Antipasti

[SobaAddict70]

What's your favorite antipasti?

Mine are any of the following:

Sweet and sour onions (either large yellow ones which have been roasted or cipolini);

Chicken meatballs cooked four ways (in broth, with pasta, fried, and with a sauce like basic tomato sauce);

Stuffed eggplant or peppers;

A gratin of scalloped potatoes and roasted peppers, with chopped garlic and topped with EVOO;

Bagna cauda (sic) -- I think this is how you spell it -- its the Venetian dip of hot oil, garlic and anchovies, with which you dip raw veggies into.  Not for the faint of palate.

Any others?  I'm talking about antipasti in the Italian sense, not the Italian-American version (which, forgive me for expressing my foodie flakiness again, I feel IMO is a bastardization of the real thing, not that the bastardization isn't valid, it's just not my thing).

[Liza]

A nice bruschetta topped with white beans mixed with fresh herbs, EVOO, lemon zest and some fresh cracked black pepper.

Any chance we could open this thread up to include other little bites we enjoy before settling down to the main meal? Soba?

[SobaAddict70]

Sure, I don't see why not.

Oh, btw, the stuffed peppers -- one version I'm familiar with is sausage meat from either sweet or hot Italian sausages without the casing, rice and other seasonings (onions, garlic, etc.), and topped with melted Gorgonzola before serving.  In this case, its not so little a bite...

Soba

[Liza]

Oh that sounds delicious. Not so little a bite at all, and sounds very related to a chile relleno. Soba, we must meet at Union Square some time for a sausage tasting at High Hope Hogs.

My favorite pre-meal snack to eat while cooking, is roasted brussel sprouts with rosemary, olive oil, S&P.

[Brad S]

Soba,

Did you know that bagna coada (sp) is done to celebrate Italys nuvello wines in November? it coincides with the release of the new olive oils and is enjoyed with the wines. I have made this many times and because of it's purity of outstanding ingredients it is amazing. cardoons and chocks are bountiful that time of year and are two of the main veggies used. When you dip your veggies in the infused oil, you hold them over a piece of rustic italian bread to catch any of the oil that drips off the veggies, a bit of artichoke, a hunk of bread and a sip of nuvella   Life is good

[SobaAddict70]

What is it with brussel sprouts on egullet?  

Until I found egullet, I thought I was the only person in the world who actually liked brussel sprouts in all their glorious gassiness.

Silly me.  LOL

[Brad S]

I love rapini with evoo, slivered garlic,red pepper flakes and white beans on brushetta.

[tommy]

What's your favorite antipasti?

more importantly, where does that term come from?  yeah yeah, italian i'm guessing, but what does it mean?  does it not like pasta?  is it the evil opposite of pasti?  is it really pronounced, as my italian-american relatives say, "annibost"?  so many questions.

[=Mark]

but what does it mean?  does it not like pasta?  is it the evil opposite of pasti?  is it really pronounced, as my italian-american relatives say, "annibost"?  so many questions.

You'll note that Pasta and Antipasta are never, ever served together.  This is because if they were to touch they would annihilate each other in a violent, garlic tinged blast.

[=Mark]

 is it really pronounced, as my italian-american relatives say, "annibost"?  so many questions.

We gonna have some gabagool with ragoat and red gravy?

[Suzanne F]

Mark -- roflmao!!!  That's beautiful!!!!!!  May I quote you?

(this was about the pasta/antipasta; you snuck in another as I was typing it)

[Wilfrid]

Erudition time.  Antipasti - plural - have nothing whatsoever to do with "pasta".  It doesn't mean, as some people think (not eGulleters, of course, of course) the dishes served before the pasta.

Italian for meal is pasto.  An antipasto - singular - is a dish served before the main meal.  More than one antipasto gives you antipasti.

Pasta is the doughy stuff you like to pour red sauce over.  

[tommy]

Italian for meal is pasto.  An antipasto - singular - is a dish served before the main meal.  More than one antipasto gives you antipasti.

of course.  of course.

