The Italian Feast Stanley Tucci Wants As His Last Meal - Tasting Table

"Italian-American actor Stanley Tucci has become a sort of unofficial Italian ambassador to the United States, with various television shows about his travels and dining in Italy, as well as authoring "The Tucci Cookbook" based on Italian cuisine. Tucci wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to his love for Italy, so it's no surprise that the actor's dream meal would be a plethora of Italian dishes. In an interview with The Guardian, Stanley Tucci describes his ideal final meal, to be enjoyed with good company and even better wines."

"Tucci sets the scene, with the meal taking place on the shores of the gorgeous Lake Como, overlooking the water and the Alps in early fall, specifically, with classic jazz playing in the background. The meal would begin with icy martinis, later followed by Italian white and red wines. For starters, known as primi piatti in Italian, Tucci wants tagliarini with white truffles, followed by a Venetian-style shrimp risotto."

"For the main course dishes, the secondi piatti, Stanley Tucci envisions a whole branzino with a wide array of accompaniments. Branzino is best kept simple and cooked whole, and Tucci notes that he strives for simplicity, which is easy to do with the stellar ingredients available in Italy. To pair with the fish, Tucci wants a simple cucumber salad with olive oil, salt, garlic, and dried oregano; a tomato salad with basil; and lastly, a springtime salad of fresh peas and their shoots with mâche, a small, mild and nutty lettuce also known as lamb's lettuce."

Stanley Tucci imagines an ideal final meal set on Lake Como in early fall with classic jazz and Alpine views. The meal begins with icy martinis and moves to Italian white and red wines. Starters include tagliarini with white truffles and a Venetian-style shrimp risotto. Tagliarini are thin, flat, egg-rich noodles from Piedmont, a region known for white truffles. The main course centers on a simply prepared whole branzino. Accompaniments include a cucumber salad with olive oil, salt, garlic, and dried oregano; a tomato and basil salad; and a spring salad of fresh peas with mâche.

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