Hi, everyone! Sous Chef Adam here. I’ve been reflecting on our time in Italy earlier this month, and found the bar culture in Venice to be particularly memorable. All food in Italy is delicious, but in Venice has its fair share of pricey tourist traps with unremarkable menus. Bacari are the perfect way around this. The name ‘bacari’ comes from the Venetian phrase ‘far bacara,’ meaning ‘to make noise,’ or ‘to party.’ These are little wine bars, or rustic taverns, serving tapas-style small bites (cicchetti), approachable local wines and spritzes. Oftentimes, you snack quickly, standing up, before moving on to the next location. You’ll find a wide variety of cicchetti all through Venice: toasted bread with shaved ham, fried meatballs, marinated sardines, whipped salt cod, or marinated vegetables. The list goes on. The dishes below are a Mabel Gray-twist on the cicchetti you find while walking the moody canal labyrinth of Venice at night.
At home, these recipes are perfect for a cocktail hour or potluck. You could create your own ‘spritz bar’ where guests choose between Cynar, Aperol or Campari and serve Venetian bites alongside. This sort of laidback hosting allows for more time for chatting and less fussing.
First - start with your favorite bakery. Grab the best focaccia, ciabatta or baguette you can find. We frequent Crispelli’s at the restaurant. This will be your vessel. Cut the bread into toast points, or small two bite pieces. Lay on a baking pan and drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt. Bake at 350° until toasty golden brown.
Baccalà with Pickled Onion and Castelvetrano
For baccalà montecato (whipped salt cod spread) - 4 servings
1 lb salt cod
High quality heavy cream (we prefer Guernsey dairy)
4 cloves garlic
Place your cod in a heavy bottom sauce pan and barely cover with heavy cream. Add your garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a light simmer and cook until the cod is soft and flakey, about 25 minutes.
Transfer to a food processor and pulse with olive oil and leftover heavy cream in small increments until whipped smooth. Season with salt, Tabasco and lemon to taste.
Pickled red onion -
1 large red onion, shaved thin on a mandolin
2 cloves garlic
2 cups white distilled vinegar
1/4 cup salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Pinch cracked pepper
Do this project a day ahead of time so you have plenty of time to let the cool down properly. Shave your red onion into nice julienne slices on the mandolin. Be careful! This is a dangerous tool. If you don’t have one at home, you can use a sharp chef knife and achieve the same results. Place your shaved onion into a quart container,
Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pot, bring to a boil and pour over your onions. Let your onions cool, uncovered, in your fridge over night. This garnish is universal - delicious in salads, dips, tacos, on bagels and the brine splashed into dirty martinis.
Assembly
Schmear the whipped cod onto your toast points, and garnish with pickled red onions and halved castelvetrano olives.
Whipped ricotta with shaved mortadella, aged balsamic and pistachio
For your house made ricotta -
1 gallon whole milk
4 cups buttermilk
1 tsp salt
1 lemon
In a heavy bottom sauce pot, combine whole milk and buttermilk and salt. Heat on a low flame, stirring constantly to avoid scorching, until temperature reads ~ 180° and the milk starts to coagulate and form curds. Turn off your heat and juice your lemon, this will help set the curds. With a fine mesh strainer, remove the ricotta from the whey and set aside. Strain your whey through a chinois and reserve for another application - it makes a great soup base.
Transfer your ricotta to a food processor and whip it until it is smooth, season with salt and Tabasco to taste. Let your ricotta cool completely. Here is a video of Chef James making ricotta at home, for guidance!
A note on mortadella
At the restaurant we use Tempesta mortadella, it’s our favorite - the salt and fat content is perfect. We also have the luxury of a super sharp and dangerous deli slicer to shave light, fluffy ribbons of ham. I recommend going to your local Italian market and asking them to slice your mortadella for you. You’ll only need a half pound or so.
Assembly
Schmear your chilled ricotta on your toast, sprinkle with a little toasted pistachio, and layer your thinly shaved mortadella on top. Drizzle with the nicest balsamic you can get your hands on, and enjoy.