Chapter 3: Embarking on an Unconventional Venice Adventure: A Gondolier Encounter and Local Culinary Delights

There's something enchanting about Venice. With its winding canals, stunning architecture, and charming bridges, it feels like stepping into a dream. This city has a unique charm that draws in visitors. Today, we explore Venice not just through its sights, but through the eyes of its vibrant characters and mouth watering local cuisine.

Our virtual Venice adventure begins with palpable excitement. After exploring the ancient streets of Venice for hours, we find ourselves in a cosy bar, perfect for a tasty bite and prime people-watching.

Suddenly, a familiar sight catches our eye: Speedo Guy. Today, he's fully dressed and looking less than enthusiastic, he'd much rather be in Marbs topping up his tan, instead of meandering through Venice. His wife, Mrs. Speedo Guy, is in her element, dragging him along with excitement.

“Taking in the culture, babes, innit?” she chirps, cheerful despite her husband's reluctance. secretly she's long been harbouring a dream of coming to Venice ever since she read that Mills & Boon book ... Where the heroine Lucinda discovers far too late that she had a long lost Aunt in Venice, so she escapes there on a road of discovery, only to fall into the arms of the dark and brooding Marco the Gondolier, who is about rock her very world .

Mrs. Speedo Guy has finally escaped her everyday routine, just like her fictional counterpart. With visions of romance and gondolas dancing in her mind, and she is ready to carpe diem with all her might, Babes! She has got her Gondolier in her sights and nothing and no one is getting in her way!

Gondolier Glory

She's off at pace! ... She drags a startled and bewildered Speedo Guy behind her, elbowing unsuspecting tourists out of her way, until she reaches her unexpecting Gondolier of choice, standing proudly by his elegant vessel, only a few paces ahead. ... As she lunges towards his out stretched hand to assist her on board, he sends up a silent prayer and gives an involuntary whimper of fear as she shouts "Alright babes, catch Babes!"

Finally settled on board she turns to a rather disgruntled Speedo Guy and sighs "Isn't he ... er, I mean, isn't it all so dreamy??" ...

Culinary Temptations on Our Venice Adventure

Meanwhile, back at the  the menus have arrived!! ... Ooh what shall we have?? .... that mushroom risotto cake looks good ... or maybe we should try the fried mozzarella sandwiches & artichoke dip, may be some polenta chips ... let's get some of those gorgonzola stuffed olives ... or we could skip straight to dessert, ooh how about homemade hazelnut brittle spumone? We are on holiday after all!

Tempting Recipes

Recipe 1 - Mushroom Risotto Cake

The Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 onions

  finely chopped

• 3 cloves garlic

  crushed

• Olive Oil

• 350g risotto rice

• 1 litre vegetable / chicken stock (I like to replace some of the stock with the reserved liquid from the porcini mushrooms)

  hot

• 200g wild mushrooms

• 1 pack of dried porcini mushroom reconstituted to pack instructions. Drain Mushrooms, reserving strained liquid.

• 25g butter

  plus a knob

• 5 sprigs thyme

• 85g parmesan or grana padano (or veggie alternative)

  grated

• 150g ricotta

• 2 eggs

  beaten with a fork

• 85g taleggio or vegetarian alternative

  thinly sliced

Method:

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan and fry the onions and garlic gently until well softened. Stir in the rice for a minute, then start stirring in the stock, a ladleful at a time, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. Keep cooking and adding stock for about 20 minutes, until the rice is tender. Spread over a tray to cool and firm a little.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Lightly butter a 22cm deep-sided tin with a loose base. Tip the mushrooms into the cleaned-out frying pan with the butter and thyme leaves from 2 sprigs, and fry until golden and tender. Scrape the cooled rice into a mixing bowl with most of the mushrooms, all the parmesan, ricotta and eggs, add plenty of seasoning and mix well.

Tip the rice mix into the tin and press out firmly to smooth the top. Scatter over the remaining mushrooms, taleggio and thyme sprigs and press in so everything sticks together, then drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and crisp on top. Cool for 20 minutes, then slice into wedges and serve with salad.

