An original menu for a New Year’s Eve dinner 100% made in Tuscany based on typical Tuscan fish dishes and local sparkling wines
A 100% New Year’s Eve dinner made in Tuscany
What we talk about in this article:
Anchovies, cod, and Viareggio mantis shrimp: a mouth-watering overtureOf clams, favolli and cacciucchiBaked fish and shellfish in gale, delicacies of the coastArtisanal, organic, and locally sourced: a gourmet finale to New Year’s Eve dinner.
Sand it is true that Tuscany is famous for its delicious meat dishes, thanks to its coastal stretch it also offers delicious fish-based dishes. Why not choose then for the “dinner of the 7 dinners” as some call it, the New Year’s Eve dinner, traditional dishes of the Maritime Tuscany? And why not just match them? sparkling wines made in Tuscany?
This is how ours was born original menu for a An extraordinary New Year’s Eve dinner, where Tuscan bubbles meet tasty traditional fish-based dishes.
Anchovies, cod, and Viareggio mantis shrimp: a mouth-watering overture
We begin the long-awaited Lucullan New Year’s Eve dinner with a trio of appetizersThe first one, to be enjoyed very hot, is the fried codIn Tuscany this exquisite fish is cooked in the most disparate ways, but its essence lies in the version so dear to the Carrara marble quarrymen. With the same hammer which the laborers used to work the marble they were beating the cod to unnerve him, and then fry it in boiling oil together with thegarlic. If you like the idea, you can add some sage leaf.
Another excellent one typical Tuscan fish appetizer they are the Viareggio mantis shrimps. In other areas these juicy crustaceans they are also known as corn on the cob or cicadas, and are often used for rich seafood sauces. In this version they are cooked in tomato sauce and serve on the crispy toasted bread.
Finally a appetizer with a strong flavor for lovers of strong flavours: the poor man’s anchovies, typical of the Livorno area. These are fillets of the delicious fish, marinated for a few hours in wine vinegar and a pinch of saltThey are served with good oil, pepper or chili, to your taste, and a sprinkling of parsleyTo enrich a dish that is poor only because of the simplicity of its ingredients, add some thin slices of Certaldo onion.
As first toast of New Year’s Eve, to accompany the appetizers, we chose an organic sparkling wine Brut Charmat MethodWe are in the area of Lake Massacciuccoli, in the province of Lucca. The grapes used come from the vineyards ofMariani Company located between Viareggio And Lake Tower. Sangiovese vinified in white at 50%, Vermentino to 25% and Chardonnay to 25%: this is a dry wine, salty and very fragrant.
Of clams, favolli and cacciucchi
After the tasty trio of appetizers we have reached the first course of our New Year’s Eve Dinner 100% made in Tuscany. A recipe as simple as it is delicious are the spaghetti with clams. Typical of the Pisa area, they are delicious. For those who don’t know them, clams are crustaceans, also commonly called clams. Very different from the clams for which they are often mistaken, cooked with garlic, chili pepper and parsley (optional: a bunch of cherry tomatoes) to season spaghetti with, they are truly excellent.
If you like the idea of a bis of first courses, you can continue the dinner with some gnocchi with favolloHave you ever tasted them? The Livorno style is a real delicacy. The favollo is nothing more than a rock crab with the funny name and the brown-red back, which is not difficult to spot while swimming in the sea. In this version they are cooked with peeled tomatoes, thegarlic, The chili and of the fresh parsley to garnish.
As an alternative to the two pasta dishes, you can opt for the Queen of all seafood soups: the cacciucco. Famous dish and illustrious representative of the Tuscan seafood culinary tradition, it’s laborious to make but never disappoints. Octopus, cuttlefish, mussels, scorpion fish, dogfish and cicadas cook over low heat with tomato, herbs and their own broth to transform into a delicacy to be enjoyed hot on lightly garlicked toasted bread.
The bubble that we like to combine with the first courses based on seafood proposed is a Classic Method Sans Anné, organic, of the Montauto Winery, in Maremmto. This is a Sangiovese which rests on the yeasts for 36 months. rosé shade it is barely hinted at, just as slight are the floral scents followed by notes of brackish and rocky. With good acidity, it is a fine and elegant wine.
Baked fish and shellfish in galera, delicacies of the coast
To end our trip in style New Year’s Eve dinner 100% made in Tuscany, we offer two typical Tuscan fish dishes: Viareggio-style baked sea bass and Elba-style octopus in jail.
Let’s start with the latter.Elba Island they call it octopus in jail because the cooking of the delicious mollusc must take place in such a way that it remains “imprisoned” inside the pot blanket. In fact, once upon a time they even put some weights on the lid so that it would not rise due to the steam. Flavored with garlic and lemon it’s a very delicate recipe.
The second course based on European bass, instead it is simple but very tasty, with cherry tomatoes, black olives, lemon, parsley, and a spice that is rarely paired with fish: a pinch of nutmegYou can place the well-seasoned fish complete with its trimmings on a100g of potatoes cut into thin slices to further enhance the goodness of this roast fish.
For the two fish second courses we thought of a more important bubble than the previous one: one Classic Method Sparkling WineWe are in theLucca hinterland, and the bottle we chose is produced by theLa Badiola Company. This is a 100% Chardonnay Millesimato 2018 with a rest on the yeasts for at least 36 months. His name is Twenty-four knotsFresh, savoury, mineral and persistent, its fragrance makes it perfect for pairings with dishes with a crunchy texture.
Artisanal, organic, and locally sourced, a gourmet finale to New Year’s Eve dinner.
We have almost reached the conclusion of our New Year’s Eve dinner made in Tuscany and, although its moment of glory is Christmas, it is a tradition throughout Italy to end it with a slice of panettoneIn Tuscany there are many artisans who churn out fragrant ones. We found a small one family-run in Poggibonsi, in the province of Siena, whose watchwords are ‘short supply chain, organic and creativity’. Their product palette is a provocation to every diet, with many variations offered: from traditional organic to the one with the San Gimignano DOP saffron flavored with whiskey, the one with chocolate and salt flakesThe list is long and delicious, the choice is yours.
Of any sin of gluttony you want to stain yourself, match the artisanal panettone that you have chosen with a bottle of 18K Moscato Rosé. The Sensi family, a Tuscan, is the head of the company of the same name since 1890, and some of their wines are organic as well as vegans. From the intense orange color, on the nose it is rich in fruit, Of wild strawberry And raspberry in particular, but also of shortcrust pastry and anise. In the mouth the perlage is fine, the wine as a whole soft and elegant.
Dear TP readers,, ours food and wine provocation based on bubbles and fish of the Tuscan coast ends here. We have managed to inspire you for a original and tasty New Year’s Eve dinner? If so, please let us know by leaving a comment on Instagram or Facebookk. Congratulations!
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