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.

BIG DOG of ITALIAN WINE AGAIN

Winemaker of Sassicaia & Punica Wines SEBASTIANO ROSA

with Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke and Roberta Morrel of Morrel WInes

Get Toegther for a lillte Wine and Chat at Kobrand Italian Portfolio Tasting

at The Bowery Hotel, New York, New York

Alberto Chiarlo with Author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

Alberto Chiarlo the proprietor of Michele Chiarlo Wines

of Piedmonte got together for a tasting of Alberto’s latest vingtages

of wine, including Barbera Le Orme, Barolo Tortoniano 2010,

Michele Chairlo Barbaresco 2011, Barolo Cerequio 2010,

and Barolo Canubi Michele Chairlo 2007 & 2001 Vintgaes ..

Daniel said the whole line-up of wines was absolutely Amazing! everything was in perfect balance, full of flavor and a joy to drink.

Emelia Nardi with Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

Tatsing some Great Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino

The 1999 Il PARETO From Nozzole Was ROCKING !!!

I normally don’t go crazy for non-native Italian Varietals when drinking Italian Wine. That said, I absolutely loved the 1999 Vintage of Tenuta Nozzole’s “Il PARETO” a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon based wine that was amazing. It was full of flavor,perfecting and a absolute Joy to Drink. I loved It!

The WINES From MASI Where Also AMAZING !!!

Masi Agricola

I loved all of the Amarone ‘s that Masi was showing at the Italian Portfolio Tasting ..

The were showing Amarone Mazano 2007 which was really nic and heavy on the prune flavors.

The 2007 Amarone Campolong was awesome as was the Amarone Costera 2009 ..

My favorite Amarone of the day was Seregho Aligheri 2008 which is one of the few wines in the world aged in large Cherry Wood Cask .. The wine was AMAZING !!!

Goodfellas Gravy alla Prigione

The LATE GREAT

CHARLIE SCORSESE

Making GOODFELLAS GRAVY

MARTIN SCORSESE ‘S GOODFELLAS

Starring Robert De Niro

Joe Pesci

Ray Liotta

and

Charlie Scorsese

RECIPE For GOODFELLAS GRAVY

alla PRIGIONE

SUNDAY SAUCE

WHEN ITALIAN-AMERICANS COOK

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

Best Pizza in America DiFara

DiFara Pizza

Dom DeMarco

The MASTER

“Yes,” Eating Pizza Made by The Maestro DOM DeMARCO

Is a Religious Experience !!!

Much has been said of the now famed Pizzeria (DiFarra Pizza) on Avenue J in Brooklyn, New York the Capital of Thee Best Pizza in the whole United States of America, bar-none, even Manhattan. Brooklyn lays claim to the Top two Pizzerias in the country, the top of the list 1 and 2, number 1, The Best and number 2, the second best. Well no, I don’t know if I should put it that way, as it sound s as one is better than the other, which is not ht e case, as they are both equally good, equally Great and equally the Best Pizza and the Best Pizzerias in the United States, though they are are little different than one another. The Pizza at both Totonno’s on Neptune Avenue in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York and Di Farra Pizza on Avenue J in Brooklyn are both otherworldly specimens of some the Finest Pizza on other and the Undisputed Best Pizza in America.

Wow, got off on a tangent about both Di Farra and Totonno’s when I just intended to talk about Di Farra Pizza, Dom DeMarco the Maestro of Di Farra’s and the Religious experience that it is to go there, watch Dominic masterfully make Pizza after glorious Pizza (without the help of anyone else), to watch in awe and anticipation and Salivation til you finally get yours (after about a hour or hour and a half wait), you hold it in your hand like a precious baby, and then to sink your teeth into it, savoring each wondrous bite after the other. “Yes,” it is truly a religious experience, that is, if you are a great lover of this wonderful invention, created in Napoli, spread throughout the the Italian Peninsular and then across the Atlantic to America from Italian Immigrants where Gennaro Lombardi opened the First Pizzeria in America on Prince Street in New York City some 100 years ago or so.

