Visiting Venice bought back a culinary memory of a pasta dish that I have always loved but haven’t had for years, Spaghetti Nero di Seppia – Spaghetti with Squid Ink! If you’re not comfortable buying a whole squid/cuttlefish and cleaning it yourself, ask your friendly …
If you read about my weekend in Venice, you’ll know I fell in love with a bowl of Onion Soup. As soon as I got home, I went out to buy the ingredients to make it for dinner. I used Julia Child’s recipe as my …
What do you get the person who has everything for their birthday? My other half, Alberto had his birthday last week and I had no idea what to get for him. It’s bad enough he has his birthday so close to Christmas and it’s hard enough for me to think of an original Christmas present. I have discoverd that there are parts of Italy that Alberto has never been to, so I decided that one of these destinations could be an ideal present as a weekend away for us both. Gifting Alberto a weekend away was a great idea because it meant I also benefited from his gift. I had originally thought of taking him us to Positano… (another place Alberto has never seen), but then I decided that Positano and the Amalfi Coast should really be seen during warmer temperatures and not when many businesses are closed. Next choice was easy —- Venice! Venice because I knew that even if it was cold and foggy, Venice would always be beautiful and magical. 
The first time I went to Venice, was also the last time I was there, and that was over 20 years ago when my sister Lisa and I travelled around Italy together. It was summer and I remember my jaw hitting the floor in amazement as soon as we stepped outside the train station. I’m not sure what I was expecting… but nothing prepares you for the beauty that is Venice. The same thing happened this past weekend, and at one stage my iPhone gave up and turned itself off in exasperation for the number of photos I was taking! 
We were blessed with some amazing weather while we were there, even though it was freezing cold. We experienced snow as our welcome when we arrived on Friday night, a foggy start to Saturday mornng and then the sun came out and we enjoyed blue skies as well, this then repeated Sunday.
We wandered around being tourists on Saturday. We took photos in Piazza San Marco which was still showing signs of the snowfall from Friday night. We wandered along the labyrinth of streets working our way to the ‘Ponte di Rialto’, the Rialto Bridge. I told Alberto we would have a gondola ride and a first he was against it. I told him that it was part of his birthday present and so he couldn’t refuse… During the holiday with my sister all those years ago, we had decided our budget didn’t include a gondola ride, and so I really felt it had to be done this time. It had taken me over 20 years to return to Venice… Who knew how many years would pass before I came back again? Thankfully at the end of it, Alberto said how he had underestimated just how special a gondola ride was!
A 30 minute Gondola ride will cost you €80 which is expensive, but I really had to cross it off my ‘bucket list’. Our ‘Gondoliere’ was Venice born and bred, (as most of them are) and acted as a tour guide as well during this time. I suppose if you got a group together you could divide the cost considerably per person, but I wanted this ride to be just for the two of us. 
Sunday morning we did the tourist thing and visited Palazzo Ducale. There weren’t many people at all so we didn’t have to wait in any queues and we were able to walk around and see everything comfortably. There is so much opulence to be seen here, and the visit finished in the prisons and walking across the famous ‘Bridge of Sighs’.
Food wise, we did well on Saturday night and Sunday for lunch. Friday night’s dinner was at a restaurant near our hotel that I wouldn’t recommend, as it was like many places in Venice…. Expensive for very ordinary food. Alberto booked Saturday night’s dinner at a restaurant which was recommended by friends (Chef & restaurant owners here in Rome). We had a delicious dinner at ‘Il Vecio Fritolin’ , a restaurant located near the Ponte di Rialto which offers Venetian classics with a modern, creative and innovative twist. We were not disappointed, from the complimentary welcome mini appetiser, to our pasta dishes (I chose the seafood carbonara), to our mains (I chose pork belly)…. to dessert! 
Sunday lunch was a last minute decision by Alberto. Ristorante Quadri is divided into the ‘Grancaffe Quadri’, ‘Ristorante Quadri’ and ‘ABC Quadri’ which is the bistrot where we had lunch. It is situated on Piazza San Marco, and although some people braved the cold outside, we sat inside the cosy little dining room. (The chef , Massimiliano Alajmo boasts 3 Michelin Stars at his restaurant Le Calandre in Padua.) We were waited on by Roberto, the manager and he asked if I’d like to have the Onion Soup. It wasn’t on the menu but they had made it especially for another client and there was enough for me to have a bowl too. It was a decision that warmed my body and soul. Every mouthful was a pleasure to my senses and I came home intent on making onion soup. (I made it yesterday and will post the recipe asap). 
After lunch, we wandered around a little more, then took the vaporetto to the station to get our train back to Rome. The weekend was a success, and I think Alberto was surprised at just how beautiful he found Venice. Now I just have to start thinking about next year’s birthday present……
It has been so hard to choose a small selection of photos for this blog post….. If you’d like to see more, I have posted some albums on facebook that are available to see.
P.S. The Hotel we stayed in was HOTEL KETTE ****
If you’ve ever thought of doing something off the beaten ‘tourist’ track when you next visit Italy, you might want to consider having a truffle hunting experience. I was lucky enough to go a couple of weeks ago, and it was one of the highlights …
While many of you may be mistaken in thinking I have neglected my blog in preference to having a little festive holiday, I want to tell you what I was really doing. From the 26th December until Jan 3rd, I worked as Tour Manager for an …
If you love Fruit Mince Pies and you are a fan of chocolate, then combine the two, upgrade your Christmas traditions and make your mince pies much more decadent by enclosing the fruit mince in a dark chocolate pastry. I had planned to make the same mince pies that I make every year, but I didn’t make enough pastry. I did however have some chocolate pastry sitting in the fridge so I decided to use it and try this combination.
You will need the recipe for the fruit mince filling and you can find it here .
They are delicious, and although rich, they’d make a great after dinner dessert accompanied by some good quality vanilla gelato!
Making and decorating a Gingerbread House at Christmas time can be a fun and satisfying activity. It can also be an activity that starts off well, but ends in tears and may risk having you throw pieces of gingerbread at the closest wall in frustration. …
During my recent trip home to Australia, I noticed Pork Belly on many restaurant menus. It is an inexpensive part of pork and because of the fat content, it allows for roasting slowly on a low heat without drying out. When cooked correctly, you should have …
While it is important for me to bake my mother’s traditional English Christmas recipes during the festive season, Christmas without at least one panettone would feel very odd indeed. Italians will prefer ‘pandoro’ (a traditional Italian sweet yeast bread) or panettone at Christmas time. I am definitely a fan of panettone, and for me it has to be filled with ‘canditi’ (mixed candied peel) and sultanas. There is no greater disappointment for me than to cut into a panettone and find only a couple of measly sultanas and one tiny piece of candied peel!
Make these mini versions to enjoy at home, or to gift to friends and family. Wrapped in ribbon and packaged in a transparent box, I can assure you it will be the most appreciated of gifts received. I’ve added my little koala Christmas decoration to my photo shoot to have a hint of Australia present during my Italian Christmas.
Having discovered that simply roasting chickpeas results in an addictive salty and crispy snack was bad enough, but discovering that they are also a healthy, low fat, high fiber, and whole food snack, was probably something I didn’t need to know. That was all the information …