Simple Pleasure Sunday: Aperitivo at Home

I enjoy aperitivo almost every evening. Soon after work or sometime during the 5 o’clock hour on a day off, I pour myself a glass of dry red wine and enjoy a few pieces of cheese on crackers, often with a slice of prosciutto, at home. This is what I call aperitivo anyway. However, this term is not amazingly accurate here. You see, this Italian ritual is a social event that includes meeting up with friends out, maybe at a bar, to have a drink, usually a cocktail like a spritz, a glass of sparkling white wine, or even a glass of wine, with a bit of ready-made or simple appetizer food like cheese, carbs, charcuterie, chips, and olives that serves as punctuation between the day and the evening. It is like an Italian happy hour with a laid-back vibe. With quarantine, I am not going out. I am mellowing out with wine and savoring this snack alone in my apartment, standing at my kitchen counter, lounging on the sofa, or sitting on my balcony. Nonetheless, I simply adore indulging in this Italian moment nearly every day. It is the perfect way for the italiagal to unwind after a long day of work and transition into the evening with more free time.

On Monday, June 22nd, my aperitivo was sharp cheddar on Town House Italian Herb Flatbread Crisps, a slice of Columbus prosciutto, grape tomatoes and short sprigs of rosemary as garnish, and Bolla Romagna Sangiovese. I know that cheddar is not Italian, but I love it and it is definitely my signature cheese.

Most of the time, I will eat my few bites out of the packaging, plastic bags, or my containers while standing at the kitchen counter, but sometimes, I will artfully arrange my antipasti on a small cutting board and use a green garnish then savor it sitting down. I do strive to make things beautiful. This little round footed acacia tray was from a previous Hearth & Hand with Magnolia collection at Target. I always use these elegant wine glasses from Crate & Barrel for red wine.

For some variety, I sometimes have parmesan, parmigiano reggiano, salami, Italian bread, and Toasteds Harvest Wheat crackers. In the future, I can see changing it up so many ways, including olives, different cheeses, and bruschetta using red red plum tomatoes in the summer. Tweaking my aperitivo would be fun since I am not building a serious cheese board and serving it to many guests at this time.

What simple pleasure did you savor recently? Let me know if the comments or show me by using the hashtag #savoringasimplepleasure on Instagram.