Brrr! The outdoor temps have hit rock bottom, and nothing can really warm you up like some good, comforting Italian food. But there’s no need for you to pile into your car and brave those icy roads to get to your favorite restaurant. The Cucina Rustica Italian Gift Basket has all the ingredients you need to make a three-course gourmet Italian meal right at home. So roll up your sleeves and get ready to heat things up in your kitchen; even an arctic chill doesn’t stand a chance against this hearty menu!
Appetizers
Start your cold-day feast with some enticing hors d’oeuvres. First, set your appetite in motion by tossing a fresh green salad and topping it with your Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the Colavita Balsamic Vinegar that’s included in your Cucina Rustica Italian Gift Basket. Add even more depth, texture and flavor to your salad with other toppings, such as olives and tomatoes. Two sensational kinds of Bell’Italia breadsticks are also included, so make sure to serve those alongside your salad for dipping. To wrap up your first course, top the rich and savory sundried tomato crostini and the fragrant rosemary bruschetta—both of which are in abundant supply in your food basket—with freshly chopped tomatoes, classic Italian meats or artisan cheese.
Main Course
Now it’s time for the main event: pasta, the ultimate feel-good food! Whether you’re in the mood for the soothing effect of long Isola Capellini pasta or the bite-sized perfection of Isola Tortigioni pasta, the Cucina Rustica Italian Gift Basket lets you pick how you’ll indulge in your heavenly meal. Feel like spoiling yourself? Make both! Boil it until you’ve achieved the ideal al dente texture, then cascade the warm, mouthwatering and spirit-lifting Isola Traditional Marinara Pasta Sauce on top of your pasta. And there you have it: an authentic Italian entrée in mere minutes. Perfecto!
Dessert
What better way to cap off your toasty meal than with a little bit of sugar? When it comes to the Italians, dessert is their specialty. And with the rustic Italian gift basket, you’ll have enough traditional treats to satisfy your sweet tooth. Pamper yourself with gourmet Chiostro Di Saronno Italian Biscotti (a world-renowned delicacy), light yet delectable Delser Italian cookies, or tart-and-sweet Lazzaroni Limonelli Italian cookies. They’re guaranteed to have your blood pumping with pleasure in no time.
It’s easy to see why the Cucina Rustica Italian Gift Basket is our top pick for a frosty winter day. What other kinds of gift baskets thaw you out when the temperature is low?
Just like the fortuitous discovery of Bellwether Farms, Cypress Grove Chevre has a similar history surrounded by luck. Mary Keehn started raising Alpine goats in the 1970s so that she could provide her children with a healthier source of milk. It so happened that she actually had a knack for rearing goats, eventually earning her national recognition as one of the country’s best Alpine goat breeders.
We chose to feature Cypress Grove Chevre’s Purple Haze Goat Milk Cheese in our gift basket because of its unique and oh-so-flavorful blend of lavender and wild fennel pollen, which makes a delicious complement to a variety of sweet and savory foods. Plus, we simply couldn’t ignore its award-winning history: It was crowned Best of Show at the 2009 California State Fair Cheese Competition, and it earned the Best of Class title at the 2011 U.S. Cheese Championship.
So which Columbus product did we pick as our favorite? The Italian Dry Salame, and it’s not hard to see why. The flavor of these first-class cuts of slow-cured pork is further enhanced with aromatic spices and rich wine, giving the original Italian recipe some San Francisco appeal. Whichever way you choose to savor it—whether it’s in a sandwich or straight from the package—you’ll be captivated by the genuine taste that only the masters at Columbus can create.
