Venezia

Food and Dreams

by Tessa Kiros

Price: $34.99
ISBN-13: 978-0-7407-8516-0
ISBN-10: 0-7407-8516-8
Format: Hardcover
Size: 8 x 9 in.
Page Count: 288

“Why is Venezia, Food and Dreams by Tessa Kiros my catch of the day? … You feel like a guest in a timeless, slightly unreal city.” ––Serge the Concierge http://www.sergetheconcierge.com

“Venezia is a book you can get lost in…. Whether you want to savor the city’s mysteries or its flavors, you’ll find satisfaction in these pages.” ––Fine Cooking

“Venezia breaks all of the current downsizing rules by offering an opulent journey into the heart of Venice…. Kiros’ poetic musings break up the book and make it as readable as Emily Dickinson.” ––Wine News

“The book itself is gorgeous - gilt edged with a velvet place marker and stunningly beautiful cover. For the author, Tessa Kiros, this book is more than just a cookbook. It became a personal journal, a travel guide, and a memoir about her love for Venice, Italy, and its special place in her heart - and palate. Cooks are treated to 105 amazing recipes and 120 color photographs focusing on the fascinating city and its famous fare.” ––Cooking Nook http://www.cookingnook.com/venezia.html

“I loved reading about Venetian food and culture, and the book took me back to my trip to Venice, just about 10 years ago! It is one of the most unique and mind-boggling places on earth. Kiros seems to have written two books about this city she clearly adores–it’s at once a well-done cookbook and artsy travelogue, with many photos bathed in Mediterranean sea-light. If you like Kiros’ style, this book will have you drooling and trolling expedia all at once” ––A Mingling of Tastes http://www.aminglingoftastes.com/2009/12/radicchio-risotto.html

“Lavish and sexy, Tessa Kiros’ latest paen to the glamorous side of global food culture zeroes in on Venice. Artsy travel photos share equal billing and space with tony maritime Italian recipes, which makes this as much a coffee-table book as anything else. Armchair cooking doesn’t get much more luxurious.” ––Denver Post, naming Venezia One of the Best Cookbooks of 2009 http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_13895658

“The recipes are uncommon enough to captivate seasoned cooks without scaring off the beginners. Venice, a city of charming culinary delight, is worth a visit — whether through this book or in person. Just don’t send us the bill if you end up booking a flight to Venice after diving utensil-first into the contents of this book.” ––Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/23/venezia-cookbook-spotlight/

“For the well-traveled Tessa [Kiros], food is the true passport to a place, and if anyone is going to get the golden key to the city, she will. In a preface called “Eating in Venice”, she patiently guides us through the elements of a proper Venetian meal, from cicchetti and antipasto, through primo, secondi, contorni, to dolci and finally caffè. The book is similarly divided; having examined the separate courses of the meal, she offers the best examples of each one. With sections on ‘clams and carpaccio’, ‘zuppa and zattere’, not to mention a chapter devoted entirely to risotto, fans of Italian food will not be disappointed – this cookbook is a love letter to the unique cuisine of the floating city.”––Eat Magazine http://www.eatmagazine.ca/bookreviews/2009-11-17/venezia

“Tessa Kiros is a fabulous home cook, inspired by her childhood and family, her eclectic background, the Mediterranean, everything. This home cook also happens to be the author of some of the most beautiful cookbooks I have ever seen.” ––Eat Boutique http://www.eatboutique.com/2009/11/01/homemade-gnocchi-or-gnocchi-di-patate/

“To Tessa Kiros, Venice isn’t just a place to visit, it is also a place to discover inspiring magical moments. She shares these special moments with foodies and fans in Venezia: Food and Dreams. This stunning book is so much more than a cookbook. It’’s a personal journal, a travel guide, and a memoir about Tessa’s love for Venice, Italy, and its special place in her heart–and palate.In Venezia, cooks awake to 105 amazing recipes and 120 four-color photographs focusing on the fascinating city and its famous fare.” ––Italian Cooking Club http://italiancookingclub.com/2009/10/29/venezia/

