Party-Size - Giardiniera/Antipasto

TOOLBELT DIVA's Note:

A tasty, make-ahead antipasto, which will please your guests, and deviates from the usual "chips-and-dips", appetizers. Served with pumpernickle cocktail rounds, sliced baguette, pita rounds or several differently shaped crackers, your guests will feel comfortable enjoying this vitamin-rich natural, delight. No left-overs guaranteed. Prep. time does not include refrigeration time to allow ingredients to "season". Can be made today for tomorrow's party.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

• 1 bunch asparagus (spears not too thick)
• 2 medium fresh carrots
• 3 fresh roma tomatoes , skinned
• 3 medium fresh zucchini
• 3 -4 cauliflower florets
• 3 -4 broccoli florets
• 3 stalks celery
• 3 -4 green onions , complete with stems
• 6 -8 medium fresh white mushrooms
• 6 -8 pitted black olives
• 6 -8 pitted green olives
• 1 fresh green bell pepper
• 1 fresh sweet red pepper
• 1 fresh orange sweet bell pepper
• 1 fresh yellow sweet pepper
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon masala curry powder
• 1 tablespoon Splenda sugar substitute
• 1 tablespoon sesame seed
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat Oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Put all of the Fresh Peppers in a shallow oven pan and roast, turning frequently to allow all sides to cook.
3. Continue roasting until the skin blisters and begins to peel away from the peppers.
4. This is the only time you will use your oven.
5. Remove Roasted Peppers, open up, clean out the seed pod and stem, and discard.
6. Peel the peppers, chop and place in a large bowl.
7. In a separate bowl, whisk together, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, Splenda, curry powder and set aside.
8. Cut about one inch off the bottoms of the asparagus spears and discard.
9. Steam cook the asparagus spears.
10. Do not overcook.
11. Fine-chop asparagus and place in bowl with the peppers.
12. Skin the Roma tomatoes, by dipping in very hot water for a few minutes.
13. The skin will slide off easily.
14. In your Food Processor, add the following in order, carrots, cauliflower, broccholi, zucchini, garlic, all the olives, mushrooms and tomatoes.
15. Pulse-chop, in reasonable quantities and pieces at one time, through the feed tube.
16. It will take several processes to complete the chopping.
17. Hand-chop green onions, and celery spears.
18. Add to the bowl with asparagus and roasted peppers.
19. Next, add the whisked ingredients to the bowl; salt and pepper to taste, and mix well.
20. Cover and set in refrigerator to"season".
21. When ready to serve to your party guests, give the mixture an additional turn with a large spoon.
22. Set out in separate bowls suitable for dipping, one cup portions at a time.
23. Sprinkle each serving with Sesame Seeds and mix carefully to blend.
24. Serve on separate trays with several kinds of your favourite cocktail crackers for dipping.
25. Also goes well with baked tortilla chips, and small pita rounds.

Reviews

[evelyn/athens]

I was a bit daunted at first by the list of ingredients, but I was expecting company last weekend and decided to make this. Fantastic! Enjoyed by all and nothing but good things were said. I upped the garlic to 2 teaspoons cause we're garlic fiends but everything else was the same. Very good recipe.