Back to Di Farra and Pizzaiolo Extraordinaire, Mr. Dominic DeMarco. It is Dominic that makes Di Farra what it is, it certainly isn’t the Pizzeria itself which is ultra plain and even appalling to some. Mr. DeMarco’s pizzas are just about as close to absolute perfection in the Pizza Making World, a world in which New York City excels and has only one rival in Naples, Italy and the whole of Italy itself. Mr. De Marco has the magic touch, with perfect dough, the perfect balance of ingredients, tomato and other ingredient ratio to cheese, and this include Mr. Demarcos judicious use of Olive Oil which is right-on and a little magic touch that whoever complains about it, just does not know there Pizza and Italian Food on a whole. We Italians love our olive oil. And those who complain are unaware that it is a condiment that adds the final last touch to many dishes before they are eaten. Dominic knows this and should not be discourage against his generous use of it by those who do not understand the proper essence of the Italian Table. So please, keep your traps shut, if you don’t like it don’t eat it, this countries finest examples of the Pizza Art.

And on to the religious experience of Di Farra, Dom DeMarco and the mans artistry with Pizza. There is nothing quite like it in the entire Pizza World. There does not exist, to my knowledge any place in the world that has an elderly man making a hundred plus Pizzas a day in a place that has endless lines, day and night. Pizza that are so perfect, words can not describe People line up for greatness and artistry, and for a couple of slices of the most marvelous pizza this side of Naples, and to watch this passionate little old man work his heart out, not getting, not allowing anyone else to make a pie at his beloved Pizzeria. The man is elderly. He’s worked his whole life. He makes such a magical thing that people line up each and every day to see him and eat one of his many masterpieces. With business like this, he could hire to other Pizzaiolos to help him, doubling or tripling his business and and financial intake. He could hire two guys and make pizza aloing with them, or sit back and get three guys to do it. At his age, he’s entitled to. But know, Dom DeMarco loves what he does, he loves his Pizza, each and every one that passes that counter and into thousands of appreciative hands. The man feels that no one else can make a Pizza the way he does and wants to serve to his customers. No one else who has his skills, his passion and love for the Pizza, thus he does it all himself. And this my friends is the reason that going to Di Farra’s to watch Dominic the maestro in action, all by himself while hundreds of people line up every day, waiting an hour and a half to two hours just to get a Pizza (not just any old Pizza mind you). “It’s a Religious Experience.” Truly! A show and there is nothing like it in the World, Dom DeMarco, a man and his Pizza, America’s Best, and something to rival that other World Pizza Capital, Napoli.

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

Caprese Salad Recipe

INSALATA
CAPRESE

Salad of Mozzarella
Tomatoes & Basil

As the name might imply, this salad
(antipasto) comes from the beautiful Island of Capri in the Bay of Naples. Well
yes, this salad made of fresh Mozzarella, Tomatoes, and Basil (Baz-ZEE-na-gOl)
is eaten all over this lovely island by both natives and the many tourist who
go to Capri to delight in its natural beauty, make a pilgrimage to the famed
Grotta Azzura, swim its pristine deep blue waters, and of course eat some tasty
local food of which the Insalata Caprese is the most famous of all.

This salad is the easiest thing in the
world to make, with the hardest part being to find perfect rip tomatoes to
complement the fresh mozzarella and basil. Once you find good fresh rip
tomatoes, and you’ve got your mozzarella and basil, all you have to do is slice
the tomatoes and mozzarella and dress all with a little salt & pepper, the
basil, and good quality Italian Olive Oil and you’re all set. Put on some nice
Italian Music, get a nice bottle of white or red wine that comes from the
region and you’re all set. Pretend you’re on Capri and you’re in Heaven.

INGREDIENTS :

1 pound Fresh Mozzarella

3-4 ripe Salad Tomatoes (washed)

8 fresh Basil Leaves (washed & dried)

3 tablespoons Italian Olive Oil

Sea Salt & Black Pepper

1.
Slice the Mozzarella into 8 equal slices.

2. Place the Basil leaves
one-on-top-of-the other. Roll them up. Slice the roll of basil leaves to get
thin slices of Basil.

3. Put half the olive oil onto a plate.
Slice the tomatoes into 12 equal slices. Place the tomato slices down on the
plate of olive to coat each tomato slice with olive oil. Turn each slice over.
Sprinkle a little salt and black pepper over each slice of tomato. Evenly
distribute the Basil over all 12 slices of tomato.

4. Get 4 clean plates that you will be
serving the Caprese Salad on.

0
0
1
344
1967
Bar Inc.
16
4
2307
14.0

Normal
0

false
false
false

EN-US
JA
X-NONE

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;}

5. Place one slice of tomato down on the
plate. Then lay one slice of mozzarella halfway over the tomato slice. Add
another slice of tomato to go halfway over the 1^st slice of
mozzarella, then place another slice of mozzarella halfway over the 2^nd
slice of tomato. Place a 3^rd and final slice of tomato over the 2^nd
slice of mozzarella. Repeat this process until you have four plates of Caprese
Salad of equal portions. Serve to your guests and enjoy.

