Tastes of Venice Cooking Class | Fri Sep 26

About this experience

The food culture of Venice is as unique, complex and delightful as the city itself. Tonight you’ll enjoy a sample size of this great tradition, and learn some delicious Venetian recipes you can recreate at home! 

When you arrive you’ll enjoy a selection of cicchetti - Venetian-style tapas typically served in the city’s bars and cafes. The crostini are made with polenta - the historic staple food of Northern Italy - and served with baccalà, a type of salt-cured cod Venetian sailers first encountered from the Norwegians in the fifteenth century. They’ll be served with cipolline in agrodolce, a sweet-and-sour dish that demonstrates the Middle Eastern influence on Venetian food. 

Historically risotto was a more typical first course than pasta in this part of Italy, so it's a great excuse to try something new: risotto all'amarone, a rice that's cooked in Veneto's celebrated Amarone, and takes on the bold flavours and colours of the wine and broth it's cooked in. 

For the main course we're going with comfort foods that are perfect for this time of year: succulent braised duck served with mashed potatoes to soak up the sauce; and bitter greens with raisins and pine nuts, another dish of Eastern origins. 

Last but not least, dessert: with Carnevale season just past, it's as good an excuse as any to make one of the festival's deliciously decadent desserts: deep fried frittole (apple fritters)!

When we're done cooking these great dishes, you'll be seated with fellow guests at a harvest table to enjoy the meal we've prepared together, served by our staff!

MENU 

Crostini di polenta con baccala' mantecato e funghi misti; cipolline in agrodolce - Polenta crostini with mixed mushroom and whipped salted cod; sweet and sour baby onions

Risotto all'Amarone - A specialty of Verona: Vialone Nano risotto cooked in Amarone wine

Anatra brasata - Braised duck duck leg with mushrooms and herbs 

Purè di patate - Rosemary garlic mash potato 

Sauteed bitter greens with raisin and pine nuts

Frittole - Venetian apple fritters 

ABOUT VENICE 

Venice is built on a series of more than a hundred small islands in the Venetian lagoon, flanked by an elaborate network of canals and connected by hundreds of pedestrian bridges.

It was founded after the fall of Rome by refugees seeking protection from Germanic and Hun invasions. Because of its strategic location between Europe and the East, Venice evolved into a powerful commercial hub and maritime empire, dominating Mediterranean trade of precious goods such as salt, spices, grains, wine, silk, and many more. The Venetian Republic lasted for over a thousand years before it was conquered by Napoleon around 1800. Later that century Venice joined the newly established nation of Italy. 

It's empirical days are long past but the extraordinary art and architecture of the city, and the charm of its picturesque canals and bridges, made it a popular tourist destination as early as the nineteenth century and to this day it remains one of the world's most popular tourist destinations!

BEVERAGES 

A selection of wines, beers and soft drinks will be available for purchase at the event. Our wine list can be viewed here: https://cucinato.ca/collections/wines

We also offer corkage, the fee is $15 per bottle. 

TERMS & CONDITIONS 

• No refunds after purchase
• Exchanges (one per ticket) permitted up to 5 days prior to the event.
• Tickets to Cucinato events are transferable - you can give them to someone else if you can’t attend (but please notify Cucinato in advance!)
• We will do our best to accommodate dietary needs – please contact us before booking