Gli Antipasti: Antipasti and Other Appetizers

For anyone who doesn't like meals, antipasti can stand in for them. Others sneak in these snacks before the real meal begins. Del Conte, a Milan-born teacher and writer ( Gastronomy of Italy ), here condenses what she knows into a brief but appealing volume. Some of the strong recipes include those for grilled bell peppers; baked zucchini with mint and garlic stuffing; carrots in wine and herb (parsley, thyme, mint, sage) sauce; and stuffed mussels. The vegetarian entries will satisfy across the board, but meat eaters will not go hungry: a warm seafood salad, for example, incorporates shrimp, monkfish, squid, mussels and scallops, while ``Il Mio Carpaccio''--which sounds like a spoof on an aria--calls for raw beef. The author claims she was once ``transfixed by the beauty of the food and bewildered by the choice.'' Bayley's watercolors remind us of that beauty in ethereal views of sausages; a mottled pear; a sanguine fish. (Feb.)