One of my favourite recipe books is called "Venezia" ~ Food and dreams by Tessa Kiros.

I discovered it whilst holidaying in Venice with my husband and children. It was during a conversation with the Proprietaria of this incredible delicatessan, Sergia, in the Quartiere of the Dorsoduro, that I discovered this special dish. That evening we went back to our apartment in Piazza St Marco and had the most delicious picnic and my children discovered their love for salami, cheese and bread. This is Sergia's ricetta.

Intruglio:

• 150g drained kalamata olives in oil
• 100g drained pitted taggiasche olives in oil
• 80g drained large green olives
• 80g sundried tomatoes in oil, halved lengthways
• 100g caprini goats cheese, in chunks
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• a good pinch of coarse crushed dried peperoncino
• about 250ml good olio d'oliva

Mix everything together in a large bowl - don't worry about being gentle. Keep covered in the fridge. As the oil chills and solidifies, the mixture will meld into one mass so that you won't be able to work out what it is, but once you remove it from the fridge, the oil melts. Store in the fridge, covered with the oil, for up to one week.

Serve with bread, holding back some of the oil as it may be heavy. This is also lovely tossed through penne pasta.

Vocabolario:

• Intruglio - means concoction or brew. It is a Tuscan word.
• ricetta - recipe
• peperoncino - chilli
• Proprietaria - owner (female)
• alimentari - delicatessan
• quartiere - district, quarter