Rustic Italian Farmhouse Board (Printable)

A generous Italian board featuring rustic cheeses, cured meats, torn bread, and fresh olives and fruits for sharing.

# 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 (such as 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 - 0.25 cup extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
13 - Fresh rosemary sprigs, for garnish
14 - Coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

# Directions:

01 - Place Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Toscano, and Taleggio on a large wooden board, breaking or tearing into irregular chunks and wedges for visual appeal.
02 - Loosely pile prosciutto and coppa, then arrange salami slices in generous, overlapping layers beside the cheeses.
03 - Tear the rustic Italian loaf into rough, uneven pieces and scatter around the board.
04 - Place olives, sun-dried tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, and halved fresh grapes or figs in ample piles between the cheeses and meats.
05 - Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the bread and cheeses, then garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs.
06 - Lightly season with coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper and serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's practically effortless—no cooking, no stress, just beautiful ingredients assembled with intention.
  • It feeds a crowd and looks like you spent hours in the kitchen when it only takes twenty minutes.
  • Every component is a little flavor journey: creamy cheese, salty-savory meat, tangy olives, and the perfect contrast of crispy bread.
  • It's the kind of board that naturally brings people together, encouraging hands to reach and conversations to linger.
02 -
  • Quality matters more than quantity. One wedge of truly excellent Pecorino is worth three wedges of mediocre cheese. Buy from a good cheesemonger if you can; they'll help you select pieces that are in their prime.
  • Temperature changes everything. Cheeses and cured meats taste better at room temperature, so take them out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving. Cold dulls their flavors and firms up textures that should be yielding.
  • The board isn't just about taste; it's theater. Vary your colors, shapes, and textures deliberately. Let the eye wander across something different every few inches. A board that looks interesting will be eaten with more pleasure.
03 -
  • Invest in a truly beautiful wooden board—it becomes part of the experience. I have one that's traveled with me for years, and there's something about its weight and history that makes people slow down and savor the meal more intentionally.
  • Serve your cheeses with a small cheese knife for each variety, or teach your guests that hands work just fine. Sometimes the most intimate meals are the ones where people eat with their fingers and feel no pretense.
  • If you're making this for a crowd, don't stress about symmetry or perfection. The boards that look most alive are the ones that look like they were composed with generosity rather than precision.
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