Cocktails, amici?

ORDER a glass of wine in Italy and you never drink alone. A little something to eat always turns up on the bar or cafe table.

In the past, what the waiter brought was usually bizarrely un-Italian, whether potato chips or peanuts, but on this trip it bordered on a smorgasbord. From the first bar on, every drink was accompanied by a heaping plate of savory sensations: puff pastries filled with pesto or sausage; focaccia laced with olives or anchovies; grissini wrapped in prosciutto or soppressata; crisp squares of risotto with sage or frittata with peppers; olives and chunks of cheese and slices of salami. Always, the only charge was for the wine.

Italians call the concept aperitivo, which is simply translated as “aperitif.” But these days it is much more than a drink, almost like tapas. As a euro-generation resident of Turin said, a word that used to mean “let’s go have a drink before dinner, to perk up our appetites” now means “let’s go drink and eat and maybe skip dinner altogether.”

Sociologists can debate whether the new expanded aperitivo is good or bad in a country where meals have always started with antipasto and ended five courses later, and whether it is an outgrowth of more work and less money (not to mention marriage) among the young. All I know is that every encounter made me rethink what to serve before dinner, or even instead of dinner, back home.

My friend Diego Orlando, a photographer who lives east of here in Veneto, put it best: “With aperitivo, every region, house, bar, town, year has something to serve you. Could be salami, could be cheese, could be something more complicated, but the idea is, ‘You’re drinking with me, I’ll find something in my house to eat, but I don’t know what I have, we’ll see.’ So everything easy to eat is used to serve with wine before lunch or dinner.”

Easy to eat also means easy to fix. With the right food on hand -- salami, cheese, olives, bread -- aperitivo is just a slice away.

My new inspirations came constantly. At a cafe on a piazza in Asti, a town about an hour southeast of Turin, a single glass of wine arrived with four tiny panini, each filled with a different cured meat (prosciutto, two different salami, sausage), the little pile crowned with a slice of hard-cooked egg drizzled with olive oil and dusted with oregano. On another rainy night, two glasses of wine at a coffee bar and pasticceria here were served with six tramezzini -- triangular mini-sandwiches on white bread with red caviar, prosciutto, egg and more -- and a second plate of tiny puff pastry savories with anchovies and pesto. And on our last night we decided we didn’t need dinner after sharing what a wine bar called Rosso Rubino Enoteca served with our two glasses: a small plate piled high with meat wrapped around grissini, different olives, mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salami and little squares of frittata.

Always, the food was meant to absorb alcohol, very delicately. Most of it is straight out of the Italian larder: cured meats, cheeses, olives, breadsticks. But just as often it is whipped up in the kitchen, with savory tidbits such as leftover risotto fried into crisp squares or roasted peppers stuffed with tuna mousse.

Occasionally aperitivo resembles a good old-fashioned American happy hour with unlimited buffet, which opens up more main-course possibilities. At Free Volo, a sidewalk cafe here, we heaped plates with bocconcini, prosciutto, salami, olives, grissini, even pasta salad with tomatoes and basil (yes, in Italy, and no, no more exciting than it ever is).

Beyond memories, what I took away from aperitivo was new inspiration for hors d’oeuvres. It had never occurred to me to serve tonnato sauce, the creamy tuna-anchovy-caper spread traditionally spooned over poached veal, with drinks. But after watching so many young Italians scoop it up on grissini and spread it onto bread, I think it will be a staple in my wine go-with file.

Similarly, I had never thought of deep-frying an olive, but after encountering one stuffed with meat in a crunchy breading, I came home with a new reason to improve on perfection.

Instead of braised pork and veal enriched with prosciutto, this version just uses soppressata minced with Fontina.

And I had never thought of turning risotto into cocktail food, but it makes sense considering the real thing is always so much better fried up the next day.

(Somehow, making it just to turn it into something else guarantees you will produce the best risotto you ever attempted.) The little crispy squares go well with any wine or with other drinks.

