2 lbs assorted antipasto vegetables (kalamata olives, green olives, artichoke hearts, and roasted red peppers – everything drained)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
8 cloves garlic, crushed
9 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
4 bay leaves
- Toss everything together in a large bowl and cover
- You can serve this immediately, but it’s best marinated for at least a few hours or overnight (in the fridge)
- As it marinates, be sure to toss every once in a while
- Before serving, remove the bay leaves (and thyme sprigs if using)
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SIDE NOTES:
~ We like this salad over salami and provolone cheese (I’m able to get organic, uncured salami at my local health-food store). If you’d like to do bread with this, a good, crusty loaf of semolina will do the trick.
~ Antipasto is a regular part of our family celebrations (Christmas, for sure) – served as an appetizer. We used to simply lay everything out dry – in a pretty configuration on a large, oval platter – and each person drizzled as much oil and vinegar over their portion as they wanted…very simple, very good! But several years ago, my mom started marinating the vegetables overnight, and we think it’s pretty amazing (thanks Mom!) 🙂
~ Of course, the ratios don’t have to be exact, but to give you an idea of what it takes to get to 2 lbs — I use one 7-oz jar of kalamata olives, one 12.9-oz jar of green olives (stuffed with feta cheese!), one 14.5-oz jar of artichokes, and one 16.2-oz jar of roasted red peppers.
Enjoy! 🙂
