Creating an Italian antipasto or charcuterie platter requires careful selection of ingredients but it’s not rocket science.

An Italian antipasto plate usually includes marinated vegetables, e.g., roasted red peppers, pickled eggplant, grilled zucchini—olives, salumi, cheese, and, of course good bread. With antipasto, simple is best.

Each decision the home cook makes has an effect on the experience of the eater. If you want to create an Italian charcuterie platter that rivals one you’d find in an Italian home, follow these tips.

Decide on Your Crudo and Cotto Meats First
The first choice you make is which meats you want to include. Crudo meats are cured and served raw. They include typical Italian deli meats like sopressata, capicola, and prosciutto. Cotto meats are cooked and are much less salty than crudo meats. They include smoked hams and cooked mortadella.

I like to focus my Italian charcuterie or antipasto plate around thinly cut prosciutto. The thin cut keeps people from overindulging in meat and feeds more people in the process. You should aim for around two to three ounces of meat per person being served.
On a traditional Italian charcuterie all crudo meat is laid flat, but many people like the sliced meat before placing them on the platter. One reason is it allows them to fit more meat by stacking the rolls.
In addition to saving space, these stacks of meat add dimension to your platter. When it comes to cotto meats, mortadella cut in either thick chunks or thinly sliced is a good option. Alto Adige speck is also a great option.

Focus on Contrasting Flavors for Your Accouterments
Accouterments are all the other food items that accompanies the meat on your Italian charcuterie platter. Accouterments are designed to two things – pair well with the saltiness of the meats and cleanse your palate. Vegetables are the perfect palate-cleanser. Raw celery, carrots, and broccoli are all acceptable choices. When it comes to pairings, you want sweet things to counter the salty meats. Olives and grapes are great options for both their size and sweetness. Last, choose a jam to include on your charcuterie platter. This is used for spreading on the bread or dipping vegetables and should be sweet.

Plan Your Placements and Place According to Plan
The arraignment of an Italian charcuterie platter is important. One of the things taught at a professional cooking school like Culinary Lab School is how to make eating an experience that goes beyond taste. Home cooks and professionals understand that they want the eater to eat with their eyes as much as their taste buds.
Before you place one piece of food, plan out exactly where you want each piece to go. Work towards a bigger picture with each placement, much like an edible jigsaw puzzle.
Now you’re ready to put what you learned to the test. Get your ingredients. Plan your platter. Make an Italian charcuterie or antipasto platter that rivals the best Italian home cooks.

Creating and Italian Charcuterie or Antipasto Platter is an article from Scordo.com - Italian Food Recipes and Lifestyle - Italian Food Recipes

Like most Italian cocktails or aperitifs there’s a great story behind The Bicicletta, or Bicycle, cocktail.  Legend has it that The aperitif was named after the elderly men who swerved all over the road while riding home after a few afternoon drinks at the café. The story sounds about right and remind us of how Count Negroni invented the popular Italian cocktail after requesting something slightly stronger that his regular Campari and Red Vermouth.  The Bicicletta is essentially a modified Aperol Spritz minus the Aperol and Prosecco.

The Bicicletta is great as an aperitivo because the alcohol level is relatively low.  I especially like aperitivos like the April Spritz, Americano, or Campari and Soda during the summer months (with plenty of ice to cool me down).  In fact, why not find a copy of Vittorio De Sica’s neo-realistic classic Ladri di Biciclette (The Bicycle Thief) and whip up a cocktail while you watch!

Bicicletta

 

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Bicicletta cocktail

Cook: Vincent Scordo - Scordo.com

Recipe type: Cocktail

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• Two ounces Campari
• Two ounces dry Italian white wine
• soda water
• Orange slice

Process

1. In a wine glass, add Campari and wine
2. Add ice and pour soda.
3. Stir and add a slice of orange
4. Enjoy your Bicicletta

Notes

Bicicletta

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Bicicletta is an article from Scordo.com - Italian Food Recipes and Lifestyle - Italian Food Recipes

Introducing Scordo Cooks: 20 Easy Pasta Recipes eBook !

We’re pleased to announce the launch of our first eRecipe collection – Scordo Cooks: 20 Easy Pasta Recipes eBook.  For the first time, we’re bringing together our top pasta recipes in one easy to use format that can be viewed on your desktop, laptop tablet, or mobile device. The goal for our “Scordo Cooks” Recipe eBooks series is to select our easiest, most popular, dishes along side fail proof instructions and tips.  Our 20 Easy Pasta Recipes eBook features:

Authentic Pasta

Uniquely developed recipes that are easy to prepare and direct from our Italian kitchen

Get the Basics Right

Includes pasta cooking tips and advice – along with our basic tomato and pesto sauce, homemade pasta dough, and stuffed pastas (ravioli, lasagna, cannelloni, etc.)

