Antipasti

Antipasti is more of an idea than a recipe.  In France, this idea is called a charcuterie plate, and features, country pate, smoked duck, salumi, pickled red onions, and pretzel bread.  Here are my ideas of what makes a good antipasti platter, but feel free to use what you have on hand and to size it for the number of guests.

MY USUAL INGREDIENTS:

  • salad greens
  • 1/2 pound soppresata, sliced
  • 1/2 pound salami, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 pound prosciutto, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 pound mortadella, sliced
  • 4 oz. Provolone cheese, cubed
  • 13 marinated anchovy filets
  • 16 pieces crusty crostini bread
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Fennel
  • Green olives
  • 3/4 c. artichoke hearts
  • Black olives
  • Pepperoni

Optional Ingredient Ideas:

  • 1 Sun-dried tomato tapenade
  • 1 artichoke & green olive tapenade
  • 1 Kalamata olive tapenade
  • 6 oz. honey cured ham
  • 6 oz. peppered turkey
  • 6 oz. dry cured salami
  • 4 oz. prosciutto
  • 8 oz. wedge herbed brie
  • 1/2 c. dried cranberries
  • 4 oz. herbed goat cheese
  • 4 oz. grilled Portobello mushroom
  • 4 oz. grilled eggplant
  • 2 oz. ricotta salata
  • 1 jar sweet cherry peppers (drained)
  • 1 jar Mediterranean antipasto olives (drained)
  • 1 jar blue cheese stuffed olives (drained)
  • 1 jar almond stuffed olives (drained)
  • 1 jar Artichoke Hearts (drained)
  • 1 jar  Red & Yellow Roasted Peppers (drained)
  • 1 jar Mezzetta® Italian Mix Giardiniera (drained)
  • *Calculated ingredients may not always be as accurate as the original recipe.

PREPARATION

Cut the tops off of the cherry peppers, and remove the seeds.
Stuff the cherry peppers with the goat cheese and prosciutto.
Place the goat cheese into a Ziploc bag or piping bag and squeeze the cheese into the pepper.
Arrange a small strip of prosciutto so that it is sitting nicely inside the pepper.
Slice the grilled mushroom and eggplant into1/2″ slices.
Arrange the salami on a portion of the platter and rest the mushroom and eggplant against the salami.
Alternate strips of yellow and red roasted peppers on top of the grilled vegetables.
Arrange the cherry peppers on the plate.
Place the wedge of brie into the center of the platter, sprinkling the top with dried cranberries.
Arrange rows of ham and turkey.
Continue to fill in the platter with the assortment of ingredients, until the entire platter is colorful and full. Add the sun-dried tomato tapenade, the Kalamata olive tapenade and the artichoke and green olive tapenade. Serve with baguette, bread sticks or crackers.

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