Food Lover's Odyssey

Nutella filled Venetian Frittelle for World Nutella Day & Carnival

 

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Today is the international holiday, World Nutella Day, hosted by Michelle from Bleeding Espresso and Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy.  Six years ago "with a dream and a spoon" they deemed February 5th the Nutella Day holiday and history was made.  So popular this holiday is, they've even made a book about it.

 

For the last three years I've been participating in the celebrations, not only by eating spoonfuls of Nutella, but also by making something sweet and even sharing the story of my first taste of Nutella. This year the Nutella holiday fell on the same weekend as the start of Carnival in Venice. I couldn't resist making these fried Carnival treats and filling them with the chocolate and hazelnutty goodness - Nutella!

 

 

Frittelle in Venice

 

During the Carnival season, you'll find pastry shop windows in Venice full of the various kinds of frittelle - with raisins & pine nuts, filled with pastry cream or cream chantilly, and apple fritters.  Only once last year during Carnival did I see frittelle filled with Nutella; it was on my food walk with Monica.  But once I saw them, I knew they would be the treats I made for this year's celebration.  Here's the recipe, adapted from the traditional recipe in the cookbook, Venice Tradition and Food, one of the many cookbooks I've brought home from my travels.

 

 

 

 

Frittelle Veneziane filled with Nutella
Adapted from Venice Tradition and Food by Pino Agostini, Alvise Zorzi & Luca Steffenoni

(Makes about 24 frittelle)


3 ½ cups (500 grams) "00" flour**
3 ½ ounces (100 grams) sugar, plus more for garnishing the frittelle
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, room temperature
1 ¾ cups whole milk, divided in half, plus more if needed
1 ½ ounces (40 grams) yeast
6-8 cups peanut or grapeseed oil (or another oil with a high smoking point) for frying
1 large jar (26 ounces) Nutella

 

**NOTE: "00" flour is the best flour to use to get light and airy frittelle. If you cannot find "00" flour, you can use 300 grams of cake flour and 200 grams of all-purpose flour as a close substitute.

 

In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt.  Stir the eggs and half of the milk together and add it to the flour mixture.  Whisk together gently just until combined.  Warm the other half of the milk and add the yeast, stirring until the yeast is dissolved.  Add the milk and yeast mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until all the ingredients are combined. The dough will be quite loose/wet. Don't try to dissolve all the lumps in the dough, or you will overwork the flour causing the frittelle to be dense and heavy. Cover the bowl with a towel and let rise for about 5 hours when it should have doubled in size.

When the dough is ready, stir it again.  It should still be very loose and sticky.  If it's not, add a little more milk. 

In a heavy pot for frying, heat the oil to 365° F (180° C). Spoon the batter, scooped into 1 1/2 inch balls, into the oil. (I used an ice cream scooper, spraying it with non-stick cooking spray).  Fry until the frittelle are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Don't overcrowd your pot, or you will reduce the temperature of the oil, and they will not cook properly.  I fried 5 frittelle at a time in my large pot.

Remove the frittelle with a slotted spoon and place on a plate covered with paper towels to drain.  Once they've cooled enough to handle, roll them in granulated sugar.  Once you've fried all the frittelle, poke a hole in the tops of them.  Fill a pastry bag fitted with a round tip with Nutella and pipe Nutella into each frittelle.  They should be eaten while they are still warm.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

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Happy Nutella Day!  What is your favorite way of eating Nutella and/or your best recipe with Nutella?

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Related Posts:

Gianduja and Nutella Cheesecake for World Nutella Day 2010

Nutella Love Cakes (Flourless Chocolate & Hazelnut Cake with Nutella Ganache) for World Nutella Day 2011

Italian Hot Chocolate Recipe and Carnival in Venice

Frittelle, Hot Chocolate and Costumes - Welcome to Carnival in Venice

Tasting Venice - A Food Tour with Moncia Cesarato

Favorite Scenes and Costumes from Carnival in Venice 2011

Gianduja Budino and a Chocolate Pass in Turin

History of Chocolate in Turin - Gianduja and Much More

 

 

Christmas Around Italy: Traditional Venetian Christmas Dinner

Christmas lights in Saint Mark's Square

 

Continuing with our Christmas Around Italy  guest post series, today we welcome Monica Cesarato from Venice!  I had the pleasure of meeting Monica, a Venetian, last March during Carnival and taking a personal food walk with her.  Monica blogs about Venice and owns and runs the Faronhof Bed and Breakfast, just outside of Venice. She also is one of the two people who run Cook in Venice, where they offer food tours in Venice and Venetian cooking courses, specializing in traditional dishes of Venice and the region.  Today Monica is sharing a typical Venetian Christmas Dinner, the dishes that make up the dinner and the traditions behind them.  Enjoy!

 

Snowy Saint Mark's Square

 

Have you ever wondered what Venetians eat traditionally for Christmas?

Julia Child said: “You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients.”    This typifies Venetian cooking: simple fresh ingredients enriched by herbs and spices, turning a simple uncomplicated recipe into a sublime dish. This is usually what appears in both the Grand Canal palaces and the normal houses of people living in Venice and in the Veneto region during the festive season!

