On 12 May 1797, His Serene Highness Ludovico Manin, Doge of Venice, signed away his position, authority, and country to the French, concluding forever, the history of the Republic of Venice. Manin was the last in a line of 120 men to have borne that title. Most of us are familiar with the name ‘doge […]
The Doge of Venice Read More »
It’s no secret that I love aubergines, or eggplants as some of you call them, or … well for argument’s sake let’s call them melanzane, the Italian word. So, it’s no secret that I love melanzane and would probably eat them every day, if I could. When cooked properly, they have the same mouth-puckering strength as a
Torta salata di melanzana: aubergine tart (recipe) Read More »
Last year, you may remember, I was in Padua searching for its most famous traditional cake whilst waiting for the rain to stop. It was almost impossible to find the pazientina but a long search led me to one of the last patisseries still making it and the only one I could find. Imagine my surprise
Patience rewarded!: Amo Venezia (review) Read More »
This weekend I had some friends from out of town visiting and wanted to cook something typically Venetian. I planned to serve the mazzancolle in saor from the last post, a risotto al nero di seppia—more about that in a later post—but what about the dessert? Everyone loves tiramisù it’s true, but I am a little bored
Tintoretto: a new Venetian dessert (recipe) Read More »
An early morning trip to the Rialto fish market in Venice is always a treat. This morning, after coffee and a croissant at my favourite coffee bar in Venice, Torrefazione Cannaregio, I hopped across the Grand Canal at the Santa Sofia, traghetto (a traditional gondola ferryboat) and on to the fish market. I was in search
Mazzancolle in saor: Venetian sweet and sour prawns (recipe) Read More »
Venice is a city that most experience on foot. Even those residents that have boats do an awful lot of walking and most of that on unforgiving flagstones, and bridges that rise and fall five feet in space of a few yards. With all that walking, especially in the summer when temperatures regularly top
Venetian cichéto of the week #1 (recipe) Read More »
