Tag Archives: Venezia

Eggplants “in tecia” with baked ricotta – with love from Francesco

Posted on December 1, 2012 | 9 Comments

I’ve got a bit of a crush on Francesco da Mosto. Do you know him? He is a chatty Venetian architect and host of several BBC tv shows. He looks like an eternal boy, with his great mop of greying hair and a huge smile. He tells a story with typical Italian drama, in delightfully accented English, emphasizing salient points, talking with his hands and holding a cigarette, as a prop to show his serious pensive side.

Some time back I discovered he had also written a cookbook, Francesco’s kitchen. Francesco can cook as well?! Is there anything the man can’t do? The book is not new (published 2007) but it has lots of interesting historical facts about why Venetians eat the way they do. It also has some terrific photos of the Rialto Market, which is one of my favorite markets in the world.

I don’t think for a minute that Francesco cooks all the meals in the book, however he does provide a vast number of recipes with occasional photos of himself as a cheeky young man in Venice, and photos of his ancestors, who were quite a prominent Venetian family. The book is written in a conversational style that makes it a very easy read. I have made several recipes from the book, including the recipe for zaleti biscotti in a previous blog post and my Christmas favorite, sarde in saor is based on the recipe in Francesco’s book.

I was at the Rialto market in July, it was summer and the reds, yellows and greens of all the beautiful fresh produce from local producers was incredible. Peppers, tomatoes, chillies, zucchini, eggplants, peaches – what an amazing feeling to be seeing and photographing these right next to the Grand Canal.

In memory of my wonderful day in Venezia at the Rialto Market, I would like to share with you Francesco’s recipe for eggplant with a tomato sauce (melanzane in tecia). The eggplant is cut into thin rounds, fried and then topped with a rich tomato and parsley sauce made from fresh tomatoes. This simple summer dish is perfect with some baked ricotta (my recipe below), a slice of crusty bread and a glass of crisp white wine, such as the La Zona Pinot Grigio that I have been enjoying since my visit to the King Valley.

sq diag eggplant ricotta

Melanzane in tecia (Stewed eggplants with tomatoes)
2 large eggplants (about 700g)
Plain flour
plenty of olive oil for frying
Sauce:
50 g butter, unsalted
50ml olive oil
Parsley, small bunch, leaves picked and chopped
1 garlic clove
500 g tomatoes, skins and seeds removed and chopped
Sea salt

Wash the eggplants and cut the eggplant into thin slices. Sprinkle salt over them and place on a wooden board to drain.

In the meantime, prepare the tomato sauce. Plunge whole tomatoes in boiling water for a minute and then drain and remove the outer skin. Roughly chop and remove as many seeds as possible. Heat up 50 ml oil and butter in a medium saucepan and add the parsley and the garlic. When the garlic has become golden and flavored the oil, remove it and discard. Add the tomato and cook on low to moderate heat until all the liquid has evaporated. Add salt to taste.

Whilst the tomato sauce is cooking, you can prepare the eggplants. Once they have sweated their excess moisture, toss the slices in flour. Heat the 200ml oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan and fry the eggplant slices. When cooked, pat on absorbent paper to remove excess oil. If you are worried about using so much oil, you can also cook them in a 200 degree oven (brush with oil before placing them in there) – just keep checking on them frequently.

Arrange the eggplants on individual plates or a serving platter, and spoon over the dense tomato sauce. I like to scatter on a bit more parsley to serve.

Baked ricotta
600g ricotta
100g italian parmigiano cheese, grated
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Zest of half a medium sized lemon, finely grated
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 160 degrees and line a 20cm round baking tin (mine has a removable base). Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined and place in the tin. Brush the top with a bit of olive oil. bake for 60 minutes until firm (it will puff up a bit then flatten when you remove it from the oven). Allow to cool in the tin. Remove from the tin and serve wedges cold with melanzane in tecia and some crusty bread. It will keep up to a week covered in the fridge.

sq eggplant with baked ricotta

When I am in Venezia and I want to feel like a local, I rent an apartment. It is by far the best way of enjoying the city if you want to stay a couple of nights. Venice Apartments has a great selection of places to stay and that way I have a kitchen in which I can cook all the beautiful produce I have bought at the Rialto market. For me this is far better than a tiny hotel room!