I also associate puff pastry more with France and normally avoid it at all costs, having been humiliated by it in restaurant school. But it seemed to be as essential as salumi in Italy and, luckily, is now available from good commercial producers in this country and absurdly easy to use for aperitivo. You can fold it over anything savory: pesto, anchoiade, plain anchovies, tomatoes, roasted mushrooms.

Then there is the grissini factor. These anorectic breadsticks are known as the pride of Turin, but they are heavily exported and work even better as a vehicle for aperitivo snacks than they do as an alternative to bread. Bars in Italy wrap prosciutto or soppressata around them, or just set them out with cheese to munch on.

And cheese may be the most surprising, and satisfying, solid food for aperitivo. Traditionally eaten at the end of a meal, it almost works better with alcohol before dinner.

A tangy Fontina or pungent Parmigiano-Reggiano or especially a salty-wet mozzarella is the best appetite stimulant with wine for a cocktail hour that extends so far into dinner it can supplant it.

Americans, of course, have thought this for years.

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Just a slice away

AS appealing as it is to go out for aperitivo, it’s equally satisfying to do it yourself. All you need is a well-stocked larder. Here are a few Italian staples to keep on hand:

* Olives of every stripe and shape and flavor. Serve them plain or fried.

* Grissini or other breadsticks. Good all by themselves and even better enrobed in prosciutto or soppressata.

* Cured salami or other dry sausage (including Spanish chorizo). Just slice and serve, or layer into bread or onto focaccia.

* Marinated artichoke hearts. Simply slice them up and layer them on crostini or sliced baguette, or puree them with a little mayonnaise and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to spread on crostini or use as a dip with breadsticks.

* Good canned tuna, ideally from Italy. The foundation of tonnato sauce or a mousse to wrap in roasted peppers.

* Roasted red peppers. See above, or puree with toasted almonds or walnuts and a little garlic to serve as a spread or dip.

* Canned chickpeas. Puree them with garlic and olive oil and you may not have hummus but you do have something that goes very well with wine.

* Anchovies. Lay them onto bread, mash them into a paste to spread or bake them in puff pastry or on focaccia.

* Capers. Puree them with tuna for tonnato sauce, or just use them as a garnish.

-- Regina Schrambling

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Crostini tonnato (tuna crostini)

Total time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4 to 6

Note: This can also be served as a dip for grissini or raw vegetables.

1 (6-ounce) can imported tuna in olive oil, drained

12 anchovies, drained, rinsed and dried well

2 tablespoons capers, drained, rinsed and dried well, plus additional for garnish

6 tablespoons mayonnaise,

or to taste

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 loaf rustic French bread,

thinly sliced and toasted

Olive oil

1. Combine the tuna, anchovies, capers, mayonnaise and vinegar in a blender or food processor and process until creamy. Add more mayonnaise if you like. Season with pepper to taste.

2. Spread on the crostini and serve, garnished with a few capers and a drizzle of olive oil.

Each of 6 servings: 328 calories; 16 grams protein; 30 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 16 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 20 mg. cholesterol; 902 mg. sodium.

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Sage risotto bites

Total time: 45 minutes plus at least 2 hours’ chilling

Servings: 12 to 16 (makes 64 bites)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for pan

1 medium onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup Arborio rice

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup dry vermouth or white wine

3 cups chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, or to taste

1/2 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese

30 leaves fresh sage (1 large bunch), sliced crosswise into 1/2 -inch-wide strips

1. Melt the butter in a deep heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and salt and stir until coated. Stir in the vermouth or wine. Cook, stirring constantly, until all the wine is absorbed.

2. Add 1 cup of the stock and cook, stirring, until all the liquid is absorbed. Repeat with the remaining stock, cooking until the rice is al dente, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the pepper and cheese, blending well. Cool slightly, then stir in the sage, again blending well.