“In this culinary love letter to and about Venice, Tessa Kiros has gathered traditional Veneziani recipes for your delectation. … The recipes are easy to follow, and before each she gives a little description of the dish or the process, or gives a serving suggestion.” ––Joan’s Books http://joansbooks.blogspot.com/2009/10/venezia-food-dreams.html

“[Tessa] Kiros is at home in the watery byways of Venice where she finds, not only poetry, but the dreams evoked by that magical city, and some of the best food that one can encounter in a country rich in its varied foods.  Venezia is as sumptuous as the city that inspired it.  With gilt edged pages, a velvet bookmark to save a favorite page, and photography that captures the life of the city and its food, this is sure to be the perfect gift for any lover of Italy and its food. Venezia is a cookbook with a difference. The work is about food, but is laced with comments from Kiros’ diary about Venice, the Venetians, the particular spell that Venice casts on a visitor.  The side comments are poetic, but it is the recipes with their brief introductions giving a bit of history, an insight to culture and the daily life of the Venetians that makes the work glow.” ––In Mamas Kitchen http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/Book_Reviews/Italian_cooking/Venezia.html

“Glowing and bronzed, the book whispers from the shelf: open me. I am caught. It’s alluringly rich with memories and recipes, the food seductively photographed. I come away from the first read of Venezia: Food and Dreams enchanted.” ––Reviews by Christine http://reviewsbychristine.blogspot.com/2009/10/venezia-food-and-dreams-by-tessa-kiros.html

“I’d call Venezia: Food & Dreams a travel book except that author Tessa Kiros has compiled some great recipes.  … What is remarkable about this book are the glorious photos not just of the food but of Venice. They make you want to jump on the nearest water taxi. As for the words, Kiros writes a love story to the city and her prose is gracious and transporting.” ––The Providence Journal www.projo.com

“While Venezia certainly contains a number of uniquely delicious recipes, it cannot be called merely a cookbook but perhaps more appropriately referred to as a work of art. It is among the most beautiful books I’ve seen with a flower and food bedecked cover so inviting that you want to frame it plus gilt-edged pages, and a black velvet ribbon bookmark. … Venezia is a book to treasure and one to dream on.” ––Planet Book review http://www.planetbook.org/profiles/cail-cooke_18127_t

“Now Tessa Kiros (Falling Cloudberries, Apples for Jam) has published a cookbook worthy of the best aspects of that glorious city. Venezia: Food & Dreams is a book that looks like a jewelry box waiting to be opened. All edges are gilt, and the cover photo depicts broiled scallops in their shells, their tray draped in pink pearl strands and surrounded by roses, all lit by a Murano glass candle. It sounds a little cheesy, but like Venice, it’s not; instead, it is rich and glorious, like Venice herself… The beauty of this cookbook makes it a perfect gift as well as a book you will keep on your shelf for a long time.” ––7×7 Magazine http://ow.ly/sNe5

Venice is a city of charming people, winding canals, and floating markets, whose rich culinary history wafts from the tables of its sidewalk cafés and candlelit restaurants. In her evocative and beautiful cookbook, Venezia: Food & Dreams (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $34.99), Tessa Kiros takes her readers through these magical passageways, and with her they plumb the city’s nooks and crannies, discovering a myriad of Venetian staples and specialties to whet the appetite.

Venezia is not your standard cookbook. The stunning photographs are as dynamic as the recipes, ranging from vibrant, bejeweled Carnival masks to dramatic black and white views of Venetian streets. The pages are also sprinkled with Tessa’s travel insights and poetic observations:

“Venice in its labyrinth and enigma; everywhere visible from the windows and mirrors on the top floor of Harry’s Bar…the backdrop of the terrace looked like they had been told to recite and play and then the director had forgotten to call stop. Bridges; keyholes peeping into ancient courtyards full of secrets.”

