Ingredients
- Everything you need for an antipasta appetizer
- 1 can black olives
- 1 jar Spanish olives with pimentos
- 1 can baby corn cut into pieces
- 1 can hearts of palm sliced into bites
- 1 jar marinated artichoke hearts
- 1 container fresh mozzarella balls
- 1 package colby jack marbled cheese cut into bite size cubes
- 1 tube salami all coatings removed and cut into bite size chunks
- 1 head of broccoli florets with most of the stem removed
- 1 container of fresh mushrooms button size or halved and quartered if larger
- 1 each red, green and yellow bell pepper seeded and cut into bite size chunks
- 1 container cherry tomatoes
- 1 jar Italian salad dressing
- A little grated parmesan cheese for garnish
- Fancy party toothpicks
Preparation
Step 1
Open all the cans and jars. Rinse or drain all of the fluids except the artichoke marinade. Start combining all of the ingredients in a large plastic container with a tight fitting lid. And then the fun begins because it is just everybody into the pool!
Any olives will do but jumbos are easier to snag with toothpicks.
Spanish Green Olives stuffed with pimentos.
Just rinse the tomatoes and toss in whole.
Include the marinade with the artichoke hearts.
Just drain the mozzarella balls and in they go.
Hearts of Palm - If not salad cut already slice the hearts of palm into 1/2 inch bites.
Again if the baby corns are whole, just cut them down to bite size pieces.
Cut the larger mushrooms to get all the ingredients closer to the same size.
This dish grows quickly into loads of food.
Bell Peppers and Broccoli
Broccoli and bell peppers add freshness and color.
Remove the outer layer of wrapping on the salami with your knife edge.
Make sure salami is free of all wrapping materials.
1/2" slices from the tube then quartered make perfect bite sizes.
Cheese and salami cuts should be close in thickness at about 1/2 inch.
Ready to marinate with Italian Dressing!
Pour the entire bottle of Italian Dressing over the ingredients. With the lid firmly intact invert it and rotate to make sure every bite gets a chance to be dressed. You should continue to rotate and invert the container occasionally during the minimum one hour marinating time.
Any Italian dressing will do but my preference is Bernsteins.
It can be made ahead and kept in the the fridge but I would not let it marinate for much more than three hours. It all tastes great as a leftover the next day except the bell peppers will get a bit soggy.
Scoop from the plastic container with a slotted spoon onto a serving platter and leave the excess marinade behind. Dust the top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and stab several toothpicks into the goodies to show your guests how to attack it. Have plenty of extra toothpicks perched next to the platter for the many munchers.
Garnish the top with a generous dusting of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Strategically placed party toothpicks will prove too tempting for your guests.
The choices of goodies to stab with your toothpicks are endless.
This super simple appetizer multiplies exponentially as you make it but then disappears just as quickly as your guests enjoy it. One toothpick can easily hold two or three items which adds to the fun as people create their favorite combinations. It is a very social dish because they crowd around the platter and make sort of a game out of eating it. If your gathering is really large you might consider splitting it into more than one platter to make the grazing easier. It is very addictive and pleases a wide range of eaters. And don't be shy to try any other ingredients you think might complement the group. One of my favorites that I rotate into the mix is fresh cheese tortellini. I give them a real quick bath in rapidly boiling salted water to soften and then just toss them into with the rest of the goods. Varying the cheese and olive types is also completely legal in this very fun antipasta appetizer. You make up the rules as you go and I know your guests will love the game. SCORE!