Antipasti is a term that’s now used the world over for nibbles, and antipasti—literally “before the meal”—are part and parcel of meals in every region of Italy. While the majority of dishes comprising the antipasti are meats, cheeses, olives, and other foods that are purchased, some of the smaller touches are homemade, and those are the dishes you’ll find in this chapter.

Most of these recipes are toppings for crostini, small slices of toast, and bruschetta, thicker and larger slices of toast. When preparing an elaborate antipasti table, I always serve crostini because the smaller amount of bread is not as filling. However, if you’re just setting out a few dishes and platters, you may want the more substantial look of bruschetta. At the end of the chapter are a few other vegetable dishes and salads. I’ve noted which ones could also be served as a side dish.

Antipasti are great for all parties because they are served at room temperature and can be left on the table for a relatively long period of time. Hosts merely have to worry about replenishing, rather than being tied to the stove.