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