Wine on Wednesdays: Antipasto
Antipasto is a great way to avoid the pitfalls of a regular salad where the lack of flavor is sometimes REALLY apparent. I love antipasto salads because they usually include ingredients that I love: marinated artichokes, olives, italian meats, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and any other sliced vegetables that you feel that you must include. In short, this is a hearty salad with plenty of great Italian flavors. Yes, you can add more veggies, but why bother? It’s about the meats, cheeses and a scant amount of green items that add some crunch. And what about a wine pairing? Check below the recipe for a quick bit of advice.
Here’s a quick recipe (based on a delicious antipasto that AB made for me last week):
AB’s Antipasto:
Ingredients:
One whole-milk fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 cup of marinated artichokes
2 cups of chopped, washed romaine lettuce
6-8 slices of Italian salami
Optional: roasted red peppers, black olives, red onion
Salt and pepper to taste
1/8 cup of Italian dressing
Directions:
Place the romaine lettuce on one large plate or two plates. Layer the mozzarella, salami and other optional ingredients on top of the lettuce. Salt and pepper the salad to taste. Serve with the Italian dressing on the side. Serves two or one really hungry person.
Buon appetito!
And now for some wine:
I went to WineAnswers.com for some helpful advice about pairing antipasto with wine. The answer I got was: Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. I’m also convinced that Pinot Grigio would work with the antipasto. And there’s always the convenient theory that you can just drink what you like and eat what you like and it all tastes good in the end. As long as I can have my tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and Italian deli goodies, I’m good…
February 7th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Sauvignon Blanc is exactly what I’d serve, but not the kind that’s been on oak (for shame– winemakers who do that). Though you’re also right about a Pinot Grigio/Gris. Any wine with acidity should be able to stand up to the acidity in the tomatoes, cut through the richness of the cheese and meat, and pair with the hard-to-pair artichokes. I wouldn’t do a Chardonnay unless it’s unoaked.