An good antipasto platter is a thing of beauty! Photo: Coral Sisk.
With the holidays fast approaching, my party plate favorite is an Italian characuterie platter A.K.A the antipasto platter. You would be hard pressed to visit any Italian for the holidays and not spot one of these guys taking pride of place in the centre of the table – a veritable oil painting of vibrantly colored and tasty treats to enjoy with your fingers.
In general, a traditional Italian charcuterie platter includes cheese, cured meats, olives, marinated or pickled vegetables, and bread or crackers. The selection differs from region to region. Anchovies and other types of seafood are common if you’re by the coast, cured game meats if you hail from somewhere woodsy. Fresh vegetables and fruit are often featured too, but they are very much dictated by the seasons. In winter, think thick slices of fennel and radicchio wedges or persimmons drizzled with honey.
Pulling together an Italian charcuterie platter is a creative endeavor. There isn’t one specific recipe. Instead, it’s all about taking a trip to your neighborhood Italian market to choose what's in season and what speaks to you and your guests.
When I'm throwing together some nibbles for 6-8 people, I like to follow the rule of three – three types of cheese, three cold cuts and three extras with plenty of bread to go around. I really like to play on familiar flavors and more surprising additions. I can’t resist throwing in a cured meat or two that my guests may never have heard of!
And in case you’re wondering, antipasto means 'before the meal’ in Italian, so while you might make dinner from the foods on an antipasto platter, traditionally it is served as an appetizer, which means you don’t want to go overboard. Quality over quantity is always the key... and don’t forget the wine pairings! It is a party after all.
Curious for more? You can try Tuscan cured meats (along with plenty of local artisanal cheese) on our progressive food tours in Florence or our La Grassa food tour in Bologna for taste of Emilia Romagna’s salumi and formaggi.
Stay up to date with the latest from Italy plus plenty more insider morsels and travel guides: http://eepurl.com/cEl6cf
Salumi heaven on our Historic Food Lover’s walk led by discerning local experts at hidden culinary gems tucked away from the crowds in Florence. Tour: https://curiousappetitetravel.com/foodie-florence-food-tour Photo: Curious Appetite Travel.
Salumi (the cold cuts)
Choose two or three.
In an old school Italian antipasto platter, these meats are usually rolled into fat cigars and arranged side by side, but you can fan them out or lay them flat.
Parma ham: Prosciutto di Parma is a type of dry-cured ham that is produced in the Parma region. It’s made from the hind legs of a pig and is cured for up to 18 months with just salt for a sweet, nutty, and slightly salty flavor.
Tuscan prosciutto: Unlike Parma ham, Prosciutto Toscano can be cured with a blend of natural spices that are common and traditional in Tuscan cuisine, including pepper, garlic, rosemary, and juniper. Earthy and intense, it’s recognizable by its typical arch shape, deep-red meat with white streaks. It's cured for at least 12 months in a process that is rooted in traditions.
Lardo: Fat from the back of the pig richly spiced with rosemary, garlic, sage, oregano, coriander, anise and cinnamon, lardo might sound strange, but it is heavenly, especially when served paper thin over slices of warm bread. Lardo hails from Colonnata, a Tuscan hamlet in the Apuan Alps and dates back to the Roman Empire.
Coppa di Testa: The Italian version of head cheese, it's a mosaic of pig parts encased in gelatin and flavored with pistachio, orange, lemon, garlic or vinegar, according to the local traditions.
Sopressata Calabrese: Southern Italy’s favorite salumi is a spicy pork salami made using either the rich cuts of the shoulder or the leaner cuts of the ham and seasoned with salt, dried chili peppers, black peppercorns, and red wine. The red wine adds a depth of flavor, while the dried chili peppers and black peppercorns provide more of a feeling of warmth than outright heat.
Finocchiona: A Tuscan salami flavored with fennel seeds, which allegedly owes its origins to a thief at a fair near the town of Prato, who stole a fresh salami and hid it in a stand of wild fennel. When he returned for it, he found it had absorbed the aromas of its hiding place and had become quite delicious. There are two kinds of Finocchina. Sbriciolona, (derived from the verb for "crumble") which is a very fresh, soft, and crumbly style that can be spread over bread with a butter knife. The other is a cured, aged Finocchiona, which is much firmer.
Taste one of the best Italian charcuterie platters on our Historic Food Lover’s Tour of Florence!
You’re spoilt for choice when it comes to Italian cheese. Think real-deal Parmiggiano Reggiano, Pecorino from Tuscany and gorgonzola in all its blue-cheese beauty!! Photo: Curious Appetite Travel.
