Venice for the Foodie

!9#: Venice for the Foodie

Along with sardines in saor, risotto alle seppie, and baccala mantecato, fegato alla veneziana is one of the region's most well-known and traditional dishes. It is prepared with delicately sliced calf's liver marinated in a vinegar and water mixture before being flash-cooked in a pan for a minute on each side, then quickly tossed together with chopped browned onions. On local authority, the city's best fegato all veneziana is available at Harry's Bar, Ignazio, and Vino Vino (which for the name alone should summon a visit). Baccala mantecato, or macerated stockfish, is a culinary remnant from the days of the Council of Trent and its austerity laws enforced during the 16th century; it was the chief foodstuff that allowed Venetians to endure the Austrian siege of 1849. The Nordic cod is dried unsalted, split into small fillets, and macerated in olive oil before being pureed according to a recipe with a multitude of variations and enhanced by personal culinary embellishments. The result is something akin to the French brandade, but without the garlic, an ingredient that Venetians tend to avoid. The tastiest way to sample baccala mantecato is on crusty bits of dried bread or pieces of polenta at Da Fiore, Corte Sconta, and Vini d Gigio.

At Ignazio, fish and seafood also figure prominently on the menu, cooked up in a variety of ways by very affable chefs: shrimp dashed with olive oil over white polenta; cernia (grouper) with asparagus; an airy fritto misto, and, when in season, the legendary castraure, miniature local artichokes that are as rare as they are tasty. For dessert, the creme caramel is plain yummy and on days when the weather is inclement, local gallery owners, antique dealers, and decorators tend to converge on the restaurant's garden. Add to that the background music which is nice enough to hear but not intrude, and a kind welcoming staff, Ignazio is a stopover-must for the traveling foodie.

Retire from the day by returning to the Monaco E Grand Canal, a jewel among Venice hotels offering one of the most picturesque views of the lagoon and Giudecca. The hotel's restaurant (transferred during a renovation from the canal side terrace to the gilded salons of the famed palazzo) has only added to its fashionable chic. The cuisine is exquisite, the scene is refined, but you could easily mistake it for the The Ivy in London given the number of movie and television stars, along with the fashion elite and the arts crowd.

Venice for the Foodie

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Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan - Italian Style

!9#: Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan - Italian Style

The core of a Mediterranean diet meal plan is made up of foods from plant sources form, while foods from animal sources form the fringe. Men drink one or two glasses of red wine a day, primarily with meals. Research suggests that the Mediterranean diet would not be as protective against chronic disease if moderate wine consumption was eliminated from the diet. Drinking red wine in moderation is a beneficial and integral part of the Mediterranean diet and should be considered, unless it would put an individual at risk.

Olive oil is the regions traditional fat. Olive oil, which is high in monounsaturated fatty acids, lowers the bad cholesterol or LDL, while animal fats and partially hydrogenated fats can increase bad cholesterol. Olive oil also contains substantial amounts of antioxidants which prevent bad cholesterol deposits from forming and blocking arteries. If you want to follow a Mediterranean diet meal plan, olive oil should be used in place of other fats. Fresh minimally processed foods are also a factor in maintaining protective levels of antioxidants and micro-nutrients.

Traditional southern Italian cuisine is one of the best types of healthy and delicious Mediterranean diet meal plan. However, beware of contemporary northern Italian cuisine. Northern Italian recipes tend to use more butter, meat and dairy products in their cooking. Southern Italians use very little meat, olive oil and more legumes, fruits and vegetables. Compared to northern Italians of the same economic class, southern Italians consume one third-less beef and veal, and four-fifths than their northern counterparts. Southern Italian diets also contain one-fifth more bread, pasta, vegetables and fruit and twice as much fish.

What to eat on the Mediterranean diet meal plan:

One popular misconception is that Italian food is all pasta and pizza. Fresh vegetables like broccoli, eggplant, tomatoes, leafy greens, mushrooms, potatoes, legumes, zucchini and more are the heart of the an ideal southern Italian diet. Pasta is nearly fat free and served as an appetizer, while chicken or seafood make up the main course. Dessert is usually fresh fruit. Although people in Mediterranean cultures eat up to three times as much bread as Americans, they rarely use butter. The Mediterranean diet meal plan could also be modified by implementing the use of whole grain pastas and breads.

What to avoid while following a Mediterranean diet meal plan:

Many Americanized chefs add heavy cheese, meat and cream based sauces along with fatty or deep-fried meat and fish to their Italian recipes. It is a good idea to say no to extra Parmesan cheese, one tablespoon will add two grams of fat and half of that is saturated fat. Stay away from the cannelloni, lasagna, ravioli and tortellini. These dishes are usually stuffed with heavy cheeses and/or fatty meats. Other dishes to avoid are antipasto, fritto misto (fried seafood and meat), and fried calamari. Some other obvious exclusions would be heavy sauces. Alfredo and carbonara sauces are incredibly high in saturated fat. Avoid capiccola (smoked pork), prosciutto, salami, pepperoni and sausage; these are high in fat and sodium.

Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan - Italian Style

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