Crostini, salami, prosciutto, ham dip ... An Italian meal wouldn't quite seem the same without antipasti! There's lots of variety to meat based antipasti, and some work nicely as snacks too.
A quick presentation of meatballs, baked, and the classic Italian presentation: As a second course (no pasta), with a glass of wine. Of course, if you want spaghetti with meatballs, these will be good there too.
The tart sweetness of dried apricots beautifully compliments the saltiness of prosciutto in this antipasto, which is also a good party food.
Classic Italian Meat Antipasti: Some things you will find in much of the land.
A recipe from Artusi, who begins pithily: "Those who lack a good pair of arms had best give this pie a wide berth, as the dryness of the meats involved, combined with their boniness, require a daunting amount of effort to extract all the flavor possible. Without it, the results wouldn't be worthwhile. What I will describe below was prepared in my presence, using the following ingredients; if you feel you must adjust them, you'd be better off passing upon the recipe and thus saving your money."
Sautéed Olives, or Olive Soffritte: Lise has an olive tree and wants to know what to do with the olives. Fresh from the tree, they are tremendously bitter, to the point that the people who originally went to the trouble of learning how to treat them must have been extraordinarily hungry. To draw out the bitterness you'll have to soak them, either in brine or lye. These are Calabrian, and are traditionally done with black olives that are harvested and left to dry in the sun. You'll need:
Chicken and Ham Mousse, or Mousse di Pollo e Prosciutto Cotto: An elegant dish to serve during a formal meal, or perhaps at a nice party.
Raw Meat, or Carne Cruda: In other parts of the world finely minced raw beef is called steak tartare, and they crack an egg into it. In Piemonte they don't, preferring lemon juice and olive oil, and you should try this even if you think you don't like raw meat, as it can be a rare treat indeed.
Mortadella Mousse, Mousse di Mortadella: For those who have never had it, mortadella di Bologna, the ancestor of the bologna made in the US, is a cooked pork sausage made from pork ground fine in a mortar (hence the Italian name) with spices and cubes of fat. It's extremely versatile, and though it is excellent in sandwiches, it's also a superb ingredient, and stars in this antipasto or party dip.
These cheesy mortadella fritters will work nicely as part of a platter of mixed fried meats, but will also be nice in a mixed antipasto platter, or as party food.
This is a garlicky wonder that may well be Ligurian or Piemontese. It is something of a cholesterol bomb, but won't do you any harm if you partake in moderation. Also, it is quick, easy, and tasty, and will certainly help keep winter's chill at bay.
This is a delicate spread for crostini, made with prosciutto cotto -- cooked ham. It will also be a nice dip at parties.
The combination of anchovies and chicken livers isn't as odd as one might think. Indeed, the two work quite nicely in this simple antipasto.
Woodcock are very difficult to find today, so this is something of a historical curiosity. However, Aldo Santini says that if your favorite restaurateur calls to tell you he's come across some and is making woodcock crostini, you should drop everything -- business, family or lover -- and run. "They're well worth an argument." This is Artusi's recipe, which closely matches the recipe in Salani's Il Re dei Cuochi (Anonymously published in 1885).
Though spleen isn't easy to come by any more, it is very nice in this pate to spread over crostini.
No festive Tuscan meal would be complete without chicken liver crostini, thin slices of toasted bread spread with a tasty chicken liver pate that even makes converts out of liver haters.
Rich, zesty crostini made with chicken livers and spleen, seasoned with lemon.
Tasty chicken salad with apples: a perfect antipasto.
A hearty salami-and-onion frittata that would have been a main course dish in the past, and still could be today with a good salad. Or an antipasto
A casserole made with bread, milk, ham, and sundried tomatoes, by Sharon Sanders, which will work equally well as an antipasto or at a picnic.
Simple cocktail food, which will also work nicely at the beginning of a meal.
