ITALIAN CHRISTMAS
“Isn’t It Time you Learned How to Make It?”
THIS YEAR !!!
BOOK GOODIES LOVES
The FEAST of The 7 FISH
by Daniel Bellino Zwicke
BEST SELLING ITALIAN COOKBOOK AUTHOR
On AMAZON
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Raos Italian Restaurant E. Harlem NY
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RAOS
EAST HARLEM , NEW YORK
Founded in 1896, starting as a saloon, family owned – 4 generations in. From the famous NFL Manning brothers throwing a football outside of the restaurant which is on East 114th street to Sting and Bon Jovi both being in the restaurant and by the end of the night singing Sinatra’s famous “New York” hit together and with the entire restaurant, to topping it with Sophia Loren walking in and the always noisy restaurant dropping silent. This place is home. We walked in, greeted with such kindness by the owner, Frank Pellegrino (with no reservation I might add as they do not accept them – however they are somehow booked for 2015), we fell back into the era circa 1930 and I felt like I was a main character in Goodfellas – it was amazing. I am still unsure how it happened, starting with some drinks with Dee behind the bar – who comes across as the friend you grew up with – followed by our dreams coming true as we were told a table is being set for us. Dining and having the seafood salad, calamari (duh), meatballs, lemon chicken, broccoli rabe, vodka penne, of course a bottle of wine and topping it with lemon cello courtesy of the down to earth, classy, stylish Mr. Pellegrino – it sure was one of the best nights in New York City. To get a seat here is unheard of, the tables are allegedly each given to certain family’s for life and theirs whenever they want them. The generous, kind owner Frank, makes you feel like he’s your uncle Frank seating you at his birthday party. He was born on East 114th street in Harlem – his wife of 40+ years also is from the same area – he keeps tradition alive in numerous ways. This is an establishment you will find no where else. (Well, you can try in Hollywood and Vegas as they opened there too 🙂 but I’m confident it will not be as original as the Harlem location.
The late FRANK PELLEGRINO Sr. at RAOS
RIP
The RAO’S COOKBOOK
RAO’S MARINARA SAUCE
Make Your Own SAUCE
BY DANIEL BELLINO “Z”
Long time RAO’S Regular BO DEITEL shoots a Scene for The WOLF of WALL STREET
at RAO’S with LEONARDO DiCAPRIO
RAO’S LEMON CHICKEN
JOHN’S of 12th STREET , RAO’S , PINO’S ITALIAN BUTCHER , MARIO BATALI ‘S BABBO ,
GREENWICH VILLAGE NEWPORT STEAKS , CHEF PIETRO MOSCONI , ITALIAN FOOD,
& ITALIAN-AMERICAN BEST SELLING ITALIAN COOKBOOK
Author DANIEL BELLINO “Z” and more on NEW YORK ITALIAN on Instagram …
on INSTAGRAM
Map BEST ITALIAN in New York
MAP “Best Italian New York ”
Restaurants, Caffes, Pastry Shops, Pizza, Pork Stores and …
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NEW YORK ITALIAN Italian Food
A Map of the Best Food in New York, restaurants, Pizzerias, Pork Stores, Pasta Shops, Italian Pastries, Bread, and Caffes, compiled by Native New York Best Selling Cookbook Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke. On the list are: Bar Pitti, Monte’s Trattoria, Rocco’s Pasticceria Caffe, Faicco’s (pork Store), RAO’S and more.
SUNDAY SAUCE
NEW YORK ITALIAN
RECIPES for The Times You Can’t
Go to One of the Great Italian Restaurants
on the Best Italian Restaurants NYC MAP Above
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John Sloan New York City Greenwich Village McSorleys Ale House Old NewYork ART Ashcan School
McSORLEY’S
John Sloan
McSorleys Old Ale House
NEW YORK
CORNELIA STREET
6th Avenue
GREENWICH VILLAGE , NEW YORK
John Sloan
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McSORLEY’S
East 7th Street
NY NY
Daniel Bellino Z is Back at NY Italian
Me in ROME
2018
Hey Guys, “I’m Back!” Somehow I lost my password for my Dashboard that I run sever websites from, including Daniel-Bellino-Zwicke.com (this Site), Big-Lebowski-Cookbook.com , Greenwich-Village-Italian.com , Vinyl-n-Vines.com , and NY-Foodie.com.
None of the Sites were down. They were all up and running, it’s just that I couldn’t get to the dashboard of each to make Post, so consequently there have’t been any posts on any of these sites for 3 months. I started a couple of New Sites in order to make posts, as I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to get back on the sites, so I have another Author Website for myself at Daniel-Bellino-Zwicke .
