One of my favorite ways to eat is to just nosh on lots of little things, and both Spanish tapas and Italian antipasti platters are perfect for this, in fact they have a lot in common. When it’s this hot and you don’t want a heavy meal or to spend a lot of time cooking, but you want to have all your friends over for drinks and dinner, putting together a large assortment of antipasti is one of the easiest ways to entertain. A couple of good cured meats like salami, prosciutto or mortadella, some sliced provolone, chunks of parmigiano and some pickled vegetables like giardiniera or pepperoncini are perfect for putting together various little mouthfuls.
A note on getting good Italian cured meats in the US: good luck! There are only three kinds of Italian DOP cured meats that legally can be brought into the states: Prosciutto di San Daniele, Prosciutto di Parma and Mortadella di Bologna (the frontrunner and granddad of bologna/baloney, minus the fat chunks, and the reason it’s called that). While it’s possible to find some good pancetta, coppacola or salami, they will be domestic products.
Whatever you get, it’s important that the cured meat has been stored and treated properly in order to ensure a decent product. Beware of paying a lot of money for one of the imported meats that has been stored in a cold refrigerator with constant circulating air; it dries the meat out and makes it stiff and crumbly instead of soft and tender. Ask to sample a slice before buying. The other abomination that I often see in the US is cutting all the fat off of prosciutto before slicing it and then charging $25 a pound. The fat is an important part of the whole taste experience, balancing the saltiness of the meat with the sweetness of the fat. If you want to take it off at home, so be it, but you should be given the choice. That fat isn’t there by accident or laziness on the part of the prosciutto maker!
In addition to putting out some coldcuts and cheese, I like to go the next step and make some quick dishes that make the whole experience more interesting and filling. They don’t take long to make and can round out the antipasti into an entire meal. Most importantly they all go great with a glass or two of wine! These are dishes that are common to both Italian antipasti bars as well as Spanish tapas bars. (our use of the word “bar” is so limiting in the US!)
Some of my favorites include baby octopus or squid stewed in a spicy tomato sauce; fried sweet peppers with tomatoes and small mozzarella balls; ceci or cannellini beans with diced tomato and garlic; shrimp in a garlic and parsley sauce; small fried sardines or smelts. All of these are wonderful served on little plates with a slice of hearty bread ready to catch the juices and wipe the plate.
Some other vegetables that are lovely with cold cuts and cheese are roasted peppers and grilled zucchini or eggplant with olive oil. Called sott’olio there is a wide variety of vegetables that can be roasted or grilled, either in the oven or over coals, and then covered with olive oil, garlic slices and parsley. It keeps for several weeks in the fridge and is ready whenever you need to put it out.
Fried Summer Peppers with Tomatoes & Mozzarella
1 lb sweet Italian peppers, tops broken off
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Small mozzarella balls
Heat a large sauté pan with olive oil and fry the peppers until they are cooked all around and browned, tossing and stirring. Remove them to a bowl, wipe out the sauté pan with a paper towel, add a little more olive oil and the garlic and sauté gently before adding the tomatoes. Cook until softened and toss together with salt and the peppers. Serve as an antipasto with the freshest, best mozzarella you can find.
Moscardine con Sugo Arrabiata (Tiny octopus with spicy tomato sauce)
500 gr small octopus or squid
3 garlic cloves
olive oil
hot peppers, one or two
2 cup crushed tomatoes
parsley
white wine
Sauté the garlic in the olive oil gently, add the hot peppers and parsley and cook a few minutes, then add the octopus or squid and sauté until cooked. Add the wine, allow it to cook off and then add the tomato and simmer for 30 minutes, salting to taste. Serve with bread as an antipasto.
Buon Appetito! Gina
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