Antipasto

Antipasto, which means “before food” in Italian, is an appetizer consisting of various fresh and pickled vegetables, cheeses, and rolled or sliced meats arranged on a platter. For vegetarian antipasto, you can either substitute mock meat products or leave them out altogether.
Yield	6 servings
Time	15 minutes
Tools	platter or 6 dinner plates small bowl
Ingredients	Start with enough lettuce or other leafy vegetable to cover the platter or plates, then choose at least half a dozen of these ingredients: 1-2 c assorted olives 2 c cherry tomatoes or 2 medium tomatoes, sliced 10-12 oz giardiniera 10-12 oz roasted peppers, drained and sliced 1 c marinated eggplant slices 6-8 oz marinated artichoke hearts, drained 6 fresh figs, halved ½ pound small mushrooms ½ c sun-dried tomatoes 1-2 c cheese, such as mozzarella or feta, sliced or chopped ½ pound veggie salami ¼ c veggie pepperoni
Directions	Cover the platter with lettuce and set the bowl in the middle. Place one ingredient, such as the olives or giardiniera, in the bowl. Arrange remaining ingredients around the bowl. Serve with bread or breadsticks.
Notes	This is just a guide – antipasto is endlessly flexible. You might like to toss the mozzarella with a simple vinaigrette, or arrange it in alternating slices with tomato to make a small portion of caprese. More food platters Cheese Plate Crudités
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