INSALATA CAPRESE

A UNIQUE WAY TO SERVE

CAPRESE SALAD

FRESH MOZZARELLA TOMATO & BASIL

Humprhrey Bogart in Capri During Filming

of BEAT The DEVIL

Clock Tower

Piazza Umberto

Capri Town

CAPRI, ITALY

Recipe For Italian Rice Balls

ARANCINI in CAPRI

A Plate of Fresh Made Arancini

Rice Balls

ARANCINI

Excerted from Daniel Bellino-Zwicke’s forthcoming book;

GREATEST HITS ITALIAN COOKBOOK

100 Recipes of Italian-America’s Favorite Dishes

Rice Balls are
a great favorite of the South of Italy where they can be found all over the
place, in restaurants and trattorias, grocery stores, Salumerias, at Wine Bars,
and caffes. Arancini are beloved by Italian-Americans as well, but nowhere near
the extent that they are eaten in the mother country of Italy. I love them, as
they remind me of the many places I have eaten them on wonderful ttrips to
Italy. I especially remember having real tasty ones on the beautiful Isle of
Capri and one wonderful Salumeria, Capri Sulumeria Rosticceria near the Piazza
Umberto. I had come up from Marina Grande after a boat trip around the island
and a visit to the Blue Grotto, followed by a wonderful swim at the beach. I
took the little yellow bus up to Capri Town. After getting off the bus I
spotted this lovely little Salumeria and popped in. I saw the Arancini on the
counter and just had to have one. I got a bottle of water and walked over to
the terrace of the piazza to admire the gorgeous view of Capri at this
particular location, which is absolutely spectacular. I took a seat on the
bench, cracked open my water and dug into the Rice Ball (Arancino). Wow! It was
delicious, and one of the best I’d ever had. After that, I went back to the
Salumeria every day for an Aracini or two, including the day I was going to
swim at the famed Faroglioni Rocks. I first stopped by the Salumeria and got
one of their tasty Arancino along with some Eggplant Parmigiano made by Mamma.
I got some water and a small bottle of local Aglianico Wine from Benevento. I
took the scenic walk down to the Faraglioni where I swam all day and had one of
the most memorable lunch’s of my life. The setting was one of the World’s most
beautiful, at the Faraglioni on the beautiful Isle of Capri with my wine, the
eggpalant, and my tasty Arancino from the Salumeria Capri. It just doesn’t ever
get any better than that. Basta.

Arancini

Conical Shaped Rice Balls

RECIPE:

The FILLING

½ pound Ground
Beef

3 tablespoons
Olive Oil

1 small Onion,
peeled and minced fine

½ cup Tomato
Sauce (optional)

Salt &
Black Pepper to taste

3/4 cup Frozen
Peas

RICE :

1 pound Arborio
Rice

4 cups Chicken
Broth or water

1 small pinch
Saffron

2 tablespoons
Butter

½ cup grated
Parmigiano Reggiano

1 extra Large
Egg

Salt &
White Pepper to taste

½ pound of
Provolone or Cacciocavalo Chesse,

cut into small
chunks

BREADING

½ cup Flour

2 beaten Eggs

2 ½ cups Plain
Breadcrumbs

4 cups Canola
Oil for frying

Place the
ground beef and onions in a pan with the Olive Oil and cook on a low flame
until beef is cooked through, about 12 minutes. Season with salt and black
pepper, about 1/ teaspoon each, or to your taste. Add peas and cook for 2
minutes. Turn heat off, and set aside to cool.

Add Chicken
Broth (or Water if using) to a 6 quart pot with the rice, butter and ½ teaspoon
salt. Bring liquid to the boil and stir as you do this. Once the liquid comes
to the boil, turn heat to lowest flame possible and let cook without stirring
for 16 minutes. Turn heat off and let rice set in the pot for 12 minutes.

Place the rice
in a large glass bowl and let cool for 15 minutes.

Once the rice
is completely cool, add ½ teaspoon white pepper and a ½ teaspoon of salt and
the grated Parmigiano and mix. Add 1 beaten Egg and mix.

