Make this Antipasto Christmas Wreath for an easy but impressive holiday appetizer this season. This wreath is an easy way to make a Christmas party centrepiece using a few fresh ingredients and done in about 30 minutes.
Friends, we’ve passed the mid way mark in November and it’s truly time to think about the month ahead and what you’d like to serve for get togethers of all kinds. Christmas appetizers are always fun to make and they always look pretty on a table setting. Did you get a chance to check out the Cranberry and Pistachio Goat Cheese Ball from last week? That’s a great make ahead appetizer as well.
Christmas Eve this year, we’ll be having a few friends over for afternoon appetizers and I already know that I’ll be making this wreath, Mulled Wine, Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tarts, Italian Stuffed Mushrooms and a few more favourites.
What’s This antipasto Platter Like
- Easy to make – This wreath comes together quickly and there is no cooking required.
- Pretty and festive – Using green, red and white for this platter makes is really christmassy and it would look beautiful on any holiday table this season.
- Taste – The combination of tomatoes, basil, olives and chorizo go so well together. They are the perfect bite.
Ingredients
- Small tomatoes – I used cherry/grape tomatoes for these little cocktail appetizers.
- Olives – I went with marinaded green olives for these antipasto sticks.
- Cheese – Mozzarella pearls are perfect for these bite sized appetizers.
- Cured meat – I used Spanish chorizo for a bit of an addition of a strong flavour.
- Fresh herbs – I decided on fresh basil leaves for the sticks and the I used fresh rosemary sprigs to decorate the platter.
REMEMBER, The full recipe and instructions can be found at the end of the post in the recipe card.
Instructions
- Assemble sticks – Have ready 20 bamboo cocktail sticks. Skewer in order a cherry tomato, basil leaf, green olive, chorizo slice and mozzarella pearl. Repeat for all ingredients.
- Arrange rosemary – Arrange rosemary sprigs around the outside edges of the platter that you are using.
- Make the wreath – Arrange the antipasto sticks around the outside of the platter with the top of the skewer facing the edge of the platter/plate. Continue until you have formed a full circle.
- Add finishing touches – Add or move rosemary sprigs to create a wreath look.
- Add seasonings – Drizzle over olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle over sea salt and serve.
Recipe Tips
- Use correct sized platter/plate – to create the wreath effect you need to make sure you have the right sized plate for the amount of cocktail sticks. I used a 10 inch/25 cm diameter board and have 20 cocktail sticks.
- Choose pretty cocktail sticks – I used basic bamboo cocktail sticks with a curled end. These worked really nice for the recipe.
- Make ahead – You can prepare the cocktail sticks in the morning. Store then in an airtight container and assemble before serving. You can prepare the wreath a few hours before serving.
Substitutions
- Cherry/grape tomatoes – I feel these little tomatoes are essential to making this platter really pop and give it the festive feel. Larger tomatoes wouldn’t work, but you could use small Heirloom tomatoes.
- Olives – I used marinaded green olives that are pitted. The olives must be pitted. You could use any kind of olives you prefer like Kalamata olives, stuffed olives or any other kind.
- Cured meat – I used spiced chorizo. Alternatively, you could use pepperoni, salami, cured Spanish ham or prosciutto.
- Cheese – The mozzarella pearls were the perfect size for this recipe. You could alternatively use any kind of semi hard cheese like Gouda, Havarti or even Cheddar. Just cut them into cubes.
- Fresh herbs – A small basil leaf worked really well on each skewer. You could omit this all together if you find the flavour too strong or it isn’t available at your supermarket. I feel the rosemary sprigs are essential in creating the wreath effect.
How to Serve This Wreath appetizer
Serve this as part of a bigger buffet spread if you’re entertaining this holiday season. Alternatively, you could make it as a holiday appetizer to serve before a bigger meal. And it transports well, so you could even bring it to a potluck party.
Frequently Asked Questions
Antipasto is a traditional first course to an Italian dinner. It’s generally made of up small bite sized portions that you pick up with your hands and everyone serves themselves.
Antipasto can consist of many different thing. A few of the more common antipasto foods would be olives, cheese, dried fruits, grapes, crackers. cured meats, pickled vegetables and sardines are just a few examples.
Antipasto Christmas Wreath
Ingredients
- 20 cherry tomatoes
- 20 green olives
- 100 grams mozzarella cheese
- 20 slices chorizo
- Basil leaves
- Rosemary sprigs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Have ready 20 bamboo cocktail sticks. Skewer in order a cherry tomato, basil leaf, green olive, chorizo slice and mozzarella pearl. Repeat for all ingredients.
- Arrange rosemary sprigs around the outside edges of the platter that you are using.
- Arrange the antipasto sticks around the outside of the platter with the top of the skewer facing the edge of the platter/plate. Continue until you have formed a full circle.
- Add or move rosemary sprigs to create a wreath look.
- Drizzle over olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle over sea salt and serve.
*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Thanks For Stopping by & Hope To See you Soon!
