Summer picnic recipes like these are summer. Whether for a special holiday or just because, there's almost nothing better than spending time with the people you love, basking in the sunshine, and snacking on truly great food. And nowhere do they do just that quite like in Italy! Which is why this Italian picnic menu is one of my favorites. Whether you're in the park, at the beach, or lounging in your own back yard, this picnic menu is perfect for a casual-but-elegant Italian picnic. Every one of these easy summer picnic recipes can be put together in advance... and assembling them for your park or beach picnic is easy as could be. All you need to make this simple meal complete is a lot of crusty bread and a bottle (or three) of Italian wine or prosecco.

If you like simple fare, you'll also love my French Picnic Menu, or one of these simple Picnic Sandwiches.

Main Dish:

• Antipasto Platter (recipe below)
• Eggplant Caponata (recipe below)
• LOTS of Crusty Italian Bread and/or Herbed Foccacia

• Served with:
• Verdicchio or Chianti Classico

Dessert:

• White Chocolate, Coconut, and Limoncello Truffles (recipe below), and
• Fresh fruit

• Served with:
• Chilled Prosecco or small glasses of chilled Limoncello

Nothing says "Italian picnic" like an antipasto platter. This antipasto platter is simple, flavorful, and traditional. It's also easy to put together on site, making it one of the best summer picnic recipes for traveling. Simply bring along your meats, cheeses, and vegetables in separate packages, and arrange on a platter when you get there. What could be easier?

This antipasto platter makes enough to feed 6-10 as a main dish.

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Ingredients:
1/2 lb. fresh smoked mozzarella (or plain), cubed
1/2 lb. sharp provolone cheese, cubed
1/4 lb. sliced or cubed sweet sopressata
1/4 lb. sliced or cubed sopressata
1/4 lb. sliced or cubed Genoa salami
1/4 lb. thinly sliced proscuitto, in bite size pieces
1 C. large Italian olives, mixed
1 C. hot giardiniera veggies, drained
1 C. marinated artichoke hearts

Instructions: 1. Place all of these summer picnic recipe ingredients in separate packages, or mix the meats together, the cheeses together, and the vegetables together for transport.

2. At your location, place your meats and cheeses prettily around the edges of a platter. Either combine the vegetables and place them in a bowl or pile at the center, or place each type of vegetable in a separate bowl and line up at the edge of your platter.

3. Use toothpicks (traditional) or little forks for serving.

Caponata is one of the best summer picnic recipes in general... and this eggplant caponata recipe makes the perfect accompaniment to an antipasti platter. It's rich and flavorful; plus, it's full of nice veggies to balance out all that meat and cheese.

Don't be afraid of the anchovy in the recipe. It simply adds a nutty richness to the dish-- not a fishy flavor. And don't be afraid of the amount of olive oil, either. Sure, it's a lot... but lots of olive oil is pretty traditional in Italian recipes. Plus, olive oil is healthy as could be, and tastes wonderful in this caponata recipe. Want to make it a little lighter? Salt and drain the eggplant about a half hour, toss lightly with oil, and bake in a 400-degree oven until very tender and browned.

Be sure to serve this with tons of crusty bread for dipping. Recipe serves about 5.

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Ingredients:
Extra virgin olive oil
2 lg. eggplants, unpeeled, chopped fine
1 lg. red pepper, chopped fine
1 med. green pepper, chopped fine
2 red onions, chopped fine
3 tbsp. garlic, minced or pressed
2 tbsp. capers, chopped
2 tbsp. capers, left whole
6 anchovy fillets, chopped fine
3/4 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. red wine vinegar
3/4 C. peeled, pureed tomatoes (homemade is best)
1/3 C. balsamic vinegar
1/3 C. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. honey
1 C. pitted green olives
3/4 C. fresh basil, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped (or 2 tsp. dried)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions: 1. Cover the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil. In several small batches, cook the eggplant in oil until browned on all sides.

2. Place eggplant in a large, non-reactive mixing bowl.

3. In the same pan, saute the peppers in oil until tender. Remove them to the eggplant bowl.

4. In the same pan again, saute the onions and garlic in oil until soft. Add the brown sugar, red wine vinegar, and anchovies. Simmer 2 minutes.

5. Add the pureed tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, honey, and green olives. Simmer together about 5 minutes, til thick and brown.

6. Pour onion/sauce mixture over eggplant and peppers. Stir well to combine. Add herbs, capers, and salt and pepper to taste.

7. Serve immediately hot or let cool and serve at room temperature.

There is no way to describe this summer picnic recipe --or all-year-long recipe-- except "divine." (Makes sense that I'd put it on the site, then, right?) These little morsels are delicious, refreshing, and wonderfully easy to make. They also have very little actual limoncello in them (no more alcohol than, say, using a high-quality vanilla extract), so they're fit to feed to the kids, too.

Recipe makes about 30 truffles. This is a perfect summer picnic recipe, but the truffles do melt, so store them with the cold drinks and such to keep them cool.

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Ingredients:
1/4 C. whipping cream
1 lemon, zest of
8 oz. white chocolate, chopped fine or grated
1 tbsp. limoncello
1-2 C. grated coconut

Instructions: 1. Combine cream and lemon zest in a small saucepan. Barely bring the cream to a simmer, then remove from the heat.

2. Strain hot cream into a medium mixing bowl through a wire-mesh strainer. Stir in the white chocolate and limoncello. Mix well.

3. Chill until firm. Roll into balls, then roll balls in shredded coconut. Refrigerate until ready to eat.