Unique Serving Platter

Any party or formal function will start well with a tray of hors d’oevres being passed round the room. These delicacies will break the ice and give guests a choice of tasty starters. Italian cuisine embraces this tradition too and antipasto platters, as they are known, are an opportunity to present the best Italian ingredients. They can appeal to meat eaters, vegetarians and those fond of fish. There are several variations, but they all have one thing in common and that is flavor and freshness. Antipasto translates as ‘before the meal’.

Typical ingredients include cheeses, cold cuts, cured meats, vegetables and herbs, such as basil and oregano. Marinades are often used with spices and peppers to add a little heat. Fortunately, Italy has an abundance of tasty meat products and vegetables. Italian cheese is popular all over the world. There are no rules about Antipasto platters, as long as the food complements each other in taste and texture. Good presentation is appreciated and a little bit of color will please the eye.

Dry cured ham, which is not cooked, is a popular ingredient. One of the best varieties is prosciutto and it is often folded round a breadstick, such as grissini. Sometimes, in warm weather, it is placed round slices of melon. Culatello is a type of prosciutto that can be cured with wine. The saltiness of ham combines well with salad in Antipasto platters. Iceberg lettuce is often used for its crispy texture and a cheese, such as provolene goes well with an Italian salad dressing.

There are many versions of antipasto salads. These can be meat free or combined with ham, salami or pepperoni sausage. Any preferred macaroni could be added too. Cheese is often parmesan and mozzarella. Other ingredients are typically olives, cherry tomatoes, basil, garlic, pepper and salad dressing. A more substantial antipasto platter salad could also contain vegetables, such as broccoli florets or chopped cauliflower.

Salami and Italian sausage is often included, accompanied by artichoke hearts, mushrooms, red peppers and olives. Cheese can also be added, such as parmesan, mozzarella and gorgonzola. Antipasto platters can feature skewers. Ingredients are threaded on to the skewers in colorful combinations.

Other common foods include celery, cucumber, carrots and eggplant. Pickling spice is good for marinating and tomato paste can add flavor in the preparation. For fish lovers, tuna is an ideal choice. Food can be prepared in advance and put in the freezer and taken out later for perfect finger food for a party.

Though I am contemplating getting rid of my dining room table, there are many reasons why want to keep it. One of these reasons is that it is a drop leaf table. This means that if I choose to make the table smaller, I only have to do a few simple things to achieve that. Though I usually have a table set up in it’s full form, I can make it smaller if I wish to do so. You will find some of the most expensive dining room tables will not do this and this is something I do not understand.

Perhaps they believe that those who have enough money to spend thousands on a dining room table, you do not need to have a drop leaf table. I guess the reasoning would be is that if you have that much money to spend on a table you certainly have enough space for a full sized dining room table. I’m not really sure if this is the case, but that would be my best guess. I do know that my grandparents had a very nice dining room table and this one was indeed a drop leaf table. It also extended even further for family functions.

There is one thing I learned about a drop leaf table and you should keep an eye on it’s age. The more wear and tear a table has gone through, the more stress that has been put on it. If you have an older drop leaf table, you may find that the hardware that holds the leaves up is not as sturdy and reliable as it used to be. I refrain from putting heavy objects on the sides of my tables, so that I do not put any stress on leaf part of the table. All it will take is one extra heavy load to break off the side of my table for good.

If you have a smaller space, but there are times that you need a larger table, a drop leaf table is probably exactly what you need. You will have to deal with a large table all the time. When you need more room for more people, you should only take you minutes to get a larger table. Many families like to get together for holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, and they often need more space at their table. Many rely on the drop leaf table for this purpose.