Recipe 2 - Fried Mozzarella Sandwich in a crispy panko & parmesan coating, served with an artichoke & caper dip

Ingredients

• 6 oz. sliced mozzarella

• 8 slices white sandwich bread

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

• 1 cup plain bread crumbs, preferably homemade

• Vegetable oil, for frying

Method

Divide the mozzarella slices over 4 slices of the bread. Season with salt and black pepper to taste and cover with the remaining slices to make 4 sandwiches. Remove the crusts and halve the sandwiches diagonally.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the flour, eggs, and bread crumbs in three separate bowls. Dredge one sandwich triangle in the flour, then coat with the egg and then the bread crumbs, and place it on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.

Line a large plate with paper towels. Into a large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, pour the oil to a depth of 2 inches and attach a deep-fry thermometer. When the temperature reads 350°F, fry the sandwiches in batches until crisp and golden, flipping once, about 2 minutes. Use tongs to transfer to the plate to absorb any excess oil, and serve immediately.

Recipe 3 - Gorganzola stuffed olives

Gorganzola stuffed olives - just as simple as it sounds ... love, love, love these little olives taste bombs! Soo worth the effort and they will sit in the fridge all week waiting to be fridge raided ... I even got these past a blue cheese hating husband

Recipe 4 - Chunky Polenta, Garlic, Rosemary & Parmesan Chips served with a red pepper sauce

Recipe adapted from Veg Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Ingredients

For the polenta:

4 tablespoons

Olive oil

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 red chilli, finely chopped (

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

150 g quick-cook polenta

100 g Gruyère or cheddar cheese, grated

For the tomato sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

2 x 400 g tins of tomatoes, whole or diced (whole tomatoes will take a little longer to cook)

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste

To make the polenta, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a pan over low-medium heat. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for a few minutes until it is fragrant but not browned. Stir through the rosemary and remove the mixture to a small bowl.

Bring 800 ml of water to the boil in a medium saucepan. Slowly pour in the polenta, stirring as you do with a wooden spoon. Turn the heat down to low-medium and cook for a few minutes until the mixture has thickened. Stir in the garlic, chilli and rosemary mixture, together with the grated cheese. Taste for seasoning.

Lightly oil a large dish with deep sides, whether a glass dish or a baking dish. Pour in the polenta mixture and smooth it out evenly, about 2 cm thick. Leave the polenta to cool completely.

To make the tomato sauce, gently cook the garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes and then add the tinned tomatoes and bay leaf. Let the mixture simmer for about 20-30 minutes until the sauce has thickened somewhat. Add the sugar and taste for seasoning.

Once the polenta is cool and firm, cut it into slices or wedges. Heat some olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat and fry the pieces of polenta until each side is lightly golden.

Serve the polenta with the tomato sauce.

Serves 4 as a light meal.

Recipe 5 - Homemade hazelnut brittle spumone

No words, just absolute heaven ...

Recipe:

3/4 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of crushed hazelnuts

4 large egg yolks

1 1/2 cups of double cream

Method:

Put a 1/4 of the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar starts to melt and turn light golden. Remove from the heat and stir in the nuts. Working quickly before the mixture hardens, spread the candied nuts onto a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper. Leave to cool to room temperature, then break into tiny pieces and set aside.

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. In a separate bowl combine the egg yolks and remaining sugar in a metal or heat resistant glass bowl and whisk until creamy and light yellow. Then set the bowl over the boiling water, without letting the bottom touch the boiling water and continue to whisk until the mixture is thick. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and stir in 3/4 of the candied hazelnuts bits.

In a large bowl, whip the cream until it forms firm peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the cold egg mixture.

Line a loaf tin with clingfilm and pour the spumone mixture into the tin. Place in the freezer for about 4 hours, until firm.

Garnish with remaining brittle when serving.

Where to Explore Next?

Next stop Sicily, then maybe a hop over to North Africa and then perhaps a quick spin into Spain, before we head for the heat of the Caribbean