I also started a new site for Positano , and The Amalfi Coast . Please stay tuned, I will start posting again on all these sites.
Thanks,
Daniel
Giulio Ferrari The Amalfi Coast
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A Bottle of FERRARI “PERLE” 2007
The First of 5 Bottles of Ferrari “Perle” we had on The AMALFI COAST 2018
Linguine with Langostines
Lo Smeraldino Ristorante
AMALFI
The View From Our Table at Lo SMERALDIO RISTORANTE
Lunch Saturday May 19, 2018
Myself, Cousin Tony and Alan Spinelli
I had a wonderful little vacation in the Spring of 2018. Starting in Rome, then on to The Amalfi Coast; Minori, Salerno, Positano, Amalfi, Sorrento, and Frascati. The Amalfi Coast is one of the most beautiful places on Planet Eart, “therre is no question of that.” You go for the beauty, to lie on the beach soaking in the lush Sun of Southern Italy and .AMalfi Coast. You also go to eat. You should have a nice lunch, maybe an apertivo or two in the late afternoon, take a nap, then have dinner at a nice ristorante or trattoria in whatever town you might be in; on Capri, in Amalfi, Positano, wherever, you can’t go wrong on the Amalfi Coast, in Sorrento, Napoli, or the Siland of Ischia, you will eat well.
We had a wonderful lunch after cousin Tony picked me up at the ferry station after I took a boat from Minori to Salerno to rendevous with Tony. We went directly from the ferry terminal to eat lunch at La Spagnola Ristorante in Salerno where my cousins Mimmo and Marta had taken Tony the night before. Anyway, we went to La Spagnola and had a fine lunch of incrediable Polpette di Alici (Anchovy Meatballs) and Insalta di Polpo for our antipasto. Then Tony had Linguine Frutta di Mare and Alan and I both got a plate each of some tasty Spaghetti Vongole. We drank nice bottle of Prosecco and had a most wonderful lunch which along with our lunch the following day was my favorite of the entire trip. La Spagnola is one of the best restaurants in the city, so if you ever find yourself in Salerno, you might to eat there.
A Fisherman mends his Nets on The LUCIA MADRE
CETARA
ITALY
Razor Clams and Alici
La SPAGNOLA RISTORANTEO
With Alan S. Myself and Cousin Anthony
Outside La SPAGNOLA RISTORANTE
Salerno
ITALY
The Next day we decided to go have lunch in Amalfi after a stop at Cetara along the way. Cetara is the only true old fishing village along the coast. The fishermen there catch all sorts of fish, like; Pesce Spada, Tonno, Cozze, Calamari, Sepia, and other fish and shellfish, but they are most famous for Alici, which are Anhovies and when you see Alici on the menu of any restuarant on the Amalfi Coast, they most likely were caught by a fisherman of Cetara.
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Alan Cousin Tony and Myself at Our Amazing Lunch
at Lo SMERALDINO
AMALFI
So when driving on the Amalfi Coast, it can sometimes be quite trying if you get stuck in traffic and then trying to find a parking space when you get into town. o Cousin Tony when he saw there was parking at the restaurant L Smeraldino, he pull in. At first I wasn’t so sure about the restaurant but I didn’t say anything. I wasn’t there too long when I knew it would be good.
One of the waiters sat us at a greaat table right next to the water with an amazing view of Amalfi. It was truly spectacular. Cousin Tony gave me the wine list and told me to pick a nice bottle of Champagne. I looked the list over and saw some of the fine Italian Sparklers on the list and told Tony why don’t we get one of them. I assured him they were really good. Tony agreed, and we picked a bottle of Ferrari “Perle” 2007 which is made in the Methode Classico which means in the style of Champagne. Champagne is usuually made with 100% Chardonnay grapes or a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir or all Pinor Noie in more rare cases. When made of 100% Chardonnay grapes the Champagne is called Blanc d Blanc. Anyway, this is just a brief bit about french Champagne just to help clarify this Italian Sparkling wine we were drinking that was made in Trentino in Northern Italy. The wine is made in the style of French Champagne and is of the highest quality.
So anyway, the waiter brought us the bottle of Ferrari Perle, and we tasted it, it it tasted quite good. Well actually, more than good, this Italian Sparkling Wine was just about as good as you could get from a sparkling wine and the equal and even better than just about any French Champagne you might find. We just loved it and the wine went well with everyhthing we ate for lunch, including: Grilled Calamari, Insalta di Polpo, Grachi (Local Crab), Linguine with Langostines, and Spaghetti Arogosta (Lobster).
I think I Created a Monster that day, as Tony wanted to get a bottle of Ferrari “Perle” at almost every meal we had, he absoutely adored the wine and I was thrilled that he did.
