Welcome To Harry’s Bar In Venice!
Yes, it may seem nondescript outside, but inside is one of the most legendary bars in the world – Harry’s Bar in Venice Italy opened in 1931 – and the 91-year-old institution is famous for hosting writers such as Ernest Hemingway and Truman Capote!
And since they are a bar, they are also known for this:
Their Famous Bellini!
I took the above photo in 2018, when my wife Alex and I were in Venice and HAD to have their famous Bellini!
Here’s their bar menu, with the Bellini listed first under cocktails….the recipe is to come!
We are going to make one of their famous Bellini’s of course, and we are going to enjoy it alongside one of the restaurant’s most famous concoctions!
In Venice, the restaurant refers to the dish as “Torcellana” to honor the vegetables that grow on the nearby island of the same name…
For week #38 in my “52 In 22” cooking challenge, we are headed to Venice to make a legendary drink – and their vegetable dish that has amazing versatility!
First, the drink – because as the cookbook points out right away:
“It’s Harry’s BAR – we must never forget; it’s not Harry’s Restaurant!”
The bar is the star, and therefore before we cook, we must make the drink that made the bar famous!
Behold The Harry’s Bar Bellini!
It’s a simple and deliciously refreshing drink that Harry’s made famous worldwide – the “Bellini!”
OK, I used peach juice, but the bar makes their peach juice from scratch, by pulping the peaches by hand and and then forcing them through a sieve to get the juice – you can as well but that is your challenge not mine!
The recipe however is easy…add one part peach juice and then add 3 parts Italian sparkling wine! Harry’s has a bit more texture because of the fresh pulp, but that aside, it’s an easy and delicious drink!
With that refreshing beverage next to you, time to make a really versatile vegetable dish that is a Harry’s classic!
Making “Legumi alla Primavera!”
I wanted to make this recipe because of its versatility – their local islands are brimming with fresh vegetables, and the recipe says to use what’s fresh in your area – and you can mix and match a bunch of different vegetables – except never eggplant! They say it ruins the flavor!
Here are some of what I used:
Here are the ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove – who’s kidding who? I used a dozen!
2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
baby carrots cut into 1/4″dice
6 artichoke hearts
2 tbl. finely chopped onion – I used more!
4 small zucchini, cut into 1/4″ dice
12 asparagus spears trimmed into 1/2 inch slices
1 red bell pepper cut into 1/4″ dice
2 medium plum tomatoes cut in 1/4″ dice
1 leek, white part only cut into 1/4 inch dice
salt and pepper to taste
Let’s get cooking!
Finely chop your onions and garlic. Heat the oil over medium heat, add the garlic then add the onions and sauce for a few minutes…
Next, I added in some carrots – not part of Harry’s recipe but I love them – and they say use what you love…cook it all for 7-10 minutes, then add your next ingredients:
I added the diced zucchini, asparagus and the bell pepper next, cooked for five minutes and then added the leek and diced bell pepper…
As you can see, this is a colorful mix of fresh vegetables being cooked in nothing more than olive oil – the flavors coming together as they cook…
Next, I added the tomatoes and the mushrooms, the tomatoes adding some moisture which of course the mushrooms will soak up!
Cook this all together for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are just cooked al dente…at this point, season with salt and pepper and you are done!
This blend of vegetables can be used on top of risotto or pasta and look what I did!
I actually made a unique squid ink risotto, which has a “flavor of the sea” – to honor the Venice lagoon!
While some may not be fans of the charcoal color of the risotto, I actually think it looked terrific as a base for my primavera – and it tasted great too!
Of course, you also need to make another Bellini – cheers!
I’m having a blast with my “52 in 22” cooking challenge…this was week #38, and I have tried to not only cook around the world, but across time as well:
Yes, I cooked recipes from George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, two of our “Founding Foodies!”
Do you know that Jefferson introduced America to macaroni?
He did, and if you click here you can eat his favorite recipe for it!
For those who have been following along, you remember that for week #6 I actually cooked with my nemesis – eggplant!
It was a wild, vegan recipe from this amazing “Tiffin” cookbook!
Click here for an explanation and the delicious recipe!
I also love to cook fish, since I grew up in Seattle, where we had so much great fresh seafood!
These fish tacos were featured in week #18 of the challenge, and you can see how they turned out by clicking on my story here:
Of course, Alex and I were lucky enough to visit Venice twice, and both times had the Bellinis at Harry’s Bar:
It was one of many magical adventures in this incredible city…like this restaurant that shows you what they caught from the Venice lagoon that morning:
These clams, harvested that morning, were just the beginning of an incredible food adventure – click here to see it all:
If you go to my main page, you can sign up and every week another recipe will show up on your “electronic” doorstep!
Also, my “Bite! Eat! Repeat!” food blog has all of them as well, plus so much more!
Click here to see all of the fun food from around the world I share!
Let me know what you think of my “52 In 22” challenge and let me know if you enjoyed a homemade Bellini!
Categories: Art, cookbooks, Exotic Travel, Food, food blog, Food Review, Italy, Recipes, Restaurants, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir, Wacky Food, wine
johnrieber 
oh, yummmmmm and I’d love that drink, too. have always heard so much about harry’s and wanted to know more, thanks for filling me in.
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Hey thanks for the tip! I’m going to Venice in July and will be sure to stop by. Everything looks yummy.
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Al Covo is also the restaurant to get a reservation at – I shared the link to the story I posted about it as well! Have fun, great to hear from you!
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What a simple cocktail. It does look delicious, and so does the vegetable recipe. I love your 52 in 52 series!
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Thank you for the note! This was an easy recipe, but the vegetables last for several days and can be used in so many delicious and nutritious ways – and who doesn’t like a Bellini?” Thank you for commenting, much appreciated!
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I was thinking of adding grilled chicken pieces. Always a pleasure, John.
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Great idea…..
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😀
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You did great with that vegetarian meal, John. It looks delicious.
As for the bar, at 31 Euros for a good cognac, I don’t think I could afford to drink there! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Pete, when we sat at the bar, he was knocking out dozens of Bellini’s at the same time…all for 22 euros a pop!
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Out of my league financially, sadly. 🙂
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