Our Recipes: Piccolo Pranzo (Little Luncheon)

Ok, so this isn't really a recipe, per se. It's a suggestion to eat a light lunch, Italian Style. It's about getting together some simple ingredients and putting together a tasty, healthy lunch platter for yourself and your kids. Think of this style of lunch as an indoor picnic... with or without the blanket--your choice. There have actually been rainy or snowy days when we've actually put our picnic blanket down on the kitchen or living room floor and sat down to have our Italian scampagnata (picnic outing) right inside the house.

Usually, we get together this type of lunch when we aren't sure what to have, but then notice a bunch of great things in the fridge. This time, it was some fresh figs I had just bought, a bit of leftover ricotta from this week's lasagna, a drizzle of honey and a tiny dribble of a precious bottle of aged balsamic that we bought two years ago in Tuscany... then cut up some cheese, ciabatta, sausage and an yellow heirloom tomato... some oregano and sea salt on the tomatoes, then toss in a few pimento stuffed olives, and presto! A lunch fit for "we three", as we call ourselves.

Pair with a bit of gassata (sparkling water) and put on an Italian cooking show on the big screen TV...

Now, that's how to have a great piccolo pranzo!

--Jerry Finzi