Jacob Kenedy, chef-patron of much-lauded Italian restaurant Bocca di Lupo, explains how to put together the perfect antipasto misto using his favourite ingredients.
Planning is key
Consider the rest of the meal, your guests’ preferences and the ingredients available. Next, give the antipasto a focus. Try theming it in one of the following ways:
Ingredient-led
Seasonal
Regional
Hone in on one region, such as Veneto, Liguria, Tuscany, Campania, Puglia or Sicily – a good Italian deli should be able to sell you regional specialities.
Whatever you do, keep your selections simple – three to five items will be enough, and will allow you to appreciate each one.
Ingredient ideas
Here is a list of easy-to-find ingredients that can be used in varying combinations.
Cheese
Semi-hard and hard
- Parmesan should be aged for at least 24 months, and have white crystals within. Provolone, from the south, is made in a similar way to mozzarella, but is harder and more piquant
- If you like Manchego, try Pecorino, a ewe’s milk cheese from Tuscany and Sardinia
- Buffalo milk ricotta is popular, but my favourite is one made from ewe’s milk
- Stracchino and Squacquerone, from Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna respectively, are smooth and tangy
- Buffalo mozzarella is famously from Campania, but is also made well in Puglia. It’s utterly delicious at its best, but one to avoid if you’re unsure of its quality
Cured meats
- Bresaola, a cured beef from Lombardy, is a subtler alternative to cured pork
- Prosciutto crudo, cured ham, is most famously from Parma and San Daniele, but is made everywhere
- Lardo is a Tuscan speciality of cured pork back-fat, sliced into gossamer-like melting strips of joy
- Finocchiona is a heady, perfumed salami
- Nduja, a spicy Calabrian cured sausage, is soft and spreadable, like a pâté
Olives
- Try small black gaeta olives, and the greengage-sized green cerignola olives
Preserved fish
- Salted anchovies have a red/brown colour, while pickled anchovies are white
- High-quality sardines, mackerel and eel can be bought in delis, canned with onions, vinegar, bay leaves and saffron
Menu suggestions
The simplest of plates can make the most satisfying antipasti, such as a mound of fresh ewe’s milk ricotta, a bunch of rocket, some fresh walnuts and a fruity
olive oil with crusty fresh
bread. Here are a few antipasti suggestions using store-bought and home-made dishes.
Seafood-based:
Marinated anchovies, octopus salad, Sardines in saor, Baby courgettes in umido
Meat and cheese:
Bresaola, pancetta, salami, nduja sausage, stracchino cheese, Parmesan
Vegetable-based:
Baby courgettes in umido, Peas with spring onions and basil and Grilled red peppers, grilled treviso (chicory), mozzarella or ricotta
Northern Italian:
Sardines in saor, Peas with spring onions and basil, bresaola, lardo, grilled treviso
Central:
Pecorino, prosciutto, Grilled red peppers, finocchiona salami
Southern Italian:
Baby courgettes in umido, mozzarella, anchovies, nduja sausage