With apologies to OnlineItalianClub.com users who don’t eat pork, here’s a suggestion for your New Year’s Eve festive meal, Italian style!
I confess that this rather lazy article is based on what we’ll be having here in Bologna. So, two birds killed with one stone.
For details of the recipes, or to share your own menu ideas, just leave a comment.
L’antipasto (starter)
No idea. I’ll be looking to see what’s in the shops tomorrow and on Tuesday morning. Something fresh and unusual, but above all, light, as the primo and secondo are going to be filling.
If you have a suggestion, I’d be delighted to hear it (my kids don’t like olives…)
Il primo (pasta course)
Easy one. It just has to be tortellini in brodo. Tortellini are little stuffed pasta thingies (the filling is usually a mix of pork and cheese). Brodo means stock, which must be home-made in advance. It’s not hard, but you need to leave plenty of time.
The tortellini can be bought: few people these days have the time or skill-set necessary to make their own. On the night, just bring the stock to the boil and drop the tortellini in.
Il secondo (meat course)
Another no-brainer, with the advantage of costing much less than an expensive fish course, zampone (stuffed pigs’ trotters) are a bit like very greasy sausages with toenails. I’ll be serving them with lenticchie (lentils). Cue groans from my wife and kids.
While I admit that zampone e lenticchie are not everyone’s favorite, they are very traditional and do go very well together, the greasy meat perfectly complementing the plainer pulses. Eating lentils is also supposed to mean future prosperity, so I try to max out on them at this time of year.
The other secondo
Lesso. Nobody will eat much of this either, but it takes no effort to prepare, as lesso simply means the meats and vegetables which were used to prepare the brodo for the tortellini. Cold. On a plate. Yummy.
(You can pretty this up a little by slicing the lumps of meat and serving them attractively arranged on a platter with mustard, mayonnaise and so on.)
Il dolce (dessert)
I don’t do desserts usually (can’t spell them either: I’ve already written “desert” several times this morning.)
But some hand-made ice-cream from the gelateria down the road is pretty much a must on New Year’s Eve…
I vini (wines)
Sparkling white with the antipasto, and again at midnight with the fireworks. A nice red with the primo and secondo. I’ve a bottle of Amarone della Valpolicella kept for the occasion.
Test yourself
Do you now know the meaning of the Italian words in this list? If not, better study them! They’re essential for any conversation in Italian at this time of year!
- il capodanno, la cena,
- l’antipasto
- il primo, i tortellini, il brodo
- il secondo, lo zampone, le lenticchie, il lesso,
- il dolce, il gelato, la gelateria,
- i vini,
(Most, but not all, were explained in the text. Note that I’ve included the articles, so you can see whether the gender is masculine or feminine…)
Over to you
Want to know more about these Italian dishes? Or share your Capodanno menu? Leave a comment on this post.
P.S. Don’t forget the “First Lesson Free” promotion, running until 6th January 2014. It’s good for both new and existing clients. Full details here.
P.P.S. Coming soon, the “Improve My Listening in 2014” challenge! More details in a day or two…
John Thomson says
Ah Tortellini al brodo, squisito, il mio primo piatto preferito. purttoppo Giovanna non si piacciono, Io Mangerai tutti i giorni.
Per dolce avremmo torta di choccolato senza farina con panna, delicioza
Daniel
Grazie per la sua ricetta.
Ho fatto un ricerca in internet e ho trovato un sito in Inghilterra dove posso comprare lo Zapone.
Comunque nel nord dell’Inghilterra ci sono ancora alcune persone anziane che mangiano i piedi di maiale, si chiamano “pigs trotters”
Quindi se riesci trovarli, li comprero e li cuoco come hanno fatto nel passato
Buon appetito e capodanno
John
ricorda! non me ne fregga le errore
Daniel says
Much better to communicate with errors, John, than not to write anything at all.
It gives me pleasure to see you your Italian is improving…
John Thomson says
Oh mio dio !
abbiamo una conversazione, diece commenti, ben fatto a tutti
come e successo questo ?
perche il soggetto e il cibo, particulamente il cibo italiano.
Oggi per pranzo ho mangiato
antipasti – mortadella con pomodorini e olive
il primo – tortellini , ripeni con pancetta e mozzarella, fatto da Signore Giovanni Rana, in brodo
il secondo – nulla
Dolci – torta di cioccolata senza farina con panna
Multo delizioso , ora sono pieno
John
Ruth Stephens says
I bought a zampone – no, two – because they are vacuum packed and have a use-by date of 2015 – on my last visit to Italy a year ago. I served the first one with lentils according to the recipe on the box and my guests seemed to enjoy it, or perhaps they were just being polite. I’m thinking of serving the second one to some friends, one of whom is from Rome, in a couple of weeks. I shall tell her it’s a delayed capodanno cena. Will a Roman appreciate a Bolognese speciality, Daniel?
I shall be interested in how the pigs’ trotters turn out, John.
Sorry, should have written all this in Italian! Next time!
Daniel says
English or Italian, your choice.
Not sure what Romans eat, but I have some of the best food in my life on a business trip there. Wish I could find that restaurant again!!
John Paloni says
So tell me how do you move after eating all that wondeful sounding food 🙂 🙂 🙂
BTW I thought lenticchie, I hope that’s how you write it in italian (lentils), was a must? I was told it ensures a prosperous New Year yes/no?
Anyway have a great one
John
Daniel says
Lenticchie IS a must, John! Portano soldi!!
July Rice says
My sister and I here in Italy will be having polenta with mushrooms and fontina cheese for cena capodanno. Molto semplice, ma anche delizioso. I am looking forward to the new offering of Italian listening comprehension skills. I can only understand Italians if they speak very slowly. Is this common for most learners? I am very impressed with John’s Italian.
Daniel says
Hi July,
Polenta with mushrooms and fontina sounds delicious to me. But I can hardly ever get away with serving polenta. My wife and kids have a negative attitude to it, perhaps they were force-fed the stuff for school lunches or something. Shame. It’s more of a mountain thing, maybe. Where in Italy are you??
It’s normal to have problems with listening, don’t worry (and be patient).
Watch out for the new series of articles about improving your listening. Currently in the planning stage…
A presto!
Daniel
Cyndy says
Ciao Daniel,
Per il vigile di Capodanno la nostra cena tradizionale e’ fettucine con burro, buccia di limone, e un cucchiaio di caviale. Con un flute di Prosecco e’ una cena squisita.
Cyndy
Daniel says
Buono!! Buon appetito, Cyndy. E buon 2014!