This is our story of eating on the AMalfi Coast and having several bottles of the awesome wine Ferrari “Perle” along the way. We had vintages of 2007, 2009, and 2010, with a total of 5 bottles of this wonderful wine during our stay on the Amalfi Coast. It was great.
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Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
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FERRARI “PERLE”
At BUCO di BACCO RISTORANTE
POSITANO
Vintage 2007
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The Terrazzo
BUCO di BACCO
POSITANO
The MALFI COAST
ITALY
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GILIO FERRARI
At AURORA PIZZERIA RSITORANTE
SORRENTO
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COZZE
AROURA
SORRENTO
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Pizzaioli at AURORA
SORRENTO
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At AURORA PIZZERIA RSITORANTE
SORRENTO
ITALY
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MANGIA ITALIANO
MEMORIES of ITALIAN FOOD
Daniel Bellino Zwicke
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Author Daneil Bellino Zwicke
with a Glass of FERRARI “PERLE”
LUNCH at BUCO di BACCO
POSITANO
ITALY
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Sfogliatelle
ANDREA PANSA
and a classic VESPA
AMALFI, ITALY
on The AMALFI COAST
This is one of the most Beautiful Italian Bakery / Caffes
you’ll ever see in your life. They make all sorts of wonderful
Italian Pastries, Cookies, Cakes, and of course SFOGIATELLE …
If you’re ever on the AMALFI COAST, check them out. They right by the
CATHEDRAL in the main square of AMLAFI … Mangia Bene !
Classic Sfogiatelle
Italian-American New York’s favorite pastry? It has to be our beloved Cannoli from Sicily. Yes we Italian-American New Yorkers do love our Cannoli, but when it comes to our second favorite it another crispy treat, this time from the Amalfi Coast in the Southern Italian City of Napoli (Naples). Yes we do love our Sfogliatelle all crucnchy crispy and filled with sweet lemon flavored ricotta cream to complete its lovely taste. Yes the Cannoli may be number one, but it’s not everyone’s absolute favorite, though they may love it, if forced to pick one over the other, some would go with the much loved Sfogliatelle a pastry invented by Nuns in The Convent of Santa Rosain the smal town of Conca dei Marini on The Amalfi Coast of Italy.
Most people associate this tasty Italian Pastry the Sfogliatelle with the city of Naples, and tey would be right in doing so. But if they thought it was invented in this city they would be wrong, for as we have just stated it was invented on the Amalfi Coast at the Convent of Santa Rosa. This being said, as this pastry is wonderfully delicious and loved by millions, and with Napoli being the capital city of the region, Naples has adoted the pastry as its own, and more Sfogliatelle are consumed on a daily basis in Naples than in any otherr place. The on Earth including New York , and they make such good ones there, New York Italians and all citizens of The Big Apple associate the pastry with Naples. All this beng said, just go out and get one and enjoy for lucky for those of us who live in New York, we have many fine Italian Pastry Shops that make Sfogliatelle every bit as good s you get in Naples or on the Amalfi Coast of Italy.
That’s Sfogliatelle alla New Yorkese. Basta !
LEARN HOW to MAKE SFOGIATELLE at HOME
This is a GREAT VIDEO …. WATCH IT !
It is a typical cake of the Neapolitan pastry tradition, a sin of gluttony that everyone should enjoy once arrived in Campania. It has a classic shell shape, fragrant in the mouth with a soft and delicious filling, garnished with pastry cream and raspberries…have you understood what we are talking about? The Sfogliatelle Santa Rosa, of course. An inviting-looking sweet rich in tradition, that contains within it the secrets of a distant history.
The history began in 1600, in the Monastery of St. Rose from Lima in Conca dei Marini, on the Amalfi Coast . The cook-nun (probably inspired by God or by the need to not waste anything) decided to prepare a mixture using a bit of semolina cooked in the milk, lemon liqueur, dried fruit and sugar; then she enriched the bread mixture with white wine and lard and created a pocket like a nun’s hood in which she put the first mixture. Once out of the oven, the nun garnished the new cake with pastry cream and raspberries. This delicious sweet was renamed “Santa Rosa”, to glorify the Saint to which the monastery was dedicated.
The recipe of the sfogliatella Santa Rosa was jealously guarded within the walls of the Monastery of St. Rose for about 150 years. In the early XIX century Pasquale Pintauro, a Neapolitan pastry chef, obtained the original recipe (probably from a nun aunt): he promptly changed it by removing the pastry cream and the raspberries. So he created the “riccia” (curly) variant of the sfogliatella: triangular-shaped, crunchy, composed by composed of layers of thin puff pastry overlapping each other, filled with flour, eggs, ricotta, candied fruit, milk and sugar. Finally, there is also a third variant of the sfogliatella, the “frolla” one, of round form, prepared with soft short pastry and filled with the same puff of the Sogliatella Riccia.
