Author: Daniel Bellino

Daniel Bellinohttp://thedannyreportdotcom.wordpress.comHello All ! I'm Daniel Bellino "Z" Best Selling Italian Cookbook Author and Publisher of Positano The Amalfi Coast ... I have traveled the World extensively and have been going to: Napoli, Capri, Positano, and The Amalfi Coast of Italy Since 1985 ... I live and write in New York's Greenwich Village. I am the Best Selling author of such Books as : SUNDAY SAUCE , The RAGU BOLOGNESE COOKOOK, The FEAST of The 7 FISH, and the soon to be released POSITANO - Capri The Amalfi Coast , a book that tells stories of Napoli, Capri and Psoitano, and is part Cookbook of Regional Dishes of the area, as well as being a Guide Book of this region of Italy. I have been a Restaurant and Wine Professional for more than 30 Years, and I Created America's 1st Ever Venetian Wine Bar (Bacaro) in 1997, in Bar Cichetti, where I was the Head Chef / Wine Director and Managing Partner.

Meatball Parm Mondays by Daniel Bellino

The MEATBALL PARM

Meatball Parm Sandwich

The Meatball Parm Sandwich, as stated earlier, is one of thee Italian-American males most treasured of all things in his life. Things he needs to live a happy, normal, satisfying life, and an actual necessity for true Happiness. It’s right up there with Mom, Grandma, your Girl, wine, Sausages, and Sunday Sauce. “We ask not for much.”
No you do not have to be a Man or a Boy to eat one. Ladies and Girls eat them as well. It’s just that the male of the species happens to eat 5-times the amount that Italian-American females do. Not only that, but the male of the species holds Meatballs and Meatball Parms in much Greater Reverence, than do Italian females. They “Exalt” it, as the Meatball Parm, it deserves such adulation. The men and boys adore it and get quite excited at the prospect and act of eating one, the “Meatball Parm.” And the ladies who make them, know how much their boys love and cherish meatballs and the Meatball Parm Sandwich. Italian women want to please their men, their sons, so they make them tasty bowls of pasta, Sunday Sauce, Sausage & Peppers and Meatball Parm Sandwich when their men desire them. Yes, we don’t need much; friends, family, good food and wine, and we’re happy.
Yes it’s true, Italian-American ladies and girls like this thing called the Meatball Parm as well, but they don’t get quite as excited about this sandwich as do the men & boys do. You see, Meatball Parms are held quite dear to Italian men. Yes, it’s a guy thing, and more specifically, an “Italian Guy Thing.” Yes, Italian-American males have given the Meatball Parm Iconic Status within our lives and the realm of food. Why? We’re Italian, it’s as simple as that.
The Great Ritual of the Meatball Parm Monday and as it ties to the Sunday Sauce. You make the Meatballs for the Sauce, the Gravy. On Saturday you will buy all the meat; the Sausages and the rest of the ingredients for your Sunday Sauce (Gravy) to be made on Sunday. However, on Saturday you are already thinking about those Meatball Parms for Monday’s lunch.
Yes, we do Meatball Parms on Monday, following the previous days Sunday Sauce. You see, you have to think ahead. Every good Italian knows that when you go through all the effort and time it will take to make a pot of Sunday Sauce Gravy. You don’t just make it for Sunday’s consumption alone. No, that would be a waste of time to make just enough to eat on Sunday. Well, it wouldn’t be a waste of time, but your time will be better spent if you make more. It takes time, effort, energy, and work to make a Sunday Sauce, which of course is well worth the effort. You do not mind the work involved at all, for in the end, the “Rewards are Great.” A Sunday Sauce will yield, the beloved Sausages, Gravy, Braciole, succulent Ribs, and Meatballs for Monday’s Meatball Parms.
It does not really take much more time to make a larger quantity in order to have leftovers for the next day or two, and this is just what one wants to do, which is to keep the Sauce going, and going for another day, even two. And in those leftovers are the much Prized Meatballs for Monday’s Lunch of Meatball Parm Sandwiches. Yes, the men love and need Meatball Parms on Monday, for the ritual of the Meatball Parms on Monday is a Time-Honored tradition enjoyed by many. As the saying goes, “The Simple Pleasure of Life,” here it is quite apropos.
So, you see, on Saturday when one goes to buy the ingredients to make the Gravy, they automatically know to make sure they get enough ground meat to make plenty of Meatballs that will last the Sunday Supper as well as yielding numerous leftover Meatballs for Monday’s Meatball Parms. And there’s always assaults on the pot of dipping in and grabbing meatballs before you even sit down to the table. With Meatballs and Gravy, temptations are always great. Yes the men, methodically make sure that there are enough leftover meatballs for Monday’s lunch. When all are finished eating the great Sauce on Sunday, they set some Meatballs aside for the next days ritual of Meatball Sandwiches for lunch. These sandwiches will make any dreaded Monday so much better, that’s for sure.
And if there are leftover Sausages? On Tuesday one can make Spaghetti or Rigatoni with Sauce and Sausages, or even a Sausage Sandwich. Think ahead boys and girls, think of Monday and your Meatball Parm.

