Holiday Antipasto Wreath - A fun and festive Christmas or New Year's Eve appetizer recipe idea that's so FAST and EASY to make! Skewered salami, mozzarella, tomatoes, olives, fresh herbs, and more come together to form the wreath. Mix-and-match the ingredients based on your favorites - make sure to see the blog post for ideas! You can prep it ahead of your party or event and when your guests see this, I guarantee everyone's eyes will light up!Note that the recipe feeds about 10 people as written, provided that each person consumes 2 skewers. You can size the recipe up or down to meet your needs. You'll also need about 20 skewers, 4 to 5 inches in length.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Total Time20 minutesmins
Course: Christmas
Cuisine: Appetizers
Servings: 10
Calories: 311kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
20green olivespitted (or pitted and stuffed)
40sliceshard salami
20cherry or grape tomatoes
20fresh mozzarella pearls or ballsor ciliegine
20black olivessuch as Kalmatta, pitted or pitted and stuffed
Balsamic glazeas desired
Fresh rosemary Sprigsoptional for garnishing; as desired
Fresh thyme sprigsoptional for garnishing, as desired
Fresh basiloptional for garnishing, as desired
Instructions
To each skewer, I add a green olive, fold the salami in half and then in half again and skewer it, add a tomato, mozzarella pearl, black olive, another piece of folded salami; and repeat. Tips - For the skewers, I use these decorative bamboo skewers, although you can use something less decorative, or even plastic, but you'll want them to be disposable. You can add the food in any arrangement or pattern. You don't have to make all the skewers exactly identical. I find it's helpful to have some meatless, some without olives, and some with extra cheese, etc. Jump to Step 3 if you're not making this ahead of time for an event or party.
Make Ahead - If you're assembling the skewers ahead of time, you can stop now, place them in large ziptop plastic bags or large airtight storage containers, seal, and refrigerate for up to 12-18 hours. Take them out and carry on with Step 3 before your event or party begins.
Arrange a layer of skewers into a circle on your serving platter, tray, or cutting board.
Arrange a second layer on top of the first layer, loosely placing them and arranging as desired.
Tuck in the fresh herbs for garnishing, as desired around the wreath.
Before serving, evenly drizzle with balsamic glaze* (and/or olive oil) and serve with crackers, toasted bread, baguette slices, or your favorite carbs for charcuterie.
This recipe is best consumed after assembly and after it sits out for an event or party. Although if you have extra skewers, they'll keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5-7 days, provided they weren't super saturated with balsamic glaze or olive oil.
Notes
Balsamic glaze is not the same as balsamic vinegar and I don't recommend using balsamic vinegar because it's thin and bitter compared to balsamic glaze which is thicker, sweetened, and delightful. You can make your own balsamic glaze. If you have a Trader Joe's, their Balsamic Glaze is a staple in my kitchen. Or you another trusted balsamic glaze.