This is also a cuisine that ranges from the sea to the mountains and therefore its typical recipes also vary according to the place. A drink that unites all the cities of this region is the spritz, the aperitif well known throughout Italy but also in the world. In Veneto it is therefore unthinkable to start an important lunch without this drink. The typical Veneto appetizer is sardines in saor, which is a typical dish of the Venetian lagoon. First of all, remember pasta and beans, risi e bisi and polenta with cod, which can be considered both a first and a single dish. For the second, the famous baccalà alla vicentina and the equally famous Venetian liver. For desserts then the delicious tiramisu and pinza, a dessert that is traditionally made on Epiphany day.
Spritz
This is the name of the aperitif spread throughout the Veneto but not only. Each province of Veneto has its own diversity, as regards the wine to be put, or the bitter or even the aperol. The Venetian one in my opinion is the most original spritz even if other provinces claim its originality.
Needed for the Venetian spritz
- 7 centiliters of white wine
- 4 centilitres of bitters
- a splash of carbonated water or soda water
- an orange slice
Preparation of the Venetian spritz
In a glass in which you put ice put the white wine, the bitter, the carbonated water and mix everything. Garnish with an orange slice.
Sarde in saor
Sardines in saor are a typical Venetian recipe consisting of sardines accompanied by sweet and sour caramelized onions. which are normally served as an appetizer
Need to prepare sardines in saor
- 500 grams of sardines already cleaned
- 500 grams of white onions
- 50 grams of pine nuts
- 50 grams of sultanas
- 1 glass of white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- flour, salt, olive oil and peanut oil to fry as required
Preparation of sardines in saor for 4 – 6 people
The first thing is to wash and clean the sardines eliminating the head and bone. Open the book and lightly flour the sardines. Fry in abundant peanut oil and remove the excess oil by passing into absorbent paper.
Let us now proceed to the preparation of onions. Cut the onions into thin slices and sauté in olive oil for about twenty minutes until they are golden brown. Stir often and add a little water if the mixture tends to dry out too much. After this time add the sugar and the glass of white wine vinegar and cook for another ten minutes.
Now put in a bowl a layer of fried sardines, over a layer of caramelized onions and on a few more pieces of sultanas and pine nuts. Start again by placing the fried sardines and continue making the layers until the ingredients are finished. Once ready the sardines in saor are left to rest in a cool place, but not in the refrigerator for 16 – 24 hours.
Venetian pasta and beans
A purely winter first course that adds a touch of warmth to a cold day.
Need for pasta and beans from the Veneto region
- 400 grams of already cooked borlotti beans
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 rib of celery
- 150 grams of tomato purée
- a sprig of rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- salt, pepper and olive oil as required
- 400 grams of short pasta
Preparation of Venetian pasta and beans
Cut the onion, carrot and celery and finely chop. Fry the chopped vegetables in a pan with a few tablespoons of oil until golden. Now add the beans and cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the tomato puree, a sprinkling of black pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. At this point cover everything with water, add the rosemary sprig and the bay leaf, adjust the salt, put a lid on and cook for about 3 hours on a low heat.
Turn off the heat remove the sprig of rosemary, bay leaves and a third of the fagioli.Poi with an immersion blender, blend everything, then passing the mixture in a sieve to remove the peel of beans completely. The final result is a soft and fairly liquid cream.
Meanwhile cook the pasta in abundant salted water. Once drained, add it to the bean cream, along with the whole beans you have set aside. Sprinkle with pepper, Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil before serving.
Rice and peas
Another typical Venetian first course that was usually prepared in spring when the peas are in the best period.
Needed for the preparation of rice and peas
- 400 grams of dwarf vialone rice
- kilograms 1 of fresh peas
- 1 onion
- 80 grams of bacon in small pieces
- 50 grams of butter
- about a liter of vegetable broth
- salt, pepper, grated Parmesan cheese, olive oil and parsley to taste.
Preparation of rice and peas
First prepare a vegetable broth with a carrot, a rib of celery and an onion, cooking in plenty of salted water. Remove the peas from the pods, putting the latter aside. About half of them should be cooked in the vegetable broth for about an hour. When cooked with an immersion mix, blend the pods in the vegetable broth. Pass the mixture into a fine sieve to remove all the fiber from the pods.
