Last night I had about a dozen pals over for dinner as a warm-up for long holiday weekend. And an excuse to try another couple recipes from La Cucina Italiana. I made three types of spiedini, the Italian take on skewers spiedini di gamberi (shrimp, prosciutto and scallion skewers); spiedini di pollo con battuto al cetriolo (chicken skewers with chopped cucumber, arugula, and olives); and spiedini di tono marinato (marinated tuna skewers). They took a while to prepare because I had to keep the ingredients for the marinades and toppings straight, but were all very tasty and well-received. The prosciutto-wrapped shrimp was, not too surprisingly, the hit of the night. I also made a side of farfalle al pomodoro crudo (farfalle salad with fresh tomatoes) as the primi piatti (first course). Spell check is going wild right now, but I like the romanticism of the recipe titles in Italian. Its refreshing to see how diverse a BBQ can be, especially since this weekend I expect plenty of the more American-style BBQ foods over several Fourth of July gatherings with friends. Happy Fourth!