Eating and drinking in the North of Veneto, part 1!

Yes I know that the Veneti from the north may seem a bit ... stiff? Austrian? Cold? Whatever!
I am half Veneta so I can handle it, starting with POLENTA!

My cousins Giovanna and Saverio asked me what I wanted to eat and I wanted the most traditional staple I could think of: Polenta and Schiz. Schiz is a kind of fresh white cheese, similar to Holloumi. It can not be eaten 'raw' but it needs to be cooked in a frying pan (with no oil) until soft and lightly golden. Butter and cream are usually added once all the water from the cheese has dried up.

A few calories here, I know...but we are in the mountains!

Taa Daa! Polenta e Schiz!

The second pilgrimage is to the Pedavena Brewery, where they make Pedavena and Dolomiti beers.

Here is the brewery....

...and attached to the brewery the birreria (bar/restaurant) where you can get unpastorised Pedavena beer on tap.

Yesssssssssssssss!

For more info about this local gem click here

And after the zucchini flowers, back to Aunt Alice veggie garden for a balanced diet.

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Fried Zucchini Flowers

Fiori di zucchine fritti


The flowers come from aunt Alice's veggie garden in Teven, Veneto.

They need to be picked in the morning, as soon as they open, and cooked on the same day.









Clean the flowers: never wash with water, just remove the sepals, and then open each flower and remove the style and stigma (and any insect that may be living inside!). I like to leave the stems, so that the flowers can be lifted in and out of the frying pan easily.

Make a batter with one free range egg, 1 tbsp of flour and a little beer. You can add a pinch of salt, but it is not necessary. I prefer to sprinkle salt on the flowers once they are fried.

Dip the flowers in the batter (holding them by the stem) and then fry in plenty of vegetable oil until golden. Sprinkle with salt and eat immediately.

Town and Country Roadhouse Lunch

The Town and Country Roadhouse Lunch held by Slow Food Waitakere was a great success!

To see photos and read about the event please click here

Fried Polenta Sushi

idea, recipe, photo, all by Alessandra Zecchini

This is easy! Use leftover polenta and roll it up in a sheet of nori seaweed using a sushi mat...just like when making norimaki. Cut into pieces and deep-fry until the polenta is golden. Sprinkle with a little salt and serve.