 

Murano Glass Christmas Tree

 

Since the 15^th century the Catholic Church has set a big distinction on what you are usually allowed to eat on Christmas Eve and what you should eat on Christmas day.  This is why, in days bygone, Christmas Eve's lunch would have been the only meal of the day: by decree of the Church, Venetians  were supposed to fast from morning till evening with the exception of midday, when they were allowed to have a small meal of Bigoli co la Sardela (Venetian spaghetti with sardines), Mandorlato (nougat) e vin Bon (good wine).

 

 

Fish at the Rialto Market

Nowadays the use of eating “magro” (light -  that is eating fish and vegetables) continues but instead of having a midday meal, the banquet has moved to the evening, with a light (if we can call it that) dinner. Venetian Christmas Eve's tables will be full of traditional fish based recipes, like Risotto de Pevarasse (Venetian Clams risotto), Branzino al forno (oven cooked Seabass) or Anguilla (Eel) accompanied by mixed fried fish together with some grilled or stewed vegetables. No matter that they will be smothered with mayonnaise and other sauces, the perception of “magro” still persists!

 

 

Antipasti of Salami

 

Then Christmas day comes.   Always back in the middle ages, the agrarian rituals demanded that people should eat “ossocollo”, a typical Venetian sausage, made by using the pieces of meat from the vertebrae of the pig's neck. The meat is marinated with salt and saltpeter for a week, then it's dried, covered with milled pepper and mixed spices and then it is packed in the guts of the pig. It is tied and hanged for 2 months. In the 15th century ossocollo would be used to make broth as well as constituting the main meal of this special day.

 

Today a typical Venetian Christmas meal would still start with an antipasto (starter) of ossocollo but also with other cold meats like Soppressa, Salame, Prosciutto Crudo e Cotto served with grissini (breadsticks) and pickled vegetables (onion, gherkins, peppers, carrots).

 

 

Capeeti (photo courtesy Andrea Buoso - Flickr)

 

But for centuries right up to today, three main traditional dishes have been served on Venetian Christmas tables for the joy of all diners: Capeeti or Ravioli in Brodo di Cappone (Ravioli in Capon broth), Cappone lesso (boiled Capon) and  “Musetto” (boiled salame) with Puree di patate (mashed potatoes) and spinaci (spinach).

 

The “mare” (the mother, the woman of the house) prepares the broth with the cappone (a capon is a rooster that has been castrated to improve the quality of its meat) on Christmas eve, boiling a large capon together with salted water and carrots, celery, onion and herbs. This broth will be used to cook the capeeti (small homemade tortellini) in it. The capeeti would be prepared with flour, eggs and water, mixing to a dough, rolling it and cutting out some rounds which would have been filled with a mixture of pork meat, turkey meat, Parmesan cheese, nutmeg and eggs.  Just exactly like Tortellini or Ravioli.  This tradition is so old, that in Venice it would not be Christmas if you didn't find this dish on the table.

 

The Capon is then cut into chunks and served as the main dish together with the “Musetto”, a salame similar to the cotechino in shape, but at the same time very different in taste. The worldwide famous cotechino is made using the rind of the pig together with lean and fat pork meat.  “Musetto” is made using the meat from the head of the pig (previously boiled) which is minced and then mixed with lean pork meat and spices.  The musetto is then cooked in boiling water for a few hours and served in slices.

The Capon and the Musetto are always served on a bed of mashed potatoes (in Italy our mashed potatoes are a more chunky then the American ones) and spinach (either boiled or stewed) together with different sauces like cren (horseradish sauce), mayonnaise, mustard. Many times there will also be the unmissable hot creamy polenta, either yellow or white.

 

 

Pandoro (photo courtesy Conanil - Flickr)

 

And last, but not least, desserts!!!!  Venice is famous for having a dessert for every occasion (Carnevale, Easter and so on), but Christmas brings the best out of Venetian bakeries and patisseries and this is reflected on the festive menu. At the end of a very large and succulent meal, Venetians will have for sure first some dried fruits like nuts, walnuts, peanuts, figs, dates followed by the real dessert, which would have come either from a local baker or patisserie: most probably Pandoro (the typical raised all butter soft bread cake from Verona) or Panettone (similar to Pandoro, but filled with raisins and mixed peel), but they might also have Torrone (nougat) or Mostarda con Mascarpone.  

Mostarda is a condiment typical of some Northern Italian regions, dating back around the year 1300.  Not yellow mustard as Americans know it, mostarda is a condiment of candied fruit and mustard essence.  Mostarda allowed people to keep extremely perishable fruit for a long time. A typical mostarda is made with sugar, mustard essence and whole fruits, but Venetian mustard is made with different types of candied fruit and finely chopped quince as well as mustard essence. The combination with the mascarpone cheese makes it a really tasty and delicate dessert.

 

Obviously all of this opulence would be paired with the best wines the Veneto region can offer: rivers of Prosecco or Raboso, fountains of Merlot or Manzoni, gushes of Soave or Verduzzo. And to end it all the best of dessert wines, like the worldwide famous Cartizze, the Recioto or the Moscato.

