Antipasti dishes

For holidays, my Grandma Conti always put out a spread of antipasti so big and delicious, that it was amazing we had room for anything else, let alone the three additional courses that were coming! But we started early, paced ourselves, and usually left the table so full we didn't need to eat for days.

There was a great array of cheese and meats, but also lots of other dishes to snack on. Caponata was always at the table, and I posted a recipe earlier, although there are some very good pre-prepared brands of caponata, especially Progresso. Some other ideas follow. All of these dishes are best served at room temperature for maximum flavor. Make them a day ahead of time for the flavors to really soak in, and then remove from the fridge about an hour before serving.

Marinated artichoke hearts:

2 cans of quartered artichoke hearts, packed in water, drained
Juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon of minced, fresh Italian parsely
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
A pinch of salt

Roasted red peppers:

1 large jar of roasted red pepper, drained and cut into bite-sized slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove of garlic, very finely minced
1 tablespoon of red wine or balsamic vinegar

Marinated cannellini beans:

1 can of canellini beans (white kidney beans), drained and rinsed
1/4 red onion, diced finely
1/2 teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar

Other ideas for your spread include pepperoncini (the small, hot Italian peppers) and olives.