2. Formaggi (the cheese)
Choose three. I like a hard cheese, a fresh cheese and funky one cut into bite-sized irregular wedges. If I’m using a soft cheese, I’ll keep it whole with a bread knife for guests to slice their own. For more tips, check out our Italian cheese and wine pairing blog post.
Gorgonzola: Italy's very own blue cheese hails from Lombardy. For centuries, cattle herds trekked to and from seasonal pastures, stopping to rest in the little town of Gorgonzola. Out of the abundance of cow's milk came the eponymous cheese. Gorgonzola is sold in two varieties. The softer, mellower dolce (sweet), and naturale (aged), which is more intense and aged for over a year. Young gorgonzola is creamy and Brie-like in texture; as the cheese ages, it becomes harder and crumbly.
Burrata: Spun by artisans in the heel of Italy, Burrata is produced locally using fresh milk from buffalos that graze on the plateaus of Apulia. It's served at room temperature with a drizzle of EVOO, lashings of fresh basil and sliced ripe tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes.
Pecorino Toscano: Pecorino Toscano is made exclusively in Tuscany and some neighbouring municipalities in Lazio and Umbria from ewe’s milk. Fresh pecorino (between 20 and 60 days) has a delicate aroma of butter and hay and a sweet and clean taste. As it ages (120 days to a year), the cheese becomes more intense with a distinctive aroma of dried fruit and hay. These notes can be increased by ripening the cheese for longer.
Parmigiano Reggiano: The king of hard Italian cheeses, Parmigiano Reggiano is made from unpasteurized Reggiana cow milk and has a sharp and complex nutty taste. It was monks in the area around Parma who first started making this distinctive hard cheese during the Middle Ages. By the Renaissance, the nobility had followed suit. They called their delicious cheese caseum paramensis in Latin, or Pramsàn.
The accompaniments to the cheese and salumi really round things out! Photo: Curious Appetite Travel.
3. Il resto (the rest)
Choose 3-4.
Bruschetta: Of course, you’ll serve your antipasto platter with plenty of crusty Italian bread, but it’s nice to have something a little extra. I love bruschetta rubbed with a clove of garlic, topped with tomatoes, basil and the best EVOO you can find!
Fresh veggies and fruit: cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, carrot sticks, radicchio leaves, fava beans, honeydew melon, grilled figs, marinated artichokes, small grape clusters, sliced pear, clementine or persimmon. Perhaps not super Italian- but veg to balance right?
Taggiasche olives: The Taggiasca is a type of Italian olive grown in Ponente, the western part of Liguria. Taggiasche olives are small, tender and have a rich and fruity flavor. They are selected by hand, and then cured for more than a month in water that is changed daily to remove any bitterness.
Dried fruits and nuts: In-season fruits and berries pair beautifully with the aged cheeses in particular. Think apricots and figs, walnuts, hazelnuts and even the best quality super dark chocolate for an indulgent touch.
Honey and fruit compotes: A good rule of thumb is to pair cheese with honey from the same area of production, for example a dark chestnut honey from Tuscany with your Pecorino Toscano. A sweet fig jam or spicy pepper paste work well too. Or if you’re feeling extra adventurous, pick up some Mostarda di Frutta – a 17th century northern Italian condiment. You've probably seen it in Italian delis or specialty stores - the gloriously bright cherries, figs, apricots and pears peeking out at you from a bath of syrup like the most delicious-looking candy!
No charcuterie board is complete with wine pairing! Photo: Coral Sisk.
4. Il vino (the wine)
Curious about what to pair with an Italian charcuterie platter? Well, it all depends on what you're serving, but here are a few combos that never go astray:
Parmigiano-Reggiano and a bold Romagna Sangiovese Superiore or Chianti Classico: The umami, assertive notes of the cheese go very well with the dusty, dark fruit flavors of this rich wine.
Prosciutto and Sangiovese Rosé: A Sangiovese rosé has a moderate acidity and a touch of tannin to cut through the fatty softness and protein of prosciutto.
Marinated artichokes and Sauvignon Blanc (or Riesling!) from Northern Italy: A mouthwatering, high acid aromatic wine compensates the natural sweet after taste found in artichokes.
Prosciutto di Parma and Lambrusco di Sorbara: This type of Lambrusco has soft and creamy bubbles, high acid to cut through prosciutto’s fat ribbons and subtle notes of wild strawberries.
Pecorino Toscano and a Vernaccia di San Gimignano: Tuscany’s savory ewe’s milk cheese pairs delightfully with San Gimignano’s ageable Vernaccia that is fresh, medium bodied with hints of almond.
Gorgonzola and Moscato d’Asti: The sweetness of this wine enters into perfect harmony with the salty funk of the moldy cheese.
