EURO SUMMER...AT HOME 🇪🇺🍷🫒

pretend you're on a european holiday with tapas, tzaziki, tintos, panzanella and more!

Jun 14, 2024

A TASTE OF EUROPE IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME

It’s that time of year again when our social feeds start filling up with photos of European vacays. Beautiful vistas of the sea, spritzes in hand, quaint old city streets, and all the delicious food 🥲

But since we’re currently sitting at home, stewing in envy, we decided we should just recreate the vibes right here….without the 9-hour flights, crowds, stifling heat, and carrying a heavy suitcase up 10 flights of old cobblestone stairs 😉.

First things first, one of the best parts about Europe is eating outdoors. Alfresco dining in the summertime is 10/10. Now that the warmer temps are settling in (okay, maybe it’s been a little too warm lately 🥵) we highly recommend eating all your meals (if possible) outside. Or at the very least, open a window or door and let that fresh early morning/evening air fill your house.

Next, you’ll need some tapas-esque apps, a light summer cocktail or spritz, and a fresh and light meal. I had some leftover baby potatoes and in the spirit of Euro-summer at home, I decided to turn them into one of my favorite Spanish tapas…Patatas Bravas. I wanted to cook outside, so I made a foil packet for the cut-up potatoes and cooked them right there on the grill. They turned out perfect! Patatas Bravas are doused in a combination of a slightly spicy red sauce and garlic aioli. Both were surprisingly easy to make and tasted just as I remember from Spain.

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I made a little Spanish spread of olives, Manchego cheese, and grilled shrimp to go along with the Patatas Bravas. We ate outside on our deck, and if you closed your eyes…maybe you could be in Spain...

I also paired the meal with a refreshing Tinto de Verano for me and a Calimocho (Kalimotxo) for Jackson.

OKAY, NOW LET’S BRING SOME ITALY TO THE TABLE (DUH)

My aunt must also be dreaming about a European summer because she sent us a delicious recipe for Panzanella. Panzanella is a bread-based Italian salad, usually made with day-old bread that when sautéed in oil and added to the salad turns into something similar to a chewy crouton that soaks up the olive oil and balsamic dressing🤤. Her original recipe was more on the complicated side (cooking your own artichokes is not for the faint of heart), so she made her own adjustments. I took it even further and created an even easier, yet equally delicious version.

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CAN’T FORGET GREECE!

We went to Greece last September and learned how to make the freshest most delicious tzatziki ever. Once you taste fresh tzatziki and learn how easy it is to make, you will never get store-bought again. Tzatziki is great with pita or veggies, you can also add it to chicken kebabs, grilled meats, or dip your roasted potatoes in it.

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BONUS BERVERAGINO 🍹

I had a delicious Negroni Sbagliato recently that used Lambrusco instead of Prosecco. There’s nothing more Italian to me than sitting outside at dusk with a Negroni, olives, and chips. The Negronio Sbagliatio is a little lighter than a traditional Negroni since it replaces the gin with Prosecco or in this case, Lambrusco. Salute!