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 | Primo Maggio, or May Day, is the Italian labor day, and though it is an occasion for out door concerts and political rallies, it's also an opportunity to fire up the grill and invite people over for a cookout, assuming the weather cooperates. And if the weather is really good, it's an opportunity to bundle everyone into the car and head to the coast for the first swim of the season. | |
If you're going to the coast...
You might start with Spaghetti alle Vongole, spaghetti with clam sauce. It's dependable, and if the clams are good there's no need for tomato sauce either -- it simply distracts. A second course? Triglie alla Livornese would be nice -- mullet pan sauteed with tomato sauce and hot pepper -- as would pesce arrosto, roast fish, perhaps with spinaci rifatti, which are good at any time. And to finish up, fresh fruit: the strawberries have been tasty and abundant this year. In terms of a wine, Gavi or Vernaccia. Take your pick.
| To the coast 2...
If you're going to the coast and have access to a grill the picture changes. You might start with scampi, quickly grilled (what are called shrimp scampi in the US), followed by pesce alla griglia, grilled fish. I would also halve several tomatoes and grill them too with the fish, to serve as a side dish. To finish up, strawberries as above, and as a wine I might be tempted by a Bardolino Chiaretto. Or a white (see above).
| Staying inland?
The classic cookout is built around meats and vegetables, and I have covered it many times. The other option if the weather is good is to pack sandwiches and take a hike, at which point you'll want to select your bread -- focaccia is very nice, but a piadina will also be tasty -- and your cold cuts, and bring some sort of a side dish that won't be too messy. Insalata di riso, for example. And, if you want a wine, a light red. Bardolino comes to mind.
| Insalta...
I mentioned insalata di riso above, which is a rich and tasty summery rice salad. The term insalata used by itself means salad of the green variety, of which Rome is especially proud, but there are other options as well, including: insalata caprese, with mozzarella and tomaotes, insalata profumata al limone, a lemony pasta salad, Insalata di Pollo e Verdure, a chicken and vegetable salad, and insalata d'estate, a summery farro salad.
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