Fireworks WILL be happening at midnight in just about every town, along with loud firecrackers. If you're in Italy at midnight on New Year's, you might think that you are in a war zone with all of the pop-pop-popping going on!
Most every nightclub will have loud parties filled with dancing and various alcoholic beverages, but if you're like me and don't like crowds, a quiet celebration at home or shared with a small group of friends is more up your alley. You can easily put together a nice little party and include some Tuscan influences.
For the New Year's toast, serve some spumanti or prosecco (or both!). You can find these sparkling wines at most good groceries or wine shops. Toast to the new year by saying something along the lines of "anno nuovo, vita nuova" - new year, new life! A great way to herald in a new start to a new year and a new way of life!
Of course, any good festa includes a lot of good food. For La Festa di San Silvestro, which is what is celebrated on New Year's Eve in Italy, the star of the show is cotechino and lentils, which are eaten for good luck in the coming year.
Cotechino is a boiled sausage and is rather fatty, so I tend to only splurge on it once a year. You may not be able to find it at your local supermarket, but it can be found available on Amazon.com.
The lentils are prepared rather simply and are extremely delicious! Here's a recipe for the lentils that we make each year. Sometimes we add tomato, sometimes we add sage, but this is our basic "go-to" version.
Basic Lentils
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion
1 medium carrot
1 celery stalk
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 cup lentils
1 bay leaf
Salt
Pepper
Finely chop the onion, carrot and celery. Smash and peel the clove of garlic. Heat a small amount (around 2 Tablespoons or so) of olive oil in a pan over medium heat and add the vegetables. Cook a few minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft. Add the lentils and bay leaf and cover with water (about 1 inch or so above the lentils). Bring to a simmer and lower the heat to medium-low. Continue to simmer gently, stirring every so often. (If you're cooking a cotechino, you can add a little bit of that water as well in order to help flavor it.) Cook for about 30-40 minutes, adding more water if needed along the way. Drain any remaining water from the pan when done and remove the garlic clove and the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Buon nuovo anno a tutti! Happy New Year to all! May the coming year bring much happiness, prosperity and good health.
And I hope that one of your resolutions is to put a little Tuscany into your life!
For the New Year's toast, serve some spumanti or prosecco (or both!). You can find these sparkling wines at most good groceries or wine shops. Toast to the new year by saying something along the lines of "anno nuovo, vita nuova" - new year, new life! A great way to herald in a new start to a new year and a new way of life!
Of course, any good festa includes a lot of good food. For La Festa di San Silvestro, which is what is celebrated on New Year's Eve in Italy, the star of the show is cotechino and lentils, which are eaten for good luck in the coming year.
Cotechino is a boiled sausage and is rather fatty, so I tend to only splurge on it once a year. You may not be able to find it at your local supermarket, but it can be found available on Amazon.com.
The lentils are prepared rather simply and are extremely delicious! Here's a recipe for the lentils that we make each year. Sometimes we add tomato, sometimes we add sage, but this is our basic "go-to" version.
Basic Lentils
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion
1 medium carrot
1 celery stalk
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 cup lentils
1 bay leaf
Salt
Pepper
Finely chop the onion, carrot and celery. Smash and peel the clove of garlic. Heat a small amount (around 2 Tablespoons or so) of olive oil in a pan over medium heat and add the vegetables. Cook a few minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft. Add the lentils and bay leaf and cover with water (about 1 inch or so above the lentils). Bring to a simmer and lower the heat to medium-low. Continue to simmer gently, stirring every so often. (If you're cooking a cotechino, you can add a little bit of that water as well in order to help flavor it.) Cook for about 30-40 minutes, adding more water if needed along the way. Drain any remaining water from the pan when done and remove the garlic clove and the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Buon nuovo anno a tutti! Happy New Year to all! May the coming year bring much happiness, prosperity and good health.
And I hope that one of your resolutions is to put a little Tuscany into your life!
