The Queen's Venetian Jubilee & Fish Pies and Elderflower Prosecco Cocktail

It's a place so good, they actually call it great. The loyal subjects of Great Britain are celebrating their Queen's diamond jubilee, commemorating their her 60 years on the throne. This weekend, all over the country, they're holding street parties to celebrate this historic event. 

Thanks to her majesty's little shindig, and the upcoming Olympic Games, many people are claiming that this will be Britain's greatest summer ever. Dino and I, have chosen one heck of a year, to take a short break from Venice, and move to Cornwall - In honor of this occasion, I've decided to hold my own tea party, and rejoice this royal milestone, Venice style. 

A Royal Venetian Cocktail

some of our friends are as old as the Queen

Using Venetian produce and paying homage to the Cornish coast, I have prepared Crab and Rocket Pesto Panini, little Fish Pies and bite-sized Queen Victoria Sponge Cakes, all washed down with a Royal Cocktail - Prosecco with Elderfower Cordial

Go to Fish Pie recipe

&

Go to Elderflower Cordial recipe

The Vogalonga and Butterflied Sardines

This morning I am a little bit grumpy! In front of me, is a backed up sink, it is full of sardine heads, guts, and scales. In the other room I can hear Dino, singing and whistling and getting all his gear together to set out for the 38th edition of the annual Vogalonga!!! He is all chirpy, as he gets to row in the annual event with 7 other fellows, a 32 km regatta, through the picturesque Venetian lagoon.

the rowing marathon route - image taken from www.vogalonga.it

Naturally, he and his crew members will be making lots of pit stops along way, eating and drinking, and becoming merrier as the day progresses. I, on the other hand, have been assigned the duties of cook, photographer and baggage carrier. NOT FAIR, RIGHT????

Enough whinging, the Vogalonga is a famous regatta that began in Venice in 1974, and takes place each year on a Sunday in May when, for a few hours, the suffocating traffic of motorized boats ceases, and the water is left alone to the oars. 

rush hour in Venice

Loads of foreigners arrive and bring all kinds of vessels which ONLY move by means of sheer human strength. The foreigners seem to always have the event summed up quite appropriately, they are happy, smiley and sincerely want to save Venice from the wrath of motor boats. Most Venetians on the other hand, tend to moan and groan about how, on this one day, the public transport service is disrupted!

there's my little Dino

Nevertheless, our fabulous Venetian friends, who simply adore Venice, take to this event each year and really make it super special. This year we are back at our Rowing Club at the Giudecca, and each family has the task of bringing along something to devour after the 3 – 4, and  sometimes, 12 hour event. There will pasta,  fish, sauteed vegetables, and desserts. I am bringing along Sarde Impanate (Crumbed Butterflied Sardines), they are really light and crunchy and as we all know, oily fish are just so flavoursome.

ginger, our neighbourhood cat, also loves succulent sardines

Thus, as this day comes to a close, I sip on a very cold Prosecco, whilst still trying to remove the last few sardine scales from my hair... they just seem to fly everywhere. 

Go to Crumbed Butterflied Sardines recipe

Moving to Cornwall & Asparagus and Free Range Eggs

 THE GONDOLIER'S WIFE and her diminutive husband are going on a little trip to sunny England and even sunnier Wales.

a view over fabulous Fowey

“What?” I hear you say. “Leave splendid Venezia, just as the season is starting, for dreary old blighty? It's usually the Brits going to Italy in the summer, not other way round!” I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I haven't told you every thing about my paddling husband. Not only is he a fifth generation gondolier, but he comes from a family of artists. My little Dino creates whimsical paintings and  sculptures. We had a gallery in Venice, for quite a few years called, ART FOR SERIOUS PEOPLE. I decided to create my blog after we closed, but I can see that Dino is about to pop with creativity. So we're going to do some exhibitions in Cornwall, on the west cost of England. We are going to be staying in a fabulously, friendly little Cornish harbour town, called Fowey, that we fell in love with on a previously trip. She is an absolute delight. Believe it or not, there are plenty of culinary similarities that the Venetian lagoon and the Cornish coast share.

fields of gold

The first thing we noticed, as we headed out of London and into the gorgeous British countryside, were the radiant fields of yellow rape seed flowers, they seem to be grow it in every corner of the country. Cruising through the swathes of gold really brightens up the journey. Our trip also coincided with the British asparagus season, but driving around we didn't seem to be able to see any place that grew any. It's only when you get out of the car and look closer, that a plot of apparent mud, miraculously transforms itself into a garden, full of green and purple spears spurting up from the ground.

slow food...

