In 2020 many have found a new interest in cooking at home, learning new skills and experimenting with new recipes. Gourmet foods are appreciated more than ever and make for a special gift for an unusual holiday.
Eataly has set up holiday markets in all its North America locations with a curated selection of gift baskets and artisanal Italian products for every taste and budget. La Cucina Italiana USA Managing Editor Carole Hallac connected in an IG Live with Dino Borri at Eataly Flatiron in New York City to find some last minute gift ideas and talk about celebrating the holidays Italian style.
Panettone and Pandoro are of course the most popular holiday food, and an always appreciated gift. Classic panettone is made with raisins and candied fruit, but is now available in a wide range of flavors, from pistachios to limoncello, to amarena (sour cherry). Pandoro, the star shaped cake, is equally delicious and versatile, and can be served in variety of ways, from chocolate or hazelnut spread, to the traditional mascarpone. Pandoro has in fact made the cover of the latest issue of La Cucina Italiana magazine, featuring holiday recipes and available at all Eataly locations.
The perfect pairing for panettone and pandoro is spumante, Italian sparkling wine. The most common one, Prosecco, is another classic gift to bring at holiday dinners. Cocktail Spirits to prepare popular drinks such as Negroni are welcomed as well (Dino recommends the Negroni Sbagliato, a light version of the drink using wine instead of gin).
For loved ones that can’t celebrate with you this year, Eataly has a wide selection of regional gift baskets with Italian staples such as pasta, sauces, extra virgin olive oil and coffee and can also be customized. A popular one, La Dolce Vita, includes a selection of Italian cookies, candy and preserves.
Italian Christmas dinner menus vary from region to region. As Dino explained, he grew up in Piedmont enjoying a multi course festive meal. With this year’s smaller gatherings, he will keep it simple but will still enjoy traditional staples such as a smoked salmon appetizer, and agnolotti del plin, small meat filled pasta, served with a butter and sage sauce (Eataly has a variety of handmade fresh pasta prepared daily). Stuffed pasta, from tortellini to ravioli are a common primo, or first entrée, followed by a roasted capon or turkey. Southern Italians serve the Feast of the Seven Fishes, a dinner with several fish courses, adopted by many Italian-Americans.
In New Year’s Eve, Italians eat many foods that are considered to bring good luck, such as lentils, often served with zampone or cotechino (pork sausages), grapes and pomegranate. Dino leans towards a lighter fish based meal and likes to add some sophistication with a little caviar (Italy is one of the largest producers in the world).
No matter how you celebrate, here's to a healthy, lucky, and fantastic new year!