In a saucepan with half the butter, cook the finely chopped onion and when it is golden, add the small pieces of bacon and a teaspoon of chopped parsley. Cook for a few minutes to mix the flavors and add the peas with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add the broth obtained with the pods, season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. At this point add the rice and cook everything until the rice is cooked, adding a little water if it becomes too dry.
Once cooked add the other half of the butter, a sprinkling of grated parmesan, pepper and salt if needed. Serve very hot.
Cod Vicentina
Need for cod alla vicentina
- 500 grams of cod already soaked (it is already ready frozen too)
- 100 grams of onion
- 2 sardines in salt
- 30 grams of parmesan cheese
- 250 grams of whole milk
- 350 grams of olive oil
- flour, salt, pepper and parsley to taste
Preparation of Vicenza-style cod
in a baking pan capable of frying the finely chopped onion with olive oil, add the sardines in salt washed and cut into small pieces and cook for about 50 minutes over a very slow heat until the sardines have melted. When the sauce is ready, turn off the heat and add a teaspoon of chopped parsley.
In the meantime prepare the cod which must already be soaked, remove the skin and any bones and cut it into small pieces. Wet each piece of cod with the fried onion and sardines we had prepared and pass it in the flour.
Put a few spoonfuls of sauté in an oven dish and lay the pieces of cod on top of each other. Also add the milk, the grated Parmesan cheese, the oil left over from the sauté and the sautéed mixture. Cook over a very slow heat for about 4 hours covered. Tradition has it that the Vicenza-style cod should never be turned.
It is also very good after 12 to 24 hours from when it was cooked and is usually accompanied with slices of polenta.
Venetian liver
A second course typical of the Venetian tradition.
Needed for Venetian liver
- gra 400 of sliced pork liver (calf’s liver can also be used)
- 2 white onions
- 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
- 30 grams of butter
- 2 tablespoons of water
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- salt, pepper and chopped parsley to taste.
Preparation of the Venetian liver
In a large pan, sauté the onions cut into very thin slices in butter and oil. Add a tablespoon of chopped parsley and cook the onions until they become very soft, adding a few tablespoons of water if necessary. Cooking should take place in 20-25 minutes over very low heat. At this point put the liver slices with the onions, add 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar and cook the liver for about 5 minutes, turning it halfway through cooking. When salt and pepper are cooked, turn the liver together with the onions to give it more flavor. Serve hot just cooked.
Tiramisu
Let’s now pass to a couple of typical Venetian sweets. I think the most famous is the tiramisu that is made throughout Italy but comes from the Veneto region.
Need for tiramisu
- 250 grams of biscuits savoiardi
- 5 egg yolks
- 200 grams of sugar
- 250 grams of mascarpone
- 2 cups of coffee
- cocoa bitter enough
Preparation of tiramisu
First prepare the coffee and let it cool.
In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar. When foamy, add the mascarpone and mix until a soft cream is obtained. Sprinkle half the biscuits with the coffee and place them on a serving dish. Spread half the mascarpone cream over the sponge biscuits and overlap the other coffee soaked biscuits. Place the rest of the cream on the ladyfingers and sprinkle the surface of the cake with the cocoa powder. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Venetian caliper
This is one of the oldest sweets in the Venetian tradition. It was cooked for Epiphany day.
Needed for the Venetian caliper
- 400 grams of corn flour
- 150 grams of type 00 flour
- 1 egg
- half liter of milk
- 1 packet of baking powder
- 50 grams of butter (at room temperature)
- 100 grams of sugar
- 50 grams of sultanas
- 5 dried figs
- salt as needed
Preparation of the Venetian caliper
Soak the raisins for at least half an hour and cut the dried figs into small pieces.
Mix the two flours and the baking powder sachet in a bowl. Add the beaten egg, the melted butter and the milk slowly, continuing to knead. To finish add the squeezed raisins and the pieces of dried figs. Put the mixture in a rectangular cake pan of 25 for about 30 and put in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 40 minutes.
