Italy is a culinary wonderland. Its regions produce foods and wines that are unique and reflective of the different cultures and lifestyles that exist within its borders. In her book Venezia Tessa Kiros takes the reader on a personal tour combining handwritten notes with evocative photographs and sumptuous recipes from restaurants that are frequented by the locals.
Essential Italian Recipes
In her chapter Essential Recipes Tessa shares the secrets of making signature Venetian cocktails with Prosecco a traditional sparkling Italian white wine served very cold. The Rossini features pureed fresh strawberries poured into a glass with Prosecco. The Bellini is a variation on a theme with strawberries being replaced by fresh peaches.
In Venice these cocktails are often enjoyed in the late afternoon by visitors and locals alike who gather in the city's piazzas to walk their dogs, exchange news and watch the passing parade.
Cicchetti - Italian Snacks
Cicchetti are small bites that can be enjoyed at anytime of the day. Tessa dedicates an entire chapter to these morsels with recipes for delicious savories such as Fried Mozzarella Toasts, Octopus and Potatoes, Meatballs and a Venetian favourite, Sardines - fried, roasted and sour. Anchovies also play a large part in the Venetian cuisine and there are several recipes for these salty little fish.
Antipasti - More Than Salami And Olives
Cicchetti shouldn't be confused with Antipasti which literally means 'before the meal'. Antipasti are served before the Prima Piatti, the first plate, which is usually a pasta or rice dish.
In Venice, as Tessa so appetizingly demonstrates, Antipasti comprises a range of dishes. In this chapter Tessa shares a selection of recipes featuring clams, mussels and scallops cooked with garlic and olive oil and served with a generous squeeze of lemon juice and crusty bread to soak up the juices.
Seafood features heavily in this chapter with recipes for baby octopus, prawns, marinated bass, crabs and fish carpaccio providing the enthusiast chef with a selection of dishes that are as delicious in their simplicity to prepare as they are to consume.
Authentic Recipes From Venice
As well as easy to make recipes Tessa also caters for the more adventurous cook. Spaghetti with Squid Ink falls into this category calling for a whole squid with the ink sack still in tact. If this is too messy, or too confronting a proposition, you can also buy sachets of squid ink.
In this recipe Tessa walks you through the process of cleaning the squid, removing the quill and separating the head and innards from the body without breaking the ink sack.
Again if this is too complicated you can either ask your fishmonger to prepare the squid for you or take the easy road by buying a cleaned squid tube and the tentacles separately.
Essential Ingredients For Italian Cooking
Many of the recipes feature staples of the Italian kitchen - parsley is a must have as is white wine and parmesan cheese (preferably bought at an Italian grocers and grated only when needed). If you are serious about your Italian cooking you should always have on hand essential Italian herbs and spices - fresh basil, thyme, sage, black pepper and a good supply of lemons and garlic.
Perhaps the only ingredient that appears throughout the book that was somewhat difficult to track down was Peperoncini - dried chilli peppers. It comes in powder form and is also available as a pickled vegetable. It can be found at Italian specialty stores.
Venezia is a wonderful introduction to the traditional cooking of one of Italy's oldest and most fascinating regions. Enjoy!
Venezia published by Murdoch Books.
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