During her travels, Tessa charms the locals into divulging their culinary secrets, sharing with the reader the hidden specialties of this romantic yet mysterious city. She divides these dishes by course—Antipasti, Zuppa/Pasta/Gnocchi, Risotto, Secondi, Contori, and Dolci—with additional sections on Essential Recipes and Cicchetti (delicious small bites unique to Venice). Recipes range from the exotic such as Spaghetti al Nero de Seppie (Spaghetti with Squid Ink) to more traditional selections such as Grigliata Mista de Pesce (Mixed Grilled Fish).

Tessa’s recipes are unique enough to intrigue experienced chefs yet easy enough for beginners to follow, creating a guide for tasty dishes that will impress any dinner guest. With a turn of the page, everyone can share in Tessa’s sheer love of anything beautiful, anything flavorful, and everything Venetian.

Asparagus & scampi risotto

This is also good & delicate with just scampi or just asparagus. Some people don’t serve Parmesan with seafood, but I put a bit in here.

12 to 16 scampi (red-claw, langoustines, or large shrimps)

Brodo:
1 large carrot
1/2 onion
1 bay leaf
a few peppercorns

13 ounces (about 19) asparagus spears
1/2 onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon cognac
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

To make the brodo, peel & clean the scampi, & cut each one in half down the middle. Set the meat aside for the moment, but rinse the heads & shells, & put them in a pot with 6 cups of water, the carrot, onion, bay leaf, peppercorns, & some salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes. Strain, & keep the broth hot.

Discard the woody ends from the asparagus & cut off the tips. Put the tips aside & chop the stems. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saucepan & sauté the onion until well softened. Add the chopped asparagus & sauté briefly.

Add the rice, turning it through so that it is well coated with oil. Add the white wine & let it bubble up until much of it has evaporated. Add 2 cups of broth, stir well, & simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until almost of it has been absorbed. Add another 2 cups of broth, stir, & cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. (Add another 1/2 cup of broth if you want a creamier risotto.)

When the risotto is almost ready, heat the remaining oil in a small skillet, add the scampi & asparagus tips, & cook over high heat for 2 minutes, turning the scampi over when they have a pale golden crust underneath. Add the cognac, stand back & ignite the skillet. Add a little salt & toss it all together, then take off the heat.

Stir the butter & Parmesan into the risotto, then tip the scampi & asparagus tips into the risotto. Add salt if needed, quickly toss it all through & serve immediately with ground black pepper.

Serves 4

Venetian focaccia

This has little in common with the bread called focaccia, but is more a brioche-pandoro thing. I tasted one from the pasticceria Puppa in Cannareggio & was completely sold on it, so I found a recipe in my sister-in-law’s old book a tola co i nostri veci by Mariu Salvatori de Zuliani (thank goodness, I had Luisa to translate the Venetian dialect instructions to me).

3/4 ounce fresh yeast, or
1 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup sugar
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted & cooled
3 egg yolks
2 3/4 cups cake flour
finely grated zest of
1 small lemon

Topping:
1/3 cup sugar
2 good tablespoons
large-granule sugar

Dissolve the yeast in the milk & whip with a whisk. Add the sugar, butter, egg yolks, flour, & a pinch of salt, mixing at the end with your hands or a strong whisk, to form a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap, then a dishcloth & leave for 12 hours in warm place until well risen. Uncover & mix it all again with your hands (even though it is very soft), kneading in the lemon zest. Lightly butter a 9-cup cake pan (or line with a paper mold).

Plop the dough into the cake pan as evenly as possible—it will seem as if there is a lot of room left, but it will rise, so cover the top again with plastic wrap & then a dishcloth, & leave in a warm place again for a couple of hours. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Remove the plastic wrap & bake the dough for about 40 minutes, until golden on top, covering with foil for the last 15 minutes if you think it is browning too much. A skewer poked into the center should come out clean.

Meanwhile, make the sugar syrup. Put the sugar in a small saucepan with 3 tablespoons of water, stir to dissolve the sugar, then let it simmer without stirring for 5 to 8 minutes, until thickened a bit. Cool for a minute & then brush over the cooled focaccia. Sprinkle the sugar granules over the top so they stick.

Makes 1 big cake…