Everyone kept telling us that English Asparagus is the best in the world, (they say the same thing in Italy, about theirs) so on our way to Cornwall, I couldn't resist stopping by a lovely road side seller and relieving him of some his fresh eggs and a beautiful big bunch of asparagus spears.

Go to Asparagus with Free Range Soft Boiled Eggs recipe.

Regatta of the Gondola Stations & Cuttlefish in its Black Ink

Once again this year, due to his lack of power and height, my husband Dino, failed to be one of the gondoliers chosen to represent his gondola station, against the nine other stations, in the traditional Regata dei Traghetti (Regatta of the Gondola Stations). 

Every April 25^th, the day of Saint Mark, Dino silently seethes with Napoleon syndrome, as we cheer on the top rowers of Venice as they splash past us in their colourful racing gondolas, chasing the title of the fastest traghetto in town.

the colourful racing gondolas splash by us

Another integral part the event is the DISNAR (the traditional pre-race dinner), which happens a few nights before the regatta. This years participating athletes enjoyed a four course meal.

It consisted of: Scallops, followed by Cuttlefish in its Ink Sauce with Polenta as appetizers, then a Risotto with Sea Bass, Scampi and Zucchini, and finally Oven Baked Sea Bream with Spring Vegetables, washed down with plenty of local Pinot Grigio.
The reason why the dinner happens a few nights before the race, is due to the copious amount of food and alcohol consumed, thus the rowing champs need a few days to recover!!

Go to Cuttlefish in its Black Ink recipe.

Our Dirty Little Secret & Rice and Peas

Risi e Bisi (Rice and Peas in Venetian dialect) was the official dish served to the Doge of Venice, every 25^th of April, the feast day of Saint Mark, Venice's patron saint. It was also an occasion to celebrate the beginning of spring, farmers from the lagoon islands, would compete for the honor of providing the seasons very first peas for the Doge and his illustrious guests. 

good enough for the Doge of Venice

Sometimes not enough peas had ripened for this date, therefore a reserve consignment from elsewhere would be on hand, probably to save some poor lagoon gardener's head from being chopped off by a hungry Doge!

Dino and I are very lucky to have a small ORTO (allotment), and we planted our peas back in February. It is just so beautiful to follow their progress from when they first burst up from the ground, to finally picking and eating these lovely little green globes.  

our little darlings in February

My husband has only a very basic grasp of mathematics, this leads him to be quite generous and frivolous, except when it comes to his precious produce, it brings out a stinginess in him I've never seen before... 

A few years ago, all our friends kept badgering him about when were we going to eat Risi e Bisi, obviously using his new peas, but the garden gods had not been kind to him that year, and he just couldn't part with the few prized peas he had, so he made me prepare the dish for our voracious venetian chums with peas bought from the markets, pretending that they were his home grown ones! Our dirty little secret is out, and I'm feeling better already.

his precious produce!!!!

Go to Rice with Peas recipe

Vineyard Naturalist & Linguine with Clams

Your intrepid reporter THE GONDOLIER'S WIFE is an avowed naturalist, be it on the Lido beach, or in the vineyard. That's why I find myself inside the majestic Villa Favorita, in the Veneto countryside, sipping a glass of torbid prosecco. 

a Villa full of wine

Dino and I, plus our friend, Giorgio, a big time wine buff,  are here for VinNatur. A wine extravaganza showcasing naturally crafted wines, produced by wine makers who believe in minimal intervention, organic or biodynamic methods in the vineyard, and definitely no chemicals or additives used in the wine making process. Their aim is to rediscover the true flavour of wine, by capturing the unique sense of place, where it was grown, (the French call this concept, terroir).

