Grab your BOARD'ing Pass because we are going to ITALY!
Create a salami and cheese masterpiece for your family and friends that celebrates all things Italian!
Benvenuto!
... welcome to the second board in my travel series - A Board'ing Pass to food destinations.
This week we are checking in - to Italy! Italy is home to famous meats like salami, prosciutto, mortadella and cheeses like mozzarella, gorgonzola, romano and the world famous parmigiano-reggiano!
So, grab your board'ing pass as we take off to ITALY!
Antipasto Platter
Antipasto platters are the ultimate food symbol of 'Welcome' to an Italian home. It is a way of saying 'sit, eat and stay' awhile as we enjoy each others company. As you travel from the northern parts of Italy to the southern parts, the meats, cheeses and wines will differ by each region. It is the land, the climate, the harvesting and most importantly the love - 'amore', that gives the unique and distinct flavors to all their amazing foods.
My family is from Northern Italy and my husband's family is from Southern Italy. I have the best of both Italian worlds! I have been so fortunate to have the opportunity to travel all over Italy - from Rome to Venice, Tuscany to Positano and stops to Treviso and Matera, our families home towns. I have many wonderful family memories and treasures that I cherish from Italy and can't wait to go back again. I miss our families so very much!
Antipasto:
Pronounced: "an-ti-pah-stoh"; Italian for: 'ante' (before), 'pastus' (meal)
Antipasti; plural
Beginnings started in rural Italy, with just cured meats and nuts. Today, an antipasto platter consists of some of the following:
Salume: salami, prosciutto, mortadella, coppa,
Fromaggio: mozzarella, gorgonzola, provolone, asiago, parmigiano-reggiano, romano
Bread & Crackers: chibata bread, croccantini, taralli
Accompaniment: olives, pickled onions, pickled artichokes
Fruits: red grapes, blueberries, strawberries, figs, plums
Vegetables: peppers, fennel, zucchini, asparagus
Dip: olive oil, marmalade, bruschetta
A Stylish Italian Antipasto Board
'All Boards lead to Antipasto'
Italy will always hold a special place in my heart. My family can trace our ancestors as far back as the late 1700's, always living in the Veneto region. I myself, have had many opportunities to visit Italy, visiting Rome, Florence, Venice, Positano, Matera, Sorrento and Padua, just to name a few.
To incorporate all the wonderful foods that Italy has to offer, I would need to build a grazing table instead of an antipasto platter. This is not my first platter and it will not be my last, but it's a start for my blog. My 'All Boards lead to Antipasto' celebrates all the foods that we love from Italy!
Let's begin...
Putting it together!
Serving: 4 - 8 people
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Items you will need:
Meats: Prosciutto di Parma, Calabrese Spicy Salami, Genoa Salami
Cheese: Provolone Wheel, Mozzarella Balls
Crackers: Croccantini, Taralli
Fruits: Grapes, Figs, Vine Cherry Tomatoes, Lemon
Vegetables: Mini Bell Peppers, Artichoke,
Accompaniment: Spicy Olives, Nuts
Greens & Herbs: Leaf Greens, Microgreens, Basil
Preparation:
To begin you will need to prepare some items before boarding:
Create 4 x Prosciutto Roses - Visit my 'Food Prep' section of my blog for Prosciutto Roses
Slice your a fig in 1/2 and a fig in 1/4
Slice your mini bell peppers in halves and clean out the seeds
Slice your provolone wheel in 1/2 and then a 1/4
Prepare a Caprese skewer - a basil leaf, a cherry tomato, mozzarella ball and drizzle olive oil (see at the end of this blog)
Antipasto Layout
Begin with approximately a 13" paddle board.
Step 1: Place a small bowl in the center of your paddle board.
Step 2: Place at the top of your board a beautiful artichoke. Artichokes are enjoyed in Italian cuisine and it makes for a decorative piece.
Step 3: Place your grapes.
Step 4: Lay down sprigs of small leafy greens.
Step 5: Place on top of the greens your 4 prosciutto roses.
Step 6: Add your 1/2 wheel of provolone and then place on top a 1/4 piece of provolone standing upwards.
Step 7: Add your fig half and fig quarters, as shown.
Step 8: With your bowl in the center of your board, fill with spicy olives.
Step 9: Cascade your vine cherry tomatoes on your bowl.
Step 10: Lay your croccantini diagonally.
Step 11: Beside the grapes, add your folded spicy Calabrese salami.
Step 12: Fill in between your prosciutto roses and olive bowl with your mini bell pepper halves.
Step 13: Add a few small leafy greens, then place genoa salami on a diagonal beside your vine cherry tomatoes.
Step 14: Add your taralli crackers.
Step 15: Fill in the empty spaces of your vine cherry tomatoes, with your Caprese skewers.
Step 16: Top off with lemon, add the micro greens and fill in with nuts.
Bravo Antipasto!
La Dolce Vita
Be creative and add your own special touches to your antipasto board. Take time to research and try new and exciting foods from Italy.
The Italian Bouquet!
The smell of fresh basil transports me straight to Italy.
Add Italian caprese skewers on your antipasto boards, or serve as shown with a little balsamic glaze drizzle.
Bon Appetito and Arrivederci
until next time...
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