The star of the Neapolitan Christmas Eve dinner, Cena della Vigilia di Natale may be Capitone Fritto, but Baccalà Fritto is a favorite year round.

Capitone Fritto, Fried Eel is a traditional dish served for the Neapolitan Christmas Eve dinner, Cena della Vigilia di Natale.

Likely to be a secondo on the Neapolitan table, this one pan meal, Bistecchina alla Napoletana is more than enough for a satisfying main.

A favorite dish on a cold winters day, this thick and hardy minestra is "molto cremosa" as they say. The creaminess coming from the starches in the rice and potatoes.

Decidedly lighter than its North American, European and Northern Italian counterparts, Parmigiana di Melanzane Napoletana uses no flour, eggs or breadcrumbs. Lightly fried in olive oil, the flavor of the melanzane speaks for itself.

I remember as a child, every Sunday my mother made the Neapolitan Ragu. It was always delicious and always plentiful, so the day after we'd make Frittata di Maccheroni with the leftovers, a ritual in all Neapolitan families.

A classic Neapolitan contorno, Melanzane a Funghetto is bite size pieces of eggplant sautéed until they are soft, golden brown and look like little mushrooms.