Tips for Instant Antipasti

Almost anything on the antipasto table can—and does—show up in other parts of the meal, with the exception of the vinegar- or oil-preserved vegetables known, respectively, as sott'aceti and sott'olii. The F&W staff sampled more than 35 varieties of these marinated vegetable antipasti from 15 manufacturers. Here's what we liked best.

By Monica F. Forrestall

All Around Winners

Colavita and Il Cibo di Lidia.

Onions

Il Cibo di Lidia's grilled onions in olive oil; Bacchini's Cipollette (little onions in balsamic vinegar); and Azienda Agricola's Scalogno (shallots in olive oil).

Artichokes

Il Cibo di Lidia's grilled artichokes in olive oil; Colavita's artichokes with stems in sunflower oil; De Giorgi's Roman artichokes; and Il Trullo's split grilled artichokes.

Eggplant

Il Cibo di Lidia's dried eggplants in olive oil; TuttoCalabria's Italian roasted eggplants; and Terrabianca's grilled eggplants.

Sun-dried Tomates

California Sun-Dry and Pumate San Remo.

Mixed Vegetables

Terrabianca's vegetables and peppers with truffles; Dalce's antipasto; Colavita's antipasto in sunflower oil and peperonata in olive oil; and Il Trullo's zucchini.

Where to Get Them

Il Cibo di Lidia products are available by catalog only; Colavita and other brands are sold in supermarkets or specialty stores. Many of our favorites can be ordered from Balducci's and Dean & DeLuca in New York City and Vivande Porta Via in San Francisco.