Take a handful
of rice and place between both your hands and roll into balls that are just
slightly smaller than a baseball, or you can make smaller if you like. Once you
have shaped the rice into a ball, hold the rice ball with your left hand and
push the thumb of your right hand into the ball to make a hole that goes to the
center of the ball, making a hole that you will put the beef filling into.

Take about a
tablespoon of the beef filling and put it into the hole. Place 1 or 2 pieces of
the Provolone into the hole. Press rice around the hole to cover it up, and
then round the rice between your two hands again to make the Rice Ball into a
perfect ball shape.

Continue this
process until all the rice is gone and made into Rice Balls.

Get 3 small
shallow bowls and put the flour in 1 bowl, the breadcrumbs in another bowl, and
the beaten eggs into the 3^rd bowl. Take a rice ball and put it into
the bowl with the flour and gently roll it around until it is completely
covered with a light coating of flour. Gently shake off any excess flour.

Now place the
ball into the eggs and completely cover with the egg. Gently shake off any
excess egg.

Now roll the
rice ball with the egg on it into the breadcrumbs until ball is completely
covered with breadcrumbs. Shake off excess. Repeat these last 3 steps with each
rice ball until they are all coated with breadcrumbs.

Place the
canola oil (or any vegetable oil) in a medium sized frying pan and heat to
high. Fry a few rice balls at a time until golden brown. Fry all the rice balls
and place on paper towels and let cool a few minutes before serving, at which
point they will still be hot, but not too hot. Or you can let them cool further
and serve at room temperature with or without Marinara Sauce on the side.

NOTE: To make
the Rice Ball that I describe in my little story above, substitute pieces of
fresh mozzarella cheese for the beef mixture and you will have a rice ball like
the one I had on my lovely little Isle of Capri. Either way, both ways are
equally tasty.

This Recipe is a Gift form Author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke to Celebrate the release (July 2015) of his latest book ; Grandma Bellino’s Italian Cookbook … Recipes from My Sicilian Grandmother ….. Broadway Fifth Pres, NY NY

CAPRI SALUMERIA ROSTICCERIA

Near The Piazza Umberto, CAPRI

Just Past The Bus Stop

ARANCINI, PANNINI, PIZZA

and Other GOODIES at CAPRI SALUMERIA

PHOTO TAKEN by Author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

From Summit of Mt Solaro

Anacapri, Capri ITALY

My Favorite Lemonade Granita Stand in Capri

Near The Caeser Augustus Gardens, Capri

Behind The Qusisanna Hotel

SUNDAY SAUCE

When Italian-Americans Cook

by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

d7eaf-screen2bshot2b2015-06-222bat2b1-31-372bpm

GRANDMA BELLINO’S ITALIAN COOKBOOK

Recipes From my Sicilian Grandmother

by Daniel Bellino Z

0
0
1
794
4529
Bar Inc.
37
10
5313
14.0

Normal
0

false
false
false

EN-US
JA
X-NONE

Rice Balls on Capri

ARANCINI in CAPRI

A Plate of Fresh Made Arancini

Rice Balls

ARANCINI

Excerted from Daniel Bellino-Zwicke’s forthcoming book;

GREATEST HITS ITALIAN COOKBOOK

100 Recipes of Italian-America’s Favorite Dishes

Arancini

Conical Shaped Rice Balls

RECIPE:

The FILLING

½ pound Ground
Beef

3 tablespoons
Olive Oil

1 small Onion,
peeled and minced fine

½ cup Tomato
Sauce (optional)

Salt &
Black Pepper to taste

3/4 cup Frozen
Peas

RICE :

1 pound Arborio
Rice

4 cups Chicken
Broth or water

1 small pinch
Saffron

2 tablespoons
Butter

½ cup grated
Parmigiano Reggiano

1 extra Large
Egg

Salt &
White Pepper to taste

½ pound of
Provolone or Cacciocavalo Chesse,

cut into small
chunks

BREADING

½ cup Flour

2 beaten Eggs

2 ½ cups Plain
Breadcrumbs

4 cups Canola
Oil for frying

Place the rice
in a large glass bowl and let cool for 15 minutes.

Once the rice
is completely cool, add ½ teaspoon white pepper and a ½ teaspoon of salt and
the grated Parmigiano and mix. Add 1 beaten Egg and mix.

Continue this
process until all the rice is gone and made into Rice Balls.

