Rustic Italian Farmhouse Board (Printable)

Generous Italian board with aged cheeses, cured meats, torn bread, olives, and herbs for a hearty gathering.

# What You'll Need:

→ Cheeses

01 - 7 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, broken into large chunks
02 - 7 oz Pecorino Toscano, cut into wedges
03 - 5 oz Taleggio, torn into rustic pieces

→ Cured Meats

04 - 5 oz Prosciutto di Parma, loosely piled
05 - 4 oz Finocchiona salami, thickly sliced
06 - 4 oz Coppa, arranged in rustic folds

→ Bread

07 - 1 large rustic Italian loaf (e.g., ciabatta), torn into rough pieces

→ Accompaniments

08 - 1 cup Castelvetrano olives
09 - 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
10 - 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, quartered
11 - 1 small bunch fresh grapes or figs, halved
12 - 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
13 - Fresh rosemary sprigs, for garnish
14 - Coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

# How-To:

01 - Place cheeses on a large wooden board, breaking or tearing them into irregular chunks and wedges for rustic presentation.
02 - Loosely pile prosciutto and coppa, then arrange thick slices of salami in generous, overlapping layers.
03 - Tear the rustic Italian loaf into rough, uneven pieces and scatter around the board.
04 - Distribute olives, sun-dried tomatoes, marinated artichokes, and halved fruit in ample piles between cheeses and meats.
05 - Lightly drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the bread and cheeses, then garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs.
06 - Season with coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste; serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It looks like you spent hours preparing, but honestly takes just twenty minutes—perfect for impressing without stress
  • Everyone at the table gets to eat exactly what they love, making it naturally welcoming for any palate
  • The rustic, generous approach gives you permission to stop worrying about perfection and start enjoying the beauty of simple, quality ingredients
02 -
  • Room temperature is absolutely essential—pull your cheeses and meats out of the fridge at least an hour before serving, or they'll taste muted and cold, like themselves from a store shelf rather than like a generous friend's table
  • The board should never look balanced or symmetrical; that's the moment it loses its farmhouse soul and starts looking like something styled for a magazine shoot
  • Don't assemble this more than a couple of hours ahead, or the bread will start absorbing oil and the meats will dry out where they're exposed to air
03 -
  • If you can't find Pecorino Toscano or Taleggio, swap in Asiago or Gorgonzola—the board is forgiving as long as you're choosing quality cheeses with different textures and flavors
  • The secret that made the biggest difference for me was adding a small bowl of that sun-dried tomato oil on the side with a small spoon—people use it to dress the bread and cheese, and it elevates everything
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