 

So, hoping to have tantalized your taste buds, as we say here, Buon Appetito e Buon Natale!

 

*This post is part of Wander Food Wednesdays.

 

 

Related Posts:

Christmas Around Italy: 10 Addresses for Christmas Sweets in Rome 

Christmas Around Italy - Christmas Traditions in Naples

Christmas in France - Aix-en-Provence Christmas Market

Holiday Dessert Recipes

Tasting Venice - A Food Tour with Monica Cesarato 

Italian Hot Chocolate and Carnival in Venice

 

Eating My Way Through Venice - Cicchetti and Seafood Antipasto

 

Being a fan of the long and leisurely many-course Italian meal, I'm still happy to say that this time I ate my way through Venice in little bites and small plates.  Partly due to the fact that I didn't want to miss out on the festivities and also due to being a solo traveler, where long leisurely meals aren't as fun, I grazed my way through Venice on cicchetti and mixed plates of it.  

 

 

These small plates or Venetian-style tapas, Cicchetti, suit Venice's pedestrian culture well.  You walk a little, stop for a bite, maybe baccala mantecato or cured meats on a crostini, or some fried treats. (Don't forget the little shade of wine to wash it down.) You walk some more, winding your way through the labyrinth of calli and along the rii that line the canals, stop for a few more bites, this time going for some of the many seafood cicchetti. And, repeat. If you're a little hungrier or need to sit a while, you can order a plate of mixed cicchetti .  The mixed plate of seafood is one of my favorite treats and I'll often order it as an antipasto course when I sit for a whole meal.

 

 

Types of cicchetti are as numerous as Venice's bridges.  Besides being a great way to sample many Venetian specialties on a small scale, they are budget-friendly.  Usually around 1-3 euros per piece, you can have a filling meal, along with a glass of wine for 15 euros. You can also split your meal between a few different places, this practice is commonly known as a cicchetti crawl or a bacari crawl.  Bacari being the name for the wine and cicchetti bars in Venice.  My ideal cicchetti crawl looks a little something like this:

 

Ca' D'Oro alla Vedova

Ca' D'Oro also known as La Vedova is right off the Strada Nova and near the Ca' D'Oro vaporetto stop.  Lucky for me, it was also right around the corner from my apartment. Being the first time I've been in Venice during artichoke season, I fell in love with their fondo di carciofi, soft and succulent artichoke bottoms in a simple marinade of oil, vinegar and parsely.  I stopped by for at least one whenever I was there early and the crowd wasn't yet spilling out in the alley in front of its doors. All of their seafood cicchetti is exceptional, too.  I especially liked the little marinated seppie and octopus.  They also serve a mixed cicchetti plate or a vegetable plate at the table, which you could order by itself or as an antipasto before a pasta or main course.

 

 

Osteria La Bottega ai Promessi ai Sposi

Near La Vedova is one of my favorite places in Venice, Osteria la Bottega ai Promessi ai Sposi.  Often, I've had two- or three-course meals there, but the osteria also serves up cicchetti at the bar and as antipasti.  One afternoon I stopped in for their antipasto plate.  Their bacala mantecato is amazing.  Dried salt cod soaked in water then drained, it's whisked into a creamy spread as olive oil is slowly drizzled in. Everything on the plate was good; the marinated anchovies, an octopus and potato salad, a pea and green bean salad.

 

 

La Cantina Carbonera Vecia

On my food walk with Monica, we stopped into La Cantina Carbonera Vecia. Crostini topped with a variety of spreads line the bar as you enter.  The wine offerings are scribbled on a chalkboard across from the bar.  In the summer, cicchetti crawlers sit at tables outside or along the steps of the nearby bridge.  As it was March, we went to the back room.  It was a convivial place to sip and nibble while talking with each other and those sitting at the long table with us. We shared a plate of crostini, topped with baccala mantecato and others spread made from local seasonal vegetables like zucca (pumpkin) and radicchio.  

 

 

Anice Stellato

Recommended to me by a few Venetians, I sought out Anice Stellato along one of the quietest calle in Venice. In Cannaregio, behind the bustling Strada Nova and after crossing two bridges, I found it among the silence and the fog. I even forgot for a moment I was in Venice during one of the busiest times of the year. I had the mixed seafood cicchetti plate.  As many of you know, I love a good agrodolce, and their sardine in saor was exceptional.  I would definitely return again and order only a plate of that.

 

 

 Antica Osteria Ruga Rialto and All' Arco

After a visit to the Rialto Market, I stopped by the Antica Osteria Ruga Rialto for their cicheti misti, a mixed plate of seafood dishes.  Then I moved on to All' Arco. It's a tiny cicchetteria that was packed inside.  I squeezed my way up to the bar for crostini topped with prosciutto and a baccala Vicentina washed down with the house white wine.  Baccala Vicentina is salt cod in the style of the nearby city Vicenza. The cod is soaked then whipped, in additional to olive oil, anchovies, onions and parsley are added to this variation. 

