Add our mushroom crostini to the mix if you are hosting a party! Holiday season is just around the corner. And I believe the key to stress-free entertaining is having a variety of no-cook recipes up one’s sleeve. Charcuterie boards have become incredibly popular in recent years. And you might feel like you don’t need any more ideas of how to arrange your salami in an artful way. I couldn’t agree more! That is why this platter, and my seafood-based Scandi board, are different but along the same lines. They look incredible and you don’t have to cook a thing! The idea for this one came to me on our recent trip to Italy. We were served a platter of beef carpaccio, dotted with kale pesto, fig preserves and toasted almonds all over. Needless to say, I was smitten. So simple yet so full of flavour! While I won’t press you to venture out into serving a platter of thinly sliced raw beef at home, I thought Parma ham aka prosciutto di Parma is a perfect substitute.
Italian Charcuterie
After seeing hundreds of charcuterie board ideas online, many of them had zero charcuterie involved, I feel like something needs to be made clear. “Charcuterie” is a French word for cured meat. That’s it. No cheese, nuts or pretzels have any place on real charcuterie platters. “Dessert or breakfast charcuterie boards” are an abomination. Now that I got it off my chest, let’s move on. I’ve used only prosciutto slices for my platter but you can also use salami, mortadella or bresaola, which will look gorgeous and taste delicious! I’ve also used homemade Tuscan kale pesto as that’s what I had in Italy but you can use basil pesto or any other flavoured pesto you love. There is also fig jam involved, the sweetness of which brings such a lovely contrast to the intense savoury flavour of prosciutto. I can also see mango or caramelised onion chutney doing the same thing beautifully. The real star, which was completely unexpected to me, is sliced almonds. The crunch and flavour they bring make the whole dish sing! To finish it off, I grated a bit of Pecorino Romano cheese. You can skip it or use Parmesan cheese.
Serving Suggestions
Traditionally these type of platters are served with breadsticks, called grissini, in Italy as well as with sliced bread like focaccia. Whenever I serve a platter like this one, I always add sliced sourdough bread and various crackers. I also set out two small bowls with extra virgin olive oil and good quality balsamic vinegar for dipping. And just like that you’ve got a perfect starter with no cooking at all! Favourite Starter (Appetiser) Recipes:
Mixed Olive Tapenade Party Crostini 4 Ways Cheese Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Prosciutto Padron Peppers (Traditional Spanish Tapas)
