summer spritz

Happy Summer! I feel like I’m always craving this meal and it just so happens to be super easy to make. I thought it would be fun to do a perfect pairing with a Summer Spritz because they really do taste amazing together. Tastes like a sweet summer evening in Italy, I mean, maybe. If you have all of the ingredients this meal should only take you maybe 30 minutes. Try it out and let me know how it tastes!

Ingredients

3 oz. of your favorite Rosé
2 oz. of Aperol Spritz
Sparkling Water
Splash of Lemon Juice
Sliced Orange (for garnish)
Fresh Flowers (if you’re feeling fancy)

Directions

Grab your favorite wine glass and fill it up with ice. Add your Aperol, then your rosé, and then top off your glass with sparkling water. Drop a little splash of lemon juice (to your liking). Add your garnish, flowers and a paper straw for easy sipping.

Perfect Pairings: Summer Spritz & Cacio e Pepe

Cacio e Pepe

Ingredients

A Pinch of Salt
1 1/2 cups finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese (plus save some for final dusting when completed)
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon coarse ground pepper (plus save some for final dusting when completed)
3/4 pound (3/4 of the bag only, not the whole bag!) of spaghetti pasta of another long pasta
1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions

Get a big pot and salt the water to a boil.
In a large bowl (get your largest bowl) and combine both cheese and the pepper. Start mashing as you slowly add cold water, goal is to make a thick and creamy paste. Spread the paste evenly throughout the large bowl because you’ll be folding your cooked pasta in the paste.
Once the water is boiling, add your pasta and cook until its soft. Once it’s soft, do not strain the pasta, grab tongs and quickly transfer the pasta to your large bowl of paste. Don’t worry about the access water, it will help make your pasta creamy. Stir pretty fast so that the paste coats your pasta. Add your olive oil, and if it’s looking dry, add small spoonfuls of your boiled water to the pasta. Careful not to add too much, you want the pasta to be creamy, not watery and saucy. (Trust, I’ve made it too watery at times.
Grab your tongs and gently try to make a round ball on your plate with the pasta (for pretty plating!) And finally dust the dish with as much Pecorino and pepper as you’d like. Yeah, we like a lot.
Enjoy!