Elegant and Easy Recipes

Easy to follow instructions and ingredient list which can be printed or easily followed on your mobile or tablet device – often with only 5-7 ingredients

Versatile Dishes

Ideal for weekday meals or elegant dinner parties

PLUS! Keep Scordo Cooks: 20 Easy Pasta Recipes eBook everywhere. Save on your computer and mobile devices

Like a sneak peek inside? Here are a few sample pages of our eBook, including the table of contents.

Scordo Cooks: 20 Easy Pasta Recipes eBook is an article from Scordo.com - Italian Food Recipes and Lifestyle - Italian Food Recipes

Pasta all’Amatriciana Recipe

Given the recent earthquake centered in and around the town and comunes of Amatrice in the province of Rieti, in northern Lazio, we thought we’d post our recipe for Pasta all’Amatriciana which is referred to as Sugo all’amatriciana or alla matriciana.

This traditional Italian pasta sauce is made everywhere in the Lazio region near Roma and is based on guanciale (or cured pork cheek – here’s our recipe for Homemade quanciale), dried or fresh red peppers, pecorino cheese, and tomatoes.  The quanciale in the dish adds a wonderful depth of flavor, though if you can’t find it then pancetta makes a good substitute (which is readily available in most supermarkets these days).

Pasta all'Amatriciana

 

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Prep time

45 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

 

Bucatini All'Amatriciana

Cook: Vincent Scordo - Scordo.com

Recipe type: Pasta

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• About a ¼ - ½ cup of ½-inch strips of quanciale
• 1 cayenne pepper, chopped roughly.
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 bottle of passato
• Lots of fresh ground black pepper
• Grated Pecorino Romano
• Kosher Salt
• Fresh Basil
• 1 pound of bucatini or spaghetti

Process

1. In a large pan, saute the guanciale and red pepper - you are looking to render the fat from the guanciale (this will take 5 - 7 minutes). Add the white wine and reduce the sauce - this will take about 5 minutes.. Add the passato and simmer for 40 minutes,
2. Bring the cooked pasta to the pan with the sauce and combine. Add freshly cracked pepper, cheese (to taste), a dash of very good extra virgin olive oil, and basil.

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Pasta all’Amatriciana is an article from Scordo.com - Italian Food Recipes and Lifestyle - Italian Food Recipes

Head to any barbecue (or grigliata / cookout) in Italy and you’ll most likely encounter cooks utilizing extra virgin olive oil, a strong open flame, salt, protein, and lots of rosemary – this is Italian style grilling with no heavy barbecue sauces obscuring the high quality meat or fish)!   One of our favorite foods to grill is wild shrimp (preferably fully intact because they stay more flavorful) and our simple recipe includes parsley, rosemary, Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and extra virgin olive oil.  The best method to prepare your grilled shrimp with rosemary is to skewer the large shrimp or prawns with pieces of rosemary sprig; this way you’re sure to infuse the shrimp with a woody flavor without overwhelming the shrimp with rosemary flavor.  We also recommend preparing a wood fire, if possible (one key “ingredient” is the smokey / woody flavor profile and that’s tough to achieve with a gas grill though you can see in the above picture we do use a gas grill for convenience here in the States).

Good Grilling = Simplicity + Great Ingredients

Finally, remember with Italian grilling simplicity is key; start with great meat or fish and include an herb or two, plenty of extra virgin olive, and salt.  Wine is also essential as is sucking all that goodness out of the shrimp heads!

Grilled Shrimp with Rosemary

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Grilled Shrimp with Rosemary

Cook: Vincent Scordo - Scordo.com

Recipe type: Fish

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Rosemary branches, 8 inches long (and if possible soaked overnight in water)
• 15-20 large wild shrimp or prawns (keep shells on)
• Parsley fined diced

Process

1. Heat up a large grill.
2. In a large bowl combine oil, salt, pepper, and diced parsley.
3. Add shrimp and mix with hands.
4. Skewer shrimp with rosemary branches. Grill each side for 4-5 minutes on high with grill with lid closed (add a few minutes to each side during the grilling process if your shrimp or prawns are very large).

