A selection of some of the best bacalao dishes I have tasted, published as a photo story in storehouse.
we live forward, but we understand backwards
A selection of some of the best bacalao dishes I have tasted, published as a photo story in storehouse.
In my visit to Venice back in October 2011 I had the opportunity to visit Osteria da Fiore, in San Polo.
Today I publish the delayed review, because the osteria is one of the best restaurants in Venice, and continues to carry with pride one Michelin Star.
The amuse bouche was crispy tiny shrimp (gamberetti) on a bed of white polenta.
The first dish I tasted was a mixed raw seafood.
Misto crudo di carpaccio di tonno e scampi.
The Scampi were served on top of a creamy mix of fennel (finocchio) and fresh cheese.
The second dish I tasted was another appetizer, one of the trademarks of Venetian gastronomy: “Baccala mantecato” (dried Atlantic cod, soaked, poached and whipped until mousse-like), served with bruschetta spiced with garlic.
Overall a perfect light lunch in a wonderful environment.
In my visit to Venice back in October 2011 I had the opportunity to visit Osteria da Fiore, in San Polo.
Today I publish the delayed review, because the osteria is one of the best restaurants in Venice, and continues to carry with pride one Michelin Star.
The amuse bouche was crispy tiny shrimp (gamberetti) on a bed of white polenta.
The first dish I tasted was a mixed raw seafood.
Misto crudo di carpaccio di tonno e scampi.
The Scampi were served on top of a creamy mix of fennel (finocchio) and fresh cheese.
The second dish I tasted was another appetizer, one of the trademarks of Venetian gastronomy: “Baccala mantecato” (dried Atlantic cod, soaked, poached and whipped until mousse-like), served with bruschetta spiced with garlic.
Overall a perfect light lunch in a wonderful environment.
The “Ristorante Al Covo” is in Castello, near the Hotel Gabrielli, no more than 15 minutes walk from St. Mark’s Square.
This review is long overdue, as I had it prepared and filed as a draft, only to forget it.
Now that I recovered it from the archive, I want to share it, if only for the reason that it is an excellent choice to dine in Venice.
My first dish was “Scampi Crudi – Raw crayfish”.
It was served as it came out of the water, without the shell, with shredded cucumber, lemon dill, olive oil.
…and a big big leaf of basil!
My second dish was Baccala Batagin, a dish made with salted cod (baccala) cooked in the oven with sliced potatoes, prunes and rosemary. After being cooked, a s plash of tomato sauce is put on top and a dash of olive oil.
The intensity of the previous article has exhausted my intellectual capacities and I needed nurishment to recover my strength and composure.
The answer to the question “what do I cook now?” came – as it always does – from the market.
Musky octopus is the poor relative of mighty octopus. And for this reason is a lot cheaper. These days in Athens octopus sells for 14 Euros per kilo, whereas musky octopus sells for 6 Euros per kilo.
A key visual difference between the musky octoppus and its mighty relative is that musky has only one row of suction cups in each of its 8 tentacles, whereas the big relative has two.
Βασική διαφορά μεταξύ του και εύκολα αναγνωρίσιμη είναι ότι τα πλοκάμια του Χταποδιού φέρουν δύο (2) σειρές βεντούζες ενώ του Μοσχιού μια (1) σειρά.
My cooking method is in two stages.
Stage 1 is the simmering of the musky octopi in their own juice. I just place them in a pot without anything, and let them simmer in low heat for about 45 minutes.
While this is happening, I saute onions and garlic in olive oil, and this is the beginning of Stage 2.
When Stage 1 is done, I bring together the octopi and the onion and garlic mix, adding tomato paste, cover the pot and let them intermix for 30 minutes in low heat.
Serve and eat immediately. I like ot sprinkle over the dish chopped coriander.
Enjoy it with a robust white, I prefer assyrtico from Santorini.
Today’s dish is one of my absolute favorites: stuffed squid.
My fishmonger gave me a 25 cm super fresh squid and there was no question in my mind about its fate.
I prepared a mix of bulgur wheat, water, sheep milk’s yogurt, parseley, coriander, salt and pepper, and let it rest for 30 minutes.
