I'm looking for a good antipasto recipe to make. Anyone have a favourite one they could share? Thanks

ItalianMoonShadow Blog

One of my easy favorites is Carpaccio di Bresaola which is very popular in Siena. Just lay slices of bresaola on a tray, cover with good arugula, shaved parm, sea salt and good extra virgin olive oil. Other good antipasti are crostini (chicken liver pate, sauteed mushrooms, smoked salmon & mascarpone, ham (prosciutto cotto not crudo, butter and truffle oil finely ground, etc. etc. You could also do grilled veggies or an assorted meat plate. And the old standby, bruschetta with tomatoes!

Moving to Italy and Driving in Italy

Thanks Cristina,
Now I'm off the the Italian market tomorrow after work!

ItalianMoonShadow Blog

I do thinly sliced pears, shaved parmesan cheese, drizzle with olive oil, thyme, toasted pinenuts and black pepper;

Would this be a pear carpaccio?

you can make a small salad by serving it on arugula,
or hot baking it on a puff pastry crust.
I have also made it into a strudel...

I have used crisp pears... and parmesan.. or soft pears and a tuscan pecorino, cut into cubes in a salad...

I do grilled zucchini with mint and garlic
grilled eggplant with oregano and red wine vinegar and oil with garlic and chili.
Grilled pumpkin with garlic olive oil and chili
Grilled bell peppers with pesto

any of these pureed can be put on toast..

Cooking in Florence
www.divinacucina.com

I just got home from work and am reading this Diva.It all sounds wonderful! Thanks for these ideas.

ItalianMoonShadow Blog

Diva,
Your pears and cheese bring back fond memories of our first week in Tuscany in Sept.
We stopped in Pienza on our way to our first apt. in Montalcino, and discovered the little shops along the main street. In a cheese shop, I was curious but shy about asking about all of the cheeses that were new to me, especially since I don't speak Italian..

The shop keeper was really nice and offered us a slice of pecorino, which we had never tasted before. He kindly educated us with a taste of a mild pecorino and a stronger pecorino. We bought a piece of each type. At another shop we bought two Williams pears and bread. We had bought a jar of special fig jam from our B&B in Orvieto.

At our first breakfast in our apt., we ate pecorino cheese, pears, fig jam, and bread, with coffee, as the sun beamed in the window. Such a nice combination of food and place. We even took a picture of ourselves at the table with our tasty breakfast!
Charity

[This message was edited by Charity B. on 11 November 2003 at 03:53 AM.]

And here it is!

when shopping in the states, ask for Pecorino Toscano, not the Pecorino Romano which is the drier saltier stuff!

I heard that Montery Jack cheese was made by Giacomo ( JACK) in Montery, using cows milk instead of sheeps milk...

There are fresh pecorino's which have almost no flavor all the way up to aged one's with a parmesan like quality!

I love the fig jam here!
Pecorino cheese and pears, salami and figs, and prosciutto and melon.. some Italian food laws..

I also love the fig jam with gorgonzola!

Cooking in Florence
www.divinacucina.com

How are pecorino cheese and honey served together? I know this is a dessert in Tuscany, but we never had it.
Charity

quote:

---

Originally posted by Charity B.:
How are pecorino cheese and honey served together? I know this is a dessert in Tuscany, but we never had it.

---

Cheese (usually strong tasting cheeses, but not only pecorino) and sweet (or sweet and sour or sweet and hot) sauces such as aceto balsamico, fruit, tomato or onion jams, fruit mostarda (this one usually with fresh, soft and mild tasting cheeses), honey or wine gellies are not a very common cheese serving in restaurants all over Italy. The slices of cheese can be already toppoed with a drop or dollop of sauce, or they are served apart and you are suppsoed to garnish the cheese with as much sauce as you want.

Alice Twain
--
I don’t want to take what you can’t give / I would rather starve than eat your bread
I would rather run but I can’t walk / Guess I’ll lie alone just like before
                Pearl Jam, Corduroy