 

 

 

Canitnone gia' Schiavi

Cantinone gia' Schiavi is a not-to-miss stop on a cicchetti crawl.  The long ciccetteria has wines completely filling the side walls.  Mamma dishes out the 1 euro cicchetti at this family run spot that's always filled with both locals and tourists.  On the rio San Trovaso, it's right by the bridge of the same name.  The weather in March was warm enough for many of us to sit on the short brick wall outside and enjoy the sun, the boats and gondole passing along the canal.

 

 

 

Caffe Rosso or Al Rosso

Although Caffe Rosso in Campo Santa Margherita has small sandwiches from which to choose, I go specifically to finish a cicchetti crawl with a Spritz con Aperol and to people watch in the campo.  Besides sampling cicchetti, a day in Venice isn't complete without at least one Spritz.

 

 

 

 

Addresses:

Ca' D'Oro: Ramo Ca' D'Oro, 3912 Cannaregio

Osteria la Bottega ai Promessi ai Sposi: Calle del' Oca, 4367 Cannaregio

La Carbonera Vecia: Strada Nova at Ponte Sant' Antonio, 2329 Cannaregio

Anice Stellato: Fondamenta della Sensa, 3272 Cannaregio

Antica Osteria Ruga Rialto: Ruga Rialto, 629 San Polo

All' Arco: Calle dell' Occhialer, 436 San Polo

Cantinone gia' Schiavi: Ponte San Trovaso, 992 Dorsoduro

Caffe Rosso: Campo Santa Margherita, 2963 Dorsoduro

 

 

Related Posts:

Tasting Venice - A Food Tour with Monica Cesarato

Sfogi in Saor - Venetian Style Sole in Agrodolce Sauce

Favorite Scenes and Costumes from Carnival 2011 in Venice

Cicheti and Ombra - Little Tastes of Venice

Best Ways to Savor Venice

Italian Hot Chocolate and Carnival in Venice

Pomegranate Spritz - Twist on a Venetian Spritz and Embracing Italian Culture

Lo Spritz - Happy Hour in Venice

Tiramisu Recipe

Burano - Jewel of the Lagoon

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A Lesson in Venetian Maskmaking

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Tasting Venice - A Food Tour with Monica Cesarato

 

Another absolutely gorgeous day in Venice, and I had the great pleasure of spending the afternoon with Monica Cesarato, a Venetian and Venetian food afficianado. Monica writes a blog about Venice and owns and runs the Faronhof bed and breakfast, outside of Venice. She also is one of the two people who run Cook in Venice, where they offer Venetian cooking courses and food tours in Venice. Our plan for the afternoon was to eat a lot of cicheti. The day was so warm and sunny, we veered off course a little, walking along Zattere and stopping for a gelato (yes, it was that warm). Instead of just cicheti, I learned a lot more about the food in Venice.

 

 

 

Venetian Carnival Treats

Since it is Carnival time, we did a lot of talking about the fried foods treats of Carnival. I have seen the round "doughnuts"(frittelle) in five different variations. The three most typical are alla Veneziana (with rum soaked sultanas and pine nuts), filled with pastry cream, and filled with Zabajon (zabaglione). I've also seen them filled with cream chantilly (sweetened whipped cream). On our walk, we also found some filled with Nutella. There were also sliced apple rings dipped in frittelle batter and fried that I found at Tonolo Pasticceria. Lastly, there are Kraffen. These come from Austria and stayed in Venice after the Austrians left.

Fritelle with Zabaglione, Venetian Style, and with Pastry Cream

 

Fritelle with Nutella

 

Kraffen - (came with the Austrians) filled with pastry cream

 

Fried Apples Dipped in the Frittelle batter before frying

 

 

Venetian Sweets

On our walk, Monica also gave me a lesson on some of the other sweets that fill the pastry windows in Venice. One thing I noticed was that the same cookie were called different names in different pasticcerie windows. The Venetian dialect is still very strong in the city, and that's the reason for the two types of spelling for the same foods.

Zaletti (also Zaeti) Cookies

These cookies that are between are a sort of crunchy cake are made with corn flour, which gives them their yellow color. The name comes from Venetian dialect for yellow.

 

Bussola (also Bussolai) Cookies from Burano

Bussole are ring shaped shortbread cookies, with a little lemon zest added, and come from the island of Burano. I also saw these cookies with little chocolate chips in them. Monica told me she was a purist when it came to recipes, so I think she might not approve of the chocolate chip filled cookies, but they looked good this chocolate-chip cookie loving girl.

Pinza (also Pincia) - A kind of Bread Pudding

Monica explained Pinza as a kind of a bread pudding, made with corn flour, where you put whatever you have leftover into the mixture. This pinza had sultanas. She also suggested I buy a Venetian cookbook, A Toea coi Nostri Veci. It's traditional Venetian food. The only problem is that the book is written in Venetian dialect. (Monica, I'll be emailing you frequently for help ;-) I bought the book and plan to make and share several recipes from it.

