What a difference twelve
months make. To think that this time last year, Dino and I were
enjoying the Sydney sunshine, whilst watching the pasty English
cricket team, (unfortunately) bash the bronzed Australians. Nothing
could stand more in stark contrast, to what we're going through here,
this winter.
 |
| freezing venetian lagoon |
Currently, Venice
is shivering through a severe cold snap, one of the worst anyone I've
talked to can remember. Parts of the lagoon have become salty sheets
of ice, and the canals of the city have been transformed into an
emerald green granita! Still, it's not as bad as the bitter winter of
1929, when people could actually walk from Venice to the mainland
over the frozen lagoon!!
Our friend, Margaretha Breil braved arctic temperatures to photograph these gelid scenes not witnessed for many, many decades.
Our friend, Margaretha Breil braved arctic temperatures to photograph these gelid scenes not witnessed for many, many decades.
 |
| icy gondolas |
None
the less, I decide to face the frost and ice and make my way to the
Rialto markets, to see what's on offer. I find crates full of
radiant, red, radicchio. There are many different types: Radicchio
di Treviso (thin, pointy leaves), Radicchio Precoce (wider leaves,
pointy, shaped like a rugby ball), Radicchio di Chioggia (looks like
a round iceberg lettuce, and has a round head), Variegato and
Radicchio Rosa.
You
can prepare this versatile vegetable in many many ways: in a salad,
sautéed in butter, roasted on the grill, baked with besciamella, in a with pasta and
pancetta and chili... the list goes on.
Radicchio, like most of
the produce at the markets, is seasonal, making its first appears in
November and remaining throughout the winter. The crunchy leaves are
especially at their tastiest after frosts, so this is DEFINITELY the
right time to buy some. 
I've also picked up some
very naughty baby prawns, they are sold live, so live in fact, that I
can feel them bouncing around in the bag attempting to make their
escape! An ideal winter comfort food, for me has always been
carbohydrates, carbohydrates, and more carbohydrates, so tonight I'm
going to serve up a heart warming Risotto with
Radicchio and (jumping!) Lagoon Prawns. I have a sneaky
suspicion that most of the dead fox fur wearing old ladies, who are
attempting to push in front of me, have a similar idea.
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