La cucina veneziana

Typical Venetian cooking counts various ways of cooking rice: "risi e bisi", perfect in the summer when besides using fresh peas from the gardens around the lagoon, the pods are used to make the cooking broth for the rice; "risotto con peoci" , with "luganega", with pumpkin, "alla pescatora", with cuttlefish, with "go" (dialect for ghiozzo or gudgeon) a very common fish in the Venetian lagoon. Also well known are: liver, the "figà" of the Venetians, capesante (scallops) and "granseola alla Veneziana" boiled and seasoned with oil, salt, parsley and garlic. In the summer there are the extraordinary "moleche" (fried patties of small and tender crabs). Also of note are the various preparations "in tecia", that is in earthenware pots. Cuttlefish, tuna, and eels are often prepared "in tecia".

RISOTTO COI PEOCI (Risotto with Cockles)

Ingredients: serves 4
• 1.2 kilos cockles
• 300 grams superfine rice
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• a piece of chopped onion
• a handful of parsley
• salt and pepper

Preparation: Scrub and rinse cockles, place in frying pan over high flame to open (it takes a few minutes). Remove meat from shells and place in bowl along with water lost from shells (after first filtering through a tight cloth). In a casserole, first sauté onion and garlic in oil, then remove from pan and add rice. Toast rice, then add boiling water or broth (fish broth is best) one ladleful at a time. Near end of cooking time, add water set aside from cockles, salt and pepper to taste, and before serving, add cockles and chopped parsley.

CAPESANTE A LA VENEZIANA (Venetian-Style Scallops) Ingredients: 12 large scallops breadcrumbs 6 tablespoons olive oil 1 clove garlic handful of parley, chopped 1 large potato nutmeg, salt juice from 1 lemon (or dry white wine) salt and pepper

Preparation: Open scallops, scrape meat from shells, removing the viscid external part, wash, dry and bread with crumbs. Sauté chopped garlic and parsley in oil for several minutes, then add scallops and brown about 3 minutes per side. Sprinkle with lemon juice and mix. Place ¼ mixture in each of 4 well-washed, dried and oven-warmed scallop shells. Serve immediately.

FEGATO A LA VENEZIANA (Venetian-Style Liver) Ingredients: serves 4 400 grams calf liver 400 grams onions 30 grams butter 5 tablespoons oil salt pepper chopped parsley (optional)

Preparation: In butter and oil, slowly cook thinly sliced onion until limp but not browned. Add salt and pepper. A few minutes before serving add liver cut in thin strips, and cook over high flame. Add a pinch more salt, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately.