We can’t all be in Italy to watch the Olympics in person like Giada De Laurentiis, but we can throw an Olympics viewing party with some of her famous snacks.
Am I the only person looking at the 2026 Winter Olympics simply for menu planning? For weeks, I’ve been thinking about dishes I can prepare at home for events like downhill skiing, figure skating and curling. After chatting with Giada De Laurentiis, who will be in Milan, the Dolomites and Verona as a Today show correspondent during the games, I have some great ideas for regional Italian specialties and other dishes to serve during the three-week run.
In addition to traditional soul-warming dishes like osso bucco, saffron risotto and veal or pork Milanese, I love Giada’s suggestions for viewing-party snacks. She recommends arancini (fried risotto balls), frittata cupcakes (her version of egg bites) and her winter antipasto skewers. “Anything that goes with a nice cold beer like Peroni,” she says.
How does Giada make winter antipasto skewers?
Antipasto skewers made with tomato, cheese and olives don’t scream winter to me because tomatoes are out of season for most of the country. But Giada’s tip for making these year-round is genius: Use canned baby tomatoes called datterini. These cherry tomatoes are intensely sweet—the name itself means “little dates”—and good enough to eat right out of the can, no cooking required.
“They come in yellow and red, and they’re super sweet,” Giada says. “Simply drain them, wipe the tomatoes down, and put them on a skewer.” She likes to use a good piece of Parmigiana Reggiano on the skewer with the tomatoes and some kind of olive. I might add a piece of thinly sliced bresaola, a dried, cured beef from Northern Italy, for good measure. It’s the perfect party nibble (or dinner for one or two people in my house).
Giada’s Ultimate Entertaining Tip for Hosting a Wintertime Party
In addition to serving some Olympics-worthy snacks, Giada’s number one tip for hosting a party in the winter (or any time, really) is to keep it simple. Even during colder months, she’ll often serve only one hot item. That way, you can make everything else in advance and not miss out on the fun. “Timing is where everyone gets messed up. You can’t get everything out when you’re trying to serve all hot things at once,” she adds.
Make one hot appetizer, such as fried rice balls, and keep it warm in the oven. Then prep everything else, like the antipasto skewers, pasta salads and maybe a Giada tiramisu, ahead of time. When you’re ready to serve for the Milano Cortina games, get everything out on the table, grab a Peroni—if you’re lucky, one of the limited-edition gilded Nastro Azzurro bottles—or some prosecco, and settle in for all the gold-medal Olympic moments!
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