I've already tried a Sauvignon Blanc, like no other I've ever tasted, produced in the Czech Republic, plus a superb Pinot Grigio from Slovenia, as well as natural wines from all over Italy. 

Some of these traditionally made wines, have certain qualities, that remind me of the rustic bottles brought to our family home as gifts, by friends and relatives, when I was growing up in Australia. You have to remember, that when the first Italian immigrants arrived down under in the fifties and sixties, it was hard for them to find the produce and foodstuffs they craved. Therefore, back gardens were turned into mini farms. That's probably one of the reasons why Australian cricket champions with Italian last names are a rarity. In fact, most ball games were a no-no in Italian back yards crammed full with ripening tomatoes, precious zucchini plants, delicate fig trees, and the odd chicken. I even have vague memories of milking a goat my grandmother kept, when I was a little girl. And I'll tell you this, that goat was not the pet I thought it was!!! As sure as the Pope was Italian, it ended in my nonna's pot. 

 

Anyhow, the glass of torbid prosecco I'm holding, is the creation of the bow-tie wearing Mauro Lorenzon, legendary owner of "Enoiteca Mascareta" in Venice, plus "Costadila" vineyard in the Treviso hills. It's cloudy appearance is achieved by his preference for leaving the lees, or sediment, in the bottle "to add flavour and texture". He explains that you have to "ricominciamo dal fondo, pescando nel torbido, per vederci chiaro" (start from the bottom, searching through murkiness, to see ourselves clearly). Whatever the hell that means?? 

real prosecco

He also informs me that his prosecco can be drunk three ways, either cloudy, semi-cloudy or clear. Each way you'll have a different taste experience. I think the ideal terroir to drink his "real prosecco" as he calls it, could well be inside his venetian bar/restaurant, and that's exactly what we did the following night, with a heavenly plate of linguine con vongole (linguine with clams). By the way, if my mother is reading this post, I'm only a naturalist in the vineyard, not on the beach, I was just trying to sound exciting... sorry Marie. 

 Go to Linguine with Clams recipe

The Cholesterol Rowing Regatta & Sardines with Onions

Glorious springtime Italian Style, has finally arrived in Venice, just in time for the first social regatta of the year.

La Regata Del Colestorolo (The Cholesterol Rowing Regatta) is held at the rowing club Canottieri Giudecca, on the island of Giudecca, and is the crazy invention of our friend Claudio who's nicknamed “Puffo” (which means smurf in Italian). It is a sporting event with a twist, as the diminutive and very wicked Puffo has decided not only should we engage in the customary eating and drinking AFTER the race has finished, but there should be a delightfully rich lunch, immediately BEFORE the race starts!!

the end of the razor clams

Knowing this, I have prepared the classic Venetian boatman's dishes of Sarde in Saor and Scampi in Saor (Sardines with Onions & Scampi with Onions) for appetizers. Our friend Massimo (the self proclaimed king of the barbeque) downs a glass of wine after putting the finishing touches to some freshly caught grilled cape lunghe (razor clams), served with lemon wedges. Also on offer, are pizzetta, omelette, a pasta dish, barbecued meats, free flowing wine (obligatory), followed by coffee and fiery home made grappa. Being the Cholesterol Rowing Regatta, fatty, artery blocking sausage and salame are used as liberally as possible, even the salad had chopped up grilled sausage in it!

carb loading before the event!

one for the road...

The last grappa is downed, 10 wooden rowing boats are lowered softly into the sea, followed by 20 overstuffed, oar wielding, athletes of all ages and both sexes. After three false starts, because Massimo, usually a very skilled gondolier, and rowing instructor, is not able to get his boat pointing in the right direction, the race commences. 

Almost immediately, the first collisions happen, threats and much swearing would be the norm if this was a real regatta, but in todays event, it's just smiles and jokes about the strength of the grappa. Eventually, the stretched bellied boatmen reach the half way stage, Dino with his partner Luca, take advantage of an entangled group of boats in front of them, and move from sixth place to fourth, and stay that way until they come puffing past the finish line. In Venetian rowing races, tradition dictates that only the first four positions are awarded prizes, so by coming in fourth, my weary limbed husband and his  partner  have won themselves a blue flag for their twenty-odd minutes of punishing paddling. The not so sweaty but definitely  thirsty, Massimo and his partner finally come in last, he's been telling jokes, and singing opera for the entire duration of the race, and claims victory, saying, in this type of regatta, last place is actually first. 

massimo heads for the bar

Go to the Sardines with Onion recipe

The Launching of the "Angelina" & Bean and Pasta Soup

Today was a very special milestone in the career of my paddling husband, it was the day of the launching of his brand new gondola. Tradition dictates, that a new boat takes on a female name, and with no pressure at all from me, he's called her the "ANGELINA". 

