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How to Eat Authentically Al Fresco

Kelly Efthimiu · July 23, 2015 ·

Never heard of al fresco dining? Translating to “in the open air,” an al fresco meal is like an upscale picnic outdoors with an array of delicious Italian snacks for sharing—and who doesn’t love an Italian picnic? Our Specialty Merchant Ken put together his favorite picks for eating al fresco. Read on for tips on hosting your own this summer!

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Al fresco dining is all about having a lot of great food without having to do a ton of work. With cold and room temperature foods that are easy for guests to mix and match, you can stay out of the kitchen and just enjoy the fun and the outdoors.

As casual as it gets, you’ll only need a few simple Italian elements to make the perfect spread—and if you stack the picnic with high-quality faves, the food will do all the work for you. Ken suggests these tips to make your meal authentic and delicious:

  • Al fresco eating is all about having a variety of options and flavors, so make sure to have a few antipasto for your guests to choose from. Olives, artichoke hearts, and cipollini onions in balsamic are crowd-pleasing classics.
  • Every al fresco experience—and every food experience ever, in our opinion—needs a cheese plate! Make sure to have both some soft and firm cheeses so that there are plenty of options for mixing and munching.
  • Take your cheese to the next level with flavor pairings: For the soft cheese, add a drizzle of honey for a salty-sweet finish. For the firm cheeses, try a traditional mostarda pairing (a unique jam made of fruit and mustard-type spices).
  • To make the meal truly Italian, you’ll need a large selection of delicious cured meat. Keep it simple with everyone’s favorites: silky prosciutto and spicy salami are sure to hit the spot, and they will mix and match perfectly with everything else.
  • Lastly, but very importantly, you’ll need to keep some Italian olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and red vinegar within arm’s reach—whether they are used to dress greens or to be soaked in a piece of Italian bread, make sure to offer only the best to your guests.

Find some starter options from Ken to help you plan an al fresco picnic here. Bellissimo!

Filed Under: Easy Entertaining, Food Tips From The Experts Tagged With: al fresco, Easy Entertaining, Go Forth and Summer, picnic, tips, What the Pros Know

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Nothing warms the soul quite like a hearty fish st Nothing warms the soul quite like a hearty fish stew. This rustic vegetable soup recipe melds more delicate flavored fish with a combination of soul-soothing  vegetables.

What You’ll Need:
- 2 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 4 cippolini onions peeled and cut into sixths, keep root intact
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 4 hakurei turnips, greens trimmed, peeled and quartered
- 1 medium clove of garlic, thickly sliced
- 1/3 head of cabbage, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 5 fingerling potatoes cut into 1/3-inch coins
- 4 cups water
- Olive oil
- Kosher or sea salt and black pepper
- 4 6- 8 oz cod fillets

What to Do:
Place a 12” wide pot on medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil and bacon. Cook, stirring often until bacon starts to brown.

Add onions and garlic, and cook, gently turning until onions start to lightly brown. Add carrots and a few pinches of salt. Continue to cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lower heat if vegetables start to brown. Add turnips and cook a few minutes more.

Add cabbage and potatoes, 1 tsp salt, a pinch of black pepper and the water.

Bring to a simmer and cook approximately 5 to 8 minutes.

Season fillets well with salt & pepper while the soup is simmering, allowing the seasoning to penetrate.

After the soup has simmered, nestle the fillets into the soup, gently shaking the pot to allow the fish to settle in. Spoon some soup over the top of the fillets, adjust heat to low. Cover the soup and allow to simmer for approximately 5 minutes.

Using a spatula, remove the fillets and place in individual soup bowls. Adjust seasoning and evenly divide vegetables and broth into the bowls. Add some cracked black pepper on top and a drizzle of olive oil to serve.
Think outside of the box at your next taco night w Think outside of the box at your next taco night with this recipe where everything is cooked simply on a sheet pan. We love making these tacos with salmon, but feel free to swap it with shrimp, scallops, or another fish fillet.

What you'll need:
- One third of a 7 oz can of chipotle peppers in adobo (about 1/4 cup)
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup lightly-packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup freshly-squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 small container grape tomatoes
- 1 onion, cut into wedges through root end
- 6 scallion bottoms (trim off the green parts)
- 1 poblano pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
- For serving: tortillas, lime wedges, sour cream

What to do:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Season salmon with salt and pepper and set aside.

Place chipotles in adobo in food processor or blender, along with honey, lightly-packed brown sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, and cumin. Blend until well-combined. Set aside a few tablespoons of sauce for serving, then transfer the rest to a large bowl.

Place salmon in bowl and evenly-coat all over in sauce. Transfer fillets to a foil-lined baking sheet, leaving excess sauce in bowl. Add to bowl tomatoes, onion wedges, poblano and bell peppers, and scallions. Toss to coat in sauce, then add in an even layer to the baking sheet with the salmon.

Roast everything in the oven until salmon is done and vegetables lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Serve inside tortillas with lime wedges, sour cream, and reserved sauce.
Save big on Farmer Focus Chicken! Farmer Focus is Save big on Farmer Focus Chicken! Farmer Focus is a collective dedicated to bringing organic, humanely-raised, and traceable chicken to your table. Since 2014, they have been on a mission to promote and protect generational family farming. And now with our biggest chicken sale of the year, there's no better time to see and taste the difference that responsible farming makes.
This cioppino recipe is excellent for a quick and This cioppino recipe is excellent for a quick and warming weeknight meal. Typically, it would be made with whatever the catch of the day was, and you can feel free do the same here by swapping out any other fish or shellfish you’ve got—clams, crab, squid, lobster, halibut, or sea bass would all be worthy choices. 

What you'll need:
- 3 tablespoons + 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 fennel bulb, diced
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped
- ½ cup kalamata olives, rinsed and chopped
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- 2 cups dry white wine
- One 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups water
-2 lb. mussels
- One 8–10 oz. fillet of cod or other white fish (skin may be left on or off)
- ½ lb. shrimp
 

What to do:
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, fennel, capers, olives and salt. Sauté a few minutes until onion and fennel begin to soften. Toss in the garlic and sauté until fragrant, 1-2 minutes more.

Stir in chili flakes, then pour in white wine. Simmer until liquid is mostly evaporated, then stir in crushed tomatoes, ½ cup olive oil, and 2 cups water. Simmer for a few minutes, then add mussels. Cover and simmer 3 minutes.

Cut fish into bite-sized pieces and add to stew along with shrimp. Simmer uncovered a few minutes more until both are cooked through. Serve in bowls with crusty bread and salted butter.

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