New Year it is now coming and for those who are preparing to celebrate the arrival of 2018 at home with friends and relatives, it is already time to think about what to bring to the table. For those looking for advice, here are some suggestions for one traditional menu able to please everyone, both at the New Year's Eve and the first of the year.

Inevitable cotechino and lentils

Considered since the times of the ancient Romans synonymous with prosperity and luck (especially for their resemblance to coins), lentils can not miss the table on the occasion of the New Year. The classic preparation is that of lentils stewed: after having kept them soaked for a whole night, just cook them for about forty minutes in a saucepan with a sautéed onion, celery and a chopped carrot, as well as a little concentrate or purée tomato, and then serve again hot with the addition of salt, a drizzle of oil and pepper. The stewed lentils are the side dish ideal for another great New Year's classic: the cotechino. In addition to this pork sausage, prepared with pork rind, meat of different cuts, bacon, salt and spices, on the tables of Italians on the first day of the new year (but also and especially during New Year's Eve) it is easy to find his " cousin "originally from Modena, lo knuckle. And pairing with lentils is almost a must. Cotechino and lentils, however, is good as it is second dish at lunch on the first of January, which as a course to be served during the dinner at the stroke of midnight, obviously accompanied by a lot of bubbles.

New Year's Eve dinner

Each region or locality has its traditions in the kitchen for the holidays. Of course, however, there are several points in common despite the distances. For example, on New Year's Eve it's hard to imagine one starter without cheeses or without vegetables. In the South they never fail i dairy product, from mozzarella to ricotta, while at other latitudes the potatoes, in different shapes and firings, are always present. For a traditional menu in view of the dinner on December 31st, it is good to remember to prepare appetizers with mixed cheeses and salami, olives and bruschetta: the classic Italian appetizer, in short. The first one can not leave out the smell of saltiness, therefore spaghetti or risotto with seafood they represent the most widespread solution, but with the necessary exceptions. Prepare cappelletti, agnolotti, anolini or tortellini in broth it means in fact to remain the same among the great classics of this holiday. In addition to the stewed lentils with cotechino, the traditional second course of the year-end dinner is also octopus, the cod, the roast and the sausage. Some dried fruit, of pomegranate and grapes, lucky foods just like lentils, and then all that remains is to conclude the festivities with sweets: from panettone and pandoro to cantucci, from zuccotto cake with pear and chocolate.

New Year's dinner

The day after the longest night of the year party continues, even at the table. Vegetables, thanks to their properties purifying, they are the most valid ingredients for the appetizer to prepare for the New Year's lunch. Turnip greens, chicory and chard, boiled and served with a generous amount of olive oil, it is no coincidence that the starter chosen by many Italians (especially in the South, accompanied by fried delicacies ranging from panzerotti to the stuffed calzone). The former is traditionally based on ragù. Lasagne, tagliatelle or fresh pasta makes little difference. Escalopes, raw seafood (the inevitable oysters), salmonfrying eel, lamb and beef are instead the classic passwords for the latter; follow the dried fruit again and then the fruit, with oranges and tangerines to keep grapes and pomegranate company. Special mention then for thepineapple, Purifying and digestive food, always spread on tables set for New Year's dinner. Finally, for traditional desserts, just choose between ricotta and apple pie, figs dry with chocolate or almonds, Nougat, pandoro or panettone.

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