Usually the name is engraved on stainless steel bands at the front of the Gondola, which are screwed in, and therefore can be just as easily unscrewed, if a name change is required. Not my Dino! He's had my name brazenly carved into a wooden section at the stern, like a sailors tattoo, never to be removed, now my friends... THAT'S AMORE. 

never to be removed

It took place at the squero (boatyard) of Roberto Dei Rossi, one of only 4 remaining master boat builders left in Venice. He has been building these flat bottomed time machines for over 40 years. Roberto needed roughly 500 hours to cut, fit and assemble all the 280 pieces it takes to construct this wooden venetian jigsaw puzzle, making what is, one of the oldest surviving forms of transport in the world. 

Dino christens the "Angelina"

As I tried to keep everybody's glass full, people would congratulate me (for what? I didn't do anything) I received kisses on both cheeks from relatives and friends. A group of salty old gondoliers said the "Angelina" was a real beauty. "You talking about the boat, or the lady?" I  responded, like some sort of Venetian Mae West. 

Paolo test drives the "Angelina"

The priest anointed her with holy water, then Dino christened the new-born boat with a foamy whack of a Prosecco bottle especially made by a friend, for the occasion. The "Angelina" was lowered into the sea for the first time, and glasses were raised to her health. Every social gathering in Italy is always accompanied by food and drink, and today's celebration was no different.

All the usual suspects were on offer, various panini, pizzette, pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans), hot musetto (sausage) with mustard, home-made cakes and venetian biscuits served with plenty of wine for the grown-ups (there's no driving in Venice) and water for the kids. 

Go to the  Bean and Pasta Soup Recipe

Silent Rowing Parade & Vin Brulè

Hello, my honorary venetian, lagoon loving readers. Let me just say, after ten days of carnival festivities, I am finding it quite hard  to fasten shut my pants. I'm even struggling to fit into shoes, have they shrunk! Is that even possible? The exercise in excess that is Carnival finally comes to an end tonight, with the "Vogata del Silenzio". We're taking some friends out on our gondola, to participate in this "Silent Rowing Parade",  alongside a multitude of other types of venetian rowing crafts. 

We'll make our way up the Grand Canal, sweeping slowly beneath blacked-out "Palazzos" (Palaces) lit only by flickering candles. The noiseless procession comes to a standstill in the St Mark's basin, right in front of a wood and reed effigy of a Giant Bull, that will be set alight as the campanile (bell tower) strikes midnight. The towering timber "Toro" (bull), is a concession to our more humane, modern day sensibilities. Just think, centuries ago, real live bulls were beheaded in the St Mark's Square, people enjoyed a jolly game of wringing a gooses neck, or the Pre-Lent party favorite, head-butt the cat in a sack! This year, after the bulls' painless torching, hundreds of delicate paper lanterns are to be set free into the stoic black night, and the rowers say goodbye to Carnival for another year. 

toro inferno

Bearing in mind, that we'll be sitting alfresco in the gondola for a couple of hours, I think we're going to need some sort of hot, restoring beverage, to see us through the evening. I've asked my best friend Monica to bring round her family recipe for "Vin Brulè" (Burnt Wine). Northern Italy's version of Mulled Wine. There exist many variations on this warming winter Sangria, generally revolving around similar ingredients. The main difference being that with "Vin Brulè", you are supposed to burn off the alcohol by boiling the wine, and setting its fumes alight, hence, the name. Instead, with Mulled Wine you don't, you just let it simmer and let the flavours infuse, whilst retaining all or most of the alcohol. 

