Introduction: Antipasti Vegetables - Italian Marinated Vegetables in Oil

here is how you can make italian-style antipasti (appetizer) vegetables. eating them is like a little instant summer-vacation in italy.

it's super easy and foolproof to make, but the result is ever so delicious!
and they are vegan, too.

since they keep for about 2 weeks in the fridge it's also a nice dish to prepare in advance for a summer picknick or garden party.

Step 1: What You Need

- vegetables of your choice (i used eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, carrot, cauliflower and onion)
- olive oil (or olive oil and another oil)
- garlic
- chilli (optional)
- herbs of your choice (for example rosmary, thyme, oregano,....)
- balsamico bianco
- spices of your choice (allspice, peppercorns, bay leaf, ....)
- salt

Step 2: Prepare the Vegetables

preheat the oven to 240 degrees celcius.

wash, prepare & cut the vegetables:
- cut zucchini, eggplant in 1 cm thick slices,
- peel the carrots and cut them into 0,5 cm thick slices
- cut peppers into 1 cm wide strips
- if you use pickling onions just peel them and cut away the stalk, if you use regular onions cut them into 1 cm wide strips, i used shallots this time and cut them into quarters.
- if the mushrooms are small leave them whole, otherwise half or quarter them depending on the size
(i really wanted to put mushrooms inside, normally i do. but i forgot to buy them and when i did this instructable it was sunday and all the stores were closed... but i recommend using them, it's so delicious!)
- cut or break cauliflower into small florets (discard the stem or use otherwise)

you can also use other vegetables (fennel, leek, brokkoli,...), or not all of the above, or just one type of vegetable.
just use whatever is around the house or what you like best.

Step 3: Salt & Bake the Vegetables

line baking trays with baking paper and put the vegetables on the trays. the pieces can lie close to each other but should not overlap.
sprinkle the vegetables generously with salt and put them in the preheated oven.

the baking takes about 20-30 min but can vary, depending on size and type of the vegetables, on your oven,...
but you will see when they are done: they should be slightly browned and dry. they will also have shrunk.
if you use more then one tray at a time and your oven doesn't have ventilation you should switch positions of the trays after half the baking time. (put the top one down and the bottom one up)

once baked put the vegetables in the container of your choice - it should have a lid, but does not have to seal airtight.
press the vegetables slightly, this will not harm them and you will need less oil later. add peeled garlic cloves and twigs of fresh herbs (rosmary, thyme, tarragon,....) to the vegetables for extra taste. if you like it hot you can also add some chili peppers.

Step 4: Cooking the Balsamico Marinade

the amount of the balsamico bianco used depends on how much antipasti you made - for the amount of vegetables i used to make this batch i used 150 ml of balsamico.

put the spices of your choice in a pot: i used bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns, allspice and some dryed herbs. you could also use: coriander, cinnamon stick,.... whatever you like best. add half a teaspoon of salt.

add the balsamico and add as much water as you put balsamico (in this case also 150 ml). pure balsamico would be to sour.

put on the stove, boil over low heat until about one third of the liquid has evaporated, then pour over the vegetables.

Step 5: The Oil & the Enjoyment

pour olive oil over the vegetables until completely covered. you can also use a mixture of oils, half canola, half olive for example if you want to save money.

wait one day before you eat your antipasti vegetables. they will stay good if kept in the fridge for about 2 weeks but rarely last that long!

enjoy them in the sun with a nice piece of ciabatta! and maybe listen to some adriano celentano while you're at it...

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