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Posted in Antipasti, Places, Vegetarian

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Fritole with zabaglione – memories of Venice

Posted on September 7, 2012 | 2 Comments

My dear friend Ben reminds me often of the first time he tried fritole. We were 20 years old and traveling in Europe together during a break from university. We were in Venice, looking in the window of a cake shop.

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There were all kinds of delightful pastries, cakes and biscotti; there were also fritole (also known as frittole or frittelle). For me they were just these Italian tasting tiny fried balls with sultanas that mamma made at home and had made since I could remember. The ones we saw in the window that day were a bit different – they were filled with zabaglione. They were like small donuts filled with Marsala laden custard, with sugar scattered on top. I had never tried this combination of flavors so while the tastes were not new to me, the combination was. I recently asked Ben to describe his memories of the first time he tasted fritole with zabaglione and this is what he said: “crispy, soft, sweet….completely divine”.

Ben and I sometimes cook together and this weekend we decided to finally try our hand at recreating the fritole we had tasted in Venice all those years ago. We decided not to use my mother’s delicious fritole recipe (which my niece Claire put up on her blog some time back) as these ones are not meant to be filled with a cream. So I searched for a recipe that might allow the fritole to puff up a bit more and make space for the zabaglione to be piped in. I found a recipe written in Italian, and with that translated, we were set.

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Ben made the fritole mixture and I made the zabaglione. I fried the fritole and he piped the zabaglione. We gave each other suggestions as we worked on our separate components. The deep fryer that Ben had was a bonus. It was ideal for controlling the temperature for frying though you can get by without one (my mother had a bit of a laugh when I told her – “who needs special equipment like that”, she said, ” the fritole turn over on their own once they are cooked”).

Once cooked, let them cool slightly, pipe in the thick sweet zabaglione and then dust them with icing sugar. As an alternative, you can make smaller fritole, roll them in caster sugar when they are still hot and then dip them into the zabaglione just prior to eating as I did in the photo below when I made them again at home. Whichever way you decide to construct the flavors, the result is the same – a completely divine taste sensation.

Fritole with zabaglione
makes about 40 medium sized fritole
Fritole:
280 g plain flour
20g fresh yeast (or 7g dried yeast)
4 egg yolks
20g butter
250 ml whole milk
rind of one lemon, grated
25g pine nuts
40g sultanas
3 tablespoons grappa
Vegetable oil for cooking
Icing sugar for dusting
Zabaglione:
4 very fresh egg yolks
4 half egg shells caster sugar
4 half egg shells Marsala

Prepare the yeast by dissolving it in a bit of warm milk, a tablespoon of sugar and one of flour (exact quantities are not important here). Set to one side.

In a large mixing bowl, place the rest of the flour, butter, egg yolks, sugar, grated lemon rind and a pinch of salt. Mix with a large wooden spoon until the ingredients are well incorporated. The mixture should be quite runny. Add a bit more milk if it is not. Add the yeast mixture and mix well. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and allow to rest for about 30 minutes. It should almost double in size.

Add the raisins (which you have soaked in grappa/rum for the last half hour) and pine nuts. Mix well. You are now ready to fry the fritole. Heat the oil to 160 degrees. Drop spoonfuls of mixture into the hot oil (dip the spoon in hot oil before use as it helps prevent the mixture sticking). Turn them over once one side is cooked (though they sometimes flip over as my mother said they would). Once browned, drain them on absorbent paper.

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Whilst the fritole dough is resting, make the zabaglione. Beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy – at least 5 minutes using an electric beater. Place the mixture carefully in a double boiler. As it is warming up, slowly pour the Marsala in a thin stream, whisking gently the whole time. Keep stirring the zabaglione over the double boiler gently until it thickens (it took me about 15 minutes). Do not allow the mixture to boil.

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Pipe the zabaglione into the fritole using a piping bag and a small nozzle. Dust them with icing sugar. These are best eaten the same day.

Here are a few memories of Venice, in case you need more inspiration.

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Posted in Sweets and cakes

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Zaleti – little yellow Venetian polenta biscuits

Posted on June 30, 2012 | 7 Comments

Venezia is a magical place and one that is close to my heart. My parents spent their honeymoon in Venezia, which is about an hour and a half from where they were living in Monfalcone. Mark proposed to me at the Rialto market. Venezia is also the home of delightful biscotti with names like bussola, pane dei dogi and zaleti that are made especially for Carnevale (Carnival held each year in February) but are found all year round.