by DANIEL BELLINO-ZWICKE

Excerpted from SUNDAY SAUCE by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

How to Make Espresso

ESPRESSO

Espresso,
the making, consuming and enjoyment of a properly made Espresso is another
facet and time honored tradition of Italian-Americans and their culture. We do
love our properly pulled Espresso. A properly pulled Espresso is a thing of
beauty and refinement, and must be done just so. We can and do make Espresso in
our homes with either a Neapolitan or Moka brewing device, and now these days, there
are any number of expensive new-fangled home espresso makers, more on that
later.

Some
might be surprised but the great art of the perfect Italian Espresso has been
around for just about 110 years. Yes Italians drank Espresso before that, but
it was only developed into a “Fine Art” that it is today, just a little more
then a hundred years ago or so when Luigi Bezzera developed the first Espresso
Machine that we know today. After this landmark in Espresso history, the
consumption and popularity of Espresso grew rapidly. Caffes and Espresso Bars
popped up everywhere all over Italy. These Espresso Bars were places to have an
Espresso and socialize. And in Italy, there is a whole act and ritual to going
to an Espresso Bar for your habitual morning coffee. And it’s not just for the
Espresso but some socializing, a bit of chit-chat, gossip, political talk,
sports (Soccer/Futbol), this-that-and-every-other-thing. This morning Espresso
is quite ritualistic in Italy, and is practiced by most, and in every corner of
the country, on every other street corner in cities like; Rome, Bologna, Palermo,
Milano, Verona, all over. And it is quite the sight to see, especially if
you’re an American going for the first time. In caffes and bars in Italy it is
at the stand-up Espresso bar where all the action takes place. When you go into
a caffe (a.k.a. Bar) in Italy and have a Espresso, Cappuccino, whatever, and
sit at a table, that Espresso will cost you an additional 50% or more than it
will if you consume it standing up at the counter at the Espresso Bar. It’s a
tax thing. The caffe owners are taxed on their tables and this tax gets passed
on to the customer. Basta!

Anyway, the ritual of the early morning Italian Espresso? People get dressed, leave
their homes and are on their way to work, but they don’t go right from their
house to their job. No they have to have an Espresso and the ritual of the
Espresso and some Chit-Chat (BS) with a quick stop at their favorite local
caffe. They might leave their house then go to an Espresso Bar near their home
before going to their job, or they may head to their job, then get an Espresso
at a favored caffe near the work-place. They might even do both, get an
Espresso in their neighborhood before heading to work, then stopping at an Espresso
Bar close to their workplace before bopping into work.

Well, that’s the way they do it in Italy,
quite a ritual and amazing to see. In America, Italian immigrants to cities
like New York, Boston, Providence, and Philadelphia opened Social Clubs that
served Espresso, maybe some sandwiches, soup, soda, Biscotti, and Anisette
Toast, and Cannoli that they bought from a nearby baker. These Social Clubs
which sprung up in neighborhoods like the Lower East Side of New York or what
is now called Little Italy, in Boston’s North End, and San Francisco’s North
Beach. These Social Clubs (Caffe) were primarily of and for the working class,
and were for Italians. The clubs were for Italians, and people of other
nationalities did not go into them unless they were brought in by an Italian
guy from the neighborhood. And that’s the way it was back then.

Espresso
e Dolce at home? When I was growing up and went to my Aunt Fran and Uncle
Tony’s house in Lodi, or to Aunt Helen’s for Sunday Dinner, and we ate our
meal, and it moved on to coffee and dessert, this was quite a sight that brings
back nice memories for me to this very day. And it was a wonderful ritual, and
unlike the quick grab your Espresso, Chit-Chat for a few minutes and run out
the door as is done at caffe’s and Espresso Bars in Italy, the Espresso was
anything but Espresso (Fast) at Bellino Family meals, as is with millions of
Italian-American families over the years. No, this was no quick hit-and-run
affair. The coffee and dessert course at our family gatherings was the longest
portion of our all day affair of the Sunday Meal. My Aunts and Uncles would sit
around the table, we (the Kids) would too, but we would go back and forth,
cause this sit-down at the table usually lasted about 3 hours, maybe more. We’d
sit down, and Aunt Fran and Aunt Helen had the Neapolitan going with Espresso.
The table was laden with all sorts of goodies; Cannolis of course, one or two
different cakes, and an assortment of Italian Cookies and Pastries
(Sfogiatelle, Mille Foglie). There was always enough to fill Pastry Shop
Showcase, “I kid you not!”

