Venice… The real food and Stories…

Cosi’ Croccante

 

It was not just another cold day in Venice. Today the sky was slightly grey and the sun was coming out slowly, gently. It became a precious light, guiding us through the lonely streets of Venice. The winter season brings a distinct stillness, and if we stop, we can hear the locals breaking into their dialect. We now feel Venice belongs to us somehow.

 

Day after day, I have been delighted to meet the Venetians. People who have taken me under their wing and opened their homes, their cupboards, and their hearts, wanting nothing more than to share a recipe, a story or a laugh.

 

Setting up the cooking school here offers some interesting challenges. I have been working with Italian tradesmen, who work at their own pace before breaking for a long lunch in the middle of the day.

 

Today I found myself at the home of Roberto, my talented carpenter, who lives on the small island of Pellestrina. I spent the morning with his wife Viarella and one of the best cooks I have ever met – Nonna Giuseppina.

 

The Italian welcome is always outstanding and warm. We started with the grand tour of Viarella’s home. I looked at pictures of her son Nicola as a baby, who now works alongside his father Roberto. It served to remind me of the first steps we all take and the paths we follow to somehow become better human beings.

 

Then we enter the kitchen, which we would not leave for the rest of the day. I was given all the critical details and told why the food here was different.

 

“We do not cook like in Venezia “explains Nonna Giuseppina. “Here we carefully remove all the shells of each crustacean, each clam…”

“And we certainly do not eat the squid ink,” shouted Viarella.

 

I was introduced to another world, one that was far from the exquisite spices of Venice. Here, simplicity speaks for itself. The food is honest and true. Not too much or too little of anything – just right. The perfect pasta asciutta gently tossed with the scampi was simply outstanding. The seppie in umido served with polenta was a dish that needed no additions. It was all perfectly balanced.

 

Returning home to Lido di Venezia, you can see the difference between the two worlds. At Lido, you see beautiful houses and villas, which have been designed to accommodate taste and style.

 

And then the bell rings. My carpenter Roberto is here. As he enters my home, he simply requests an “ombra” – a traditional Venetian word for a glass of wine.

 

The name harks back to the days when Venetians would have their wine huddling in the shade cast by the Campanile di San Marco. In Venice you will certainly hear this word coupled with rosso or bianco, indicating which wine they wish to drink – red or white.

 

But the night did not finish there as we headed to Venice. Just four stops from Lido di Venezia, you will reach San Marco Square. A short walk took us to one of the best places to eat in Venice – Osteria alle Testiere.

 

We not only had a fantastic night there but possibly the best food in town. Venice has become renowned for its tourist restaurants, making it a very difficult place to eat well.

 

At Osteria alle Testiere, we were surprised by its simplicity and the way it brought old recipes to life. Take for instance the molluschi al zenzero. The dish was enlivened with a touch of ginger. Venetians were very adventurous people, and while discovering the New World, they brought to Venice precious spices like ginger, saffron, and nutmeg. The delightful flavor of nutmeg was quickly embraced by the neighboring region of Emilia Romagna. The spaghetti alle vongole was a huge success, while the flavors of my branzino with orange still linger in my mouth.

 

The night rolled on. In the middle of January Venice is quiet, which means we can enjoy a good chat with the locals. Luca, our host at Osteria alle Testiere, offered us just that.

 

Luca had an eye for detail, making sure there was bread for each course. He also made sure our courses were treated with the correct respect so that we were transported to another world – the Venetian world.
After devouring dessert, a decadent chocolate cake, and a delicate cream caramel (“no whites, only yolks”), we were asked if we would care for some coffee or grappa.

 

Opting for the latter, my friend and I spent another good hour chatting about Luca’s interesting lifestyle, the visit to the chiropractor, the birthday party of his daughter Virginia which was being carefully organized.

As my glass of grappa keeps getting filled Luca continues to deliver the magical flair explaining with details his adventurous Venetian heart.

A heart that was also craving friendship, for a good old chat, and for another glass of wine. For the local immigrant from Bangladesh who sells roses, he offered a beer. He listens to the music playing in the background and somehow it whispers the night is closing.

 

We look at the clock and my friend and I realize that it is past midnight, and all Cinderellas should be in bed by now. Yet, we stay. We have another glass of wine and talk about Venetian life. About how the stillness will change when the chaos of The Carnival begins.