The history began in 1600, in the Monastery of St. Rose from Lima in Conca dei Marini, on the Amalfi Coast . The cook-nun (probably inspired by God or by the need to not waste anything) decided to prepare a mixture using a bit of semolina cooked in the milk, lemon liqueur, dried fruit and sugar; then she enriched the bread mixture with white wine and lard and created a pocket like a nun’s hood in which she put the first mixture. Once out of the oven, the nun garnished the new cake with pastry cream and raspberries. This delicious sweet was renamed “Santa Rosa”, to glorify the Saint to which the monastery was dedicated.
The recipe of the sfogliatella Santa Rosa was jealously guarded within the walls of the Monastery of St. Rose for about 150 years. In the early XIX century Pasquale Pintauro, a Neapolitan pastry chef, obtained the original recipe (probably from a nun aunt): he promptly changed it by removing the pastry cream and the raspberries. So he created the “riccia” (curly) variant of the sfogliatella: triangular-shaped, crunchy, composed by composed of layers of thin puff pastry overlapping each other, filled with flour, eggs, ricotta, candied fruit, milk and sugar. Finally, there is also a third variant of the sfogliatella, the “frolla” one, of round form, prepared with soft short pastry and filled with the same puff of the Sogliatella Riccia.
SFOGLIATELLE SANTA ROSA
In the 18th century a group of cloistered nuns at the Santa Rosa convent in the town of Conca dei Marini combined ricotta, candied fruit, Lemon Zest, and semolina in a shell shaped puff pastry and thus a culinary star was born. These nuns, as many in the area, invented the dish to avoid throwing away excess ingredients, never expecting to create such a culinary sensation. The traditional version of Sfogliatella is served ‘riccia,’ named for its curly appearance and crunchy texture. As legend has it, this version was difficult to eat for people who had no teeth (dental hygiene was less than spectacular in the days of Bourbon rule), so local bakers invented a ‘frolla’ or smooth version. Both are delicious, but the orginal ‘riccia’ version will always reign supreme.
Many of Italy’s iconic pastries originated in medieval convents. Nuns would rise early and bake my candlelight, ready for the early morning customers who would purchase them hot from the oven and passed through a grilled window. Some time around the year 1700, a sister at the Santa Rosa convent in Conca dei Marini mixed together some flour and ricotta cheese and shaped it to resemble a monks hood as it would fall against his back.
The recipe for the Santa Rosa convent’s signature sfogliatelle pastry may have been passed beyond the walls of the cloister by a nun to her nephew. Sfogliatelle later appeared in the the fashionable pastry shops of the Via Toledo in Naples. The shape was simply inverted to resemble a seashell, a popular design motif for Rococo Naples which was then the densest and most sophisticated capital in Europe.
My Two SFOGIATELLE SANTA ROSA I had in NAPOLI
In the two days I was in Napoli in June of 2015, I had Sfogiatelle both days for breakfast and tried Sfogiatelle in about 5 different places in Naples as well as eating them everyday in my fabulous 3 breakfast meals at Villa Maria in Minori. As Cannoli are to Sicily, Sfogiatelle are of Napoli and the Amalfi Coast of Italy. Get an Espresso and a Sfogiatelle in Napoli or at Pansa in Amalfi or at Gambardella in Minori and you’ll be in Heaven.
Basta !
The WORLDS BEST BREAKFAST !!!
VILLA MARIA AGROTURISMO
MINORI , ITALY
This is the amazing Breakfast I had everyday for the 3 wonderful days I spent with Maria and Vincenzo Manzo at there delightful Agroturismo VILLA MARIA in MINORI on The AMALFI COAST of Italy. Coffee, fresh Cherries, an Apricot, Maria’s awesome Lemon Cake, Coffee, toast and Vincenzo’s homemade Jams. “It was absolute Heaven.”
Inside the Fabulous ANDREA PANSA CAFFE / PASTICCERIA
Amalfi Italy
Some Recipes from The AMALFI COAST
COOKING ITALIAN
GREATEST HITS COOKBOOK
PASTICCERIA CAFFE GAMBARDELLA
Minori, Italy
One the great Bakery / Caffes in all of ITALY !
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SUNDAY SAUCE
by Daniel Bellino “Z”
A LOBSTER TAIL
A SPIN-OFF of The SFOGLIATELL
Larger and Filled with Whipped Cream Folded
into PASTRY CREAM
Yummmm !!!
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My ESPRESSO and SFOGLIATELLE
ANDREA PANSA PASTICCERIA
AMALFI
May 2018
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