 

Tiramisu

Of course, there is Tiramisu. We had a nice discussion about this dish, which is actually from Treviso (not Venice, but nearby). Monica, being the purist, said you cannot call it Tiramisu unless the eggs are raw. I knew I took liberties with my recipe, making a French bombe and cooking the eggs by whipping in cooked sugar, but she also didn't like my idea of adding melted chocolate to the espresso. Oh well, I might have to change the name of my recipe and make a new "original" version of tiramisu here.

 

Cicheti (cicchetti) and Ombra

Cicheti and Ombra are all the rage now, but at one time the person who went out for an ombra was considered a wino. Ombra means shadow. Legend has it that the little tumblers of wine that go with the finger food, known as cicheti, gets its name from the old wine sellers. They would move their barrels/carts to be under the shade, keeping the wine cool. Ombra can also be the "shade" or small bit of wine you get in those small tumblers.

Cicheti is another word that I've seen spelled two different ways. Monica let me know that cicheti (pronounced chee-keh-tee) is the Venetian spelling and cicchetti is the Italian spelling. Both are correct, and both are used throughout the city. We had cicheti at La Cantina Carbonera Vecia. Monica also gave me a list of other cicchetterie that she likes. I'll have more for you soon on all the cicheti I've been tasting.

 

Chocolate and Hazelnut Gelato from Nico

 

Carnival

During our walk, we also talked about Carnival in Venice. Monica reminisced that when she was younger everyone would be in costume. It's dress up for people of all ages. There were less of the extravagent costumes - those are furnished by many of the costume and mask stores in the city who pay the wearers to "pose" around St. Mark's Square. Not everyone was dressed up, but all ages were definitely participating.

One of the more extravagent costumes riding in a gondola

 

Adults in Costume on a Bridge in Venice

 

 

The youngsters posing and celebrating Carnival with confetti

 

Monica's personality is quite the opposite of the devil Carnival costume she had

 

Thanks again Monica for a wonderful afternoon and for all the information on Venetian food and Carnival in Venice!

 

 

 

Related Posts:

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Sfogi in Saor - Venetian Style Sole in Agrodolce

Tiramisu

Sfogi in Saor - Venetian Style Sole in Agrodolce Sauce

 

 

For me, there aren't many flavors I like more than sweet and sour.  The sweet and sour I'm talking about is Italian agrodolce. The literal translation from Italian is sour sweet.  Those are the two necessary components to the sauce.  The sour is usually white wine vinegar, and the sweet is usually sugar.  Caponata, a Sicilian dish, is probably the most popular one using this sauce, but the sauce also matches marvelously with fish and meat.  It could be that I had an overdose of sweets for Valentine's Day and needed a little sour in my food.  Like a child counts the hours until Santa's arrival, I'm also counting the days to my upcoming trip to Venice.  With visions of gondole floating on canals, Carnevale costumes & masks, and seafood dishes dancing in my head, I was impatient to have a taste of Venice.

 

 
Bridge of Sighs

 

 
Carnevale Costumes in St. Mark's Square

 

 
Seafood Antipasti - with one sardine in saor in the center

 

 

  

Saor is Venetian dialect for sapore (flavor).  The saor, a combination of sweet onions and vinegar, is the marinade for the fish.  Venetians have been marinating food with onions as far back as the 14th century.  The sauce helped to preserve the fish for long voyages at sea and also helped to ward off scurvy during those same voyages.  There were no long journeys at sea or fear of scurvy for me, yet I've still managed to eat my share of saor during my past visits to Venice.

 

 
 

Although it's served year round, this dish, either with Sarde (large sardines) or Sfogi (sole) is part of the traditional feast of the Redentore festival in Venice, held the third Saturday every July.  At dusk on the night of the celebration, little boats festooned in brightly colored decorations, lanterns and baloons float out into Saint Mark's Bay and Giudecca to enjoy the fireworks display.  They moor alongside each other, and, before the fireworks start, enjoy a feast of Venetian specialties, including a saor dish, be it sarde or sfogi.

 

 
The Grand Canal and the domes of Santa Maria della Salute

 

 
 
 

 

My nearing trip to Venice is for another celebration (Carnevale), but that didn't stop my craving for this classic Venetian dish.  You can bet I'll be sampling as much sarde & sfogi in saor that I can find.  In the meantime, I thought I'd share this recipe with you. 

It's important to let the fish marinate in the saor for a minimum of 10 hours, but 2 days is better.  Because we only have sardines (little sarde) here in California, and they're not always easy to find,  I made the dish with sole instead.

 

 

 

Sfogi in Saor - Sole in Agrodolce Sauce

(adapted from the Sarde in Saor recipe in Venice Tradition and Food by Pino Agostini & Alvise Zorzi)

Serves 6 for a main course and 8 for an antipasti

 

2 pounds sole, filleted

About 1 cup all-purpose flour

About 1/2 cup olive oil, for frying, divided in half

2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste

2 medium sweet white onions, thinly sliced (about 2 cups sliced)

1/3 cup white wine vinegar

1/3 cup sultanas, soaked in white wine

1/3 cup pine nuts

Lightly dredge the fillets in the flour.  Heat the olive oil in a saute pan, and saute the fillets over medium heat until both sides are golden, 3 to 4 minutes on each side.  Remove from the heat onto a paper towel to drain & sprinkle both sides with salt. 

