Don’t you just love antipasto?

Just the thought of all those beautiful fresh antipasto ingredients all laid out on a platter starts making my mouth water.

What also makes antipasto platters so fantastic is that they are so easy and fun to create. From the moment you get out your favorite   decorative tray and start laying all those fresh gourmet ingredients out, it is very hard not to eat it all yourself.

The absolute beauty of the antipasto platters is that they can be made from ready made ingredients purchased at your local grocery or gourmet food store but for a truly mouth watering experience, using the finest fresh ingredients is the only way to go.

Typically, an antipasto platter is served as a small first course appetizer however if you offer it in larger portions it can also make a fantastic complete meal.

Although most of the antipasto ingredients can be purchased well ahead of time, make sure that you purchase all your meat shortly before you are going to use them.

The most common ingredients that go on in antipasto platter are:

Meats – such as prosciutto, pancetta, pepperoni, ham and salami
Cheese – including such varieties such as Brie, Parmesan, mozzarella and feta
Bread – use varieties like pita chips, bread sticks or slices of French bread
Vegetables – sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, marinated roasted peppers and my favorite green and black olives
Fresh fruits – grapes, strawberrys etc…
Dried fruits – such as apricot raisins and figs
and some miscellaneous ingredients like hummus, chutnies and jams

The traditional Italian antipasto platter consists of a selection of Italian cheeses and meats, surrounded by a marinated vegetables and a very simple balsamic vinigarette. after arranging all the ingredients on a large platter, make sure you top it off with a bit of olive oil. finally sprinkle the antipasto with a bit of sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.

If you are looking for antipasto platter recipes and some unique ways to arrange your antipasto you have come to the right place!