On Venice
Forty Year Friendships + Lemony Ricotta and Asparagus + Valpolicella Ripasso (your Easter lamb wine)
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I’ve been traveling. And eating. These two things go hand in hand. The latter is necessary but for me, it least, also the point of the former.
The impetus for this recent trip was a reunion, a joint big birthday celebration for my husband and his two closest friends from college. All living in different places in the world, the friends decided the most logical, and interesting, destination for a long weekend meet up was… Venice.
The prospect of visiting Italy in March before the summer crowds descend en masse seemed magical. Celebrating 40 years of friendship and birthdays, a worthy reason for any journey, anywhere.
To get myself in the mood leading up to the trip, I did an Italian binge. I dusted off the old Duolingo account, watched all two seasons of Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy, and found myself stirring pots of risotto and serving fresh ricotta doused in spicy olive oil with just about everything. By the time my plane touched down over the patchwork marshland of Venice (after an unnerving aborted first attempt to land), I was primed for la dolce vita.
I hope, and plan, to recreate some of my favorite dishes here, in this newsletter. Like reflecting on books I’ve read at the end of the year, often it is only time that reveals the ones – books or food – that will leave an lasting imprint. Right now I can say strong contenders for most memorable dishes include the bite of risotto made with milk and topped with raw shrimp I spooned off one friend’s plate as well as my own appetizer of perfectly grilled baby squid with squid ink at Hostaria da Franz; a crudo platter of raw seafood arrange liked jewels at Trattoria al Gatto Nero; sweet white asparagus “parmigiana” dipped into a poached egg at Antico Martini; a salad of raw artichokes and crab as fresh as the exuberant service at Ristorante da Ivo.
The wine, like the city, over-delivered. While exported prosecco tends to the oversweet, better mixed with orange juice variety, I eagerly anticipated aperitivo hour so I could enjoy a glass (or two) of the crisp, dry Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. served at the Alchemia Bar in the Hotel Ca’ di Dio. With Venice’s proximity to Valpolicella, this was an excellent opportunity to sample a variety of Amarone. This highly concentrated red made with semi-dried grapes produces a lush, medium-bodied wine. The bottles that make it out of Italy tend to come at an eye-watering price while still wearing diapers by the standard of a wine that can age for decades. What a treat to be able to taste a variety of producers in Venice, even if this big wine was not always the ideal pairing with seafood centric Venetian cuisine. Sometimes you just have to order the wine you want to drink.
I hope wherever you are reading this, spring’s first wildflowers are popping their heads through the soil. Even if you are still in danger of frost, it is asparagus season somewhere in the world. Get a bunch from your market, roast it in a hot oven to concentrate the sweetness, or throw on a down jacket and grill it outdoors like it’s already summer.
If you are looking for an Easter side dish, make the recipe below for a lemony ricotta as a bed for your asparagus, then cover the whole dish in a healthy drizzle of olive oil and an extra grating of lemon zest. For a light supper, or simply to indulge, serve it with poached eggs and let your kids have fun popping the golden yolk with the spears. If you have any leftover lemon ricotta, this is excellent spread on toast in the morning, or stirred into a pot of risotto at the end for a creamy finish.
A year ago, it seemed everyone was talking about happiness. After several pandemic years of posts and podcasts on loneliness and isolation, the book The Good Life, seemed like the answer to what was being called a social epidemic. The book, subtitled Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study on Happiness covered takeaways from an eight decade Harvard study on what makes humans thrive. Their answer? Your relationships with other people, the connections that we make and nurture over time are the single greatest predictor of our individual ability to manage stress and maintain health as we age.
As we gathered in Venice, it was hard not to think of that study. For 40 years these friends have been there for each other through weddings, divorce, children, jobs gained and loss, the deaths of parents, businesses built, careers changed, and moves across state lines and oceans. Each night we twirled our tagliatelle, passed our plates American-style to share perfect scampi, and ordered second and third bottles of wine because we simply did not want any evening to end.
If for me, the point of travel, is eating, the point of eating, aside from keeping us alive, might be as the final friend at the table. It is the food and drink that keeps you together, fuelling conversations - some begun decades ago - worthy of plane trips, third bottles, and late nights for decades to come.
Recipe
Asparagus with Meyer Lemon Ricotta
1 lb. medium asparagus, pencil-thick
2 T. olive oil plus extra
Black pepper
Flaky sea salt (like Maldon)
3/4 cup fresh whole milk ricotta*
Zest of two Meyer lemons (can substitute regular lemon)
1 T. squeezed lemon juice
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Break woody ends to trim asparagus spears. Spread asparagus in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 T. of olive oil and a few cracks of black pepper and toss to coat. For a medium thickness asparagus (about the width of a pencil) this should take about 8 minutes till crisp-tender. Remove from oven and sprinkle with a flaky sea salt.
Meanwhile prepare the ricotta. In a small bowl, stir ricotta with 1 tsp. lemon zest, lemon juice, and pepper. Taste and add salt if necessary (this cheese has some natural saltiness so best to taste first then add to your taste). When the asparagus has cooled slightly, spread lemon ricotta on a platter, layer roasted asparagus on top. Drizzle with extra olive oil, and scatter on the zest from a second lemon. Serve at room temperature.
*Note: This is not the time for Polly-O. Find the best quality ricotta you can. Cardiff’s Seaside Market sells a deliciously creamy variety in their cheese section. Bellwether Farms makes and excellent domestic whole milk ricotta. You can also look for Italian varieties wherever you get your Italian imports.
To Drink…
Fidora ‘Monte Tabor’ Valpolicella Ripasso, Veneto, Italy 2018
For a fresher and more affordable alternative to Amarone, look for wines labelled Valpolicella Ripasso. Often called “Baby Amarone”, this expression utilizes a unique double fermentation, the first using fresh grapes and the second using the skins of Amarone. The 2018 Fidora Monte Tabor Valpolicella Ripasso offers satisfying blackberry and ripe red fruit notes with a velvety texture and lingering finish. Perfect with your Easter lamb.
From $28.99 at the Wine Connection San Diego and other online retailers.
You had me at ‘Your Easter Lamb Wine’ 😉
Somehow, you’re able to surface in a few short paragraphs, a curiosity and connection to food & wine I was sure didn’t exist in me 🤔
I’m heading out to buy some ingredients now. Now that wasn’t on my list 📋 for today (or even this year) 🙏