Appetizers
Tomato Bruschetta
Charred bread rubbed hard with raw garlic, doused in olive oil, and piled with tomatoes that have been salted just…
Appetizers · Italian
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Italian appetizer recipes
38 Italian appetizer recipes, in a suggested order.
These are the 38 Italian recipes filed under appetizers: 38 of the 585 appetisers and small plates on the site, and 38 of its 491 Italian recipes. Of these, 13 are ready in 30 minutes or less, start to finish; the quickest are Caprese Salad (10 min), Caprese Skewers (10 min) and Fettunta (10 min). For 16, the method times a wait such as rising, chilling or marinating, and the time at the top of the recipe includes it. By difficulty: 23 easy, 13 medium and 2 hard.
As written, 17 are vegetarian, 10 vegan, 21 gluten-free and 14 dairy-free. Another 4 meet a diet label only with a swap the recipe names, and the recipe says which.
Italian starters and snacks
Appetizers
Caprese Salad
Three ingredients in the colours of the Italian flag, which means there is nowhere to hide. Ripe tomatoes at room…
Appetizers
Sicilian Caponata
Sicilian sweet-and-sour aubergine with celery, olives and capers, finished with vinegar and sugar. Served at room…
Appetizers
Sicilian Arancini
Sicilian rice balls with a molten mozzarella and ragù heart, breadcrumbed and fried until they shatter…
Appetizers
Vitello Tonnato
Cold poached veal under a sauce of tuna, anchovy and capers blended into mayonnaise. It sounds wrong on paper and is…
Appetizers
Antipasto Platter
A platter of cured meats, cheeses, olives, marinated artichokes, roasted peppers and breadsticks, arranged to share.
Appetizers
Antipasto Skewers
Salami, mozzarella balls, olives, artichoke hearts and roasted peppers threaded onto skewers with a drizzle of oil…
Appetizers
Baccalà Mantecato
Salt cod beaten with oil until it turns into a pale, fluffy cream. No potato, no garlic — Venice is firm about both.
Appetizers
Bagna Cauda
A hot bath of anchovy, garlic and oil kept warm at the table for dipping raw vegetables into. Piedmont in November…
Appetizers
Bruschetta al Pomodoro
Slices of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with chopped tomatoes, basil and olive oil, ready in 15 minutes.
Appetizers
Caprese Skewers
Cherry tomatoes, mozzarella bocconcini and basil threaded onto skewers with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Appetizers
Carciofi alla Giudia
Artichokes flattened into a bronze flower and fried twice, from the Roman Jewish ghetto. The outer leaves should…
Appetizers
Carciofi alla Romana
Artichokes braised upside down in oil, water and a great deal of mint until they can be cut with a spoon. Roman…
Appetizers
Carpaccio di Manzo
Raw beef beaten paper-thin under a mustard mayonnaise, rocket and parmesan. Invented at Harry's Bar in Venice for a…
Appetizers
Crostini Toscani
Slices of toasted bread spread with a warm chicken liver pâté seasoned with capers, anchovy and sage, ready in 25…
Appetizers
Crostini with Ricotta
Slices of baguette baked until crisp and topped with whipped ricotta, honey and black pepper.
Appetizers
Farinata
A chickpea flour pancake baked screaming hot in a copper pan until the top blisters. Genoa eats it standing up, with…
Appetizers
Fettunta
Thick slices of country bread toasted, rubbed with raw garlic and soaked in good olive oil with salt.
Appetizers
Fiori di Zucca Fritti
Courgette flowers filled with ricotta and mozzarella, dipped in a thin batter and fried. The batter should be barely…
Appetizers
Fried Calamari
Squid rings and tentacles soaked in milk, dusted in seasoned flour and semolina, and fried briefly until golden and…
Appetizers
Fried Polenta
Cooled polenta cut into fingers or squares and fried until golden and crisp outside, soft inside.
Appetizers
Fritto Misto
Seafood dusted in semolina flour and fried for a minute. The coating is nearly invisible, which is the difference…
Appetizers
Gnocco Fritto
Puffed diamonds of fried dough from Emilia, eaten hot with cured ham and soft cheese, ready in 55 minutes.
Appetizers
Insalata di Mare
Squid, prawns and mussels dressed with nothing but lemon, oil, garlic and parsley. Every element cooked separately…
Appetizers
Involtini di Melanzane
Slices of aubergine baked, rolled around ricotta and basil, and finished in tomato sauce under Parmesan.
Appetizers
Mini Pizzas
Small flatbreads topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni, baked until bubbling.
Appetizers
Mozzarella in Carrozza
Mozzarella sandwiched between slices of white bread, dipped in egg and fried until crisp and golden, in 25 minutes.
Appetizers
Panelle
Chickpea flour cooked into a paste, set flat, cut into squares and fried. Palermo eats them in a bread roll, which…
Appetizers
Prosciutto and Melon
Slices of ripe cantaloupe draped with prosciutto, finished with black pepper, olive oil and mint.
Appetizers
Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
Asparagus spears wrapped in prosciutto, brushed with olive oil and roasted until the ham is crisp.
Appetizers
Roasted Garlic
Whole garlic heads drizzled with oil, wrapped in foil and cooked for 40 minutes until soft, sweet and spreadable…
Appetizers
Sarde in Saor
Fried sardines buried in sweet-sour onions with pine nuts and raisins. Venetian sailors' food, and it needs two days…
Appetizers
Supplì
Roman rice croquettes with a piece of mozzarella at the centre that pulls into a thread when you bite it. Supplì al…
Appetizers
Zucchini Pizza Bites
Roasted zucchini rounds topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella and oregano, then baked until bubbling. Four servings…
Appetizers
Zucchini Roll-Ups
Thin roasted zucchini strips rolled around a ricotta, Parmesan and basil filling and baked in tomato sauce under…
Sauces and gravies 1
Filed under Appetizers but not a starter or snack on its own: sauce or gravy. Filter these.
- Tomato Passata 50 min
Condiments, dressings, rubs and preserves 2
Filed under Appetizers but not a starter or snack on its own: condiment, dressing or rub. Filter these.
- Giardiniera 7 days
- Vegan Pesto 10 min