On this chilly night, I think we could benefit from the extra glow that the alcohol should give us (it's the last day of Carnival, after all)!! Its usefulness in preventing colds and its apparent curative effects gained by antibacterial and antiseptic properties, has been used by, flu fearing Monks since the middle ages. All in all, it seems to be the perfect remedy for our post Carnival, winter blues.

Go to the Vin Brulè Recipe

A Gondolier That Dislikes Carnival, Why I Love It & Carnival Doughnuts

Ask any gondolier about carnival and they go on and on and on about confetti!

Yes, confetti! Those millions of tiny colourful bits of paper.

I can always tell that Carnival has started, when Dino comes home, all grumpy and mumbling to himself. Once he has calmed down, he goes on to explain how a group of jolly costumed kids, urged on by snap-happy parents, bombarded him with handfuls of sinister shards of confetti from a bridge as he was passing under with his gondola. I tell him they're just having fun, it's Carnival... relax! He then proceeds to compare it to a situation, he thinks I can relate to... 
 

"How would you like someone to open your car door, empty a bag of shredded paper into it, and then laugh?" He goes on to inform me that gondoliers will still be removing these multicoloured specs of paper from their boats in six months time. What a big baby! So, hurling confetti into gondolas is a definite no no. Though it won't stop me!

Try it kid, make my day

For the 20 or so odd years that I have lived here, I have seen my far share of this event. The dates change, depending when Easter falls. It happens each year, those 10 days prior to the beginning of lent, and as you may have guessed, it is all about excess. 

Lions of Venice

This time of year, thousands of people, come from all over the world, to have fun in Venice. The moment they hire a costume and slip on a glittering mask, they'll become part of the noise and mayhem. Suddenly, they no longer have a nationality, and are free to become Venetians, go to lavish balls in the palaces on the Grand Canal, eat and drink themselves silly. Exuberance is in the frosty air and everybody joins the fabulous chaos.       

 I also need my Carnival comfort foods, and most importantly, lots and lots sweet treats. 

What is just amasing about these treats, is that, they appear a week or two, prior to the beginning of the festivities, and then, on Ash Wednesday, they all disappear, only to seen again the following year.

These sugary delights include:

"Frittelle”- "Carnival Doughnuts" made with sultanas or/and pine nuts or/and bits of apple, they are either plain, rolled only in sugar, or with an amazing cream filling and rolled in sugar.

"Galani"- "Carnival Wafers"  are thin shortbread sheets dusted with mountains of icing sugar.

"Castagnole"- are small, heavy dough balls, coated in sugar, they resemble in texture, and in flavour,  a traditional doughnut. 

All of the these treats are fried in oil, I have been told in confidence, that palm oil is the best (I can't find it here), as they don't absorb the oil as much, but basically any vegetable oil will do, and seeing that once lent begins we need to abstain from such indulgences, we tend, therefore, to go a little crazy just before.

Every bar, caffè, pastry shop, supermarket and household, have these goodies in a plentiful supply, I mean, we need to keep warm somehow!

Ask any Venetian, and they all have their favourite goody. There are those who prefer their "frittelle" plain, or with a light vanilla custard, or with a pistachio mousse. Naturally, the filled "frittelle" are my favourite and as I have decided to risk my ever so expanding waistline, I have attempted over the years to find the "bestest" pasticceria (pastry shop) in Venice. Don't get me wrong, they are all basically fabulous, however some, are a touch better.

"Pasticceria Bucintoro" - 2229 San Polo,  the "fritelle" are quite spectacular, try their chantilly filled delights, the husband and wife team are just terrific, AND, they still only charge 1 euro.

"Pasticceria Tonolo" - 3764 Calle dei Preti, Dorsoduro, the espresso and the traditional "frittelle" are superb ( be prepared for a fight !!)  

and...  if you happen to be on the island of Lido di Venezia, 

"Pasticceria Marcorich"- Via Sandro Gallo 120, has the most divine GALANI - no one, and I mean NO ONE beats them!!!! Worth a trip to the Lido.

So then, for all you poor folk who could not make it to Venice this year, here is the recipe. The problem is that you cannot just stop at one. They are quite addictive!!! Help!!!

Polly loves confetti!

Go to Carnival Doughnuts Recipe