I stuffed the squid and put it in a 220 degrees Celcius oven for 45 minutes.
I served piping hot with a fresh green salad.
It cannot get any better!
Buon appetito!
During my recent visit to London (October 2012) I had the opportunity to visit the restaurant in the St John Hotel in London’s Chinatown in two consecutive days.
The Hotel (and restaurant) is located a few meters away from Leicester Square and is easily accessible by all means of transportation.
The reason I went there has a name: Fergus Henderson.
Fergus Henderson is the “Nose to Tail” man. The simple principle that he pushed forward with his cooking is that when we slaughter an animal, it is a matter of respect but also of practicality, to eat all the bits. From nose to tail.
The Hotel in central London’s Leicester Square was opened in the Spring of 2011.
And it’s already a part of London history, housed in Manzi’s, the fish restaurant on the fringes of Chinatown that had been there forever, until suddenly it wasn’t.
Mr. Manzi one day sold everything, and headed off to Mone Carlo, giving to Fergus Henderson and his business partner Trevor Gulliver the opportunity to try out their hotel and restaurant concept in Central London.
The restaurant’s layout is simple with an open kitchen.
The staff is exceptional indeed. You feel right at home.
And what is most important for the weary traveller, is that the kitchen is open continuously from 12 noon to 12 midnight. So no matter when you can, you drop by and eat. This is exactly what I did on both days.
The two-day feast began with “Devilled Pig’s Skin & Smoked Cod’s Roe”.
When I saw it arriving to the table, I thought that this is not a dish, this is a sculpture. Nevertheless, I went ahead and enjoyed it.
This is a dish that epitomizes the concept of the appetizer. Crunchy texture, accompanied by the creamy and flavorfull roe.
I absolutely loooooove black pudding, or boudin noir as it is known in France.
It is one of the humblest but terribly delicious dishes, a real tribute to blood and guts.
It is only on the breakfast menu, but when I asked for it, at around 1730 hrs on a Friday afternoon, for what was a lunch and dinner meal after an exhaustive business meeting, it appeared miraculously in front of me. The restaurant’s maitr d’ hotel, a delightful lady, presented it with a glorious smile. The guys in the open kitchen were watching knowingly. I was in heaven! Needless to say, the divine pudding was “house” made.
Although Henderson is known as the “offal” man, St John Hotel have a menu with seafood items in addition to the “regular” meat and offal items. One of them was the cuttlefish with fennel and green sauce.
I was very curious to taste it, as cuttlefish is extremely light in flavour, and difficult in texture.
I was really lucky to taste this dish. Perfectly tender, full of flavor, and I had to ask for a spoon for the sauce.
The “Snails, Duck Hearts & Lovage”, sounded like a strange mix of diverse ingredients, but this was one more reason to taste it. And it worked!
I enjoyed the subtlety of the snails, and the robustness of the heart’s texture. The rather big chunks of fried bread were absolutely delicious.
The “Ox Heart, Beetroot & Red Cabbage” is a tribute to texture.
Firm, robust muscle, perfectly accompanied by the crunchy red cabbage and the beetroot.
And now the ultimate classic: “Bacon & Beans”. I do not recall bacon ever tasting so good.
After the black pudding, this is the second dish that made me feel that I was in my mother’s kitchen.
The bacon was juicy and full of flavors, the beans tender and tasty, and the sauce absolutely divine, and thick.
I was very curious to taste a fish dish. Especially after having tasted the meat heavy weights. I chose “Brill, Leeks & Aioli”.
The fish was perfectly cooked. As you can see.
I ate the skin and it was crispy and delicious!!!
I wish I could eat more leeks and aioli. But I couldn’t.
A good meal (or two meals for that matter) always ends with a new one.
So here is my list of what I wish to taste during my next visit: Mussels, Razor Clams, Lamb Sweetbreads, Pork Chops…
Thank you Mssrs. Henderson and Gulliver, thank you to all staff of the restaurant, You all gave me an unforgetable culinary experience.
