Italian Antipasto Saladfeatured
One of my favorite things in life is a really well put together antipasto platter. The different combinations of cured meats, cheeses, pickled vegetables, and fresh sweet fruits are endless and almost always satisfying. A couple of years ago I was flipping through a back issue of Cook’s Country magazine, and I came by a recipe for an antipasto pasta salad. I had seen antipasto salads with a lettuce base before, but I loved the idea of making this a pasta salad because it would be more filling and would last longer. Lucky for me I had a family potluck to go to, so I thought I would give it a whirl.
Well this pasta salad was a huge hit…but it was also a lot of work to do in one day. I loved the homemade marinated mushrooms that were part of the salad and they quickly became something that I incorporated into a lot of other recipes – including using them for garnishes for a homemade Bloody Mary!
I decided that if I was going to continue to make this salad that it would be necessary to always make it ahead of time and to split the work up into little chunks.
The easiest thing to do ahead of time is to get all the salad ingredients cut up and prepped. The cheese, artichoke hearts and red peppers can all be cut up and kept in containers in the fridge for a couple of days until you are ready to do the rest of the recipe. I put the red peppers on a few paper towels for about 10 minutes to drain all of the extra liquid from them.
The meat can also be prepped ahead of time. The original recipe had called for sliced pepperoni and salami, but after the first few time of making this I switched to a chunk of the meats that I then cut into small bite size pieces. These seemed to hold up better to the heating process and were distributed better in the salad.
Once the meats are all cut up into equal sized pieces, you layer them between pieces of paper towels and briefly microwave. You do not want to fully cook the meat; you simply want to heat them up enough that some of the fat renders out. This will leave you with a fuller flavor.
The day before you plan to serve this salad, you can start by cooking the pasta. It’s very important to cook the pasta to al dente (slightly chewy) because it will continue to soften as it absorbs the dressing. You do not want soggy or mushy pasta in your salad.
While the pasta is cooking, mix up the dressing and let it sit for a few minutes. I always make a double batch of the dressing because I make way more mushrooms than the original recipe called for. This also leaves me with the ability to add a little more dressing to the salad on the day of serving to freshen up the flavor.
Once the pasta has reached the right degree of tenderness, drain it and spread out on a large baking sheet. I use a half sheet sized pan that perfectly fits a full package of pasta. This is a trick that I always use for pasta and rice – by spreading it out on the pan, you accelerate the cooling process and prevent it from becoming overdone.
Immediately spoon over some of the dressing and a little extra vinegar and then toss the pasta. This will allow the flavors to penetrate the pasta as they cool down. This is also something that I do to the potatoes when I make potato salad. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
The last prep item is to make the marinated mushrooms. Pour all but ½ C of the remaining dressing into a medium-sized frying pan and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Cook the mushrooms for about 8-10 minutes until they have released most of their liquid and have turned a light brown color.
At this point all you have to do is dump everything into a large bowl, mix it up and enjoy. This salad gets better the next day and will easily hold in the fridge for up to a week.
Ingredients
- 8 oz pepperoni, cut into bite sized chunks
- 8 oz salami, cut into bite sized chunks
- 15 TB red wine vinegar
- 12 TB extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 TB mayonnaise
- 1 (12 oz) jar pepperoncini, drained (4 TB juice reserved), stems removed and chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper
- 1 lb. fusili, campanelle or other twisty pasta shape
- 2 lbs button or cremini mushrooms, quartered
- 8 oz provolone, cut into small strips
- 1 (12 oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained, dried and chopped
- 1 (12 oz) jar artichoke hearts, drained, dried and chopped
- 1 C fresh basil, finely shredded
Instructions
- Place the cut meats between alternating layers of paper towels on a microwave-safe plate. Top the plate with a final paper towel. Microwave on high for one minute. Check to see if the fat is begun to render. Heat for additional 30 second increments if needed. Set aside and cool.
- Bring a large pot of water to a full boil. Add 1-2 TB salt to the water, stir quickly to dissolve, then add the pasta. Cook until al dente. Begin checking the tenderness after 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile whisk 10 TB vinegar, olive oil, mayonnaise, pepperoncini juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in a medium bowl.
- Drain the pasta and spread out on a rimmed baking pan. Toss the pasta with 1/2 C of the dressing and the remaining 5 TB vinegar. Cover and chill for 30-60 minutes.
- Set aside 1/2 C of the dressing for freshening up the flavor on the day you serve it. If you plan to serve the salad the same day, then simply add the additional 1/2 C into the mushrooms.
- Bring the remaining dressing to a simmer in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the mushrooms for about 8-10 minutes, or until they have released their liquid and become slightly browned.
- Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and toss well to combine. Season with any additional salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
Recipe found in Cook's Country magazine, June/July issue 2007
