Antipasto means "before the food" or "before the pasta" in Italian. It means the same as appetizer or hors d'oeuvre. You can make it as simple or as elaborate as you want. This platter combines meats, cheeses and roasted, marinated or pickled vegetables, and you can incorporate whatever vegetables are in season.
Instructions
1. Pick meats for the appetizers, about 3 ounces per guest. The meats can include pepperoni, salami, sausage, sardines, tuna and anchovies. For authenticity, you may want to add some Italian meats, such as mortadella or soppressa.
2. Choose a variety of cheeses, about 3 ounces per person. Types of cheese to consider include mozzarella, goat cheese, provolone, fontina or Asiago.
3. Roast the vegetables. You can choose vegetables by the season for the appetizer. Examples you can prepare include, fennel, eggplant, baby artichokes (roasted whole), arugula and green, red, yellow and orange peppers. Drizzle olive oil over the veggies when they're done.
4. Select marinated or pickled vegetables, including olives, artichoke hearts.
5. Arrange the meats, cheeses and vegetables on a platter. You can add fresh tomatoes and salad greens to the serving tray.
6. Serve with a crusty bread, dipping bowls of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and rich red wine.
Tags: about ounces, marinated pickled, marinated pickled vegetables, , , vegetables season
