May 27 2008
Antipasto
The idea of eating something before a full meal is popular all over the world. In France, it’s an apératif: the focus is on the drink, but there are also biscuits or crackers served. In the States, it’s the famous cheese and cracker or chips and dip. In Mediterranean and Middle Eastern societies, mezze take the stand with little bites of things such as cheese, tomato, cucumber and dips like hummus and baba ghanouj. In Spain, it’s the famous tapas. In Italy, the food of choice is antipasto.
In my family, antipasto is a much bigger deal than it is back in Italy, as I imagine it must be for a lot of Italian-American families. Whereas in Italy, the food you eat is always of the same quality as the antipasto, for us, antipasto is a time to bring out the real deal: the good Italian soprasetta and mozzarella from the Bronx with Sullivan Street bread. I have been in charge of the antipasto platter for years, so I’ve decided to give you some hints on how to assemble your own.
Antipasto Platter
Meats
Salami
Prosciutto
Soprasetta
Mortadella
Pepperoni
Cheese
Buffalo mozzarella
Mozzarella (fior di latte)
Bocconcini
Parmegiano Reggiano
Asiago
Pecorino Romano
Vegetables
Deep-fried zucchini flowers
Stuffed cremini mushrooms
Cherry tomatoes
Roasted red peppers
Jarred giardiniera
Jarred peperoncini
Jarred mushrooms
Jarred artichoke hearts
Sautéed green beans
Pick several items from each category: I usually have three different meats, two cheeses and three or four vegetables. Keep colors in mind: you don’t want the platter to be all one color.
Group your items on the platter in heaping piles, being sure to separate things that have a dressing (like jarred roasted peppers) from things with a subtle flavor (like mozzarella). In this picture, I’ve used whole zucchini flowers to accomplish this, however, you can use slices of tomato, slices of raw red pepper or anything else you can think of to do this as well. Some families have an antipasto platter with compartments: this works well too.
Keep extras on hand for replenishing the platter. Serve with toasted bread rubbed with garlic (also known as bruschetta).
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