edininglovers.com, “By the seaside, fritto mis- to all’italiana is a plateful of fried golden calamari rings, shrimp, and squid tentacles, but in northern Italy–particularly in Piedmont–it is mostly vegeta- bles and, depending on the season, enhanced with semolina, veal brain, brochettes of cheese and prosciutto, sweet cream and amaretti.” At Maria’s, the Neapolitan-style fritto misto is fun and fabulous. As Shira writes of the misto, “Never expect the same twice...and it’s best eaten hot!”