Antipasto Board Appetizer
The holidays are certainly a time of joy, but can be a time of stress as well. This is the first time in 5 years that I have not gotten an eye-twitch from having WAY too much to do. One of the best solutions I’ve found is to plan ahead with appetizers like an antipasto board.
Having an entertaining game-plan can reduce the stress at least by half. The holidays add so many “extras” to our to-do lists: purchasing gifts, frequenting holiday parties, and hosting family gatherings. Having on-hand appetizers makes life much easier.
Antipasto Boards: Color, Beauty, and Flavor
Antipasto boards to the rescue! They are one of my favorite ways to create color, beauty, and scrumptious appetizers all at the same time.
Antipasto simply means “before the meal.” Typically, a traditional antipasto board will include cured meats, vegetables such as mushrooms and artichoke hearts in cured vinegar, as well as cheeses and olives.
These appetizer spreads are elegant but approachable. Your guests will enjoy looking at them almost as much as they enjoy eating them. With the variety of delicacies, there will be something for everyone.
Make Your Antipasto Board Local and Unique
Since I live in Alabama and do lots of canning, I add my own pickled vegetables such as pickled okra and peppers to the mix.
I’m a believer in making things easy as well as growing and buying local. I grow red peppers, persimmons, peaches, oranges, okra, and black-eyed peas and add them to the board, making this a Southern American Antipasto!
By serving the cured meats, cheeses, and olives with your own or local pepper jelly or loquat jelly, you add that “special” factor. You are creating your own spin to a very traditional appetizer.
During the Christmas holidays, I like using my red pepper jelly to add a little “Christmas” touch to an antipasto board. The red pepper jelly recipe does double-duty if you use it both for entertaining and as gifts for your guests!
Keeping Things Simple
If you are having a smaller gathering and don’t need an entire antipasto spread, you can make a simply scrumptious appetizer by spreading a few heaping tablespoons of red pepper jelly over a block of cream cheese.
Serve this creamy, spicy, and sweet deliciousness over a rustic cracker! It’s not only gorgeous, but addictive. For the recipe, check my friend Donya’s blog (A Southern Soul) post HERE.
Antipasto Board Ideas
The antipasto board recipe I am sharing with you is only a guideline. If you see something at the market that delights you and is beautiful, by all means add it to your antipasto board. There are no rules.
My favorite ingredients include:
small mozzarella balls
chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish
brie cheese
sliced Pecorino cheese
cured meats such as prosciutto, salami, and soppressata, an Italian dried salami
artichoke hearts
pickled or roasted peppers
mixed olives, stuffed and unstuffed
radicchio leaves for flavor and color
an assortment of rustic crackers or baguettes
See recipe below for instructions.
You can serve your antipasto board with small dishes of basil pesto, hummus, red pepper jelly, or any local jelly you may have on hand.
You can find my red pepper jelly along with other delicious recipes in my latest cookbook, Harvest.
Stacy Lyn’s Antipasto Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound small mozzarella balls
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley plus extra for garnishing the boards
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 pound brie cheese
- 1 pound Pecorino cheese, sliced
- 1 1/2 pounds of cured meat, prosciutto, salami, soppressata (3 ounces per person)
- 2 cups artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
- 1 cup pickled or roasted peppers, drained
- 2 cups mixed olives
- 1/2 cup stuffed olives
- Radicchio leaves
- Assortment of Rustic Crackers or Baguettes
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine mozzarella balls, parsley, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Arrange the meats, cheeses, artichokes, and roasted peppers on the boards or on top of radicchio leaves placed on the boards. Place the mozzarella in small bowls and arrange within the meats on the boards.