Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Antipasti Semplice

With the holiday season upon us, we've been entertaining friends and have been invited to potluck-type parties. With limited time there's always the dilemma of what to take, what to put out for nibbles while I finish cooking. I've concocted a couple simple antipasti that go over extremely well and take only minutes to prepare. Both involve prosciutto, a satisfying "decadence" that gives an upscale feel to your antispasto plate. Ready?

1) Prosciutto wrapped breadsticks
This one's real tough...take a rosemary-sea salt crunchy breadstick (available in your regular grocery store, often at the deli area) and take a strip of prosciutto and - yep, wrap it around the top of the breadstick. Repeat. Lay them on a plate or stick them upright in a water glass. Done.

2) Gamberi con pesto e prosciutto
Buy large precooked, peeled shrimp. Dip them in pesto (either a jar of store-bought or homemade, whichever you prefer), then wrap a strip of prosciutto around it. Arrange them on a plate. Done.

You can also purchase extra shrimp and put them out with a little bowl of pesto for dipping. Makes a nice change from tomatoey cocktail sauce.

Semplice. Soooo simple but they never fail to impress our guests.
Buon natale!

copyright 2005 Valerie Schneider

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Pork & seafood - very unclean but tasty.