Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Is It Antipasto, Antipasti or Antipasta?



Personally, I think the correct word is "antipasto" which means "before the meal," but a large tray of Italian cured meats, marinated vegetables, olives, cheeses, pepperocini (mild yellow peppers) and maybe some anchovies by any other name is just as tasty. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar or your favorite vinegrette and sprinkle with a little bit of parmesan cheese. Heavenly.

Tom and I have been serving this for years and the ingredients change based on what sounds good at the time and is readily available. Our favorite meats are mortadella and cotto salami, although mortadella is not easy to find here, but you can use whatever meat you like. Also, I don't limit my vegetables to only those that were marinated. As you can see, we like fresh tomatoes, radishes and celery and don't hesitate to use them.



Before I start arranging the ingredients on the tray, I will cut up a head of romaine and spread it on the tray, then lay the other items on top of it. The lettuce will be flavored by any of the olive oil and balsamic vinegar that drizzles through the meats, cheeses and vegetables.

All you need is a cold or warm baguette and dinner is ready. Mmmmm.


6 comments:

Kathy said...

That looks beautiful and would be an excellent low-carb dinner!

Proud Italian Cook said...

Hi Terri, I see what you mean about the olive bowls, Wow, is this a gorgeous meal!! Your arrangement looks beautiful too.
I'm putting you in my google reader.

Clumbsy Cookie said...

What a great looking plate of food! Perfect for the summer. They have it quite a lot as a starter in Italy and you're right it's antipasto. Looks really great, any Italian would love it!

Anonymous said...

Whatever it was called, I'd be eating it if it looked that good!

Caribbean Dreamer said...

No matter what you call it, I love it! I could munch on one of these all day long. We make alot of them in the catering kitchen around the holidays and they always look like a work of art, no matter what we put on them.

Anonymous said...

This looks so delicious! :)

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