The Harry’s Bar Cookbook

One of a kind

Louise Castle reckons there's no better cookbook than that issued by the legendary Harry's Bar in Venice.

I fell in love with Italy and Italian food when I first went there on a school tour some 30 years ago. I later spent a year at a cooking school in Florence and try and go back as often as I can.

 

So it's no wonder that The Harry's Bar Cookbook (Bantam, 1991) by Arrigo Cipriani, second-generation owner of the eponymous establishment in Venice, is my all-time favourite cookbook.

Harry's Bar is, without a doubt, one of the world's greatest Italian restaurants. It's steeped in mystique, having been the meeting place for artists, writers, royalty and celebrities for nearly eight decades, and the setting is hard to beat: tucked away on a corner not far from St Mark's Square, it is quite small with low ceilings but with a marvellous view of the Grand Canal from its first floor.

Owner Cipriani has been involved in running Harry's Bar since 1957 and his cookbook is as much memoir as a collection of recipes. Every time I read it, I want to jump on a plane to Italy or rush into the kitchen and make a huge bowl of steaming pasta.

Cipriani professes a dislike of pretentious food and the recipes are remarkably simple to prepare, including the worldfamous carpaccio supposedly invented at Harry's Bar as well as prosciutto and ripe figs - the contrast of the sweet ripe figs (or melon) and the saltiness of the prosciutto is too divine!

If you are planning a trip to Venice, be sure to head straight there for a Bellini (white peach nectar mixed with Prosecco and the drink that made Harry's Bar so famous) and the pasta with lobster.

This must be one of the most delicious dishes in the world, and one that I have served in my restaurants for 15 years (currently on the menu at Bellagio). Here is the recipe:

PASTA WITH LOBSTER
½ to 2 cups lobster meat
(the more the better)
2 T unsalted butter
2 T Cognac
1.5 cups Armoricaine sauce (recipe below)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
330g pasta
Chopped Italian parsley
Lobster shells for garnish

ARMORICAINE SAUCE
6 T olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
Shells of at least 2 lobsters, broken up
125ml Cognac
2 cups chopped Italian tomatoes
2l fish stock
Fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of paprika
35g flour

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Add the shells and keep stirring. Add the Cognac, heat it carefully and ignite, cooking until flame dies out.

Add the tomatoes, simmer for five minutes, and then add the thyme, stock and seasoning. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

Skim the oil from the surface and put it into a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat. Add the flour to form a roux, and stir for about four minutes. Whisk until smooth. Add the hot stock, simmer for about 45 minutes. Strain the sauce through a sieve. Bring to boil over medium heat until it has reduced and thickened. Season.

Heat the lobster meat gently in butter. Pour in the Cognac, heat it carefully and ignite. When the flames die out, add the sauce to the pan and warm gently. Salt the water and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well.

Add the pasta to the lobster sauce and toss well. Taste and season. Sprinkle with chopped Italian parsley and voila!

Best served with a large glass of chilled Chardonnay.

Louise Castle balances being a mum of twin daughters with the running of Bellagio restaurant in Birnam, Johannesburg.