Antipasto Recipes

When Marcia Kiesel grills vegetables, she likes to add unexpected accompaniments, like grilled marinated mini mozzarella balls (called bocconcini) wrapped in anchovy fillets, and garlicky white bean dip. Served with grilled country bread, this antipasto becomes a light main course. The bocconcini should be eaten hot off the grill, while still soft enough to spread on the bread. To prevent sticking, lightly oil the grate before grilling the bocconcini.

Chef Marc Murphy serves these olives warm to accentuate the marinade's lemony flavor.

This recipe is based on a preparation that originated in Rome's Jewish ghetto. It is one of Palma D'Orazio's most requested dishes at her New York City restaurant, Palma. Frying brings out the artichokes' sweetness.

In Mario Batali's riff on the traditional antipasto of prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, he wraps spears in pancetta (which, unlike prosciutto, becomes nicely crispy when cooked) and grills them. Adding a bit of tanginess is the citronette, a marvelously bright-tasting mustardy-orange dressing.

Goat's-milk cheeses are typically lower in cholesterol, calories and fat--and higher in calcium--than cow's-milk ones. Here, creamy chevre is stuffed into antioxidant-rich mushrooms and topped with crispy herbed bread crumbs.

To give this creamy bean dip its fresh herbal flavor, Jim German, owner of the Jimgermanbar in Waitsburg, Washington, drizzles it with olive oil blended with lovage leaves. Since lovage isn't always easy to find, a combination of parsley and celery leaves can mimic its flavor.

As the co-founder of La Brea Bakery and Campanile restaurant in Los Angeles, Nancy Silverton made her name as a brilliant baker. She has since shown her mastery of Italian food at Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza, getting the biggest flavor from the simplest ingredients. She does just that with this salad, which combines crisp iceberg lettuce, milky mozzarella, spicy-tangy peperoncini and salty olives and salami.

Pinzimonio is a supersimple Italian dish of raw vegetables served with seasoned olive oil for dipping. In his clever variation, Nate Appleman replaces the olive oil with tonnato, a creamy sauce made with tuna and lemon.

Salty and savory appetizers, like this prosciutto and bruschetta combination, pair well with a variety of wines and cocktails making your gathering a flavorful and inspiring evening.

These gooey sandwiches get double-grilled: the prosciutto-wrapped provolone is grilled first before being sandwiched on grilled baguette. "In a pinch, I'll use Polly-O string cheese instead of provolone," says Grace Parisi.

A staple at Todd English's Olives restaurants is his much-lauded house-made flatbread, topped with sticky-sweet fig jam, pungent Gorgonzola cheese and salty prosciutto.

At tiny Frasca Food and Wine, Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson (an F&W Best New Chef 2005) is famous for his Friulian food. When Frasca moves to a bigger space later this year, he'll open a casual cafe serving dishes like chopped salads made with greens grown on the roof.

Olives marinated in citrus juice, garlic and spicy crushed red pepper become a sensational cocktail-party snack.

It’s so naughty to eat a healthyish green salad studded with rich, salty nuggets of cheese and salami. And really delicious.