The
table full of my aunts and uncles was a wonder. They’d sit around drinking
coffee, eating pastries, and talk-talk-talk, about politics, sports, gossip,
this-that-and-everything. My uncle Frank who was the Ring-Leader could have
solved all the Worlds problems, right there at that table, filled with Cannoli,
Biscotti, Coffee (Espresso), cakes, Anisette, heated discussion, laughter, and
a “Bundle of Joy,” all over Espresso.

Aunt Helen and Aunt Fran made the Espresso in Neapolitan Espresso Maker. The
Neapolitan is from Napoli, Italy. It was developed so Neapolitans (and all
Italians) could make Espresso in their homes. The Neapolitan is a two-piece
device whereby, you fill the bottom of the vessel with water, the ground
espresso goes in the middle and you screw on the empty top. To make Espresso
with the Neapolitan you put the device on the stove over a flame with the piece
filled with the water on the stove. The water heats, and when it comes to the
boil, you turn the flame off, flip the vessel over so the hot water is at the
top and will then drip down through the ground coffee to make the Espresso. The
Espresso is not as good as that you’d get at a caffe or Espresso Bar with a
large machine, but it’s good enough, and adding a little shot of Anisette is
never a bad thing, something my Uncle Frank always did. This is called a Caffe
Corretto, the act of adding a few drops of your desire liquor into your
espresso. You can add; Grappa, Sambucca, Brandy, Anisette, or other liquor to
make a caffe corretto. At Aunt Fran & Unlce Tony’s, it was always Anisette.
Basta.

My NAPOLITAN

I Bought in NAPOLI 1987

As a child it was always something to see, watching Aunt Fran or Aunt Helen go
through the pleasant little ritual of making Espresso in that curious looking
contraption, the Neapolitan. As I said, it always intrigued me, and when I took
my first trip to Italy and was in Napoli walking through a street market and
spotted a merchant selling Neapolitans and other kitchenware’s, I just had to get myself one, a Neapolitan of my own and from the great city it was invented in, Napoli. I also brought back some
beautiful ceramic plates from nearby Vietro sul Mare on the nearby Amalfi
coast, and I’ve been making Espresso with my Neapolitan (bought in Napoli), and
eating Spaghetti on those beautiful Amalfi Coast Plates from ever since, a joy,
and a way to bring Italy into your own American home. Doing so, brings back
beautiful memories of; Positano, The Amalfi Coast, Sicily, and the rest of
Italy. If you can’t be there (which is a shame), then bring Italy into your
home. And that is what we do, every time we sit down to a meal, a glass of
wine, or a simple little cup of Espresso, “we bring Italy home.”

ESPRESSO is Excerpted from SUNDAY SAUCE by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

SUNDAY SAUCE – When Italian-Americans Cook

Available in Paperback & Kindle on Amazon.com

Cannolis Were Always on The Table

And a Bottle of Anisette

SECRET ITALIAN RECIPES

A MOKA POT

For Making Espresso

Toto & Peppino

with a NAPOLITAN

The BAND of HONEST MEN 1956

La Tavola is New York York Italian

The Food, People, Restaurants, Pork Stores, Butcher Shops, Bakeries, and Caffes of Italian-American New York .. Wonderful Recipes and Stories of Italian-American New Yorkers, their Food, Kitchens, and Feast of The Table “La Tavola”

The BEST of ITALIAN-AMERICA

Wow, what a wonderful book. If you love Italian Food and are in to the Italian-American lifestyle and its many fine rituals of kitchen and table then you’ll just love Daniel Bellino Zwicke’s “La Tavola.” The book is filled with many wonderful stories of Italian-America, like a chapter all about the famed Italian-American Sunday Ritual of The Sunday Sauce, aka “Gravy.” There’s a wonderful chapter on SINATRA, and a great one on Italian Wine. This book is filled with many great stories of Italian-America and all involved and through the stories, this book is almost like a guide book in the fact that there are so many facts peppered in the stories. Facts and info on the best Italian Restaurants, Caffes, Bakeries, Pizzerias, Pork Stores and such. The book has some wonderful recipes, like; how to make the Best Tomato Sauce, Pasta Fazool, Chicken Cacciatore, Sunday Sauce, Meatball Parm Sandwiches and all your Italian Favorites. It’s a book of Food, Friends, Family and Love. I highly recommend this one.

As Reviewed on AMAZON.com

TIP

Question : Where to get the Best Plat of SPAGHETTI MEATBALLS in New York

Answer : MONTE’S TRATTORIA on Macdougald Street in GREENWICH VILLAGE

TRATTORIA MONTE’S …. Greenwich Village New York

SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLLS

Sophia Loren

“Just Because” !!!

