Crossword Genius

A pita’s not cooked as an appetiser (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

antipasto

'an appetiser' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'a pita's not cooked' is the wordplay.
'cooked' indicates an anagram (letters cooked into a new form).
'pitas'+'not'='pitasnot'
'pitasnot' with letters rearranged gives 'ntipasto'.
'a'+'ntipasto'='ANTIPASTO'

'as' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for antipasto that I've seen before include "Appetizer course in an Italian meal" , "what to eat first" , "hors-d'oeuvre" , "Italian hors d'oeuvres" , "course of hors d'oeuvres" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app