North End Italian Cookbook Antipasta Salad

Why The North End Italian Cookbook?

My wife just got back from visiting her mother, Nonni. She brought back a cook book. My wife's family is Italian. So is the cookbook. As it turns out, this is a well know cookbook. You can still find it on Amazon . It's author Marguerite DiMino Buonopane is well known for her recipes. They are authentic Italian Cuisine. Use any of the links above to read about her.  I like Italian food. I especially like Nonni's Italian food. So I thought I'd make every dish in this cookbook.

Changes In Recipes

I don't always have thinly sliced Genoa salami. Sometimes I just have plain old salami. And even other times I have honey ham.  I'm also a gardener. So I usually have fresh grown grape tomatoes available.  I don't want to get bent out of shape because I don't have an ingredient.  So what I'll do during this process is substitute.  I maybe use beef when something calls for veal.  I may use fresh tabasco peppers rather than tabasco sauce. Forgive me if you ever read this Margauerite. I wasn't trying to improve your recipe.  I was just trying to do the same thing you did.  Cook some food using what I had on hand, and that people would enjoy.  The Antipasto Salad Platter on page one seemed like a good place to start.

Tabbouleh Recipe

Ok. I'll admit it. The first time my daughter told me she had made this I thought "Great. Good luck gettin' my big butt to eat it."  I mean, it's grainy, it's got vegetables in it, and there ain't even one small shred of meat it in.  What the heck would I want that for?  At the time, it was hard enough for me to even consider chokin' down any kind of grain based oatmeal/grits wannabee substitute.  I'd already been talked into 'Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty Grainy Sawdust Cereal' stuff. What were the odds of me liking something like this? Well, it turns out I was wrong. Very wrong. This stuff is right  up there with hummus, babagaloush, and salsa.  Once you try it, you'll make it again. Promise