Julia Roberts Eating Pizza

JULIA ROBERTS

“MANGIA la PIZZA”

Julia Roberts

EATING PIZZA

at PIZZERIA Da MICHLE

NAPOLI

EAT PRAY LOVE

Lentil Soup Italian New Year

Screen Shot 2015-12-30 at 1.23.10 PM

It is an Italian tradition to have Lentils for New Years .. In Italy, Lentils are eaten at New Years as a symbol of Good Luck and Prosperity for the year to come .. The Lentils are said to resemble tiny coins .. There are any number of lentil dishes customarily eaten by Italians during the New Year Celebration, including; Lentils with Cotecchino Sausage, Pasta con Lenticchie, and Zuppa di Lenticchie (Lentil Soup) .. Here is a recipe for Lentil Soup that can also be used to make the very popular Pasta Lenticchie, simply by draining some of the liquid from the soup and using the solid Lentils & Vegetables as the sauce the dresses the pasta along with a sprinkling of Olive Oil and grated cheese. Enjoy e Mangia Bene Sempre.

LENTIL SOUP

Lentil Soup is quite amazing. It’s inexpensive, highly nutritious, extremely and versatile. You can eat it just about any time of day; for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner or anytime in-between. Me? I just love it! It’s my favorite soup and I make it all the time. Make a big batch and you’ll get numerous meals out of it. This recipe serves about 16. From this base soup, I eat it different ways at times. Sometimes I’ll cook up some small maccheroni, coat it with olive oil and butter and use a bit of the lentil soup as a sauce, sprinkling on grated cheese of course. Some times I’ll throw in a hard boiled egg that is cut in four, or I’ll throw in a bunch of frozen peas to the base soup.

These things you do after this soup has already been cooked and you’re heating up a bowl for quick tasty meal, it gives you variety. One thing you can do when you are making the soup from scratch, or even at a later time after the soup has been made, is put in some Sweet Italian Sausages. Yumm, that’s one great Italian meal, Zuppa di Lentichie con Salsice. I guarantee it just can’t be beat. Try it some time; you’ll be glad you do.

LENTIL SOUP RECIPE :

10 oz. dry lentils, 4 tablespoons olive oil

3 medium onions, diced. 3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped. 3 carrots, diced large

1-1/2 cups plum tomatoes chopped

½ cup diced Ham, Bacon, or Pancetta

6 cups chicken broth, salt, and pepper to taste

Lentil Soup Preparation:

Sauté the bacon or pancetta and drain the oil off.

Add onions and garlic and sauté over a low flame for three minutes. Add carrots and cook 8 minutes longer.

Add tomatoes, chicken broth and lentils.

Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer until the Lentils are tender. Tender yet a little firm, about 45 minutes.

Serve in soup bowls as is or you can add a little short pasta to each bowl. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top and pass around the Grated Parmigiano.

EXCERPTED From COOKING ITALIAN / GREATEST HITS COOKBOOK

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Old School Italian New York

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FRANK SINATRA

Gone

CELEBRATING The 100 YEAR ANNIVERSARY of HIS BIRTH in 2015

Frank Sinatra Born 1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey

Frank Spent a Lot of Time in New York

PATSY’S

Sinatra’s Favorite Italian Restaurant

STILL HERE ! West 56th Street, New York, NY

ROCCO’S

THOMPSON STREET GREENWICH VILLAGE

GONE

Now It’s CARBONE

Inside the former Rocco’s

Now The Most Expensive Red Sauce Joint Around

It’s CARBONE

JOHN’S of 12th STREET

Since 1908

STILL HERE !!!

GINO’S

Above and Below

GONE !!!

A Waiter and the Famous Zebra Wallpaper at GINO’S

No Longer With Us

Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner Dine at Patsy’s

Rafetto’s Past Shop, Greenwich Village New York

SINCE 1906

STILL GOING STRONG

CAFFE REGGIO

SINCE 1927

STILL GOING STRONG on MACDOUGAL STREET

GREENWICH VILLAGE NEW YORK

FERDINANDO’S SICILIAN SPECIALTIES

SINCE 1904

STILL With US on Union Street, Carroll gardens, Brooklyn, New York

“The Only Place left to get a good Vasteddi (Beef Spleen Sandwich) in NY

JOHN’S PIZZERIA

Bleecker Street greenwich Village, NEW YORK

SINCE 1927

STILL with US !!!!

Ferdinando’s Brooklyn

Get The VASTEDDI SANDWICH

PIEMONTE RAVIOLI

SINCE 1920

Grand Street LITTLE IATALY, NY NY

STILL with US !!!

