Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place a pot with salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Cut off the tough bottom part of the asparagus. Plunge the asparagus into the hot salted water. When the asparagus has turned a bright green, remove and plunge into ice cold water. Remove for water, drain and place into a mixing bowl and toss with salt, pepper, olive oil and minced garlic.

At this point the asparagus may be used as is or they can be quickly grilled over a hot grill.

Brush the peppers with olive oil and place on a cookie tray. Place in the oven and roast until the skin starts to blister. When the skin blisters, remove and place in a plastic bag and seal. This will allow the peppers to steam, allowing for the skins to be easily removed. When cool, remove the peppers from the bag, peel away the skins and then split open and remove all seeds and stem. Cut into wedges and season with olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Place your assorted olives in a bowl and lightly toss with olive oil, red chili flakes and garlic. Set aside.

Slice the baguette about a ¼ of an inch on a bias, about 15 nice long slices. Brush with olive oil and toast in the oven until golden. Set aside.

Assemble:
On a large platter lay out the meats, cheeses and asparagus. Garnish the tray with the roasted pepper wedges, the olives and sprigs of fresh herbs. Drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and freshly ground black pepper. Place the bread on the side to be used with the meats and cheeses.

The great thing about Antipasti platters is that they may contain anything you like. Feel free to substitute or add anything you like. Things such as Marinated Artichoke Salad, Fresh Mozzarella tossed with fresh basil, garlic and olive oil or Grilled Sliced Portobello Mushrooms are few ideas of items to add.

Heat the vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallot softens and the garlic begins to brown, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Put the spinach in a colander and squeeze out all of the excess water. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add the artichoke hearts, crumbled bacon, cooked garlic and shallot, lemon zest, sour cream, salt and pepper. Mix well with a rubber spatula, and transfer to a decorative bowl. Allow to sit for 30 minutes before serving so the flavors can blend.

Serve with crispy pitas.

Slice baguette into rounds 1/2 inch thick. Toast bread in toaster oven or broiler until light brown on both sides. Set aside.

Blend mayonnaise, horseradish and hot sauce in small bowl. Spread generously on toast rounds. Top with roast beef slices; sprinkle with pepper.