Venice on a dish : Sea Bass Mediterranean style

Slowly but surely springtime is here and summer will be coming soon. Never too soon for people like me that love the warm weather and love to feel the  sunshine on the skin, walking on a beautiful beach and feel the sand on the feet. 

I actually moved 2 months ago to Los Angeles after 10 years in NYC and it is already summer time here. Even thought I still love the NYC vibe, I really love the incredible great weather they have here in California. I also love the landscape that reminds me of Italy, with the hills and cypresses all around. I love to take walks and discover everyday new jewels of the nature. I feel so calmer and centered when in contact with the beauty of the nature, and even if Los Angeles is a busy city, you can be in 15 minutes ride in contact with the totally nothing but nature. And I have found for myself a beautiful place to call home, near the action and yet quiet and immerse in the nature.

With the summer coming I guess we are all thinking about loosing some extra pounds we all gain in the winter. 
I surely do, because as a food lover that I am I always tend to eat some extra delicious food in winter, thinking that all the clothes we are wearing makes us extra puffy anyway LOL.

Spring somehow also always makes me feel like its time to renew and get back on track with things I may have let slip a bit in the winter time, like for me my diet.

So I asked my dear friend and celebrity chef Marika Contaldo Seguso to share with us a recipe that is beside delicious also perfect for staying on healthy diet, perfect to feel better and lose some extra pounds.

The whole roasted Sea Bass Mediterranean style flavored with rosemary, cherry tomatoes, olives, oregano. A real Venetian recipe with the savors of the lagoon of my hometown.

Here are the ingredients:

6 Servings

1,5 Kg (3,4 lb)  of Branzino di Valle (particular fish that you find just in Venice, can be substituted with Red Snapper)
6 small potatoes cut in 1/8 inch-thick slice (or zucchini, or eggplants)
20 small cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 C of black olives (“Taggiasche” kind) 
1/2 C of Capers preserved in salt
1T Oregano chopped
2T of Parsley chopped plus
1Tbs of chopped Rosemary
To stuff the Branzino:
2 Parsley sprigs
2 Rosemary sprigs 
4 Sage leaves
2 cloves of Garlic
To season:
3T plus 1 T extra-virgin olive oil 
1/2 C of white wine
Salt and Pepper

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F (medium–high temperature).
   
2. Toss the potatoes in a large roasting pan with the tomatoes, olives and capers, 3 Tbs
   of olive oil, salt, pepper , rosemary, parsley and oregano.
   
3. Spread the potatoes in an even layer in the pan and leave a few potatoes on the side.
   
4. Season the cavity of the fish with salt and pepper and stuff the garlic, the parsley
   and rosemary
   
5. Lay the fish on the potatoes and cover with the remaining potatoes.
   
6. Scatter the tomatoes and olives all around the fish.
   
7. Rub the surface of the fish with remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper
   and the white wine.
   

Cover the roasting pan with parchment paper and bake the fish for the first 20 minutes cover and for 20-30 minutes approximately uncover until completely cook trough.
Discard the foil and baste the fish with the pan juices. Baked the fish for about 20 minutes longer or until it is cooked trough and the potatoes are tender.

Buon appetito and happy cooking,

Giada

To connect with Marika:

•  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AcquolinaCooking/

•  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acquolinacooking/
•  www.acquolina.com

Join me on my official mailing list www.giadavalenti.com  to be part of my world of lovers of love and to to stay connected with me.

And if you want to join me on the Giada Valenti “From Venice With Love” Cruise on the MSC Musica leaving from Venice on July 9, you can visit www.giadavalenti.com/Cruise to register and more info.

10 things to do while in Venice

My hometown is one of the most loved cities in the world. It's famous for being the floating city and the city of love. 

When I look at the tourists rushing through the calli with their maps and only looking for the signs that will bring them to Piazza San Marco or the Rialto Bridge, I wonder how many of their really see the magical beauty of Venice. I feel bad, I feel like they are all missing the point. They are missing to experience Venice. 

So here are my top ten things I recommend you to do while visiting, in place of rushing from one place to the other, to make your visit to Venice one to remember and to repeat.

1. Stop to marvel every canal you encounter.

Every Bridge you cross looks somewhat the same. But take pictures of all of them.....they are all in their own way magical and unique.

2. Stop to refuel 

Yes stop often to refuel with Spritz, a Venice quintessential cocktail and the cicchetti, local tapas bites made from fresh seasonal ingredients. 

3. Stop to admire the rainbow of produce at the Rialto markets.

You will find out what’s on season, what’s grown locally, and perhaps even chat with locals to learn a traditional recipe or two. They are very chatty there.

4. Stop to enjoy a picnic on the banks of the Grand Canal 

Stop and buy food from the markets and neighboring shops. You can gather bits and pieces of cured meats, fine cheeses, savory spreads and Veneto wines! 

5. Stop to enjoy the sun

In place of rushing and getting only exhausted, stop to have an espresso or a drink on whatever terrace calls your name. That will make you really enjoy Venice. And don't forget to stop for Gelato. You need to try the gelato while in Venice.

6. Stop and sneak into an out-of-the-way restaurant

Choose places out of the big streets, avoid those with menus written in 10 different languages and with waiters that are outside inviting you in. Find place with locals inside and gondoliers and listen to what the locals order, and then ask for the same thing, in Italian. You will never have a bad meal and never pay too much.

7. Enjoy getting lost in the maze of narrow streets and alleys

Venice is an Island so you can never get too far. You've never been there before so every corner is new for you. Get lost and rejoice when you start finding your way without the use of a map.

8. Make sure to watch the night fall over the city

When the night fall Venice become even more magical, there is something unique and mysterious about Venice. A charm that cannot be described but needs to be felt. You will find yourself fall in love with the city, then and there. 

9. Make sure to hop on a short ferryboat ride and see Murano

The Island of Murano is  the brightest and most beautiful island you’ve possibly ever seen. Walk around and enjoy the happy atmosphere of this this place. 

10. End you day with a stroll through St. Mark’s Place past midnight

Early in the morning or late at night, when all the tourists are gone and all the locals are home, that's what I love the most of my hometown. It's then that you will feel the ethereal beauty and feel like the city is yours, only your for the night.

Join me on my official mailing list www.giadavalenti.com  to be part of my world of lovers of love and to to stay connected with me.

And if you want to join me on the Giada Valenti “From Venice With Love” Cruise on the MSC Musica leaving from Venice on July 9, you can visit www.giadavalenti.com/Cruise to register and more info.