In another saute pan, heat more olive oil.  Saute the onions on medium low heat until soft, about 10 minutes.  The onions should not change color.  Add the vinegar, sultanas, and pine nuts and cook until the vinegar has been absorbed by the onions, about 5 minutes.  Let both the sole and the saor cool.

When they both have cooled, place a layer of the sole in a glass dish.  Add a layer of the saor on top of the sole.  Add another layer of sole on top of the saor.  Continue layering the sole then saor until all the sole and saor have been used.  (You should end with a layer of saor).  Refrigerate for two days.  Serve at room temperature.  Buon Appetito!

 

This post is part of Wanderfood Wednesdays, other food-loving travelers who blog. 

 

 

 

Related Posts:

Cicheti and Ombra - Little Tastes of Venice

Best Ways to Savor Venice

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The Italian Teacher, The Friend and a Magical Chocolate Kahlua Budino

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A Twist on a Venetian Spritz and Embracing Italian Culture

Twist on a Venetian Spritz and Embracing Italian Culture

 

 

I spent the majority of 2009 in Italy.  Fabulous food, luscious landscapes, the magnificent Mediterrenean, and passionate people, who you want to befriend or strangle depending on the moment. 

 

During my time in Italy, I realized there are a few things about Italians and their culture that are important to understand and embrace to travel sanely in Italy.  Here are my top 6 tips for embracing Italians and their culture:

 

 

  

1.  You’re not invisible, you’re in Italy

Cutting in front of line is a national sport in this country. Don’t take it personally when the line-cutting athlete races past you. It’s best to join in.  It’s actually quite a good use of time management.  Why wait for a group of children or tourists to sample each gelato flavor when you know exactly what you what. 

 

 

2.  When you see the streets deserted and stores closed, don’t worry the rapture hasn’t come. 

You haven’t been left behind. It’s 1pm and feeding, er I mean, lunch time, that’s all. It’s best to get yourself to a trattoria, too.  Because if you think you’re eating when it’s convenient for you (say like 3pm), think again.  Stores close, even grocery stores, from 1:00-3:00pm (some until 4:00pm) for lunch. 

  

 

3.  The most dangerous person in Italy is an Italian grandma (la nonna) with her rolling shopping cart. 

Yes, Italy has the mafia and Berlusconi, both quite scary, but NOTHING is scarier than when you get in the way of la nonna and her daily shopping.  She’s had that rolling cart (her weapon of choice along with her elbow) a long time, and knows how to wield it wisely.

  

 

4.  Crosswalks, stop signs, and red lights mean nothing to the Italian driver. 

And, the pedestrian that thinks they have the right away (which they legally do) is crazier than the guy who bludgeoned Berlusconi with a metal souvenir.  However, the Italian driver will stop for someone, la nonna with her rolling shopping cart!  If you fear for your life while trying to cross the street (and you should), follow la nonna. 

  

 

5.  Timeliness is NOT close to godliness.  Complaining about the late is an even greater sin.

Being on time is looked at as a character flaw.  Actually, I’m not an on-time person (this might be the understatement of the decade).  However, I am always on time for planes, trains, buses and boats.  Even in these cases, in Italy it’s never correct to badmouth the late.  Twice I complained about a friend being late (once we almost missed a train, the other a boat).  Each time the Italian, to whom I complained, frowned and defended the tardy “Brava la tua amica.”  (Well done, your friend) one said. 

  

 

6.  Gli anziani (the elderly) are always right, and you are maleducato (badly raised by your parents) to question them.

The elderly man (or woman) has every right to yell at whomever he wants, even your young niece.  If you step in to calm him, you become his new target.  Suddenly I was maleducata and told Vai alla tua casa! (Go home!).  Visitors aren’t the only ones susceptible to the wrath of the anziani.  I’ve seen plenty of young Italians who got the same, or worse, treatment.  It’s better to agree and smile.  Best places for watching gli anziani at their best are buses, the metro, supermarkets and street markets.  You'll have some laughs and great stories to tell.

  

  

 

Make no mistake.  I ADORE Italians and all their quirks.  One thing I realized during my stay in Italy is that they lead with their hearts and not their heads.  Sometimes this creates altercations, but most of the time they are endearing, especially gli anziani!  Any other tips you can think of to add to the list?

If all else fails, sit at an outdoor cafe and have a drink.  I've come up with a twist on the Spritz from Venice that you can easily make anywhere.  Spritz is the happy hour drink of Venetians.  They drink it before lunch, after work and before dinner, to start a party, to end a party, as they munch down cicheti, or sit along a canal and watch gondola after gondola glide by.  It's one part bitter (Compari or Aperol), one part Prosecco (Italy's sparkling wine), and one part sparkling water.  I've added my own twist to this and used Pomegranate juice instead of Campari or Aperol.

