SPRING ANTIPASTO PLATTER

Spring Antipasto Platter image

The antipasto table in old-fashioned Italian restaurants is a sort of precursor to the modern-day salad bar, though usually far better. The idea is to let customers serve themselves (or be served by the maître d') a few spoonsful of room temperature vegetable preparations-grilled eggplant, roasted peppers, marinated mushrooms-along with a little cheese and salumi. It's an easy concept to adopt at home for a dinner party. Serve it buffet style, on a platter, or on individual plates as a first course. Change the vegetables seasonally; for spring use asparagus, fennel, snap peas and young onions. Choose the very freshest mozzarella, burrata or ricotta, and thinly sliced prosciutto, salame, mortadella or lardo.

Provided by David Tanis

Categories dinner, lunch, quick, salads and dressings, vegetables, main course, side dish

Time 30m

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

2 bunches small spring onions or scallions
Salt
1 bunch asparagus, about 1 pound, tough ends removed
1/2 pound sugar snap peas
2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed and sliced crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick rings
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, salame, mortadella or lardo
Flaky sea salt or fleur de sel
Black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
Basil or mint leaves
1 pound fior di latte, bufala mozzarella, burrata or fresh ricotta, at cool room temperature

Steps:

Heat the broiler. Put a large pot of water on to boil.
Trim tops, roots and outer layer of spring onions, then arrange in one layer on a broiler pan. Broil until they are lightly charred on one side, 2 to 3 minutes, then turn and broil the other side until onions have softened a bit, about 3 minutes more. (It's fine if they become blackened in spots.) Remove pan and let cool to room temperature.
When water boils, salt well and submerge asparagus. Cook briefly, about 2 minutes for medium spears. Lift asparagus from water and spread in 1 layer on a kitchen towel and let cool to room temperature. Repeat process with the sugar snap peas and spread them on a separate kitchen towel.
Arrange spring onions, asparagus, snap peas and fennel on a large platter. Drape prosciutto around the edge. Season vegetables lightly with sea salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Garnish platter with basil or mint leaves. Put cheese on a small cutting board and pass separately. (Alternatively, compose individual plates with all components.)

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 378, UnsaturatedFat 12 grams, Carbohydrate 15 grams, Fat 26 grams, Fiber 5 grams, Protein 23 grams, SaturatedFat 12 grams, Sodium 757 milligrams, Sugar 7 grams