Cicchetti are a lifestyle in Venice. Consider these morsels as appetisers, aperitivo, hors d’oeuvres or (in case you should) examine them to Spanish tapas.
They’re usually sufficiently small to be eaten in a single or two bites; you’ll be able to maintain them with one hand whereas the opposite holds a spritz. Typical cicchetti embody heat and chilly dishes, loads of seafood – which the lagoon metropolis is understood for – and meat, eggs, salumi and greens.
Moscardini col sedano (child octopus with celery)
This can be a shiny and refreshing dish, with a pleasant crunch. You might add boiled potatoes, halved contemporary cherry tomatoes or marinated black olives. However I do benefit from the simplicity of this two-ingredient salad.
The octopus must be cleaned earlier than utilizing. If purchased frozen, they normally have already been cleaned. If contemporary, you’ll be able to ask your fishmonger to do that or, to do it at residence merely take away the beak, reduce out the eyes, empty the pinnacle and rinse completely.
Makes 6
3 medium-sized child octopus (about 500g)
2 celery stalks, leaves and all, finely sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
Grilled polenta, to serve
Convey a pot of water (deep sufficient to cowl the octopus) to a rolling boil. Some prefer to make the tentacles further curly; to do that, dip the octopus within the boiling water as much as its tentacles, then pull it out and repeat two or 3 times till the tentacles are curled. Immerse the octopus within the boiling water, flip the warmth all the way down to a simmer and cook dinner over a low-medium warmth till they’re very tender (a fork ought to simply pierce by means of), about 45 minutes.
Take away from the water and when cool sufficient to deal with, pull the pores and skin off (which could be a little gelatinous). Rinse, then roughly chop every octopus, separating the tentacles.
Place in a bowl. Add the celery and its leaves with the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper, adjusting the seasoning to your style, then toss collectively. Serve with grilled polenta.
Branzino marinato al cumino (cured sea bass with cumin)
This dish is impressed by a recipe within the Gradual Meals-produced cookbook, Ricette di Osterie del Veneto, from Ristorante Al Vecchio Marina. Using a spice like cumin, which is uncommon in Italian delicacies, is completely suited to this dish. It’s also an intriguing option to treatment a fish akin to sea bass – which in Venice is prized for its delicate flesh and is historically roasted or boiled for very particular events, akin to Christmas Eve.
You might want to start this recipe not less than two days earlier than you need to serve it (5 days, based on the normal recipe, however I can not wait that lengthy).
Makes 20
1 complete sea bass (about 1kg), or 2 sea bass fillets, scaled however pores and skin on (about 800g)
120g coarse salt
120g uncooked sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp honey
1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed, plus a pinch for garnish
2–3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
20 baguette slices
1 garlic clove
Butter, softened
To fillet the entire fish, first make a diagonal slice that just about cuts the pinnacle off and follows the opening of the gills. From right here you’ll reduce the primary fillet by finding the spine, and utilizing the backbone as a information, reduce all the way in which alongside the size of the fish to the tail and pull out the primary fillet.
Now flip the fish over and repeat. You ought to be left with a head and bones and tail all hooked up. This makes probably the most great inventory for a fish soup or a fish risotto, so set it apart.
In any other case, ask your fishmonger to fillet it for you (and if you need to maintain the remaining for inventory, do inform them).
Gently run the fillets underneath chilly water then pat them dry. Mix the salt and sugar and sprinkle about half of this combination in a glass or ceramic dish, place the fillets on prime, pores and skin facet up, then cowl utterly with the remainder of the sugar and salt combination. Place within the fridge to treatment for twenty-four hours.
The following day, take away the fish from the curing combination, gently rinse and pat dry. Place in a brand new, clear glass or ceramic dish. Mix the lemon juice with the honey and cumin and pour this over the fish and depart to marinate for an additional 24 hours.
Take away the fish from the marinade and pat dry gently. Slice the fish on a slight diagonal; you need to do that as thinly as doable after which discard the pores and skin. Gown the cured fish with a beneficiant drizzle of superb olive oil and a few crushed pink or black pepper, and one other pinch of cumin. Cowl and depart to relaxation till prepared for serving. (It may be saved like this for not less than three days within the fridge).
When able to serve, toast the baguette rounds and rub every as soon as with a contemporary garlic clove earlier than buttering them, all whereas the bread remains to be heat. Place a slice of cured sea bass on prime and serve instantly.
Crema fritta (deep-fried custard)
Fried custard is a specialty of the Venetian carnevale, and from 17 January for the feast day of Anthony the Nice till Mardi Gras, you could find these sugar-crusted golden cubes in Venice’s bakeries, pastry retailers and bacari (bars). Generally, they’re even made with candy polenta cooked in milk till creamy as an alternative of custard.
Makes 16
2 complete eggs
2 egg yolks
200g sugar
120g all-purpose flour
500ml full-cream milk
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g dry breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil, for frying
Separate the eggs and put aside the whites for later. Whisk the 4 egg yolks in a heavy-bottomed saucepan with half of the sugar. Add the flour and whisk once more to a clean, thick paste. Add the milk, little by little initially, till you’ve a clean, fluid combination. Add the lemon zest and vanilla, and place the saucepan over a low warmth.
Utilizing a wood spoon or a whisk, control the custard because it heats, stirring slowly however continuously to make sure it doesn’t catch on the backside (the perimeters of the pan are the primary place it’ll begin to thicken). As soon as the combination begins to thicken, you have to to stir extra steadily to make sure it stays clean, and maintain stirring till it’s fairly thick and semi-solid – the custard ought to maintain its form. This could take about 20 minutes.
Scrape the custard out of the saucepan and right into a buttered, rectangular shallow dish (one thing like a brownie pan is right) and let this combination cool utterly, lined. You are able to do this the day earlier than and depart it in a single day within the fridge in case you desire. As soon as cooled, reduce the custard into 16 squares, round three by three centimetres, or no matter makes probably the most sense in your pan.
Whisk collectively the 2 egg whites put aside from earlier in a shallow bowl. In one other shallow bowl, place the breadcrumbs. Dip the cubes of custard first into the egg white to cowl all sides after which into the breadcrumbs the identical means and place them on a clear plate till all of the custard is crumbed.
Put together one other shallow bowl with the remainder of the sugar.
Place sufficient oil in a small saucepan to cowl the cubes of custard (about 4 centimetres minimal) and warmth over a medium warmth. It ought to be about 160C, or in case you don’t have a sweet thermometer, you’ll be able to take a look at the oil by dipping the tip of a wood spoon into it – it ought to bubble like prosecco instantly.
Fry the custard in small batches for about 90 seconds, or till they’re golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper briefly then toss the recent fried custard into the sugar, rolling it on all sides to coat. You should do that whereas the custard is piping scorching or the sugar received’t stick. You’ll be able to serve instantly and even take pleasure in them at room temperature, however these are finest eaten on the day they’re made.
