Festa Italiana !!!!!

Marie of Proud Italian Cook and Maryann of Finding La Dolce Vita are co-hosting a party. Can you imagine anything more enjoyable than spending a few hours outside on a gorgeous day, savoring great food, drinking good wine, and listening to great music...and don't forget the good conversation with our blogging friends?

The festival will bring everyone out, both those who are Italian by birth and others like myself that are Italian at heart.

Italians know how to eat !! They seem to have infinite courses, but, their meals are more of a social event than just simply eating! The portions are much smaller than those served in northern European countries, and being generally based on vegetables and fruits and home-made pastas, they generally are healthier. In addition, the secret when preparing an Italian meal is to select the freshest of local ingredients, so what you eat will change from month to month. If you want to find out everything you need to know about the art of eating Italian with all the different courses, delicious recipes, etc., check out Italian Food Forever .

Where I grew up in Ontario there was a large population of people of Italian descent. As teenagers we would head to the Italian Club on a Saturday night to eat good food and dance the night away. I was an honorary Italian long before I was an honorary Greek. My love affair with Greek food I discovered in my early twenties.

"Spiedino" is Italian for "skewer." These kebabs make a great appetizer. Serve them for an informal lunch with salad of arugula and baby tomatoes. I wanted to offer them as an appetizer for the Festa so used cocktail-sized bocconcini to make miniature versions.

Chi mangia bene, mangia Italiano!!!!

**Wrapped Bocconcini Spiedini**

12 bocconcini, but in half (I used cocktail size)
12 to 18 slices prosciutto
30 1- ½-inch (3.8-cm) cubes of Calabrese, focaccia, country or white bread
Olive oil for brushing kebabs
½ cup (120 mL) olive oil
5 anchovy fillets (tinned), minced
Generous squeeze of lemon juice

(You will need 2 whole bocconcini, 2 to 3 slices of prosciutto, depending on their size, and 5 cubes of bread for each kebab. You'll also need 6 bamboo skewers soaked in water, or metal skewers).

Wrap each bocconcini half tightly in prosciutto.

Starting and finishing with a cube of bread, thread the bread and the wrapped cheese alternately on the skewers. Lightly brush olive oil on all sides of the kebab. You may need 4 to 5 tablespoons (T) (60 to 75 mL) of oil.

For the sauce, heat the olive oil and minced anchovy until the oil is very warm and the fillets have almost disintegrated. Just before serving, squeeze the lemon juice into the warm sauce. Pour the sauce into a small bowl.

Heat the barbeque, grill pan, or frying pan until very hot. Place the kebabs in the hot pan. Using the tongs, turn the kebabs about every 45 seconds so that the prosciutto crisps up, the cheese starts to melt, and the bread toasts. Serve one kebab per person and let them dribble the sauce over it.

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