Read About Italian-American New York

in Daniel Bellino’s Best Selling SUNDAY SAUCE

Recipes and Stories of Italian-American New York

SOPHIA

“JUST BECAUSE”

Italian Christmas Pizza

Panificio Graziano .. Palermo Sicily

Sfincione (Cristmas Pizza) is a special treat served at The Feast of SanGiovanni in San Giovanni Sicily on Christmas Eve, new Years, and Good Friday .. Sfincione is one of Palermo’s most popular dishes along with Pane e Milza also known as Vastedda a sandiwhc made with Beef Spleen Ricotta & Caciocavallo Cheese. Sfincione is quite different from the hugely popular Neapolitan Pizza that everyone knows. Very few people know about real Scilian Pizza which is Sfincione and not the so-called Sicilian Pizza of America which like the real Sicilian Pizza Sfincione, American Sicilian Pizza is made in a pan and has a thick crust and is topped with tomato and mozzarella like Neapolitan Pizza .. Sfincione is topped with a breadcrumb topping that is made with onions sauteed with anchovies and has a little bit of grated Parmigiano in the breadcrumb mixture that is baked on top of the dough. Sficione is quite tasty and unique and if you ever have the chance to eat it, if you’re in Plaermo or other parts of Sicily or in one of the few places that makes it in the States, like Ben’s Pizzeria on Spring Street in Soho, New York, NY … If you can’t find it, you might want to take the task of making it yourself and it would be quite a treat to eat in you no-meat Christmas Eve Feast whether you are makeing the Christmas Eve Feast of The 7 Fish, called La Vigilia, which is the Vigil of waiting for the Birth of The Baby Jesus .. And it doesn’t have to be Christmas for you to make it, in Palermo they enjoy all year roudn every day of the year where it’s served in Panfico (bakeries) or on the street as one of Palermo’s most popular strret foods, it’s absolutely awesome and a real special unique treat to eat. Bon Appetito e Mangia Bene Sempre …

Recipe SFINCIONE :

3 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 + 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons to 1 cup + 2 tablespoons lukewarm water*
Topping
3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
olive oil, for sauteing
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Sea salt and fresh black pepper
28-ounce can chopped or diced tomatoes
3 or 4 anchovies, chopped, optional
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 + 1/2 cups dried bread crumbs, like Panko or seasoned Italian
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons oregano, divided

1. Combine all of the crust ingredients and mix and knead to make a smooth, soft dough, using a stand mixer, bread machine, or your hands.

2. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and allow it to rise until puffy about 90 minutes.

3. While the dough rises get your toppings ready. Fry the onions in a large skillet over medium heat with a few tablespoons of olive oil, sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Stir every five minutes until browned, about 25-30 minutes.

4. Add in the tomatoes, anchovies and a teaspoon of oregano, simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool.

5. Stir together the bread crumbs, oil and oregano, set aside.

6. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet (a 13″ x 18″ half sheet pan) with non-stick spray. Drizzle it with olive oil, tilting the pan so the oil spreads out a bit.

7. Gently deflate the risen dough, and stretch it into an oval in your hands. Put it on the baking sheet and gently knead and stretch it out to fit the pan. If you have a hard time stretching it leave it alone for five minutes and try again.

8. Cover the dough, and let it rise again for about 90 minutes.

9. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Uncover the dough and sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over top, then spread the tomato/onion sauce over top, sprinkle with Parmesan, then the bread crumbs.

10. Bake the pizza for 35 minutes, or until the crust and crumbs are brown. Remove from the oven and let set for 5 minutes before slicing. To keep the crust crispy cut pizza in half or in quarters and place on a wire cooling rack. Slices can be cut with kitchen shears. Serve hot or cold.

A Slice of SFINCIONE

Real Sicilian Pizza

The FEAST of The 7 FISH

ITALIAN CHRISTMAS

Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know

About The Italian Christmas Feast of The 7 Fish

But Were Afraid to Ask

THE FEAST of The 7 FISH

by Daniel Bellino Z

Vinnys Foccaceria Sicilian Beef Spleen Sandwich

Vasteddi Sandwich

Also Known as Vasteddi or Pane e Milza

Is a Specialty of Palermo, Sicily

Made of Beef Spleen w/ Ricotta & Caciocavllo Cheese

on a Sesame Seed Bun called Vastedda

VINNY at HIS FOCCACERIA

East Village .. NEW YORK NY

Vinny is on The Right (Sadly La Foccaceria Closed in 2010)

