For Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis, this year’s Winter Olympics are particularly special, and that’s not just because she’s one of the most famous Italian-Americans on television. In addition to heading to Cortina this February to observe the games herself, De Laurentiis is teaming up with Peroni to bring a blue ribbon moment to everyone’s home, and she spoke with Food & Wine about how you can make watching the games a little more delicious.
“A lot of us think of sports, and we think of beer more than we think of wine,” De Laurentiis points out. For the Olympic Games set in Milan and Cortina, she says that pairing an Italian beer like Peroni with the right bites is the best way to relax at home while watching your favorite athletes shred down mountains and carve up the ice.
If you’re hosting people to watch the Winter Olympics this year, De Laurentiis recommends starting to plan by developing a general structure for your menu. “I think of both a carbohydrate and a protein,” she explains. “Those are the first two things.” From there, she builds the menu outward, making sure to incorporate a balanced array of elements like texture, flavor, and visual diversity into each dish.
Giada De Laurentiis has partnered with Peroni in advance of this year’s Olympics.
Courtesy of Peroni USA
For an après ski–inspired spread, De Laurentiis says that now is the time to go for something Milanese in honor of the games and emphasizes that Northern Italian fare can easily be translated into party-friendly bites. “I love arancini or supplì, which I think are fabulous because they’re easy one-biters,” the chef and television personality says. “They are rich, and you feel like you’ve got some substance there.”
Although it might be tempting when it’s cold out and you’re watching athletes soar over snow, De Laurentiis strongly cautions against only serving hot foods for an Olympics watch party. Instead, she suggests incorporating some cold snack ideas into your entertaining rotation, so you’re not stuck in the kitchen the entire time. (You don’t want to miss a quadruple axel or a triple cork 1440, do you?)
For cold bites that round out the Milan experience — albeit from the comfort of your own couch — De Laurentiis suggests making simple skewers with olives, cheese, and seasoned canned tomatoes, all drizzled with a little bit of balsamic vinaigrette. Complete the spread with vegetables for dipping, including artichokes to echo the Italian theme, and you’re good to go.
As the face of Peroni for this year’s Winter Olympics, De Laurentiis has thoughts on how you should serve beer alongside those snacks too. Above all else, make sure it’s “super chilled,” she says. “It’s almost like when you drink a soda — you want it to be super cold.”
The crispness of an ice-cold beer, De Laurentiis adds, cuts through the richness of many Northern Italian dishes, especially rice-based plates and fried snacks, contributing to a well-rounded dining experience, even if it’s in front of the television as you scream for your favorite athletes to go faster.
In addition to helping you win host of the year, De Laurentiis wants to bring another taste of the Olympics to your couch with Peroni’s limited-edition Peroni Nastro Azzurro Gold Bottles, which come complete with real gold detailing and a hand-stitched blue ribbon. Fans can enter for a chance to win one of the special edition bottles at PeroniUSA.com/NastroAzzurro.
For De Laurentiis, these beautiful bottles present an opportunity to pause and think about what you’re drinking. After all, she says, “the whole point of Italian culture and lifestyle is to slow down and enjoy those moments together over food. Just let the drink and the food run the show and create the memories around it.”
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