Sicilian Mackerel Pasta via Venice
Oddly, you don't really hear a lot about food in Venice. Sure, the seafood is divine, being so freshly caught and well, it is Italy... So the bar is fairly high relatively speaking. Yet, very little is said of Venetian cuisine. By and large the general consensus is that everything is expensive and not quite the same value you get from other parts of Italy. Disregarding the economics, though, there are several lovely food experiences to be had.
Today, I want to share a dish l recreated back home from my trip to the city, where I had the best Sicilian food. A mackerel pasta with the distinctive Sicilian chilli flecked tomato sauce and with layers of flavors and surprises on the palate!
Comfort Coddle
What is the dish that you crave on a cold, blustery Winter morning?
Me? I like a good egg with runny yolk, creamy polenta and some spice. Give me that and I am a content woman {note to sig. other. ha!}. It is the simple things that make a world of difference to me. In that I can be rather finicky. The polenta has to be creamy but not runny. The egg soft with fully cooked whites but not crispy anywhere. And, certainly, a delicately raw yolk that separates itself in a quick stroke from the cooked white self-ramekin.
Anyway, now that I have gone on about the perfect consistency that turns a frown into a smile, you must want to know how to. Well, the secret for both the egg and the corn is ........!
Punch it!
Sometimes you have to take a risk! So, I took a risk. I made myself this sandwich with a fish that I can't say I love. So, I am taking a risk. In posting photos of a whole fried fish, in all its possibly repulsive possible awe-inspiring glory. The first time in tasting was a worthy risk. This one, in posting, you tell me...! :)
I chose Sardine. I have said it before, they are not my favorite fish to eat as is, because of their rather pungent flavor; Like chicken liver. Actually, exactly like chicken liver!! I just had an Epiphany as I was typing this! That is probably why I like both of them in pates diluted with large amounts of butter and masking spices! Give me the fat and smooth spread without the stick-in-my-palate flavor.
Long story short, it was a success, which, is why it is here. What I found was that....