La Foccaceria? Oh where have you gonna? Well, i know. After more than 90 years in business, it was time to close the doors. And a sad day it was for thousands, including me. I first moved into the East Village in November 1982 .. I was working in another famed old New York Italian institution in The East Village, in John’s (Since 1908) on East 12th Street right around the block from La Foccaceria .. La Foccaceria was a great little Sicilian Specialties restaurant on 1st Avenue between East 11th and East 12th Streets on the east side of First Avenue .. That was the first spot where they opened the doors in 1914 … I’m sorry to say, I never went to that one but to it’s (La Foccaceria) 2nd locatoion a couple blocks south on 1st Avenue between East 7th Street and St. Marks Place (E. 8th Street) on the east side of the avenue. The new La Foccaceria, run by one Vinny Bondi was jsut one block from my apartment at the corner of Avenue A and St. Marks Place. In 1982 to the East Village was on an up-swing in popularity and improvement from a sort of sub-ghetto of The Lower East Side. the neighborhood which was strongly Eastern European; Ukranian and Polish, mixed with Hispanics, Italians, and people of Jewish persuasion. At this point in time many rental apartments were quite cheap and the neighborhood was attracting artists, so-called wannabe actors and musicians and young people who wanted to live in Manhattan. In the East Village they could find an apartment (though not the best physically) at reasonable rates for the time, I did. Through a friend I was able to procure a 2 bedroom apartment for a mere $400 a month. Quite a bargain. I shared the apartment with my good friend jay F. for the first year in that apartment. Once he moved out, I kept the apartment for myself.

Hey, I’m getting off the beaten track. Yes back in 82 the East Village was an exciting and changing neighborhood, perfect for me and other young people just starting out in this great city of ours.

I was only paying $400 rent and had money to spend eating out. i used to eat at a Ukrainian Diner Odessa on Avenue A and Leskos as well, 2 doors down from Odessa. there I could get plates of home-made Perogis, fresh Keilbasi and other solid for for cheap. In the East Village there were a few old-school Italian holdovers like; John’s were I was working as a waiter & Bartender at the time, Lanza’s (now over 100 Years old), De Roberta’s Italian Pastry (over 100 years old) Brunetta a great little Italian Restaruant I used to go to which was on the same block as the original La Foccaceria and there was the current La Foccaceria on 1st Ave near East 7th Street .. I went in to La Foccaceria one day, I met Vinny and I loved it from the start. Vinny’s father and mother had started the place way back in 1914 … Vinny, I never asked his age, but he must have been in his late 60’s at the time (1983). La Foccaceria served an array of wonderful dishes; all the usual pastas like; Lasagna, Spaghetti & Meatballs, Spaghetti Vongole (Clam Sauce), and Sicilaian Maccheroni like; Pasta con Sardi and Lasagna Coccati, broken pieces of lasagna pasta baked with sausage,peas, tomato, and mozzarella. Vinny had great soups like Pasta Fagoli and the best Lentil & Escarole Soup around. He sold sandwiches like Chicken Parmigiano, Meatball Parm, Sausage & Peppers, and his most famous dish of all, the famed Vastedda Sandwich of Palermo. A Vastedda (Vastedde) Sandwich as we’ve said is a very famous sandwich that is a specialty in Palermo, is made with Beef Spleen (or Veal) with Ricoota and Cacciocavallo Cheese on a small Sesame Seeded Bun. It is quite wonderful and was a specialty of the house at Vinny’s La Foccaceria. I just loved it, and at $1.60 per, even in 1982 it was one of New York’s great prepared food bargains. The average price of a sandwich back then was about $5.00, so at $1.60 per? Wow! I had tried most of the dishes at La Foccaceria in my first year eating there, but there was one that I loved by far most of all. Yes, the Vastedde. Most times I would have a Vastedde and a bowl of Vinny’s wonderful Lentil & escarole Soup, the best I have ever had. If it was Thursday or Saturday, the days that Vinny made Arancini (Sicilian Rice Balls) and Sfingione (True Sicilian Pizza), I might get a piece of Sfingione and Lentil & Escarole Soup, or Sfingione, a Vastedde, and Soup. Yeah!

Boy did I love Vinny’s. There was nothing like those Vastedde and Vinny making them. Vinny had a special stattion at a counter up front of the place where he cut the cooked Beef Spleen, fry it in lard, cut the bun, cut some Cacciocavallo, he’d lay the spleen on the bun, add some Ricotta, and sprinkle the cut Cacciocavallo Cheese over the top. Yumm! And I’d have a little chat with Vinny as he made my Vastedde right before my eyes. When i ordered it, all I had to say to Vinny, was, “One with everything.” That meant everything; the spleen, Ricotta and Cacciocavallo. Some people would order them minus the spleen. Why? Amateurs.

Sadly, Vinny closed his Foccaceria a few years ago. it was a sad day for me, no more Vinny, no more La Foccaceria, no more Vastedde.

