FLOODED VENICE

St Mark's Square

Traffic on the Grand Canal 

In my post, 1953 Part III Venice, of the 3^rd April 2014, I had written that my parents and I had left Paris on a wagon-lits train and arrived in Venice the next day.  I went on to describe the incredible beauty of this unique city. “The Grand Canal is the most beautiful street in the world, with exquisite palaces, churches and public buildings erected on stilts on the lagoon, a “street” that can be met nowhere else in the world”... “We stopped for an espresso and cantuccini at St Mark’s Square, it was like having coffee at an incredibly famous and impressive outdoor museum”.

St Mark's Basilica

The Golden Ceiling in St Mark's Basilica

Campanile 

By Titian

The Miracle of St Mark's by Tintoretto

By Veronese

We also visited St Mark's Basilica in Italo Byzantine style, glittering with gold mosaics, "mostly spoils from the sack of Constantinople during the 4th Crusade in 1204... We admired the basilica's bell tower, the Campanile, adorned with paintings of Tintoretto, Titian and Veronese." 

Thanking the BBC for this Map  

On the 13th November 2019, Venice is not only flooded by tourists but also, unfortunately, by water caused by strong southern winds.  The Mayor of Venice, Mr Luigi Burgano, blamed climate change "as the flooding of this historic lagoon city hit the second-highest ever”.   The high watermark reached 74 inches, late on Tuesday, meaning that more of the 85% of the city is flooded.  Apparently, the highest level ever recorded was during the notorious 1966 floods.


Obviously, homes, churches and public building are flooded, causing irreparable damage and there are intense fears that valuable works of art may be destroyed by the violent power of the swirling waters.   Fortunately, no human victims have been reported.  A later tragic report states that two people died in this terrible disaster.  We wish to express our heartfelt condolences to their families and loved ones and our admiration for the people of Venice for their bravery and resilience.    

Moreover, Mayor Burgano called for  the “speedy completion of the long-delayed project of constructing off-shore, undersea barriers" that will, apparently, limit the floods, despite the severe opposition of environmentalists who are concerned about “damaging the delicate lagoon eco-system."



(I wish to thank ERT, SKY-TVgr, BBC, FRANCE 24, CNN, and the press Estia, Kathimerini, and The Guardian for the valuable information, without which, this post would not have been possible)

Floods in Venice November 2019

Here are the recipes for a few Venetian dishes:

                                                 SARDINES IN SAOR

This very old Venetian dish is a way of preserving fish.  It has a slightly sweet and sour taste and keeps well in the fridge for a week to ten days. 

The traditional way to cook "sardines in saor" is to first fry them, after coating with seasoned flour.   This is a healthy version.   

1 kg (2 lb) fresh sardines, head and backbone removed, butterflied, washed and dried

Salt and pepper and

¼ tsp Cayenne pepper

Mild olive oil and a little water for cooking

1 cup raisins

250 ml (1 cup white wine)

1 cup pine nuts, toasted

750 g (1 ½ lb) onions, very thinly sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

125 ml (½ cup) water

2 cloves

1 tsp crushed coriander seeds

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

375 ml (1½ cup) hot vegetable stock or more, if necessary

125-250 ml (½ -1 cup) white wine vinegar

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper or less

Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper and simmer with a little olive oil and enough water to cover, until the fish are tender.  Place the sardines on paper towels to drain and cool. 

Meantime, place the raisins in white wine to soak, for about ½ an hour at least.

Sauté the onions in olive oil and water, stirring until well coated, add the cloves, coriander seeds and a little salt, lower the heat and simmer covered, for 7 minutes.  Then stir in enough hot vegetable stock to cover and simmer very gently, covered, until the onions are still a bit crunchy.  Add the raisins with whatever wine has not been absorbed, and the pine nuts, and cook over very low heat, until the onions are tender.   Add the vinegar and cook for 5 minutes uncovered.  Taste and add more salt and the Cayenne pepper, if using.  Allow the onions to cool.

Arrange the sardines in one layer in a large dish.  Spoon half the onion mixture on top.  Repeat the same procedure once more ending with the onions.  Cover with cling film and, place the fridge. 

                                                        RISI E BISI

Many years ago, Risi et Bisi was apparently a dish eaten, mainly, on the feast of St Mark, the patron saint of Venice.  Venetians insist that if prepared around the month of April when fresh peas are at their best, this soupy risotto is elevated to a festive, gourmet creation.  Naturally, you can also prepare it with frozen peas. It is a combination of proteins, starch, vitamins and minerals that is both nutritious and comforting.

