Antipasto (plural antipasti), means “before the meal” and is the traditional first course of a formal Italian meal. Traditional antipasto includes cured meats, olives, roasted garlic, peperoncini, mushrooms, anchovies, artichoke hearts, various cheeses (such as provolone or mozzarella) and peperone (marinated small green bell peppers, not to be confused with pepperoni). The antipasto is usually topped off with olive oil. Many compare antipasto to hors d’oeuvre, but antipasto is served at the table and signifies the official beginning of the Italian meal.
 
I personally could live on antipasti and nothing signifies Summer more for me than sitting out in the garden with Hubby on a warm Summers evening enjoying antipasti, a glass of wine and chatting about our day and mulling over our hopes and dreams.
 
There is so much lovely stuff you can choose from at the supermarket or if you are lucky enough to be near by, Borough Market has lovely places to buy antipasti, the choices are endless and amazing, but sometimes its nice to make a few bits yourself, or maybe as I mentioned in a previous Blog you may grow your own tomatoes and peppers and would just like a new way to use them up.
 
Hubby and I were hoping to make large batches and store them, but they didn’t store as well as we had hoped, or for as long as we had hoped, but they are still worth making and serving in the jars at the table just for the wow factor.
 
Buon appetito
 
 
Jar 1 – Pomodori secchi con origan (Preserved tomatoes with oregano)
 
2kg (4 1/2lbs) good plum tomatoes
6 garlic cloves, or more to taste, peeled & finely chopped
4 dried chillies (peperoncino), or more to taste
a generous handful of fresh oregano leaves
250g (9oz) Pecorino cheese, finely grated
extra virgin olive oil
 
Preheat the oven to 140c / 275f / gas mark 1
 
Pour water into a large pan enough to hold all the tomatoes at the same time, and bring to the boil. Add the tomatoes when the water is boiling. Just a couple of minutes is enough to often the skins slightly.
 
Drain the tomatoes, then cut them in half and spread out on a baking sheet. Place in the preheated oven for 40 minutes – or let them dry in the sun!
 
In the meantime, prepare the seasoning by mixing together the garlic, peperoncino, oregano and grated Pecorino.
 
Take one tomato half at a time and dip the inner side in the seasoning mixture. Put two halves together, kissing like a sandwich, and place on the bottom of a sterilised jar, one after the other, until you reach the top. Cover with extra virgin olive oil, close tightly, and store in a cool place.
 
Jar 2 – Preserved Roasted Peppers with Basil
 
4 peppers of various colours, left whole (I did all red, but two different varieties)
Olive Oil
Basil leaves
 
Preheat the oven to 230c / 450f / gas mark 8
 
Rub some olive oil over the peppers, then pop then on a baking tray in the oven. Cook for about 40 minutes, or until soft and a little blackened. Make sure you keep an eye on them, I found they were done a lot sooner than the 40 minutes! Take them out of the oven, put into a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to cool.
 
Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, take them out of the bowl and use your fingers to peel off the skin and break the peppers into quarters. Do not rinse in water or you will loose the flavour. Then, using a butter knife, scrape the seeds away, which should leave just the flesh. Layer in sterilised jars, adding basil leaves between the peppers, and fill with oil. Store in the fridge.
 
Jar 3 – Pepperdews with Goats Cheese
 
1 jar of Pepperdews, drained but reserve the oil to use at the end
soft goats cheese
 
Now I don’t have an exact recipe or measurements for this, Hubby just made it up as he went along and you can buy these ready done, but again it does rather take the fun out of it, but as far as I can remember he put the goats cheese in a bowl, beat it with a spoon until soft and pliable, then just stuffed each pepperdew with a teaspoon of the goats cheese.
 
He then layered them in the jar and poured over the reserved oil, until all the pepperdews were covered.
 
These would all make such lovely gifts potted in pretty jars and dressed with ribbons and homemade labels.
 
Note : To sterilise jars, either put them through a cycle in your dishwasher, boil them for 5 minutes in a pan of water or place in a preheated oven to 150c / 300f / gas mark 2 for 10 minutes.