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Grilled Shrimp with Rosemary is an article from Scordo.com - Italian Food Recipes and Lifestyle - Italian Food Recipes

We love trying new Italian food products and one thing we’ve come to realize is that the more simple the product the better tasting it tends to be (especially if the ingredients are world class).  Recently, we had the opportunity to try a Sicilian Pistachio Spread with Extra Virgin Olive Oil made by Il Cole Del Gusto in Lazio and it blew our collective minds.   The Pistachio Spread is made from a Sicilian Pistachio blend and contains just the right amount of high quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The end product is a silky smooth spread with great texture and a distinct, nutty, flavor.

We’ve been enjoying the Sicilian Pistachio Spread on morning toast w/ coffee, drizzled over Greek yogurt and fruit, and have even made a variation on hummus (omitting the tahini paste for the pistachio spread).  Sadly, most of the pistachios consumed in Italy today are grown in the Middle East however in eastern Sicily there are areas around Mount Etna and in the Bronte where pistachios are still grown (and used mostly in pastries or in pistachio ice cream).  Pistachios are a very good source of protein, fat, fiber, and vitamin B6 and can be eaten dried or toasted.

You can find Sicilian Pistachio Spread with Extra Virgin Olive Oil at the excellent online Italian food shop, Olio2Go.

Sicilian Pistachio Spread with Extra Virgin Olive Oil is an article from Scordo.com - Italian Food Recipes and Lifestyle - Italian Food Recipes

Calabrese Mustard Greens

Mustard greens are one of the most nutritious green-leafy vegetables on the planet and have more vitamin A, carotenes, vitamin K, and flavonoid anti-oxidants than many generic or everyday fruits and vegetables.  Like many of the greens we prepare our mustard green recipe includes extra virgin olive, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes.  We also quickly blanch the vegetable before sauteing in the oil, garlic and red pepper flakes.

However, there are two secret ingredients that transforms this humble vegetable recipe; that is, we add a bit of red wine vinegar and sauteed red onion, which contrasts nicely with the bitter properties of the vegetable.  Finally, when buying any vegetable look for leaves with a deep green color and avoid mustard greens that are yellow in color or do not appear crisp (that is, are wilting). Mustard greens are in season from January through April.

Mustard Greens

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Mustard Greens

Cook: Vincent Scordo - Scordo.com

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of fresh mustard green
• ½ red onion thinly sliced
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes
• 3-4 garlic cloves finely minced
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1-2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar

Process

1. Clean the greens very well with lots of cold running water - submerge and rinse (repeat 3x). Remove stems and cut into 1-1.5 inch strips.
2. In a large pot, add a bit of water and add greens (you may need to do this batches). Season with salt and pepper and cook for 3-5 minutes. Remove greens and water to a bowl. In the some pot, add oil and onions (and salt and pepper) and cook until onions are tender and a bit caramelized - about 8-10 minutes.
3. Next, add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 3-5 minutes. Bring greens to the pot and heat through and add red wine vinegar. Cook for another 3-5 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

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Mustard Greens is an article from Scordo.com - Italian Food Recipes and Lifestyle - Italian Food Recipes

Gnocchi with Pesto and Canned Italian Tuna

When researching our recipe for Gnocchi with pesto and canned Italian tuna we kept seeing recipes that focused on baking the ingredients and our immediate reply was why would you bake your Gnocchi with pesto and tuna dish?  Our dish focuses on high quality Italian tuna packed in olive oil and homemade pesto and our view is that adding unnecessary heat to these two ingredients will degrade the flavor of the pasta dish.

Assembling the Gnocchi with Pesto and Tuna is fairly straightforward and we recommend either making a fresh batch of gnocchi from scratch (see our recipe) or buying a high quality version from your local Italian market.  Next, whip up a batch of fresh pesto (again see our recipe).  You could of course find plenty of already prepared pesto sauces but like bottled tomato sauce why not make a better product yourself?  The next step includes buying a can or two of high quality tuna packed in olive oil (we like As Do Mar or Flott).  In a large bowl combine the flaked tuna (with all of olive oil contained in the can) with the room temperature pesto sauce.  Add your cooked gnocchi and combine gently.  At this point, add a healthy amount of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and some fresh extra virgin olive oil.  Add Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, if necessary.