 

We put on our coats and walk the streets of Venice, making sure we were whispering amid the silence in respect of the inhabitants dreaming of a new day.

We made our way to the vaporetto just in time to catch the last boat to Lido. Looking at the other passengers, we can only spot a few locals who were also enjoying the lights closing in on Venice.

 

At our final stop, we can see our bikes waiting for the last ride home. The cold wind and the deserted streets make me feel the winter season is the best time I have ever spent in Venice.

 

As for la Dolce Vita, it should be croccante, just as Luca explained.

Where life is crunchy, where there is a bite for everything.

Where there is no fear and the desire to live.

Where we taste freshness at its best. The secret of life?

A good bite.

Just a simple, good bite.

 

I can easily finish this beautiful postcard with the way Venetians live. Dreaming…. Searching for something…. Not worried about the wind.

 

From Venezia….

With so much love

xoxoxo

 

Perche’ il sogno piu’ vero e’ quello piu’ distante dalla realta’, quello che vola via senza bisogno di vele, ne’ di vento. – Hugo Pratt.

 

Because the most truthful dream is the most distant from reality.

It is the one who travels without any sail or wind.

Risotto Risotto…. Be seduced by Venice!

Risotto with Mussels

1.5kg of mussels

150ml of white wine – (dry like chardonnay,  as you are eliminating all the flavours to avoid any acidity)

6tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

1 litre of homemade stock

1 celery stalk including leaves, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 medium onion finely chopped

300g of carnaroli or vialone nano risotto rice

6 tbsp of chopped parsley

 

• Clean the mussels by washing them and rubbing and removing any of the beards.
• If any mussels are open discard it now.
• In a frying pan place the wine and add the mussels. Cook over high heat until mussels are open – about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Remove the mussels from the heat and discard the shells keeping the meat on the side. You can also leave some mussels with shells on for decoration.
• If any mussels remain closed, do discard it.
• Sieve the liquid of the mussels using a muslin or cloth so you are sure not to get any sand left from the mussels.
• In a large heavy bottom pot place the onion with the olive oil and bring it to the heat.
• Add now the garlic and the celery including the leaves. Sautee for a minute or so.
• Add the rice and toast well, turning the rice to coat properly until you see the colour of the rice getting translucent ( about 2 minutes )
• Add now the mussels liquid. Let the rice absorb it.
• Start now to add a ladleful of stock at a time. You may need to turn the heat down but remember the rice has to be kept with the boiling temperature. Check for salt and pepper. Keep stirring, from time to time and keep adding more and more stock until the rice is al dente – about 20 minutes.
• Once the rice is done remove the rice from the heat and add the mussels. Add a nice spoon of butter and the chopped parsley, some extra black pepper.
• Serve immediately.

Short Crust Pastry – the best 3 you need to know! Crumbling and wonderful!

Short Crust Pastry, The best 3 recipes from Sorelle Simili, my wonderful teachers…

Always with me, in my heart and in my soul.

1) CLASSIC MIX FOR BISCUITS AND CROSTATA 200 g flour 00 100 g butter 2 egg yolks 80 g of sieved icing sugar a pinch of salt

2) CRISPY MIX FOR BISCUITS AND CROSTATA 500 g flour 00 200 g caster sugar 200 g butter 2 whole eggs a pinch of salt

3) SOFT MIX FOR CAKES WITH CREAM AND FRUIT, CIAMBELLE AND BISCUITS 500 g flour 00 100 g potato starch 150 g butter 4 egg yolks 150 g sifted icing sugar a pinch of salt

 

PASTA FROLLA ( SHORT CRUST PASTRY )

 

it can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days while in the freezer

you can keep it for 2-3 months.

Remember that thawing should be gentle so take it out of the freezer the night before use,

leaving it in the fridge and never at room temperature!

 

WHEN PASTA FROLLA ( short crust pastry ) GOES OUT OF THE REFRIGERATOR

 

It has a very hard dough so it must be softened by beating it

with a rolling pin and at the same time rotating the dough until all the dough

is more malleable and easy to use.

Extract from the refrigerator only when used because otherwise the butter gets

too hot on the surface.

 

SHORT CRUST PASTRY CAN BE FLAVORED

 

With orange peel, lemon, grapefruit or mandarin but the classic taste is vanilla whose seeds

will be added to the sugar during the dough.

