Hungry traveller.
CITY OF WONDERS
Traditional bàcaro (wine bar) All’Arco
The Rialto bridge leads to the colourful market;
Venice’s Grand Canal;
A VENETIAN PILGRIMAGE
Russell Norman on the dishes that entice him to Italy’s most beautiful of cities – as many times as life will allow
Venice is an easy city to love. It’s breathtakingly beautiful, famously romantic, steeped in fascinating history and full of architectural gems and priceless art. It also has a unique cultural identity which, when you scratch the surface, reveals a fiercely proud population with an impressive culinary heritage.
I’ve been visiting for over 30 years, sometimes as a tourist, once as a honeymooner, most recently to research its markets, produce and home cooking for my new book. In fact, since autumn 2016 I’ve been living here, writing (and eating).
It will come as no surprise, then, to hear I have developed quite a taste for Venetian food. In fact, there are some dishes I associate so strongly with the city that a trip here gets my taste buds tingling before I have even set off.
I love the deliciously light veal meatballs at Trattoria Ca d’Oro Alla Vedova (Calle Ca’ d’Oro, Cannaregio 3912; Tel: +39 041 528 5324), always stacked high at the bar and so popular that occasionally they disappear faster than the kitchen can fry them. Then there is the delicate and tender fritto misto at Paradiso Perduto (ilparadisoperduto.wordpress.com), vying for pole position with their cacio e pepe, a masterclass in superlatively comforting cheesy pasta.
But the dish I come back for, time and time again, is the baccalà mantecato at All’Arco (Calle de l’Ochialer San Polo 436). This traditional recipe, so typical of Venice and the Veneto, could arguably be its signature dish. It’s a meticulous preparation that involves soaking dried salt cod for 48 hours in frequently refreshed cold water, flaking the flesh into a large bowl with a little garlic and parsley, then beating vigorously for several minutes with a large wooden spoon while introducing a thin stream of olive oil. The result is a fluffy white mousse of such delicacy and flavour that moderation is impossible.
But even more than the dish that draws me there, it’s the place itself that I would nominate as the object of my pilgrimage. All’Arco is a bàcaro, a small bar serving Venetian snacks and local wines. It’s about the size of a suburban domestic kitchen with room for just 20 people standing. But it serves some of the best food in Venice. Because of the limited space and restricted cooking facilities (there’s a single hob and a basin), most of what father and son Francesco and Matteo make is artfully constructed on small toasts (crostini), or on slabs of grilled polenta. They are guided entirely by the nearby Rialto food market and will only use ingredients that are in season and of exceptional quality.
“Scratch the surface and the city reveals a fiercely proud population with an impressive culinary heritage”
It is the philosophy of All’Arco that I summon here with my spring offering of English asparagus, gorgonzola, toasted walnuts and mint on grilled sourdough. Italian cooking is all about keeping things simple and using the freshest ingredients you can find. In the spirit of that tiny place, the only cooking equipment you need is a griddle pan and a hob to heat it on.
Russell Norman’s latest book, Venice: Four Seasons of Home Cooking (£26; Fig Tree), is out now.
Russell’s asparagus, gorgonzola, walnut and mint bruschetta
PHOTOGRAPHS: JENNY ZARINS, ISTOCK, GARETH MORGANS. FOOD STYLING: REBECCA WOOLLARD. STYLING: DAVINA PERKINS