How to Cicchetti in Venice Italy 2

Italian tapas are a great way to experience the floating city, but they also make for an impressive party at home. How better to wow guests than with delicious wine and bite-size savories?

Some things to remember:

• Since cicchetti is meant to be enjoyed with an evening tipple, have plenty of wine on hand. To do a real cicchetti, start guests off with an apertivo, like prosecco, and finish the evening with a digestivo, such as a sweet wine or limoncello.
• The key to a cicchetti party is keeping it simple. Since you’re making so many dishes, each should cause a minimum of fuss for a maximum taste.
• Basic items like olives and meat go a long way. You can serve olives as they are or fry them up (or both), and everyone loves a plate of fresh salami with some delicious bread.
• Have plenty of toothpicks on hand. Most of the dishes should be served with toothpicks the cicchetti-way, so keep things bite-size.
• Don’t forget dessert. Guests will want a little something sweet after all those savories. Mini-biscotti or Italian wine biscuits would be a great way to go since their perfect for dipping in that digestive.

Some examples of cicchetti dishes you might try?

Prosciutto with Melon

This fresh dish is easy and sure to please. Wrap thin slices of prosciutto around small pieces of cantaloupe and stick a toothpick in each so that guests can easily grab.

Fried Olives

Always a hit, these are an easy dish, that can be made ahead of time and reheated in the oven (at 250 degrees).

Place green, pitted olives in a bowl and soak them in cold water for 20 minutes, then rinse and dry well. (This will remove some of the salt.)

Toss the olives lightly in a bowl of flour (about 1/4 cup per 36 olives) then dip each in beaten egg and roll in fine, dry bread crumbs (about 1/3 cup per 36). Refrigerate the coated olives for at least one hour.

Heat vegetable oil in a frying skillet and add olives, rolling them around to brown evenly, until they are golden. Drain them on absorbent paper and serve warm.

Tasty Sausage Bites

Another tasty treat that is fast and easy.

Fill a large skillet half-way with water. When the water is simmering steadily, add sweet Italian sausage (6 sausages yield about 30 bites). After six or seven minutes (when the sausages are firm, remove from the heat and drain them.

Slice the sausages and slice into bite-size pieces. Heat two tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet, then add the sausage and cook until brown. Drain off the fat and add balsamic vinegar (one cup to six sausages) to the skillet, then simmer until vinegar is reduced and syrupy. Serve with toothpicks.