1½ litre (6 cups) hot, tasty chicken stock and a little more if necessary

3 tbsp olive oil

30 g (1 oz) butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely sliced

400 g (2 cups) Arborio rice

Salt and pepper

60 g (2 oz) sliced prosciutto, cubed

1½ kg (3 ½ lb) fresh peas, weigh first and then shell or

750 g (1½ lb) frozen peas

2 cups chopped parsley

½ cup grated Parmesan

1 knob of butter, the size of a walnut

Gently sauté the onion in olive oil and butter until soft, then add the rice, garlic, a little salt and pepper and cook, stirring until well coated with butter.  Add a ladleful or two of the hot chicken stock, stirring all the time, until the stock is absorbed. Add more stock to barely cover the rice, and continue the same way for 10 minutes more.  Then stir in the peas and the prosciutto and keep on adding, stock and stirring for 5 minutes more.    Add the parsley, and check if the rice and peas are cooked.  Add more stock, if necessary, as this is a liquid risotto, and simmer for a few minutes more.   Remove from the fire and stir in the Parmesan and butter, and mix well.   Serve immediately, while hot and creamy.

                                               FEGATO ALA VENEZIANA

If you like liver, try this recipe.

4 tbsp olive oil

60 g (2 oz) butter

6-7 medium onions, thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 sprig fresh sage

750 g (1½ lb) calf’s liver trimmed and thinly sliced

125 ml (½ cup) white wine

1-2 tbsp white vinegar

A little water

1 sprig fresh sage

In a deep frying pan, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and 30 g (1 oz) butter.   Add the onions, a little salt and the sage, and simmer over very low heat, stirring frequently for about 15 minutes, until the onions are cooked, but not coloured.  Transfer the onions to a dish and keep hot

Add the remaining olive oil to the frying pan.  Pat the liver dry and sauté for 2-3 minutes on each side, in batches.   Sprinkle the liver with salt and freshly ground pepper and place it on the dish with the onions.

Discard all the olive oil from the frying pan, pour in the wine and deglaze with the help of a wooden spoon.  Add the vinegar, sage sprig, the remaining butter and a little water, swirl and simmer very gently until the gravy thickens.


Taste, and season with salt, pepper and vinegar if necessary.  Place the liver and onions in separate piles back into the frying pan with the gravy and heat thoroughly.  Arrange the liver on a heated dish, cover each slice of the liver with the glazed onions and sprinkle with the remaining gravy.  Serve immediately.

  

                                            VENETIAN CARROT CAKE

This juicy, spicy cake was created and very popular, during the late Middle Ages, in the Jewish Ghetto of Venice.  Venice was, then, at its height of power and wealth and had the monopoly, among others, of all the precious spices imported from the East.

I found the recipe on the internet and changed it because I have friends who are allergic to nuts.  It might not have the authentic taste that Shylock and his daughter Jessica enjoyed, but whenever I make it, it disappears, swiftly, to the last aromatic crumb.

75 g (½ cup) golden raisins

62.5 ml (¼ cup) dark rum

125 ml (½ cup) sunflower oil or mild olive oil

150 g (¾ cup) sugar

The grated rind of ½ a lemon

3 eggs

Vanilla

260 g (2 cups) self-raising flour

½ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp ginger powder

1 good pinch of salt

½ cup desiccated coconut

2 cups coarsely grated carrots (2-3 carrots)

The juice of ½ lemon

2 tbsp toasted pine nuts

Preheat the oven 180 C (350 F).   Simmer the raisins in rum for 3 minutes and allow to cool.

Whip the oil with the sugar and the lemon zest until it emulsifies. Whip in the eggs one at a time and add the vanilla.

Sift the flour in a large bowl, and mix it with nutmeg, ginger powder, salt and coconut.  Scrape in the oil/sugar/egg mixture, add the raisins with the rum, carrots and the lemon juice and fold well together. Spoon the batter in an oiled baking tin, lined with baking parchment and level the top.  Sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts and bake for 30 -35 minutes until golden brown.

                                                       CANTUCCINI

Cantuccini are crunchy almond biscuits from Italy.  They are usually served after lunch or dinner with  Reciotto della Valpolicella or any other sweet red wine of your choice, or, obviously, with an espresso or a cappuccino.

Here is the recipe:

250 g (½ lb) plain flour

165 g (¾ cup) sugar

1 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1 tbsp honey

 1 tsp orange zest

1 tsp amaretto

125 g (¼ lb - 4 oz) unpeeled, raw almonds

Preheat oven to 180C (350 F).  In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients.   Add the eggs, honey, orange zest and amaretto and mix well together,  Then add the almonds and transfer the dough  on a lightly floured working surface and with wet hands shape two logs each 30 cm (12 inches) long and 5 cm (½ inch) wide.  Place on a tin lined with baking parchment and bake for 30 minutes and remove from the oven to cool. 

After 10 minutes slice the logs, on a slant, into 1.5 cm (½ inch) slices and bake for 10-15 until perfectly crisp.   Cool and store in biscuit tins.  

A view of the Grand Canal by Michele Jovanni Marieschi