Ode to La Foccaceria

Ode to My Pal Vinny

Ode to My Beloved Vastedde, I Will Miss You All So

Ferdinando’s Focacceria

Union Avenue, Carrol gardens Brooklyn, New York

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Feast of The Seven Fish ITALIAN CHRISTMAS

The Feast of The 7 Fish

The Italian Christmas Feast of The 7 Fish? Ever Wonder about it” Its meaning, make-up, rituals, and of course “How To Make It?” Well Ladies and Gentlemen, You’re in Luck.” Renowned Chef and Cookbook author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke has just come up with his latest “THE FEAST of The 7 FISH” An Italian-American Christmas Eve Feast, and just in Time for Christmas. If you’ve ever wanted to know about this wonderful Italian Christmas Tradition and How to make it, then this book is for you. It has Everything you need to know to make this Wonderful Italian Feast and on all levels ..

THE FEAST of The 7 FISH

Feast of The 7 Fish

by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

in PAPERBACK & KINDLE EDITIONS AMAZON.com

La Vigilia

My Aunt Helen used to make the famous Italian Christmas Eve Dinner, The Feast of 7 Fishes, The 7 Fish of the Seven Sacraments. I know she made it because I used to hear her talking about it when I was a little kid. Although I shared many wonderful meals with my dear Aunt Helen, I never had the pleasure of having the famous Christmas Eve Dinner “La Vigilia” Feast of Seven Fish with her. We always had Christmas Eve dinner with the immediate family and Aunt Helen had the Christmas Eve with her brother and sister and other family members. Aunt Helen was born in Salerno, Italy and was my Uncle Franks (1 of my Mother’s 3 brothers) better half. So for our Christmas Dinner my mother would make an Antipasto of Salami, Provolone, Peppers, and Olives, followed by Baked Ziti and a Baked Ham studded with cloves and Pineapple rings.

The first time I ever had the mystical dinner was about 14 years ago with my cousin Joe, his family and my girlfriend Duyen. We had been talking about this famous Italian Feast a few weeks previous, and were thinking of making it. Joe told me he wanted to have the Christmas Eve Meal of The Feast of The 7 Fishes, known in Italy as La Viglia (The Vigil) or “La Festa Dei Sette Pesci,” which is also known in Italian-America as The Feast of The 7 Fish, the 7 Fish representing the 7 Sacraments.

This Dinner, La Viglia originated in Southern Italy, especially in and around the environs of Napoli. The Feast of The 7 Fish is a Southern Italian tradition that does not exist in the rest of Italy, it is of the South. La Viglia, or “The Feast of the Seven Fishes” as it is known to Italian-Americans commemorates the waiting (Vigil) of the Baby Jesus to be Born at Midnight and the Seven Fish represent the Seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. Some also believe that the Seven Fish might signify the 7 Days of Creation, or The Seven Deadly Sins, but most believe the 7 Fish pertain to the Seven Sacraments.

So Joe asked me if I wanted to make this festive and all important dinner, to perform the ceremony. He didn’t need to ask twice. I had never made it before and was dying to do so. For a long time I had yearned to partake in this celebrated old Southern Italian Ritual, and this was my chance. Naturally I was excited, so was Joe. So it we had great anticipation of the grand Feast to come and we were filled with happy expectations of the meal to come.

And what for the menu? I know Aunt Helen made Bacala, Shrimp Oreganata, Mussels, Baked Clams, Calamari, Octopus, and eel, all much loved Southern Italian (especially Napoli and Sicily) creatures of the Sea. We decided which fish we wanted and how to cook each one. Much thought and planning went into the menu and its execution. Joe wanted; Langoustines, Lobster, and Bacala. Alexandra asked if I would make Stuffed Calamari. We also decided on Shrimp Cocktail, Baked Clams Oreganata, and Cozze al Posillipo. The menu was set. Duyen helped me with the Calamari which we stuffed with Shrimp, parsley, breadcrumbs, and Peas. We braised the Calamari with tomato, white wine, and herbs, and if I must say so myself, the Calamari came out superbly. The Stuffed Calamari were a lot of work to make, but well worth the effort as they were a huge hit with all. The Macari boys, Joey, Edward, and Tommy, as well as sister Gabriella, Alexandra, Little Joey, Duyen, Jose, and Sergio from Barcelona were all in attendance.

The Mussels Posillipo, a great favorite of both Neopolitans and their Italian-American brethren, were cooked with garlic, white wine, parsley, and tomato, of which the sauce is always great to dip your bread into. This dish was one of my mother’s favorites back in the days when few Americans other than those of Italian origins ever ate these wonderful little bivalves. Now-a-days every-body does. As a young boy I remember my mother sending me to Bella Pizza in East Rutherford to get an order of them for her. She always gave me a few mussels to eat, and I have loved them ever since.