My favourite Venetian biscotti to make at home are zaleti, which are yellow because they are made with yellow polenta. The word giallo means yellow in Italian and in Venetian dialect the word is zalo. Hence zaleti (or even zaeti – you leave out the L) are little yellow biscuits. These biscuits are sweet, buttery with a hint of lemon and have a lovely texture due to the contrast of the polenta and the soft sultanas. I add orange zest to mine as well as the traditional lemon – the zesty orange complements the other flavours beautifully.

They are very simple to make – you mix the ingredients with a wooden spoon or even with your hands. I like them dunked in coffee or tea or even with a glass sweet Vin santo (holy wine). Eating them reminds me of being in La Serenissima, a few hours before the Prosecco hour when it is time for a glass of Prosecco and cichetti (appetisers). Or you could start the Prosecco hour a bit earlier have it with the zaleti!

Zaleti
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees
300g fine yellow polenta
250g self raising flour
150g caster sugar
3 egg yolks
150g butter, melted
rind of one small lemon
rind of one small orange
4 tablespoons of sultanas soaked in grappa for about 20 minutes (use Brandy if you have no grappa or even warm water if you don’t like the taste of liqueur in your cakes)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla essence (optional – works well if you don’t use grappa or brandy)

Zaleti on a tray ready to cook

Place the polenta, flour and sugar in a bowl. Combine then add the zests. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add this to the dry ingredients. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Add the lightly beaten egg yolks and the vanilla essence (if using). Mix until everything is evenly incorporated.

Lastly add the drained sultanas. Add a bit of grappa that the sultanas have been soaking in if the mixture appears too dry. Shape them into lozenges about 7 cm long and 4 cm wide. Place on a lined baking tray with some space between them to allow for them to spread whilst they are cooking. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until they are golden. Allow to cool on a wire rack before eating. You can sprinkle on some icing sugar if you like though I prefer them plain.

Zaleti have a rather crumbly texture though will have a bit of a crunch if you cook them longer. They store well in a sealed tin for around four days. You can vary them slightly by adding pine nuts. You can also use coarse polenta, though they turn out with more of a grainy texture.

Ah…. bella Venezia…. I will see you soon!

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Posted in Places, Sweets and cakes

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My beautiful Murano vases

Posted on June 14, 2012 | 6 Comments

I love beautiful vases. I have a collection of them in the lounge room that catch the evening light through the window. Of all my vases, the most prized ones are the ones I bought in Venezia when I was there in 2010. To be more precise, I bought them on the beautiful island of Murano, which is a boat ride from Piazza San Marco in the centre of Venezia.

Murano was quite a surprise. I’d been told by a Venetian friend to avoid it as it was like a Turkish Suq. However travelling in late autumn I found it to be picturesque, quiet and simply delightful. To me it was like a smaller and slightly poorer cousin of la Serenissima – but one where you could feel comfortable and at home. The reason I travelled to Murano was to buy some authentic Murano glassware. In Venezia, there are shops everywhere peddling colourful “Murano” trinkets but I wanted to be sure I was buying something made locally, by an artisan and totally authentic.

I was lucky enough to be introduced to the manager of Schiavon Glass, Annarita Schiavon, a delightful and classy Venetian lady who took me on a tour of the Schiavon warehouse, which was founded by her father. She lead me through room after room of vases, glasses, chandeliers, jewellery – just when you thought you had seen the most exquisite piece, another appeared before your eyes. Not only were there modern pieces, but also delicate antique glassware. I settled on a set of three clean lined vases with gold leaf through them. I took a photo of them on the shelf before they were packaged to be shipped back to Australia.

Three Murano vases in the Schiavon warehouse waiting to be bought (by me!)

After shopping, we walked around the narrow calle (streets) and canals and marvelled at how quiet and peaceful the island was. We had a bit of lunch by the water and caught the ferry back to our little apartment in San Marco. I was terribly excited about my purchase. Now every time I look at my Murano vases on the shelf at home, I think of that glorious day on Murano.

As I am travelling back to Italy in less than a month, I will be returning to Venezia (perhaps to buy more Murano glassware) as well as staying at two agriturismi (agriculture plus tourism – a bit like vacationing in a farmhouse) – one in Veneto and one in Friuli. I look forward to sharing my experiences there with you. A presto!

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Posted in Beautiful things, Italian Design

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