Sharing platters are perfect for easy summer entertaining.
Generously fill a large wooden board or slate with lots of yummy delicacies and serve family style in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves.
This Italian one never fails to deliver. Bath in the gasps of sheer delight from your guests as you place this glorious beauty in front of them. Then see it being devoured with gusto in front of your very eyes.
This platter combines some of my favourite things: rosemary and garlic marinated steak tagliata, basil and balsamic roast cherry tomatoes, juicy peaches wrapped in prosciutto, oozing burrata cheese and refreshing heritage tomatoes drizzled with the best extra virgin olive oil.
Everything can be pre-prepared, so all you have to do is assemble and serve.
Perfetto!
THE RECIPES
The serving sizes of these recipes are for a starter for 6-7 people as part of a sharing platter, or for 4 people as a generous lunch.
Steak Tagliata (GF LC RSF DF)
This is glorious served by itself as a starter for 4 or a main course for 2-3 on a bed of rocket with some roasted cherry tomatoes and aged Parmesan shavings.
Ingredients
3 good steaks, about 450-500 gr in total
S&P
1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter for frying, unless you are grilling
For the marinade:
2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 red onion or large banana shallot, cut into 8 wedges
3-4 cloves of garlic, or 4-5 cloves of confit garlic with a few tbsp of the confit garlic oil, roughly crushed
150 ml olive oil
2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp whole black peppercorns, slightly crushed with the back of a knife
Method
Mix together the marinade ingredients and pour into a large plastic bag. Add the steaks, seal the bag and massage the steaks in the bag until the steaks are well coated.
Chill in the fridge for anything between 12 and 24 hours. Squish the steaks around once in a while to ensure each stays well coated with all the goodies inside.
Drain the steaks from the marinade, season with S&P and cook to your liking, either in a frying pan or sous vide. You’ll find instructions for both in my steak post.
Rest the steaks for a few minutes before slicing very thinly on the diagonal. Else chill, slice and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
Peaches in Prosciutto (GF DF LC RSF)
This is a lovey twist on the more traditional melon and Parma ham, Serve as a starter all by itself on a bed of rocket or mixed green leaves and a drizzle of olive oil. Top with a little crumbled salty feta or some shavings of aged Parmesan if you wish.
The soft velvety texture of proscuitto works particularly well with peaches, but you could use any dry cured ham you like, such as Parma or black forest ham.
Ingredients
3-4 ripe peaches, cut into 6 or 8 wedges
1 thin slice of prosciutto for each peach wedge, about 100 gr total
1-2 tbsp olive oil if grilling
Method
If your peaches are extremely ripe and juicy, simply wrap each wedge in a slice of prosciutto.
If they are a little under-ripe, heat a grill pan and brush with olive oil. Grill the peaches until slightly charred on both sides. Once cool enough to handle, wrap each wedge in a slice of proscuitto.
Roast Cherry Tomatoes (GF LC DF V Vg RSF)
Ingredients
300 gr cherry tomatoes on the vine
a small handful of fresh basil leaves, shredded or torn into rough julienne strips
2-3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
S&P
Method
Preheat the oven to 190 C.
Place the tomatoes in an oven dish. Season generously, then drizzle over the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Scatter over the basil leaves.
Roast for 20 mins or so, until they start to pop. Don’t bake them too long though, you want them to be soft, but still hold their shape. Set aside.
Assembling the Italian Sharing Platter
You can either serve this with the steak and tomatoes still warm, or everything at room temperature.
You want the platter to look generous and plentiful, brimming with goodies . So don’t be stingy when you fill your board.
Ingredients
1 portion steak tagliata
1 portion peaches in proscuitto
1 portion roast cherry tomatoes and their juices
3 balls of burrata, about 100 gr each or a good buffalo mozzarella or 2
50 gr rocket
20 gr aged Parmesan
400 gr heritage tomatoes, else the best juiciest tomatoes you can get, sliced thinly
2-3 tbsp good extra virgin olive oil
coarse sea salt flakes
Optional for servng: foccacia, ciabatta, crostini or Italian flatbread
Method
Scatter the rocket leaves over a large platter, wooden board or slate.
Make little piles of 4-5 peach wedges haphazardly around the board.
Make little piles of the sliced tomatoes here and there too and season them coarse sea salt flakes. Drizzle a little olive oil over each pile
Place the balls of burrata here and there in between. Either leave them whole as is, or cut a slit into each so they start to ooze a little
Drape the sliced steak in between everything and find room for the roast cherry tomatoes, 4-5 each, still on the vine.
Shave over some aged Parmesan.
Finally, drizzle the juices from the tomatoes over and around, mainly on the steak and the leaves.
Serve to rapturous applause, with some focaccia, ciabbatta or crispy Italian crostini if you must.
