The Holidays are a special time of the year. You hopefully get the opportunity to enjoy them with all the important people in your life. Holiday dinners and buffets are always fun. I love to make antipasti because of the wide assortment of toppings for the salad. There’s always something for everybody.
About 15 years ago I had this fabulous antipasti at this little café attached to a salami and cheese shop in the hillside walled town of Cortona, Italy, where the book and movie “Under the Tuscan Sun” was based on and filmed. If you know the book and /or movie, Villa d’ Bramasole was the old and dilapidated villa that was purchased and revitalized! I was touring Tuscany on vacation in early spring around Easter. It was a bit cold and rainy. What a memorable vacation. My mouth starts to water just thinking about all the fabulous food I experienced while touring there! The photos of this dish will hopefully inspire you to try it!
To this day it is one of the best versions of antipasti I have ever had. I loved it so much; I didn’t want to forget what I was experiencing, so I begged the waiter for a bunch of napkins, and I proceeded to dissect each item as best I could and write out all the ingredients. The staff was excited by my interest and kept stopping by my table to help me decipher what everything was. When I returned home to South Florida after my vacation ended, I laid out all my napkins and developed my own version of this Antipasti platter, but I am determined to pay homage to the town of Cortona, hence the name for this article and recipe.
The platter is quite a beautiful and colorful sight and your guests will be quite impressed. This is certainly not your average antipasti platter!
I’ve added the recipe for the stuffed items in the RECIPES page. Be sure to check it out! Here’s a short list of some of the other items you can use to assemble this salad platter:
- Sliced Italian Deli Meats (hard salami, mortadella, etc.)
- Cantaloupe Wedges wrapped in Prosciutto
- Bocconcini (Litte Mouthfuls of Mozzarella)
- Marinated Artichoke Hearts
- Assorted Olives
- Sliced Provolone Cheese (sliced thin and rolled)
- Marinated String Beans (blanched)
- Avocado Cake dressed with a Lemon Vinaigrette
- Pepperoncini
- Marinated Cherry Peppers (stuffed)
- Roasted Red Peppers Etc., etc., etc.
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