The essence of the sea with the Cera brothers

«A beautiful, delicious, refined menu fully representing my cuisine». This is what Lionello Cera, from Antica Osteria Cera in Campagna Lupia (Venice), 2 Michelin stars created. Together with his brother Daniele he will be the protagonist at “Italian & International Best Chefs”, from Wednesday 12th till Sunday 16th August, both at lunchtime and in the evening. Their family was already in the business. Lionello was in his mother’s Silvana womb when she, in 1966, together with dad Rino, a fisherman, opened a bar with kitchen, a very simply fish osteria in a small hamlet on the road from Venice to Chioggia.

The first course, Red mullet candied in extra virgin olive oil, herb and flower salad, pancetta, capers, black olive, bread and tomato (paired with a glass of Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore Docg 52 by Santa Margherita). The chef explains: «I cook the fish in a vacuum pack with oil and herbs (thyme, bay leaves...) at low temperature. I then prepare a very tasty salad with tarragon, basil, mint, marjoram, rose and violet petals and so on». I then add the other ingredients and the starter is ready, fresh and tasty but with a delicate smoky taste too, thanks to the tomato purée, which is slowly dried and then a little burnt. To finish, a herb sauce: “It’s a game of textures, aromas and tastes. I want the dish to change with every mouthful».

The second course is Felicetti Capelli d’angelo with squid ink “in tocio”, mussels, clams, basil and lime (with Colli di Luni Vermentino Doc Etichetta Grigia 2014 by Lunae Bosoni). The pasta is cooked then put in water and ice and finally drained: it will be served cold. Cera often works with "sea essence", that is to say the water obtained at cold temperature from scallops, mussels, clams, venus clams, smooth clams... In this case he makes two essences from clams and mussels, a first “water” and a “second” one. He uses the latter to season the capelli d'angelo pasta, together with oil aromatised with ginger, salt and lime. He then extracts the juice from some small squids from the Laguna by cooking them at low temperature with herbs and spices. It will be added to the pasta, together with clams and mussels and a julienne of basil and lime.

The specialty, Sea bass and golden red prawns from Mazara with polenta sauce and oil aromatised with parsley (with Montej Rosé 2014 byVilla Sparina). The chef begins by marinating the fish and the crustacean in oil and herbs. Then there’s a memory from his childhood, «for decades my mother Silvana would prepare "polenta and fried fish", this was my inspiration». Then there are anchovies: half are grilled, half cooked en papillotte. He cooks them with left over polenta and water from the first extraction of the clams and mussels, the one he didn’t used in the previous dish. He then blends everything and the result is a sauce he uses to season the pan-fried sea bass and prawn. The final touch: oil aromatised with anchovies and parsley.

Finally, the dessert, Peach and mint, served with vanilla and yogurt (with Moscato d' Asti Docg 2014 by Castello del Poggio): «The peach is marinated with mint, vanilla is in the shape of an ice cream, yogurt of a mousse». Some saffron is then brushed on top of it all.