delicious UK – April 2018

Veniceis an easy

city to love. It’s

breathtakingly

beautiful, famously

romantic, steeped

in fascinating history and full of

architecturalgemsandpriceless

art. It also has a unique cultural

identity which, when you scratch

thesurface,revealsafiercelyproud

population with an impressive

culinary heritage.

I’ve been visiting for over

30years,sometimesasatourist,

onceasahoneymooner,most

recently to research its markets,

produce and home cooking for

mynewbook.Infact,since

autumn 2016 I’ve been living

here, writing (and eating).

It will come as no surprise, then,

tohearIhavedevelopedquitea

taste for Venetian food. In fact,

therearesomedishesIassociateso

stronglywiththecitythatatrip

heregetsmytastebudstingling

beforeIhaveevensetoff.

Ilovethedeliciouslylightveal

meatballs atTrattoria Ca d’Oro

Alla Vedova(Calle Ca’ d’Oro,

Cannaregio3912;Tel:+39041528

5324),alwaysstackedhighatthe

barandsopopularthatoccasionally

theydisappearfasterthanthe

kitchencanfrythem.Thenthereis

thedelicateandtenderfrittomisto

atParadiso Perduto(ilparadiso

perduto.wordpress.com), vying for

pole position with their cacio e

pepe, a masterclass in superlatively

comforting cheesy pasta.

ButthedishIcomebackfor,

timeandtimeagain,isthebaccalà

mantecato atAll’Arco(Calle de

l’OchialerSanPolo436).This

traditional recipe, so typical of

Ven ice a nd the Veneto, cou ld

arguably be its signature dish. It’s

a meticulous preparation that

involves soaking dried salt cod for

48hoursinfrequentlyrefreshed

cold water, flaking the flesh into a

largebowlwithalittlegarlicand

parsley, then beating vigorously

for several minutes with a large

wooden spoon while introducing

athinstreamofoliveoil.Theresult

isafluffywhitemousseofsuch

delicacyandflavourthat

moderation is impossible.

Butevenmorethanthedishthat

drawsmethere,it’stheplaceitself

thatIwouldnominateastheobject

ofmypilgrimage.All’Arcoisa

bàcaro,asmallbarservingVenetian

snacks and local wines. It’s about

the size of a suburban domestic

kitchenwithroomforjust20people

standing. But it serves some of the

best food in Venice. Because of the

limited space and restricted cooking

facilities(there’sasinglehobanda

basin),mostofwhatfatherandson

FrancescoandMatteomakeis

artfullyconstructedonsmalltoasts

(crostini),or on slabs of grilled

polenta.Theyareguidedentirelyby

the nearby Rialto food market and

willonlyuseingredientsthatarein

season and of exceptional quality.

ItisthephilosophyofAll’Arco

thatIsummonherewithmyspring

offering of English asparagus,

gorgonzola,toastedwalnutsand

mint on grilled sourdough. Italian

cookingisallaboutkeepingthings

simpleandusingthefreshest

ingredientsyoucanfind.Inthe

spirit of that tiny place, the only

cookingequipmentyouneedisa

griddle pan and a hob to heat it on.

RussellNorman’slatestbook,Venice:

FourSeasonsofHomeCooking (£26;

Fig Tree), is out now.

FOOD

TEAM’S

TIP

If you’re not

afanofblue

cheese, replace

the gorgonzola with feta

for a salty, savoury hit.

•50gwalnuthalves

•125gfineasparagus

• 4 thick slices
  sourdough bread


• ½garlicclove


• 120g gorgonzola
  (seetip)


• Extra-virgin olive oil
  to drizzle
  •Afewsprigsfresh
  mint, roughly torn

1 Heat a large dry

griddle pan over a high

heat for a minute or so

until smoking hot. Toast

the walnuts for a couple

ofminutes, turning

frequently, until toasted

but not burnt, then chop

roughlyandsetaside.

2 Lay the asparagus

spears carefully across

the griddle pan and cook

for2-3minutesoneach

sideuntilsoftenedand

charred. Remove from

the pan and set aside.

3 Toas t the sour dough

in the same pan for a

minute or so until griddle

lines appear, then flip

overandtoasttheother

side.Turnofftheheat

and transfer the grilled

sourdoughslicestoa

board or 4 plates.

4 Rub one side of each

slice of bread lightly

with the garlic, then

gently crumble over the

gorgonzola. Cut the

asparagus in half

lengthways (or leave

wholeasinthepicture),

thenlayevenlyontopof

thecheese.Drizzleover

a little olive oil and

sprinkle over the toasted

walnut pieces, mint,

apinchofsaltanda

twistofblackpepper.

PER SERVING359kcals,

22.4g fat (7.6g saturated),

13.7gprotein, 24.3g

carbs (2.3g sugars),

1.8gsalt,2.8gfibre

WINEEDITOR’S CHOICE

The Piedmont white grape

arneis is just right here,

lightanddrywithanutty

hint – or go for gavi. →

Russell’sasparagus,gorgonzola,

walnut and mint bruschetta

SERVES 4. HANDS-ON TIME 20 MIN

AVENETIANPILGRIMAGE

Russell Norman on the dishes that entice him to Italy’s most beautiful

of cities – as many times as life will allow

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 117

hungry traveller.

PHOTOGRAPHS: JENNY ZARINS, ISTOCK, G

ARETH MORGANS. FOOD STYLING: REBEC

CA WOOLLARD. STYLING: DAVINA PERKINS

Scratch the surface

and the city reveals

afiercelyproud

population with an

impressive culinary

heritage