this is your sign to host an aperitivo hour 🍸

I'm back on my dinner party BS!

heyyyyy! hope you all had a great weekend. I’m back in Canada briefly and went away to Prince Edward County with the family for my dad’s birthday. it was so lovely! if you’re ever in PEC, you MUST go to Bocado - it’s a Spanish restaurant that my friend who lives in the area introduced me to and it’s fabulous. their anchovy toast is PERFECTION and I’ve been thinking about it ever since I first tried it a few years ago so obviously had to go back for more. it has these chunks of creamy, high-quality butter and then the salty white anchovies and tons of garlic and herbs. truly the best toast ever!!!

ok enough about anchovy toast (for now). some of you may have seen on my Instagram that I threw a lil housewarming party at my new house in LA and the vibes were immaculate. I’ve obviously been in my dinner party era lately but I wanted to keep this one a little more low key with small bites and snacks to have with our spritzes. you can see my prep day 1 here and prep day 2 here! I made my favorite pasta salad of all time and everyone was obsessed. sharing the recipe below in case any of you haven’t tried it yet from my website last year (that needs to change) — it has tons of roasted veggies, creamy goat cheese and the best honey basil vinaigrette. truly the perfect summer dish! the full menu is below and I’ll share more of the recipes over the next week or so :)

APERITIVO HOUR MENU

• sourdough focaccia

• roasted veggie + goat cheese pasta salad with a honey basil vinaigrette (recipe below)

• roasted garlic white bean dip

• caprese salad skewers

• apricot cherry crisp with a brown butter, oat + pistachio crumble (recipe coming soon!)

• amaro + campari spritzes

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roasted veggie + goat cheese pasta salad with honey basil dressing

for the honey basil dressing:

• 1/3 cup olive oil, plus extra as needed

• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 1 tbsp honey

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves

• 1/4 tsp salt

• fresh pepper

for the pasta salad:

• 3 medium zucchinis, sliced lengthwise and into half moons

• 3 regular or 6 mini bell peppers, sliced into 1 inch chunks

• 3 shallots, thinly sliced

• olive oil

• sea salt + black pepper

• 1/2 lb pasta of choice

• 1/2 log herbed goat cheese

• a few handfuls of fresh arugula

start by roasting your veggies: preheat your oven to 400F. add sliced zucchinis + peppers to a large baking sheet and coat generously with olive oil, salt and pepper. roast for 30-35 minutes, stirring halfway through, until veggies are tender and lightly charred. remove and let cool.

to make the crispy fried shallots, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil (enough to generously cover the bottom) in a skillet over medium. once hot, add sliced shallots and let them cook, undisturbed, for about 6 minutes or until starting to brown on one side. stir and continue cooking for another 6-8 minutes until shallots are deeply browned and crispy. remove and place on a paper towel to remove excess oil, then sprinkle with a pinch of salt.

to make your basil dressing, combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor until the basil turns into small flecks (it doesn’t need to be completely smooth).

cook pasta until al dente according to package directions, then drain and let cool. when ready to assemble, add your pasta, roasted veggies and arugula to a large bowl. add as much basil dressing as desired (you may not need it all) and stir to coat. top with crispy shallots and goat cheese, then serve!

notes:

• this makes about 4 servings but it can be easily doubled for a larger group (which is what I did!)

• pasta salad can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days

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okay have a great week and I’ll see you on wednesday! xx