Pomegranate Spritz

 

(serves 6)

 

2 cups Pomegranate juice

2 cups Prosecco

2 cups Sprakling water

6 orange slices

  

 

 

Mix the pomegranate juice, Prosecco and water together.  Pour into 6 glasses filled with a few cubes of ice.  Add and orange slice into each drink.  Enjoy!

  

 

 

 

Happy New Year's all and best wishes for 2010!

Cicheti and Ombra -- Little tastes of Venice

 

 

Cicheti and ombre sound like names of dances, possibly performed during Carnevale. However, cicheti (pronounced chee - ke - tee) are small bites or plates of food (Italian version of tapas) and ombre (literally translated means shadows/shades) are glasses of wine to wash down the cicheti. 

These small plates are hugely popular with Venetians, who pack their local bacaro (wine bar) before and after meal times.  Venice is said to be the most expensive dining city in all of Italy.  Instead, you can get a variety of cicheti and one or two ombre for quite a bargain; many times far less than 20 euros per person.

 

 

 

 

The little bites can be as simple as a marinated artichoke or a more complex plate of mixed seafood.  There are also crostini and an array of fried goods that encompass the word cicheti.  The prices range from 1 euro to 12 euros.

 

 

 

 

The types of cicheti are possibly infinite, but a  seafood version is one that I prefer.  I've been scouring the city looking for the best Sardine in Saor.  Sardines are fried and then marinated in a agrodolce (sweet and sour) sauce of sauteed onions, vinegar, pine nuts and golden raisins.   Baccala Mantecato is another of my favorites.  Baccala (dried cod) is boiled, flaked and then whipped in a food processor or by hand as  olive oil is drizzled in (the same as you would when making mayonnaise) until it creates a rich fish mousse.  Some places also add Italian parsley, garlic, and a bit of milk.  It's either served on crostini or with polenta. 

 

 

 

My top 5 spots for cicheti and ombra in Venice:

La Cantina - Campo San Felice, Sestiere Cannereggio 3689

Run by two owners Francesco and Andrea along with Giacomo, in charge of service.  Giacomo's knowledge of the Veneto wines could match any sommelier.  Francesco is in the kitchen, working behind a glass counter where you can watch him prepare every tasty dish. Andrea is in charge of La Cantina's own brewed beer, Morgana, also tasty.  We started with crostini, had tuna tartar and marinated sea bass and ended with a moist and tender pork tenderloin that was surrounded by a salty and crunchy crust.

 

Antica Ostario Ruga Rialto - Ruga Rialto, Sestiere San Polo 692

Here the Sardine in Saor were my favorite in all of Venice. They perfect the agrodolce (sweet and sour) sauce and add the traditional sultana raisins and pinenuts to the dish. The Baccala Mantecato is creamy goodness and the Cicheti Misti plate always delights the palate with a mixture of sauces from salty to spicy to accompany the various fish preparations.

Cantinone gia' Schiavi - Ponte San Trovarso, Sestiere Dorsoduro 992

It has an excellent variety of wines.  Many of which you can buy by the glass.  The large selection of cicheti, include many for only 1 euro, are mainly crostini and fritti (fried ) vegetables or fish.  Bottles of the wines you like are available for purchase, too, some for under 10 euros.

Ca' d'Oro - alla Vedova -Ramo Ca' d'Oro, Sestiere Cannaregio 3912

I don't think there is a bad cicheti among the abundance offered here.  The polpettine (little meatballs), sepe roste (roasted seppie without its black ink) and folpeti consi (baby octopus boiled with vegetables then seasoned with a vinaigrette) are house specialties.

Al Garanghelo - Via Garibaldi, Sestiere Castello 1621

The seafood antipasto and sarde in saor are my picks for this trattoria and bacaro all in one, situated in the quieter and less touristy sestiere of Venice.

 

 

 

 

Nero di Seppie -- A Traditional Venetian Dish

It was a plate of slimy black liquid, which reminded me a bit of wet tar.  Nero di Seppie, a Venetian specialty is cuttlefish served in a sauce of its own black ink.  You can order just the cuttlefish and sauce,  with pasta, or with risotto.  Not the most visually appealing dish, leading to my procrastinating statement, "One day I'll taste these black dishes, just not today." 

"Today" had finally come.  And although the dish was plated beautifully at Al Pesador, it still didn't make my mouth water.  Without looking at the sauce, I plunged my fork in and tasted.  It was meno male (not bad).  The sauce had a tang and saltiness from the sea.  The cuttlefish was tender (it tastes just like calamari), and the rice helped blend all flavors together.   This dish was still overpowered by the sauce.  I prefer the spaghetti nero di seppie, which has less liquid and more pasta, so the pasta absorbs the sea flavors from the fish's ink, but the sauce doesn't overpower.  I've tried the pasta at both Bottega ai promessi sposi and La Taverna San Trovaso, which are both better than meno male. 

 

 

The seppie looks even more unappetizing before they are prepared.  For the dish, you purchase them uncleaned with the ink sack still intact.  You break the ink sack and pour it into the sauce to turn the sauce the deep black color. 

