ANTIPASTO PLATES

"The antipasto (meaning before the meal) plate can be a little salad or meal in itself. The idea is to combine vegetables, meats, fish and eggs, in colorful an assortment as possible. Great care is taken in arranging the foods in an attractive and orderly way."

Various combinations:

1. Arrange the following on a platter:
Slices of Italian salami; rolled-up prosciutto or other ham; tuna in olive oil; black and green olives; eggs sliced or stuffed and topped, in both cases, with a sprig of parsley or 3 capers; pickled mushrooms; radish roses; tomato slices, strips of red pimientos and green peppers marinated in olive oil; celery stuffed with mashed Gorgonzola or other blue cheese; eggplant salad, artichoke hearts marinated in a mixture of olive oil, white wine, basil or any other herb and salt and pepper; rolled anchovies, sardines and any Italian- style relishes such as pickled peppers, cauliflower, artichokes, sold under this name in supermarkets.

2. Pare a chilled cantaloupe or honeydew melon and cut in wedges. Wrap with wafer-thin slices of prosciutto. Allow 2 melon wedges for each person to be served.

3. Mushroom salad, anchovy-stuffed eggs, tomatoes, sliced fennel.

4. Slices of Italian salami, potato salad, pimiento marinated in olive oil, green olives, anchovies, sardines.

5. Meatless antipasto: overlapping slices of tomatoes and hard-cooked eggs, surrounded by chunks of tuna in olive oil and rolled anchovies, garnished with mayonnaise and decorated with parsley sprigs.

From: Recipelink.com
Source: Recipe pamphlet/magazine pull-out: The Collector's Cookbook, Woman's Day Kitchen #64 - Italian Recipes, Fawcett Publications, Inc., May 1962