Holiday Weekend, Picnic Plans!

Soak up some sun while reveling in friends, family, and a taste of the outdoors. This holiday weekend should include a picnic. Regardless of the social agenda, attending or hosting gatherings or a clear schedule, the picnic will always fit the bill. From simple to over-the-top, the ways to incorporate a picnic this Memorial Day Weekend are countless.

The Italian style picnic can be customized as rustic and simple for two, or as a bountiful, yet manageable option for large crowds. The Italian staples consist of bread, olives, a pasta dish that can be enjoyed at room temperature, and various roasted vegetables. This style picnic is great for anytime of the day and can be spread out in any location, even on a blanket in the backyard.

Sample Italian Picnic Menu:

Fresh Italian Bread, such as Semolina, Bastone, or Ciabatta
Assorted olives
Pappardelle with olive oil, fresh lemon, fresh basil, fresh mint
Roasted zucchini, red, yellow, and orange peppers, tomatoes

Use the more traditional picnic fare but, opt for a theme. Whether it be seafood, sandwiches, or a grill menu. Hosting a backyard party with a food theme keeps the essence of simplicity a picnic boasts in tact. Cover outdoor tables with kitschy plaid tablecloths and newspaper for a lobster, crawfish, and crab boil complete with shell crackers for guests. Arrange dishes of drawn butter, fresh lemon halves, and various spices throughout the table. The boiled seafood, corn, and potatoes can be served straight from the table. The same family-style set up can be implemented for a "make-your-own" sandwich bar or with the necessities for grilling out. All options adhere to a relaxed crowd (and host/hostess) present simply to enjoy being outside, eating, and mingling with other guests.


Photo courtesy of potterybarn.com

Sample Traditional Picnic Menus:

Shellfish Boil
Various shellfish (lobster, crab, crawfish, shrimp, mussels)
Corn on the cob
Red skin potatoes

Sandwich Bar
Variety of each:
Rolls, lettuce, pickles, roasted vegetables, cheese, deli meat, mustard, mayo, hot peppers
Homemade potato chips w/crumbled blue cheese

Grill Menu
Marinated chicken (choose 2 favorite styles, such as Caribbean Jerk and Teriyaki)
Grilled fresh fruit, watermelon, pineapple, peaches
Asparagus
Portobella mushrooms
Assorted salads

The picnic will travel with whatever the weekend may bring. Prep an actual picnic basket (or buy a pre-arranged set with price points from $15-$350 on Google shopping search engine, surely one will be suitable) to have ready for impromptu invitations. Neighbors said come over? The basket is an exceptional means to transport food to contribute to the pooled meal. A more thoughtful approach, such as for a host/hostess gift, would be to fill the picnic basket with favorite food items (barbecue sauce, gourmet spreads, honey, jam) for their enjoyment in the future. Pack a favorite cheese and fruit pairing to share that day if asked to bring a dish.


A National Geographic Favorite Picnic Spot: Villa Borghese Gardens, Rome, Italy Photograph by Hemis/Alamy

Grab a Frisbee and the picnic basket and go. Host a sensational party, with ease. Share food favorites with great company. In any style, the picnic should be a priority and the pinnacle of enjoyment during the long weekend. Happy Memorial Day!


What are some of your favorite picnic foods?

Share pictures to our Facebook page of your Memorial Day picnics... we'd love to see Pino Gelato quarts/pints Scooping Some Happiness during celebrations this holiday weekend!

The Italian Way

“There are 2 kinds of people in the world, those who are Italian, and those who wish they were Italian,” Mario Batali, a famous Italian-American chef spoke these words at a food and wine festival conveying the passion for Italian food. 

 

Entertaining with Italian food is as easy as it is delicious!

Anti-pasti, served as a first course at formal Italian meals, consists of meats, cheeses, olives, roasted vegetables, and is served with crusty bread.  The pure joy of anti-pasti is that it can be prepared in various spreads customized to taste of the crowd.  Typical meats used are prosciutto, capicola, sopressata, and aged cheeses such as parmesan, asiago, and provolone.  

The upcoming holiday season brings out of town guests and a busier social calendar, having the staples for anti-pasti on hand is the first step to hospitality and reduces the inconvenience with time consuming preparations of other choices. Success in an Italian’s kitchen has a visual presence with hanging prosciutto and a giant wedge of parmesan cheese. Anti-pasti creates an instant atmosphere of conviviality amongst groups of friends and family and can be enough to entertain for hours.  

  

Sauce simmering on the stove on Sunday morning through mid-afternoon is a staple for many Italian-American families.  Traditionally the sauce, or “gravy”, is prepared with meats and served with pasta. The Sunday sauce has even been transported to stadiums for tailgating feasts, using a large pot on top of a grill to boil the pasta, thus never skipping a week.  For a Sunday sauce/gravy recipe, ask friends who are Italian or a local Italian chef, they will share tips from a handed down version that is perfected. The serious commitment to food and the simplicity behind it create the unparalleled joy of sharing present in these Italian preparations at family tables.  The absolute comfort of a homemade sauce/gravy translates the taste to a feeling of being part of an Italian family for guests. 

Rich tradition along with vibrant entertainment is easily achieved through the Italian way of food.  Regardless of if the family hosting and their guests are Italian or not, the collective anti-pasti, the palliative Sunday sauce, both give credence to Batali’s statement come the following Sunday.  

Molto bene!