Christmas Party Appetizer

For the last soccer weekend of the season, the parents on our team brought a beautiful buffet of food to share. One of the best dishes was an Italian Antipasto Appetizer. It is not the most nutritious of appetizers, but you only need one piece and a glass of red wine. Even the guys were asking for the recipe.

It is a very easy dish to make, it just takes some assembly. The crust is made with Pillsbury Cresent Rolls (a Pillsbury Bakeoff winner), but it would be great with puff pastry as well.

Italian Antipasto Squares

Prep Time: 20 Min

Total Time: 1 Hr 25 Min

Makes: 24 appetizers (or 12 main-dish servings)

INGREDIENTS:

2 cans (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet

4 oz thinly sliced salami

4 oz thinly sliced Swiss cheese

4 oz thinly sliced pepperoni

4 oz thinly sliced American cheese

4 oz thinly sliced capocollo (cured Italian ham) or cooked ham

4 oz thinly sliced provolone cheese

2 eggs

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon pepper

1 jar (12 oz) sliced roasted red bell peppers, drained

1 can (2 ¼ oz) sliced ripe olives, drained

1 egg yolk, beaten

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter 13x9-inch pan or spray with cooking spray.
2. If using crescent rolls: Unroll 1 can of dough into 1 large rectangle; place in pan. Press in bottom and 3/4 inch up sides of pan to form crust, firmly pressing perforations to seal. If using dough sheets: Unroll 1 can of dough; place in pan. Press in bottom and 3/4 inch up sides of pan to form crust.
3. Layer all meats and cheeses in order listed over dough. In small bowl, beat 2 eggs, the garlic powder and pepper with wire whisk until well blended. Pour over meat and cheese layers. Layer roasted peppers and olives over top.
4. If using crescent rolls: Unroll second can of dough into 1 large rectangle; press into 13x9-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal. If using dough sheets: Unroll second can of dough; press into 13x9-inch rectangle.
5. Place over top of layered ingredients. Pinch edges to seal. Brush beaten egg yolk over dough. Cover with foil.
6. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until deep golden brown. Cool 15 minutes before serving. Cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Serve warm.