3. Butter an 8-inch-square baking dish. Scrape the rice into it, smoothing the top completely. Chill uncovered until completely set, about 2 hours (or overnight).

4. Just before serving, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Line a platter with parchment paper or waxed paper and set it close by.

5. Using a small sharp knife, cut the chilled risotto into 1-inch squares. Using a small spatula, carefully remove each square from the dish and transfer to the hot skillet. Brown on both sides, turning with tongs or a small spatula. Transfer to a serving platter. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Each bite: 24 calories; 1 gram protein; 2 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 1 gram fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 3 mg. cholesterol; 61 mg. sodium.

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Hazelnut pesto puffs

Total time: About 1 hour, plus defrosting and chilling time

Servings: 12 to 16 (makes 52 pieces)

Note: Tapenade, green or black, can substitute for the pesto, as can anchoiade (Provencal anchovy paste). You could also just use grated cheese, such as Gruyere or Fontina, mixed with coarse-grain mustard. All-butter puff pastry is available at Surfas in Culver City.

4 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves (2 medium bunches), washed and dried well

1/3 cup loosely packed fresh

Italian parsley leaves, washed and dried well

1/3 cup toasted, skinned hazelnuts, roughly chopped

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup freshly grated

Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 cloves garlic, minced or to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Flour for dusting work surface

1(14-ounce) package all-butter puff pastry, defrosted according to package directions

Butter for baking sheet

1. Combine the basil, parsley, hazelnuts and oil in a blender or food processor and process until smooth, scraping down the container frequently with a rubber spatula.

2. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the cheese and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Lightly flour a work surface. Cut the puff pastry in half and roll out one half to a thickness of one-eighth inch. Cut it into 3-inch wide strips. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the pesto down the center of each strip, leaving about a quarter-inch border on the long sides. Fold each strip over lengthwise from each side, overlapping slightly and pressing to seal. Turn the dough over so that the seam side is down. Cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Transfer to lightly buttered baking sheets, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining dough and pesto. Chill 30 minutes.

4. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the pastries on the center rack until they are puffed and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Each puff: 57 calories; 1 gram protein; 5 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 4 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 1 mg. cholesterol; 33 mg. sodium.

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Stuffed fried olives

Total time: About 1 1/2 hours

Servings: 12 to 16 (64 olives)

64 medium (sometimes labeled “queen”) pitted green olives

1 ounce thinly sliced

soppressata (dry-cured

salami) or prosciutto

1/4 cup grated Italian Fontina cheese

About 1/2 cup flour

3 large eggs, beaten

2 cups panko or fine dry

bread crumbs

Peanut or canola oil for

deep frying

1. Place the olives in a bowl of cold water and let stand 30 minutes. Drain, add fresh cold water and let stand 30 minutes longer.

2. Place the soppressata in a small food processor and process almost to a paste. Transfer to a small bowl. Place the cheese in the processor, process almost to a paste and add it to the bowl with the soppressata, stirring to mix.

3. Drain the olives well. Pat completely dry with paper towels. Using your fingers or skewer, solidly pack the centers with about one-fourth teaspoon of the cheese-meat mixture. (A chopstick will help compact the filling.)

4. Place the flour in a wide shallow bowl and the panko in a second wide shallow bowl. Beat the eggs in a third shallow bowl.

5. Dredge each olive in the flour, shaking off the excess, then in the beaten egg, shaking off excess, and finally in the panko, pressing to coat as thickly as possible. Transfer each coated olive to a clean platter.

6. Pour the oil into a heavy skillet to a depth of about 3 inches. Heat until a few crumbs turn toasty brown when they hit the oil. Add the olives in batches and fry, turning as needed, until the crust is crisp and golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Cool slightly before serving. (Leftover olives are delicious the next day, crisped briefly in oil again before serving.)

Each olive: 36 calories; 1 gram protein; 3 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 3 grams fat; 0 saturated fat; 11 mg. cholesterol; 129 mg. sodium.