March 8th is International Women's Day. For over 100 years, events honoring the empowerment and rights of women have been held all around the world. Some events are quite serious while others are joyous occasions where women of all ages can connect and celebrate their shared womanhood.
When I lived in Italy, women celebrated this Festa delle Donne by enjoying food, drink, dancing, chocolates, and watching male strippers. They were honored with sprigs of yellow mimosa flowers by husbands, boyfriends, restaurant owners, and even gas station attendants.
To commemorate my very first Women's Day in Italy, I offer you this mimosa. Yes, it's basically orange juice and champagne but with an Italian twist because it uses two foods I discovered and enjoyed very much while in Italy: blood oranges and Prosecco. It's good with egg dishes or simply a hunk of crusty ciabatta or baguette and some really good cheese.
You can also give this a kick by adding limoncello (lemon liqueur) to the mimosa (be careful; it's almost lethal) or make it non-alcoholic by substituting sparkling white grape juice or lemon-lime soda.
For each glass of mimosa, you will need:
1 blood orange
1 Minneola tangerine or tangerine
½ cup Prosecco or other sparkling wine, chilled
½ TBS limoncello (optional)
A slice of Minneola tangerine to garnish
Cut the blood orange and Minneola in half and squeeze out the juice. You should have about ½ cup of juice. Strain the juice and pour it into a wine glass. If you're adding the limoncello, stir it in gently.
Pour the Prosecco over the juice, garnish with the tangerine slice, and serve immediately.
You can also make this by the pitcher. Cut 8 blood oranges and 8 Minneolas in half and squeeze out the juice. Strain the juice and pour it into a pitcher. If using, add 4 TBS of limoncello and stir it in gently. Chill the pitcher of juice in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Fill 8 wine glasses half-full of juice and top each off with the same amount of Prosecco; you'll need 4 cups of Prosecco or about 2 bottles (750 ml each). Garnish each glass with a slice of Minneola and serve immediately.
For more information on International Women's Day, please see my website's Food, Culture & Holidays page or the official website www.internationalwomensday.com.