[Liza]

Y'all just gonna let Soba's 'gassy' comment sit there...?

What one does with cruciferous vegetables on one's own time, is up to...oneself.  

[SobaAddict70]

Italian for meal is pasto.  An antipasto - singular - is a dish served before the main meal.  More than one antipasto gives you antipasti.

That's not to say that pasta can't be an antipasto...although it isn't done as often...

Some bruschetta I've come across:

chicken liver mixed with dried apricots and a splash of balsamic viniagrette (this is one of Mario B's. dishes adapted to bruschetta)

radicchio, roasted peppers, EVOO and basil

fresh anchovies, garlic, EVOO and plum tomatoes

broccoli rabe, garlic, sweet sausage, oregano

[yvonne johnson]

Are we talking about entrees?  Just thought I'd throw that in and add to Wilfrid's definitions.  In UK and Australia an entree is a starter.  In USA, it refers to maincourse.

[SobaAddict70]

Antipasti in the sense of an appetizer course.  Not primi or secondi*.

Primi is often referred to as "the pasta course".  Secondi is sometimes used as "the main course", or at least the course where beef/chicken/fish appears, more substantial fare.  Either primi or secondi can be seen as "entrees" or "the main course", I suppose.  Btw, risotto and gnocchi by themselves are served as primi.  Then you've got risotto alla milanese as an accompaniment to osso buco.  Confused yet?

*I'm not sure what the usage is in Italy, but that's been my experience on this side of the pond.

[Wilfrid]

Entree is certainly a starter in Australia, but in the UK?  I don't recall that.

Sorry, Soba, you were saying...

[Toby]

Very thin slices of pancetta wrapped around little balls of fresh mozzarella broiled until the pancetta gets crisp and the cheese starts to melt (this can happen fast).

Figs, sliced in half, marinated in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and then (optional) wrapped up in a thin piece of pancetta and grilled (if indoors, I use a black cast iron ridged pan, guess you could use the broiler).

Figs, sliced in half and topped with some soft goat cheese, salted and peppered.

[researchgal]

shrimp wrapped with basil and prosciutto and broiled (or grilled)

crostini topped with chopped sauteed spinach and garlic, then melted fontina (Italian not Danish Fontina!)

re:  Brussels Sprouts--hated 'em until everyone was talking about them on egullet, now they're one of my favorite sides.

[Jaymes]

My favorite pre-meal snack to eat while cooking, is roasted brussel sprouts with rosemary, olive oil, S&P.

Oh my goodness that sounds wonderful.  I must do it immediately.  Exactly how do you do it?  Tips and instructions please!  Do you score or parboil at all?

[stefanyb]

is it really pronounced, as my italian-american relatives say, "annibost"?  so many questions.

Southern Italian dialect does some interesting things to Italian (Why do I feel we've covered this, maybe it was mm.... you know where).  Anyway, most final syllables are dropped; p's are pronounced as b's; c's are pronounced as g's; an extra syllable on the front of the word often appears usually a schwa sound.

There are many more peculiarities but I'm sure someone here can flesh this topic out.

mozzerella=mootsarelle

capicola=gabagool

risotto=rizote

ricotta=arrigote

sfogliatella=zhvoyadelle

ahtsa tastey meetaball

Whats the name of that large sausage-like thingy you boil?

[Jinmyo]

Cotechino.

[stefanyb]

Hm. The pronuciations you list sound like what you'd hear in Bruccalina rather than southern Italy. :confused:

Actually, Jinny, you're right because what I should have said was that it was in the pronunciation of those who emigrated to this country from Southern Italy and Sicily.

I'm always impressed with the breadth of your knowledge.

I bet you like pizza, too.  It is, after all, pie.

[Jinmyo]

I'm always impressed with the breadth of your knowledge.

I bet you like pizza, too.  It is, after all, pie.

I'm a geezer is all, stefanyb.

I love pizza. Thin wood-oven crust, hardly any sauce, bit of mozz, black olives. Or your basic White or Margarita.