Venice and Vivaldi

Mi amore Venezia......          

Yes I have fallen in love again, there really are few things (if any at all) that you cannot love about Venice.  The winding waterways filled with couples in beautiful shiny gondolas, the romantic old buildings stacked upon each other, the music and oh yes, the food. Pasta to be precise seems to be everyone's enemy these days and there is no way to avoid it in Italy.

After a rather long journey on the water taxi to the hotel in the heart of San Marco, I was famished and have to say the smell and thought of pasta was definitely on my mind.  Bypassing the Antipasti and going straight for a '1st' course, I am glad to say I asked for the two large plates of pasta delivered to be halved!  We opted for a dish of little sauce or cream, a very simple pesto tagliatelle.  When eating heavy carbohydrate based foods it is always best to serve it with sauces such as tomatoes or little olive oil and fresh hot vegetables such as broccoli or spinach with chopped fresh herbs.  So try to look out for these options on the menu next time, and there is never any harm in asking if they have brown pasta or rice, you never know!
Talking of sauces and my second course is about to be served, I chose a fillet steak and it was served with a very beautiful side of peas and raspberry sauce. I was glad to have asked for it on the side as this is where hidden extra calories can be hidden.

My favourite memory of eating in Venice has to be my vegetable soup 'zuppe de veduri'.  Yes as 'The Man' declared - 'oh how boring!' , it really was the tastiest and healthiest soup I have ordered in my entire life.  I passed an array of fresh, vibrant vegetables and knew this was the place I wanted to eat.

A hearty, healthy winter vegetable soup, with little salt or stock will help ward off any of those winter coughs and colds.  After a long, windy, chilly, rainy day and an hour in a cold Venetian church listening to Vivaldi, it really was my finest hour! CIAO.

HALLOWEEN HORRORS TO FOLLOW......