I continue to be in a “breaking sea wave” mood, and there is no better place to have lunch when you are in this mood than the beach itself, especially when the tables are less than one meter away from the breaking wave!
There was a nothern wind of medium strength, and the wave was breaking indeed!
The fresh wind comes from the Aegean, passing from the Southern tip of Evoia.
This wind has a cleansing effect on me.
It strips away all the mumbo-jumbo that clutters my Being and helps me see into my true (authentic) nature.
The breaking sea wave is my satori catalyst.
Unfortunately this glimpse into the true me does not last for very long.
However, I consider myself fortunate that it lasts even for a few seconds.
In any case, having achieved the “satori” state, I had to go for the unadulterated, pure taste of the fish.
The colorful salad that came as a prelude, acted as an evangelist for the main course.
A fresh sea bass, grilled to perfection.
Words fail me.
In addition to the subtle aroma of the sea, I was deeply absorbed by the gelatinous texture of the moist flesh.
The more fresh the flesh, the higher the gelatine effect.
Absolutely delicious!
But I must confess that a thought crossed my mind.
Given the quality of the fish, how would it be to have half of it served raw by Mizutani, and the other half grilled?
For the time being I will stay with the thought stuck in my mind. It may be a while before Mizutani visits Marathon.
Fresh grapes, cut a minute ago from the vines providing the very welcome shade, took away the aromas of the sea and brought Dionyssus to the table.
Ora sono ubriaco
d’ universo
I am now drunk
from the universe
(Giuseppe Ungaretti)
Today’s post is food for the body and soul, images from Venice’s seafood market in Rialto.
I love fishmarkets!!! As you can tell from a sequence of posts already dedicated to them!!!!
No words or explanations or arguments are necessary.
Hotel Metropole is one of the hospitality jewels in Venice. This I knew before my last visit to Venice. What I did not know was that for two years now they serve some real food dishes (not only sandwiches and salds) in the bar of the hotel every day of the week from 1230 to 1430. Taking into account that the famous gourmet restaurant of the hotel (with two Michelin stars) does not serve lunch except on Saturday and Sunday, the bar is a practical solution for a visitor who wants to have lunch.
The Hotel commands a fantastic position on the promenade of the “Riva degli Schiavoni”, a few meters away from St. Mark’s square.
The Bar is located on the ground floor, on the left side as you enter and before you reach the reception. It has beautiful wooden panels which are used as displays for the owner’s collection of objects.
Being in Venice, it is proper to start with the surf side of the menu.
Gamberi (prawns) “in saor” (sweet and sour). A delightful appetizer. The prawns are seared for one or two seconds, literally, and then served on a bed of cabbage and pickled red onions, with raisins and raspberries (lamponi). On top the chef placed a few finocchio leaves. The flavor combinations are incredible! And if you do not have all the rest, go and get prawns and taste them with raspberries.
The red onions are pickled and caramelized, adding the mild sweet and sour background to the taste of the prawns.
Merluzzo is “cod” of the Adriatic Sea. It was served on a bed of mashed potatoes with mustard seeds, and asparagus.
The Merluzzo was seared on the side of the skin for a couple of minutes in very strong fire, that made the skin crispy and the flesh juicy, firm, and succulent. The fish was served with fresh oregano and dill. Wonderful execution!!!
We now move to the turf side of the menu: Italian Delicacies are the first chapter.
Prosciutto crudo di Sauris is the prince of this dish of mixed cured meats. Sauris is a locality near Udine, where this tender and tasty prosciutto crudo is produced. It tasted like it has more character than the prosciutto di Parma.
Soppressa di Valdobbiadene
Salsiccia del Veneto (deer and pork)
Speck di Alto Adige. Perfect balance of salty and sweet. When the pig has had the proper food, the fat is sweet and flavorful.
Salame del Piave
The silky and full of flavour “Veal Carpaccio (di Manzo)” completed the tasting experience.
After the qualitative parts of the food, it is time to come to the value for money summary. Not only is the food of top quality, not only is the service excellent, the value for money of the Bar’s Lunch Menu is unbeatable, the best not only in Venice, but in most of Italy!!! But please please please, keep this little secret to yourselves.