Sometime in 1971 I met a person
named Jerry (and I therefore 'named' the recipe after him). We subsequently
became fast friends. Early one afternoon he telephoned and stated "do
not prepare dinner as I am going to do so, and invite several of your
friends"
He emptied groceries and a prepared
dinner from the trunk of his car into my kitchen. Part of the groceries
involved the ingredients of an antipasto. He prepared same while I took
notes. I have made this recipe many times since, varying the amount
of ingredients of the "Sauce." I put so much Romano Cheese
into it one time I could barely stir the mixture - but my guests loved
it! Actually, by making the sauce thicker with the Romano it is easier
to serve and/or mix. (I strongly suggest making a double recipe for
the sauce). The grated onion really makes a difference - which has to
be experimented with until it suits your individual taste. Powdered
Garlic vice chopped/mashed is also an option.
It is difficult to measure individual
quantity of ingredients in this recipe since it is so easy for an individual
to personalize it
ANTIPASTO
(Jerry's)
- Lettuce: Chopped. 1 Medium Head
for two large platters. (Best when mixing two or three varieties of
lettuce)
- Celery: Chopped. Toss lettuce &
celery together to form a base in a deep platter
- Tomatoes: Can be sliced 'in the
round' & spread evenly without overlapping, or cut chunk style &
spread as desired.
- Salami (Molinari); Can be sliced
'in the round' and placed on round-sliced tomatoes without overlapping,
or cut in thin slices & scattered as desired
- **Red Roasted Peppers (Mancini
or Progresso); 7-oz jar per large platter is more than sufficient. Can
be cut into smaller pieces when removed from jar or can. Reserve Tablespoon
of juice.
- Pepperoncini (Star); (Whole Green
Peppers in Wine Vinegar). Remove top part with stem and discard. Can
either slice open one side to remove seeds & then thinly slice to
place on platter, or dice, with seeds, & scatter on platter. (11-oz
jar for two large platters)
- **Capers (Progresso); Scatter over
platter. 3-oz jar for two large platters.
- Anchovy Filets: Scattered over
platter, to taste.
- **Olives (Bertoli); Both black
& Spanish green, pitted, stuffed or unstuffed. Reserve Tablespoon
of juice.
- Provolone Cheese; Italian imported,
or domestic. Slivered or chunk style
- Mushrooms; Large whole caps, halved
or quartered. Sauté in mixture of melted butter, Olive Oil, Grated
Onions & powdered Garlic. When sautéed place in jar or bottle
containing the #Sauce for only a few minutes, extract, then place throughout
on the platter.
- Parsley: (Garnish) Fresh, chopped,
& sprinkled over the platter.
SAUCE:
Use a large empty glass jar for mixing.
- 1 (or to taste) level tablespoon
juice from jars of above items marked with a double asterisk (Peppers,
Capers & Olives)
- 4-oz Olive Oil (Bertolli)
- 1-oz Red Wine vinegar
- 2 packages Italian Seasoning (=93Good
Seasons=94)
- Romano Cheese, grated (to taste)
- Onion, Grated (to taste)
- Black Pepper, freshly ground
Sauce may be poured/sprinkled over
entire platter, but much better when served in a bowl and placed on
the table for use according to individual taste. The Provolone Cheese
may also be similarly served.
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