Cooking With Maria

www.bb-sanstae.com
       Start time 10 am for a 1pm luncheon.
Maria is real and full of information and in her home we had a private class, she is an artist and a art teacher also has her own B & B which has 2 rooms between 80 to 110 € The rooms were simple but all you would need if you were in Venice for a couple of days. Her preparation was perfect and she was so organised and today we are learning a menu and how to prepare it in the stages required to get it on the table as required for a dinner party.
      The menu for today will serves 4
Asparagus Omelette
Risotto of Prawns & Artichokes
Baked Sea Bass with Cherry Tomato, capers, olives and potatoes
Tiramisu
     TIRAMISU In a medium bowl beat the 3 egg yokes with 3 tablespoons sugar until foamy.
Softy combine it with 250 grams of mascarpone cheese. Set aside In are large bowl
whisk the 3 egg whites until they have stiff peeks.
Hand fold whites into the yoke mixture and fold from the bottom to the top don't over work.
Combine 1 cup coffee + 1 small glass brandy, quickly dip 12 ladyfingers one at a time. They should absorb some liquid without being mushy. Lady fingers biscuits should still snap. Place some of the semi soaked fingers in a large serving bowl or 4 separate small bowls + a layer some of the mascarpone mousse and repeat, chris cross the fingers and finish with the mascarpone mousse.
Mix 2 teaspoons cocoa and coffee powder and in a sifter sprinkle over the top of the tiramisu place in fridge for at least 2 hours. You can freeze them and defrost them in the fridge several hours prior to eating.
       So with the Tiramisu in the fridge now its time for a bit of a house wander, I do get itchy feet and need to look around these amazing places, this terrace is about 250 year old so new on Venetian standards and is on the 3rd and 4th floor with her own extra top floor attic and more small stairs out to a typical Venetian terrace made out of timber and not cut into the roof but sits on top of the roof "Altana" . From the ground you would see them a lot, it looks like they put brick piers up and then toped it with a timber platform some looked a bit scary. Maria's was about 16m/2 so enought room for a small table and 2 chairs and all around the railing was terracotta pots with her herbs, some tomatoes and a couple of flowers. She would dearly love a small garden but land is just not available in Venice for such an extravagance.
        So back to the kitchen to start on the Risotto with Prawns & Artichokes Rice
In the Middle Ages it was light and easy to transport and store along with the dry ingredients. It was filling and easy to combine with other fresh ingredients once you got to the next place to set up camp. Carnaroli Rice is traditional in Italy for a risotto but in Australia we have arborio if you can't get carnaroli. A rice with the most starch is the best style of rice for a risotto as it gives a creamy finish without becoming to mushy, but must be alway stirred during the cooking to bring out that creaminess. Best if stock is prepared and a good risotto needs a good stock.
        So to start the prawn and veggie stock
Into 3/4 Lt. water in a big pot place 1/2 glass dry white wine, big pinch sea salt, 1/2 celery stem, 2 medium carrots, 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig thyme, 5 crush pepper corns, 4 cloves pressed into 1 small onion cut in 1/2, parsley stalks, cut all into biggish chunks + heads and shells of the 600 grams of fresh prawns required. Get on heat bring to boil then simmer for 30 mins let cool abit and drain, discard solids, keeping the warm prawn and veggie stock on the side of the stove top. Get the peeled prawns and cut in 1/2 along the length to conserve the shape as rice is small so you don't want a big bit of prawn,set prawns aside. Prepare 2 artichokes taking off the hard outer leaves ( you could use zucchini or asparagus but as these are soft vegies add towards the end of the cooking process ) cut in 1/4 and soak in water with lemon to stop oxidisation till needed.  In a heavy bottom pan on medium heat add 4 tablespoons of olive oil drop in 1 medium leek the white bits finely chop for 2min,s than add artichokes squeeze out the lemon water first, add to the leeks and cook for another 3 mins until the moisture is gone and the leeks are becoming clear, don't brown, a risotto is soft and clean never dark or over heated. Add 1/2 glass dry white wine and 2 cups of the rice, combine on the heat for a another 1 min seat aside to be cooked after the main course is in the oven. Pre heat oven to 200c cook 1kg 40 mins 1/2kg 25 min So for the mains Baked Sea Bass (venice local fish from the canal) with Cherry Tomato, olives, potatoes and capers (small salted ones are the best from Sicily if possible )
So in a large roasting pan add 3 tablespoons olive oil and put 1 kg of nearly cooked sliced buttery style of potatoes on oil, place the whole Bass about 1kg or you could use rock fish or sea bream, 300 grams cherry tomatoes cut in 1/2, 50 grams olives also cut in 1/2, small handful washed capers, 2 cloves whole garlic, sprinkle Q B dry oregano, 2 bay leaves, pinch salt and a splash more olive oil with 1/2 glass white wine. Bake for 35 /40 mins if the skin looks too dry spoon some of the oil and white wine mix over the fish. Turn off the oven and leave fish in the heat until service time So while the fish is cooking its back to risotto. Return the stock to the heat and once up to heat then put the risotto back on to a medium heat stir continually for starch to come out, set timer for 20 mins adding in small ladles of the warm stock at a time as required never flood the risotto. If all works to plan it will take all the stock to finish the risotto if the rice is still under cooked next time make more stock but for now get some hot water and warm white wine to finish if required as they say in Italy refer to the good old QB so now you need the second person to finish the risotto while the 1st course of the mini Asparagus Omelette are being prepared Get your 20 asparagus cut into 50mm pieces keeping the heads separate. Drop the bottom bits into a pot with butter and a bit of olive oil and a splash of water for about ten minute. For the last 1 minute drop in the asparagus tips Put in a bowl 3 eggs + 2 pinch salt and pepper whisk, then add 3 tablespoons pecorino cheese grated and mix, now add 100 grams ricotta cheese again mix slightly with a fork then add hot asparagus. Heat a little 150mm frying pan with a drop of some olive oil put in some of the mixture cook until lower side is firm then turn and cook the other side. Than Maria says " Allola" meaning Than, Ok , is that fine lets eat ect ect. So the Asparagus Omelette is served and demolished as our antipasto For firsts the Risotto of Prawns & Artichokes was Devine if I say so myself and for this style seafood risotto it is served with some lemon juice and NOT Parmesan Seconds is the Baked Sea Bass with Cherry Tomato, capers, olives and potatoes it was so moist yum yum yum Desert of Tiramisu hmmmm lovely but for me, its to creamy, I'm a savoury boy! So with lunch over we leave and head back to our apartment, via the long way, a real long way to see some more of Venice as well as walk off lunch. 2 hours later and back home where does the time go ready to sit back and watch the world float by on the Grand Canal once more.