Antipasti Platters Made Easy

We love hosting friends for happy hours on the weekends and sharing some of our favorite wines or cocktails with them. But what good is a happy hour without a bit of food to enjoy with the libations? We often turn to one of our “tried and true” offerings for our happy hours – the quintessential antipasti platter! Let’s talk about how to put one of these flavorful snacks together in less than 10 minutes!

While I do enjoy sipping a glass of wine or a cocktail on its own, I prefer accompanying my drink with a bit of food. In addition to helping absorb the alcohol in the drink, you also get to engage in the challenge and fun of pairing wine, spirits, and food. 

When I was working full time, happy hours for Laurie and I were a “once a week” affair that we did on Sunday afternoons, but only because I never had time to do them during the week and even on weekend days. But come retirement, we had no excuse not to enjoy a happy hour every day! And even better, our new neighbors here in Sarasota are fans of happy hours too, so we get to share our wines and spirits while we enjoy each other’s company – and each other’s food!

Happy hours are meant to be stress free and low maintenance affairs to ensure they don’t turn into “Unhappy Hours” that require hours of preparation. So, we keep ours really simple. First, we pick a few wines to share from our collection (or we select a cocktail instead of wine). Then, we pick a fast and easy snack to serve with the drinks. Our “go to” snacks are either a nice cheese plate, a charcuterie platter, or an antipasti platter. Any one of these can be put together in a few minutes and only requires a short trip to the store to buy the ingredients with no additional work required except for last minute assembly!

Antipasti platters are particularly nice since you can make them in endless varieties by changing out the meats, cheeses, and other accompaniments. And best of all, since most grocery stores now have antipasti bars, you can mix and match whatever suites your fancy for that day – olives, marinated artichoke hearts or mushrooms, stuffed peppers, Tuscan bean salad – you get the idea.

And best of all, these meats, cheeses, and other delectable treats pair wonderfully with a wide range of wines and cocktails. Some of the best white wine pairings with antipasti platters include lighter white wines like Pinot Grigio, Albarino, Chenin Blanc, and Gruner Veltliner (an Australian wine). Good red wine matches include lighter reds like Italian Barbera and Chianti, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. But the sky’s the limit. For example, if you decide to go with spicier peppers and meats, pair the platter with a spicier wine such as Syrah or Zinfandel – you really can’t mess this up!

Here’s my quick recipe for the perfect antipasti platter – make it for your next happy hour with friends and let me know how it went!

The Perfect Antipasti Platter (serves 4)

This antipasti platter has the four key components you need to create the perfect platter: cured meats, cheeses, marinated veggies and olives, and fresh bread on the side. I like using bibb lettuce drizzled with Italian dressing as the base for the platter – not only does it look nice, but it infuses more flavor into all the components on the platter. You can make this platter up to 3 hours ahead of time and then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Ingredients

4 different kinds of packaged cured meats such as salami, prosciutto, pepperoni, or bresaola (about 1 lb. total)

4 different antipasti bar items such as marinated mushrooms, stuffed peppers, artichoke hearts, or mixed olives (about ¾ to 1 cup of each)

1 cup bocconcini (small mozzarella balls) (about 8 oz.)

1 head bibb lettuce

¼ cup store bought Italian dressing (I like Newman's Own)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 loaf of crusty bread (Italian or French baguette), sliced ¼ inch thick

Directions

Wash the bibb lettuce leaves, dry, and arrange on the bottom of the platter until entire platter is covered. Drizzle Italian dressing over the lettuce. Arrange the four cured meats in small piles around the edge of the platter at 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00 o’clock. Place the 4 antipasti bar items you selected in between each of the cured meats. Next, place the bocconcini in a pile in the middle of the platter. Drizzle the bocconcini with Italian dressing and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. If making ahead, cover with Saran Wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 hours (make sure to take it out of the refrigerator about 45 minutes before serving). Serve with the crusty bread.