Italian Grinder Cheese Ball
This festive Italian Grinder Cheese Ball combines cream cheese, Italian deli meats, and tangy pepperoncini in a striking, crowd-pleasing appetizer. Perfect for spreading on crackers at your next party!
Servings 10
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese , softened to a stirrable consistency
- 2 teaspoons sub dressing*
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herb blend
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 ounces pepperoni , cut into small pieces** (about 6 slices)
- 2 ounces salami , cut into small pieces (about 6 slices)
- 2 ounces capicola , cut into small pieces (about 4 slices)
- 1/4 cup finely grated aged cheese (such as smoked gouda or sharp cheddar)
- 2 green onions , chopped very finely
- 4 rings mild pickled pepperoncini or banana peppers (that's 4 rings or slices, not whole peppers)
Instructions
- First, set aside 1 heaping tablespoon each of the pepperoni pieces, the salami pieces, and the green onions in a small bowl, for coating the outside of the cheese ball (I use the dark green onion parts for complementary coloring with the red salamis). Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sub dressing, Worcestershire sauce, Italian herbs, onion powder, and garlic powder, stirring well to combine. (You can do this by hand with a spatula; you won't need a mixer, unless you want to use one.)
- Add in the cold cuts, cheese, green onions, and banana peppers, and stir well to distribute evenly.
- Scrape the cream cheese mixture into a rough ball while still in the bowl (you're pre-forming the round cheese ball). Cover the bowl, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to harden a bit for handling purposes (otherwise it will be too sticky to deal with).
- Carefully transfer the cheese ball to the center of a large rectangle of cling wrap. If possible, work on a small board that you can easily rotate to see all sides of the cheese ball.
- Toss the reserved pepperoni, salami, and green onions together to create a confetti of color.
- Pick up a pinch of the pepperoni mix and press it into the ball, repeating with more pinches and presses until you've evenly covered the ball in a mosaic of pepperoni and salami. Leave the underside of the ball bare so that it will more easily adhere to its serving plate as your guests scoop from it.
- Using clean, dry hands, gently press the cheese ball into an attractive spherical shape, while giving an extra press on the outer coating to make sure it's secured in the cream cheese.
- Draw up the corners and edges of the cling wrap above the cheese ball, twist together, and secure with a twist tie.
- Refrigerate for at least two hours to thoroughly set. Serve with a spreader knife and crackers.
Notes
* Sub dressing is an unsweetened mix of olive oil, red wine vinegar, and Italian herbs, often found in the deli. If you can't find sub dressing, you can use Italian salad dressing (try to find one that doesn't have a lot of sweeteners; you want a savory mixture).
** Salami and pepperoni are often packaged in two different cuts: sandwich and cracker. Sandwich slices are large rounds, while cracker cuts — like what you'll find on a pizza — are small enough to sit on a round appetizer cracker without overhang. Cracker cuts are often thicker than sandwich cuts. It doesn't really matter which you use, although I find that sandwich cuts simply spread better because they don't make the cheese ball lumpy. Also, the amounts of the deli meats can be considered an approximation, because different brands and stores who package in-house will have different weights.