llda De Carli’s house, where she prepares her own takes on local dishes such as her lake trout recipe, is nestled into the hills of Lazise, a town perched about 30 minutes northwest of Verona in the Veneto, overlooking Lake Garda. It’s not easy to find, but we immediately feel at home when we finally do.
A well-kept garden surrounds the cottage which is skirted with a portico that provides a view of the lake turning pink during sunset. De Carli has lived here for almost 40 years with her husband Luigi and daughter Lucia. She takes our hands and leads us into her kitchen as though we’re lifelong friends.
Born into a family of restaurateurs, she shares her passion for cooking with a love for watercolor painting. “I cook and paint for friends,” she says while preparing the dough for fugassa, a sweet
flatbread found around the area.
She also shows us her framed paintings of landscapes, animals, birds, and chickens — she’ll
paint pets for anyone who sends her a photograph as a point of reference. “A few months ago, she and her sister founded Fogli Bianchi Sergio Vellini Watercolor Group, an association in Bardolino, a neighboring lakeside town, where young adults can learn and practice the painting technique.
All in the family, Ilda de Carli (right) with husband Luigi and daughter Lucia. Photo: Giacomo Bretzel
An artist as well, Di Carli’s daughter Lucia creates colorful mandalas on plaster, wood, and glass that double as doorstops, candleholders, cutting boards, or key rings for the apartments
by the farmhouse that the family rents out during the summer. Her husband Luigi collects wine, which he stores in a cellar specially designed to house his collection. He’s acquired hundreds of bottles over the years on numerous family journeys in both Italy and abroad, and Alto Adige and Burgundy hold a special place in his heart. In addition, he produces liqueurs with the fruits grown onsite and herbs that he gathers from the surroundings: mint, walnuts, blueberries, olives, and apple seeds.
The whole family shares an attachment to their surroundings, a fondness reflected in their recipes. “Trout in sauce is a typical dish of Lake Garda, and every family has its own recipe for the sauce,” says Di Carli. “I renamed mine innamorata [in love] because when you pour the oil on the laurel
leaves, they release fragrances and the fish becomes inebriated.”
They’ll either couple the trout recipe with a piece of toasted polenta for an appetizer or just enjoy it as a second course. If partaking in the latter, they unfailingly fare la scarpetta, the ritual of soaking up any leftover sauce from the plate with a piece of bread. Here's the recipe in her own words.
Trout “In Love”
Trout “In Love,” photo: Giacomo Bretzel
Ingredients
1¾ lb. trout
rosemary sprigs
1 Tbsp. capers, desalted and chopped
1 heaped Tbsp. chopped parsley
2 oz. desalted anchovies
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt
pepper
medium-sized bay leaves
“Bake the trout seasoned with a couple of sprigs of rosemary at 375°F for 20 minutes. Fillet it, then place the flesh on a serving plate, season with a little salt and ground pepper, sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. of desalted and chopped capers and 1 heaped Tbsp. of chopped parsley.
On a plate, arrange medium-sized bay leaves in the shape of a crown, with the dull side facing upwards. Combine and mix 2 glasses of oil with 1⁄2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil. Dissolve 2 oz. desalted anchovies, then pour the sauce over the trout. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 1 hour before serving.”
Cover photo: Giacomo Bretzel