 

Eggplant Pesto, wonderful served with a grilled fish, or serve with pasta! Easy and healthy dinner.

 

Pesto di Melanzane

 

Ingredients

• 400g of trofie or any short pasta like farfalle
• 2 eggplants
• 1 garlic clove
• 100g of parmesan
• 1 hand full of basil
• 6 spoons of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

 

Instructions

 

To prepare the eggplants:

• Traditionally as they do in Sicily place them under salt and let it rest for 30 minutes
• Then wash it, dry it and deep fry it with approximately a glass of extra virgin olive oil.
• Another option is to wash the eggplants and prick them all over. Then brush them with extra virgin olive oil.
• Place them in a hot oven 230C for about 35 minutes turning them around.
• Place them on a colander and cut them in half (if they are reasonably small) otherwise in 3 halves. Sprinkle with salt and let it rest for 30 minutes

 

To make the pesto:

• Place the garlic inside of the food processor together with basil.
• Blend it.
• Add now the eggplants, the oil and once all blended stir the parmesan.
• Cook the trofie all dente and mix with the pesto sauce.
• Never forget you do not add any extra oil to toss the pasta but dilute the pesto with water when mixing with the pasta.
• We normally do about 1 spoon of pesto for about 4 spoons of water.

 

 

 

How to Cook Pasta Properly! Here are the strict rules to cook your perfect pasta! Live Italy, Enjoy!

 

 How to cook Pasta, as we do it in Italy!

* Always choose a good quality dried pasta or if working with fresh egg pasta make it “fresh”.

* Do never precook it or reheat it.

 

THE SAUCEPAN:

* Has to be big enough to contain abundant water.

* You will need a lid to cover the saucepan briefly after you have immersed the pasta in order to bring the water quickly to boiling point again.

* After the water has come back to a boil remove the lid for the remaining cooking time.

 

THE WATER AND THE SALT

* The water should be boiling when you add the salt. Taste for salt, then add the pasta.

* You really do need plenty of water eg. 1 liter of water per 100g of pasta and plenty of salt. (closer to the taste of the sea.) While the pasta is absorbing water is losing starch. So you don’t want to re-absorb the starch because the water is over-saturated with it. So make sure there is plenty of water.

 

THE AL DENTE TEST:

* Italians are careful about the way pasta is cooked.

* When pasta is cooked al dente it still has some bite to it, which is just how it should be.

* But al dente means different things to different people so you will find it best to taste a piece of pasta regularly as you are cooking it to get it just as you like it. But remember: al dente means literally ‘to the tooth’, which suggests not stiff, not soft, but pliable and cooked through with a bite!

 

DRAINING:

* You need a large colander for dried pasta and a mandolino for fresh pasta.

* Never drain the pasta under cold or hot water, you will take away the starch coating.

* Make sure you always save a little of the cooking water, it is often the best way to moisten the pasta or the sauce if either of them becomes to dense.

* Once the pasta is drained put it back into the saucepan or a bowl and add the sauce.

 

DRESSING PASTA:

* If you are cooking tagliatelle you should always add a touch of butter to it and use a mandolino if you have one.

* To moist other types of pasta add a little of the cooking water if needed.

* Then add some of the sauce and toss the pasta to coat each piece.

* Pour into the plates and add more sauce over the top.

* Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino (if not using seafood or fish sauce)

 

SAUCE:

* Combine the right sauce with the right type of pasta.

* The pasta should never swim in a sauce. The quantities of sauce in the pasta should be such that only an irrelevant amount of sauce remains on the plate after you have eaten the pasta.

* Always dress the pasta immediately after it has been cooked, by tossing it with the sauce just before serving and adding a little extra sauce over the top.

 

 

 

 

 

Beef Carpaccio

Beef Carpaccio… A classical Italian dish…

• 500g of carpaccio you can leave the fine slices or chopped finely
• ½ cup of celery with the leaves chopped finely
• ½ cup of parsley chopped finely
• ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp of lemon juice
• Lemon for garnish
• Mixed leaves salad or rocket

 

 

Instructions

• An hour before serving marinate the beef with lemon, half the celery and half the parsley, oil, salt pepper .
• Prepare the bed of leaves in each individual plate and serve the carpaccio on the top of it.
• Garnish with slices of lemon.