Gnocchi with Pesto and Canned Italian Tuna

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Gnocchi with Pesto and Canned Italian Tuna

Cook: Vincent Scordo - Scordo.com

Recipe type: pasa

Ingredients

• 1 pound of gnocchi
• 1-2 cans of high quality tuna oil packed in olive oil
• 1 -2 cups of fresh pesto sauce (experiment with the amount of sauce depending on which ingredient you want to stand out - tuna or pesto)
• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste
• Extra olive oil when combining the ingredients

Process

1. In a large bowl combine the ingredients gently. Add cheese at the end and mix gently one more time. No heating or baking required.

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Gnocchi with Pesto and Canned Italian Tuna is an article from Scordo.com - Italian Food Recipes and Lifestyle - Italian Food Recipes

Recently I was going over a recipe with an Uncle interested in food and especially anchovy sauce and when I reached for a bunch of clipped recipes from the NY Times Food section he thought I was crazy for being so “old school”  We can debate endlessly about how one ought to save recipes (digitally or with a good scissor), one thing that’s not in question is the universal appeal of the following anchovy sauce recipe derived from Julia Moskin’s Almond Herb Sauce (via the NY Times Cooking section).  Our version omits the numerous herbs and ups the anchovy count while adding lemon juice in addition to vinegar.  The end result is a sauce that can top roasted vegetables or a grilled piece of red meat, pork, lamb, or a robust fish.  An especially good way to use the anchovy sauce is drizzled over mozzarella in carrozza (or as a dipping sauce with mozzarella sticks or grilled cheese).

We find the trick to good anchovy cauce is to use a mortar and pestle to establish the right consistency and nicely blend the ingredients. The sauce stores for 3-5 days in the fridge and even works spread on a nicely toasted piece of bread as a light appetizer with a Negroni before dinner.

Anchovy Sauce

 

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Cook time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Universal anchovy sauce

Cook: Vincent Scordo - Scordo.com

Recipe type: Sauce

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup pan toasted slivered almonds
• 10-12 anchovy fillets (in olive oil with salt and no other ingredients)
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for basting
• 1 teaspoons wine vinegar (white or red), more to taste
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• ½ cup coarsely chopped parsley
• ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes(optional)
• Salt and ground black pepper

Process

1. Start by adding the toasted almond slivers to your mortar and pestle. Blend the almonds to a breadcrumb like consistency and set aside. Next, add the anchovies, lemon juice, and vinegar and combine well. Add the mixture to the almonds and set aside. Add the garlic, salt, black pepper and combine in the mortar and pestle.
2. Add the olive oil and finely chopped parsley and stir well. Add back the almonds, anchovies, lemon juice, and vinegar back to the mortar and blend until smooth (you want the mixture to flow but not to be too liquid like). Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.

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Anchovy Sauce is an article from Scordo.com - Italian Food Recipes and Lifestyle - Italian Food Recipes

Basic Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

A good, easy to make, basic whole wheat bread recipe should be in every home baker’s arsenal.  Our version of a Basic Whole Wheat Bread recipe is adopted from the classic cookbook, Beard on Bread Book (who acquired his recipe from Myrtle Allen, owner of Ballymaloe House, a country-house hotel near Cork, Ireland).  We like this recipe because it doesn’t require long rise times and, more importantly, is a no knead bread.  We did swap the molasses for a high quality wild honey and the end result was more pleasing, in our view.  The other modificaton we suggest is cutting the recommended salt amount to 1/2 tablespoon.

A nice way to enjoy the bread is with good quality butter and jam or toasted with a hearty tuna or chicken salad.  Enjoy the recipe and be sure to check out some of our other Scordo.com bread recipes, if you fancy yourself an expert baker!

Ingredients:

• 3 3/4 cups whole wheat flour, preferably stone-ground (available in health food stores)
• 1 1/2 packages yeast
• 2 cups hot water (105°-110°)
• 2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses or wild honey
• 1/2 tablespoon salt

Process:

Put flour in a large mixing bowl and place in a warm oven. Both flour and bowl should be warm when you make the bread. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of the hot water and allow it to proof. Stir molasses into the other 1/2 cup of hot water. Combine flour, proofed yeast, molasses, and salt in a bowl. Add enough hot water (about 1 cup or more) to make a wet, sticky dough. Put directly into a buttered 9 x 5 x 3-inch bread tin and allow to rise by one-third its original size. Preheat oven to 450°F. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Turn off the oven. Remove from the pan and leave on the rack in the turned-off oven for 20 minutes more to give a crustier exterior.

Basic Whole Wheat Bread Recipe is an article from Scordo.com - Italian Food Recipes and Lifestyle - Italian Food Recipes