Venice

Welcome to Part 2 of my conversation about Venetian cicchetti. In my last post, Venetian Cicchetti (Part 1) – An Intro, A Love Letter, Advice, I discussed what cicchetti are, a bit about their history, and the culture surrounding them. Having laid the foundation, I’m going to do my favorite thing and talk about the food itself! I provide a lot of information but, in doing so, by the end of this post you should be confident enough to compose a Venetian cicchetti menu of your own. Also, I am going to share a flexible and delicious eggplant recipe to …

Venetian cicchetti…. delectable nibbles savored with local Veneto wines either as a snack or part of an aperitivo. Anyone that has done culinary research while planning a trip to Venice will have heard of them. For those of you that aren’t familiar, they are often described as Venetian tapas, which is the quickest and easiest way to give someone the gist of what they are. However, that description doesn’t speak of Venice, its culture, or history, nor does it illustrate the flavors one might see. Today, I’m going to discuss Venetian cicchetti and provide some background and context. In my next post, I’m …

Seppie al Nero alla Veneziana is a glorious, dramatic, and scrumptious dish of cuttlefish (a cousin of squid) stewed in its own ink. It is one of my favorite Venetian dishes. The black ink with its taste of the sea, combined with a few aromatics, creates a magical sauce that is both simple and luscious at the same time. Traditionally, it is served on a bed of polenta as a main course or on spaghetti as a primo. Either way, it is heavenly and special. Happily, I was taught how to prepare it recently by a Venetian grandmother. I can …

In The Search for Risi e Bisi (Part 1), I described my quest to find and eat this iconic Venetian dish, in Venice. It should have been easy, right? It ended up being quite a challenge! Risi e Bisi, a humble yet elegant dish of fresh spring peas and rice is a cross between a soup and a risotto. Even though it’s a very traditional and seemingly important recipe, it’s nearly impossible to find in restaurants in the city.

Background So what is Risi e Bisi, and why on earth would I be searching for it? Well, according to every Venetian cookbook that I own, (and I have a boatload), Risi e Bisi is an iconic Venetian dish.  It’s a simple rice dish made with broth, risotto rice, fresh spring peas, and maybe a little pancetta. You hear about it everywhere – in travel guides, cookbooks (in English & Italian), food magazines, blogs, cooking shows, you name it. It’s important, I tell you, it’s everywhere… Except, well, in Venice.