Joe helped me to cook the Langoustines. They are hard to find and I had to order a ten-pound box from Silvano in order to get them. The best way to cook langoustines is to split them in half and sauté them on each side in olive oil with a little butter and garlic. We served the Langoustines the same way as Silvano does as we feel his recipe is the best and everybody loves them that way. The Langoustines are served with a salad of thinly shaved fennel and celery dressed in olive oil and lemon with some split cherry tomatoes. Absolutely delicious!!!

The Lobsters we prepared the best way possible, the New England way, steamed and served simply with drawn butter and lemon wedges. There’s nothing better on Earth, well except for Sunday Sauce of course.

Well, that Christmas Eve Dinner The Feast of Seven Fishes was quite a wonderful experience. It was a huge success though quite a lot of work and actually, too much food, everyone was kind of full already by the fifth fish. The following year we decided on incorporating the Seven Fish into three courses instead of seven separate. It was a good decision. We still had 7 different fish, which is a must. Serving these 7 Fish in three courses was a good idea as it is much more manageable that way, both to cook and to eat. So, you will see later on that you can have this great Feast of 7 different Fish in a number of ways; either 7 fish in seven courses or do the 7 fish in three, four, 5, or 7 separate courses, whatever you choose, it’s up to you.

On this particular Feast of The 7 Fish in 3 courses, we decided to make the Stuffed Calamari, which I would not have chosen again because it was a lot of work, but it was Alex’s and Joe’s favorite and they said that it was a must whenever we make the meal. We had the Stuffed Calamari as our Antipasto Course. Alexandra and her mom helped me, so the amount of work was cut down and divided into three.

The stuffed calamari took care of two of the seven the shrimp that were stuffed into the squid.

The second course (Primi) of Linguine Frutti de Mare consumed four of the Seven Fish required for the meal. It consisted of Mussels, Clams, Lobster, and Scallops cooked with garlic, oil, herbs, and just a touch of tomato.

The seventh and final fish was fresh Cod that I roasted and served with a sweet and sour onion sauce (Bacala Fresca Agro Dolce). Everybody went bananas for it especially cousin Joe who raved at each and every dish I put down. It’s a pleasure cooking for Joe as his passion for eating and for the Italian-American way of life, the food, the wine, the rituals. Joe truly loves and savors the experience, so I always love to cook for him, Alexandra, their children, or just about anyone for who savors the experience so well. This goes the same for my cousin Anthony Bellino his wife Debbie and their three girls Chrissy, Danna, and Allison, along with all my close friends and family who I share my meals with.

It makes cooking a joy rather than a chore, when cooking for family or friends, you give two of life’s great gifts, a tasty Home-Cooked meal combined with a little bit of love. Scratch that, “A Whole Lotta Love!”

If you don’t want to go so crazy, with 7 Fish as it’s quite an undertaking, you should try to do an odd numbers; 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11. Three (3) is a Nice Number and represents the Holy Trinity of The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Basta, e Buon Natale!

EXCERPTED from THE FEAST of THE 7 FISH by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

SECRET ITALIAN RECIPES

SEGRETO ITALIANO

by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

SUNDAY SAUCE

When Italian-Americans Cook

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

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GRANDMA BELLINO’S ITALIAN COOKBOOK

Recipes From My Sicilian Nonna

Yes Spaghetti Meatballs is Authentic Italian

For years now, many so called food Experts who thought they knew more than they actuall did wrote disdainfully of the famed Italian dish Spaghetti & Meatballs, saying “it was not authentic Italian food.” Well, “oh Contraire.” Guess what? Spaghetti & Meatballs is Italian. Or should I say Pasta & Metaballs. Yes, pasta with meatballs is a dish eaten quite often in southern Italy and the regions of Puglia, Sicily, and Abruuzo, a native dish is Pasta, (usually short Maccheroni) dressed with Meatballs as a special treat .. The names pf these dishes are called Pasta Seduta, meaning Seated Pasta and Maccaroni Azzese .. Yes Pasta w/ Meatballs, “It’s really Italian.” I myself have written about this in my book SUNDAY SAUCE -When Italian-Americans Cook, where I stated at the time that I had hear of certain areas serving Meatballs along with their pasta. And even before I heard this I surmised that out of so many millions of poor Italians over the years it was most certain that in poor familys not wanting to wash more than 1 dish per person eating that momma would not serve pasta and meatballs in seperate courses but together on one plate of Pasta & Meatballs (Spagetti Meatballs). And so as stated before Pasta with Meatballs is an authentic dish served all over Southern Italy, it’s reall Italian Food and has names for it, again Pasta Seduta and Maccheroni Azzese .. So there, “In your face Food Snobs,” snubbing our beloved Spaghetti & Meatballs, no it’s not just Italian-American, which is not a bad thing, it’s really Real italian and the mystery and controversy is now setted, it’s Spaghetti & Meatballs, millions love it, and billions of plates have been served over the years. Why? People love it, as simple as that ..