It's a fun way to mingle and an inexpensive and delicious way to have a meal. With options ranging from tiny salami sandwiches to toasted polenta, it's tough to choose what to have, but all the options are bite-sized, making it easy to have a little taste of everything. Think deep-fired mozzarella, Try deep-fried mozzarella cheese, artichoke hearts, olives, and prosciutto with melon. Anything, in short, that can be eaten with a toothpick.

But how to do cicchetti?

When in Venice…

When in Venice, do as the Venetians do, of course. A giro d'ombra (giro means stroll and ombra literally translates to shade) is a Venetian version of the pub crawl. The name reflects a time long since passed, when a portable wine bar would move through St. Mark's Square, so as always to hide in the shadow of the Campanile bell tower.

There is no more wine cart on St. Mark's, but the ombra, which is slang for a glass of wine, lives on, and can be found in baccari in back streets throughout the floating city, and with wine comes cicchetti. When seeking out baccari the trick is to get lost, and this is not tough in Venice. Simply wander away from St. Mark's and into the maze of residential back streets, where plenty of baccari are waiting, complete with counters full of bite-sized savories and wines by the glass written on chalkboards.

Though ordering a whole plate is an option, the true Venetian way is a slow sampling. Sip wine, or, to be truly authentic, start with an aperitivo (a before-dinner drink), like a Bellini or a Prosecco and work your way through the toothpicked noshes, starting with a little of this and moving on to that (and that and that…), and finally ending with a fragolino, the local sweet wine, which typically comes with a small biscotti for dipping. Since the bars aren't open very late, get an early start (by 6:00 pm) which will allow access to the best cicchetti.

The Italians call the winter season, tempo da lupi, wolf weather, when it is cold and wet outside. Italy experiences a wide variety of weather during the winter season: Italy's far north is a wonderful place to go skiing, as snow falls on the Alps in November but has been known to happen much earlier in the fall. Northern Italian winters are similar to those in the northern United States, as they are very long and cold. Yet if you travel further south to an area such as Rome, snow is a very rare occurrence there. However, an area which allows you to avoid the winter blues altogether and experience the rich and warmth of La Dolce Vita is the island of Sicily; it enjoys mild temperatures year round.

Although Italy may not have a lot of warmth during the wintertime, its dishes during this season certainly do. As the temperatures become colder outside during the late fall, Italian cooking greatly changes. It takes on a richer and heavier taste. Dishes that are typical of Italian cooking during the winter are soups, stews, and heavier pasta dishes. Some pasta dishes that one can find in Italian homes and restaurants when the temperatures are low are lasagna al forno, spaghetti alla carbonara and ravioli liguri.

This one is from the region of Liguria, and is stuffed with wild greens and sage. Another popular dish to serve in the winter is polenta, which is the Italian word for cornmeal and is also the name for a dish made by cooking cornmeal in a liquid. After it is finished cooking it has the texture of mashed potatoes. One can serve the polenta with a variety of foods.

The following are two delectable recipes to make on a cold day suggested in the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by Maria Liberati. Polenta is a classic winter dish-healthy as well as quick and simple to make and also a great way to end a cold winter day.

Polenta

Ingredients

• 2 cups coarse yellow cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 5 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• Salt to taste

Method

1. In a heavy pot, bring 6 cups of salted water to boil.
2. Add in the cornmeal gradually (use wooden spoon for stirring) about ¼ cup at a time and stirring in the cornmeal each time you add in.
3. Keep stirring the cornmeal mixture for 20 minutes after all has been added in.
4. The polenta is done when the mixture pulls away from the side of the pot.
5. Place individual servings in individual dishes.
6. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese.

The following Café Mocha makes a great drink after a day of skiing in the mountains or out in the snow:

Café Mocha

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 ½ cups hot espresso coffee
• 1/4 cup hot milk (fat free or low fat)
• 1/4 cup fat free evaporated milk
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Method

1. Place evaporated milk in chilled bowl with powdered sugar.
2. Whip until peaks form and then place in refrigerator.
3. In another bowl mix honey with powdered cocoa and cinnamon, mix with wooden spoon.
4. Let sit for 5 minutes.
5. Distribute mixture into 4 coffee cups.
6. Mix coffee with milk, and then pour into cups.
7. Stir and top with whipped evaporated milk and dust with powdered cocoa.