One thing is certain.  This is not a dish to order on a date.  All of the nero di seppie dishes turn your entire mouth black and stain your teeth a bit.  I knew this ahead of time and brought my toothbrush.  If you are determined to order this on a date, you can also do the same, just don't smile the entire dinner.

I'm glad I tried the nero di seppie dishes and would order them again.  I would choose a place with a great view, as I just can't look at the plate while I'm eating it.  Fortunately, Al Pesador has one of the best views in Venice.  It's behind the Rialto Market and looks onto the Grand Canale.  I come here often day, sunset and night for Lo Spritz and bruschette, and to watch the gondole and vaporetti float by.

Lo Spritz -- Happy Hour in Venice

 

Spritz is a neon orange or sometimes neon red aperitivo.  During the evening, these brightly colored drinks fill outdoor tables and line bars throughout Venice.  They're available at the Piazza San Marco and on terraces of swanky Venetian hotels.  You can also do as Venetians do and find the smallest, oldest bar in the neighborhood,  squeeze through the crowd and flailing hands of Italian conversations, order one, and go outside to drink while sitting on the pavement.

 

Spritz contains prosecco or white wine, a bitter liqueur of either Campari or Aperol (Aperol is a little sweeter than Compari), and sparkling mineral water.  It also has an olive and slice of orange, and you usually get a little bowl of potato chips on the side.   I've read and heard arguments about where to find the best Spritz, but I believe you find the best Spritz at a bar with an awesome view and with a group of friends.

 

 

 

 

My favorite places to have a Spritz in Venice always include a beautiful view.

 

 

Along the Fondamenta Zattere, I usually finish a morning of walking with a Spritz or two.  The Fondamenta looks onto the Island of Giudecca. On Saturdays you can watch the cruise ships on their way out to sea, and waive at the passengers.

 

The "Erbaria di Rialto" which is behind the Rialto Market and looks onto the Grand Canal.  There are four restaurants that also serve appetizers before and after meal times.  I prefer to go after lunchtime and get bruschetta and a Spritz.  Also at night, you can get a Spritz from one of the bars that are opened late and sit on the canal bank.

 

Campo Santa Margherita is near my school.  It's also near the Italian University.  The weekend starts on Thursday evening here, and there are several bars packed with overflow running onto the campo. 

 

 

Along the banks of Guidecca, you can sip a Spritz and watch the city of Venice magically float on the lagoon.  From this view you may never want to leave.   

 

One suggestion, though, if you don't plan on eating your potato chips, don't leave them on the table.  You might get attacked by the birds like I did.

 

 

 

 

Here is an adapted recipe for Spritz that I received from the Istituto di Venezia, where I'm taking Italian classes.

 

Lo Spritz

Serves 4

1 cup Prosecco or dry white wine

1 cup Campari or Aperol

1 cup Sparkling Mineral Water

 
Mix together and pour in a short glass with the usual one ice cube.  Add an olive and orange slice to each glass.  Cin Cin and Enjoy!

 

 

La Bottega ai Promessi ai Sposi

Tucked behind the Strada Nuova (a popular street for tourists and shopping in the Cannaregio quarter), is La Bottega ai promessi ai sposi.  It's one of my restaurant "finds" in a city with few of them (believe me I've also had a few "worst ever in Italy" experiences  in this very touristy city).

However, at La Bottega you'll find many more Venetians than tourists.  It's hidden in a "calle," alley-like street, and missed by the throng of tourists.  I found out about it from a fellow student and have been back  several times since.  I even missed the restaurant the first time.  I found it the second time only because I noticed the handwritten name of the restaurant on a piece of paper taped to the window.  There's actually a small lantern above the restaurant's entrance guiding you inside.

The restaurant fits about 50 people maximum and is filled most nights with locals.  The tables are wooden squares or rectangles and the "tablecloths" are burgandy- colored swathches, also of paper.   Christiano seats you and hands you the handwritten menu and wine lists (one for red and one for white).  The menu is filled with many typical Venetian dishes:  Spaghetti colle vongole (spaghetti with clams), bigoli in salsa (spaghetti-like pasta with anchoives), fritto misto di pesce (fried fish), fegato Veneziana (Liver Venetian Style),  Pasta with Nero di Seppia (Pasta blackened from the ink of cuttlefish). 

They also have a selection of two or three house-made pastas (pasta fatta in casa). Twice I tried the house-made strozzapreti (pasta named after the priest's collar but literally translated means strangle the priests), once with a duck ragu and once with a lamb ragu, and both times the dishes were delicious. 

 

There are usually a selection of two or three unspectacular desserts.  The chocolate torte is sufficient if you absolutely want a dessert, but I  like to save my sweet tooth for some gelato.  The antipasti (especially the antipasti alla banchi), which gives a selection of appetizers from the bar, all the pasta selections and many of the second courses are simple, flavorful and typical cuisine of Venice.  I'm sure I'll be back again before I leave Venice.

La Bottega ai promessi sposi is located in the Cannaregio quarter of Venice at Calle dell'Oca 4367; telephone:  +39 041 241 27 47