When we went to Italy it was September and hot and like most tourists we walked everywhere. When we stopped for a drink a cold refreshing beer was often our beverage of choice. Of course, the other thirst quenching drink we consumed while in Venice was the classic Aperol Spritz. The bonus of drinking in Italy is that the snacks that accompany the drinks are always out of this world – enter cicchetti. Cicchetti are small bar snacks, often little open faced sandwiches topped with all kinds of delicious combinations. This Aperol Britz cocktail I want to share with you , is a twist on the classic where I have substituted a Belgium wheat beer for the Prosecco. The cicchetti is a delicious spicy mortadella and marinated mushroom variety.
Aperol Britz
1.5 oz. Aperol
1 oz. orange juice
8 oz. Hoegaarden
Garnish: Orange rind and orange slice
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Fill a highball 1/3 full of ice, add Aperol, orange juice and slowly stream in the beer. Stir gently with a long spoon or chopstick.
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Garnish
Marinated mushroom and spicy mortadella cicchetti
2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
¼ cup canola oil
1 tbsp honey
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp chili flakes
¼ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
227 white mushrooms, trimmed and halved
1 baguette
200 grams spicy Mortadella
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Add the rice vinegar, canola oil, honey, garlic, oregano, onion powder, salt and pepper into a bowl and stir to combine. Add in your mushrooms and toss well to coat.
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Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of one hour or up to 3 days.
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Once ready to assemble, cut the baguette into ½” slices.
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Brush the baguette with some of the liquid from the marinated mushroom.
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Cut the Mortadella into pieces and place a couple pieces on each baguette slice. Top with a mushroom half.
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Serve
For a printable version of this recipe click here