This is a cheffy dish that takes inspiration from old French classics. A recipe committed to satisfying the most luxurious and gluttonous palate, and definitely to save for a special occasion.

 

Chef’s tips: just a touch of this sauce can help you enrich many dishes, even a simple mussel stew served with crusty bread. And remember to serve it with a glass of the same Prosecco DOC used in the making.

If you are a fan of Italian food and culture you might have heard the word baccalà as it is quite common in many areas of the country. Put simply, baccalà is salted cod, slightly different from stockfish which is simply air dried but unsalted. It was a way to preserve fish in the past but nowadays it is a proper and delicious ingredient in its own right.

Amongst the many Italian recipes using baccalà one stands out for me, the Venetian mantecato (literally means whipped). Here the salted cod fillets are desalted in running water, then cooked and whipped with cream and olive oil to a mousse-like consistency, which could be weird if you aren’t accustomed to it but I (like many others) find it absolutely delicious, especially if served as tradition requires, with toasted polenta.

Being this a traditional Venetian recipe, I couldn’t not pair it with a lovely Prosecco DOC and on this occasion I’ve used the renowned Mionetto brut. Mild acidicy, fruity notes and elegant bubbles, an undeniable great match with this briny fish recipe.

Trust me on this, you’ve got to try it, it is a must for all seafood lovers!

Ingredients

5 medium squid (peeled and gutted)
About 350 gr of breadcrumbs
5 tbsp EVO oil
30 gr grated Grana Padano
1 bunch of parsley
1 small bunch of mint
1 small bunch of basil
1 small bunch of rosemary
1 lemon
2 garlic cloves
3 green courgettes
FOR THE FILLING
350 gr of clean squid
1 egg
1 tbsp EVO oil
1 tbsp of chopped parsley
2 tbsp of toasted breadcrumbs
25 gr of grated Grana Padano cheese
The zest of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients

300 g monkfish
400 g mussels
300 g clams
200 g grouper
8 red prawns
8 green crabs
100 g cuttlefish
200 g gurnard or redfish
2 green courgettes
3 potatoes
1 sprig of basil and 1 of parsley
1 lemon and 1 chili pepper
1 dried tomato
extra virgin oil as needed
300 g San Marzano red tomatoes
160 g bulgur or cous cous

Ingredients/h3>
15 cl Prosecco DOC Brut
12 rock oysters
2 fillets of smoked mackerel
280 g of Carnaroli rice
10 g of grated Grana Padano cheese
30 g of onion (finely chopped)
10 g of unsalted butter
1 litres of fish stock
3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 large lemon
1 small bunch of lemon balm
Salt and pepper (to taste)

When available and fresh, I often buy mussels in abundance, cook them and then freeze them in their cooking juices in portions so that I have the first 2 steps of the recipe always done in advance in my freezer.

Ingredients

500g of aubergine puree, drained and pat dry (about 1.5 kg raw)
250g of 00 flour
120g of grated Grana Padano
1 yolk
1 tbsp of dried oregano
Salt q.b.
FOR THE DRESSING
400g of cherry tomatoes
1 sprig of basil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
250g of stracciatella
Salt and pepper to taste
4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

Ingredients

300 gr white crabmeat
60 ml Prosecco DOC
4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
20 gr butter
200 ml of white fish stock (or a stock done with crab shells/trimmings)
1 red chili
Mix fresh hearbs (parsley, basil, dill)
1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
FOR THE PASTA
4 eggs
400 gr 00 flour
Extra flour to dust

Ingredients