Is it annoying to love Charcuterie?

As a kid I would go to family gatherings and know there was one thing I could expect: antipasto. It was maybe my favorite thing, consisting of salami, cheese, various marinated vegetables, and crackers. It wasn’t arranged on a beautiful board; piles of each item were on a smattering of plates and we helped ourselves.

Italian antipasto is essentially the same thing as the french charcuterie, which has become a trend on social media. But trends aside, it’s a delicious pre-meal snacking situation that could also be deemed lunch. I don’t make a board often, because all the meats and cheeses are expensive and the marinated vegetables require thinking ahead to prepare. But it’s become tradition for me to make one every year on Thanksgiving, as the thing we eat before all the turkey and stuffing and other sides. It’s filling enough but not too much where you’ve spoiled your appetite for the big Thanksgiving meal that’s coming in a few hours. If you’ve never had an answer for what the hell do you eat for breakfast/lunch on Thanksgiving, this could be it.

While I love going all out for my Thanksgiving boards, it can also be scaled down to a more realistic size for a weeknight addition to dinner or a weekend lunch. One kind of cheese is perfect, meats are not necessary, any random fruit lying around is good, crackers in the back of your pantry will do, and canned vegetables like olives and artichoke hearts take little time to prepare.

I don’t take the visual arrangement of it all too seriously – the eatability is more important to me. The only tip I have to make them visually pleasing is to evenly disburse each item, so no matter where you’re sitting around the table, you can access all of them. This also creates asymmetry on the board which is good here. Don’t pile all the grapes in one corner, scatter them around the board. If you cut an apple and place a few slices on one corner, add a few to the opposite corner. If using more than one cheese, you can pile them together by type, but scatter the piles around the board. The crackers can be your base and spiral around everything else.

Whether I’m planning my Thanksgiving board or thinking of one on the spot, I break it down into categories for which several options can fill: meats, cheeses, fruits, marinated veggies, jams or spreads, and crackers or toasts.

Cured meat
Salami is my favorite, but there are countless options. Try ham, pepperoni, spicy salami, or prosciutto.

Cheese
Literally anything you want. I like provolone, gouda, asiago, mozzarella, cheddar.

Fruit
I almost always have apples in my kitchen, and they work great on a board. Pears and grapes are my other favorites.

Marinated / pickled things
Artichokes, red peppers, mushrooms, and olives are the four I make when I’m going all out for Thanksgiving. I doctor up a can of plain artichoke hearts with vinegar and chopped parsley. I roast red peppers and toss them with vinegar, olive oil, and spices. Marinated mushrooms are extremely underrated here but so good. A humble can of plain green olives are also essential for me.

Smear
Fig jam is my go to, but apricot is also a favorite. I think strawberry, grape, and blueberry are too assertive and sweet here, but would do just fine.

Bread
I use any kind of crackers or bread sticks, but small toasts are also great and can make this more of a filling meal.

The marinated peppers and mushrooms are the only items that you actually have to make, and it also helps that they enjoy a 24 hour nap in the fridge. They’re bright and tangy, the perfect accompaniment to creamy cheese and savory meats.

Marinated peppers are simple: roast red bell peppers in the oven under the broiler until black, then place in a bowl and cover until they’re cool enough to handle. Peel the skin off and slice into strips. Toss with olive oil, vinegar, dried spices, parsley, and chopped capers.

The mushrooms are one of my favorites not just for charcuterie but as a staple in my fridge during the summer, for snacking or in salads. In depth post on those to come.