Now place the
ball into the eggs and completely cover with the egg. Gently shake off any
excess egg.

NOTE: To make the Rice Ball that I describe in my little story above, substitute pieces of
fresh mozzarella cheese for the beef mixture and you will have a rice ball like
the one I had on my lovely little Isle of Capri. Either way, both ways are
equally tasty.

CAPRI SALUMERIA ROSTICCERIA

Near The Piazza Umberto, CAPRI

Just Past The Bus Stop

A Smiling SALVATORE

SALUMERIA CAPRI

2019

ARANCINI, PANNINI, PIZZA

and Other GOODIES at CAPRI SALUMERIA

PHOTO TAKEN by Author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

From Summit of Mt Solaro

Anacapri, Capri ITALY

My Favorite Lemonade Granita Stand in Capri

Near The Caeser Augustus Gardens, Capri

Behind The Qusisanna Hotel

SUNDAY SAUCE

When Italian-Americans Cook

by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

BAR DUE GULFI

On the way to MARINA PICOLO

CAPRI

GRANDMA BELLINO’S ITALIAN COOKBOOK

Recipes From my Sicilian Grandmother

by Daniel Bellino Z

Faiccos Pork Store Salami Sausage & Gabagool

Wanna Make a nice SUNDAY SAUCE? If you live in The VILLAGE, Soho or somewhere in Downtown Manhattan, FAICCO’S is The PLACE To GO to get your, SAUSAGE, BRACIOLE, and ground Beef, Pork, and Veal for your MEATBALLS .. You can get Olive Oil, San Marzano Tomatoes, Rigatoni or other Maccheroni as well .. Everything for your SUNDAY SAUCE except Garlic …
FAICCO’S is MANHATTAN’S Premier Pork Store .. There’s a Faicco’s in Brooklyn as well, so No Need to Go to That Rip-Off Disneyland of an Italian Food Emporium Eataly … New York Italians “In-The-Know” know to go to place like DiPaolo’s in Little Italy, Faicco’s in Greenwich Village, Pino’s Prime Meats or Flornence Meat Market for Braciole, Sausages and ground meats for you Meatballs …

And GABAGOOL Too !!!

Mozzarella Salami & Gabagool Sandwich

How to Make Lemon Granita

4 servings

Ingredients

2/3 cup superfine sugar
2 cups water
Juice of 6 large lemons, plus the zest of 2 of the lemon, minced
Mint garnish, optional

Directions

Heat 2 cups water in a saucepan and stir in the sugar until dissolved. Let cool, and then add in the lemon juice and zest.

Freeze the lemon mixture in a metal bowl, stirring every 20 minutes, until the liquid has become granular but is still slightly slushy, 3 to 4 hours.

Serve the granita in dessert bowls with a sprig of mint.

GRANDMA BELLINO’S ITALIAN COOKBOOK

RECIPES FROM MY SICILIAN NONNA

by Daniel Bellino Z

Available JULY 2015

Grandma Bellino Italian Gravy Recipe

Charlie Scorsese Makes Gravy in Goodfellas

by Martin Scorsese

GRAVY

My grandmother simply
called this tasty meat sauce Gravy.
It’s made with Veal Shank, chunks of pork shoulder, and Sweet Italian Sausages
braised with a bit of wine and tomatoes. You need long slow cooking to get the
meat tender, and you end up with a hearty, extremely tasty Gravy that everyone will love. All those except people who don’t
eat meat, or don’t eat pork. Well, “Sorry for them,” they don’t know what they’re
missing! As for you, make it, serve it, and relish it!

1 Veal Shank

2 pounds Pork Shoulder
Meat cut into 2” cubes

1 large Onion, peeled
and minced

8 cloves Garlic, peeled
and minced

2 carrots, peeled and
minced fine

2 stalks Celery, washed
& minced fine

¼ cup White Wine

5 – 28 cans Crushed
Tomatoes

3 tablespoons Tomato
Paste

1 Bay Leaf, ½ a teaspoon
Red Pepper Flakes

2 pounds Sweet Italian
Sausages

Season the Veal Shank on
both sides with salt & black pepper. Place half the Olive Oil in a 8-quart
non-corrosive pot and brown the veal shanks on high heat until the veal is nice
and golden brown on both sides, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from pot and set
aside.

Season the Pork Shoulder
meat with Salt & Pepper. Add Pork to the pot and brown over high heat in
two separate batches.

Once all the meat is nicely browned, remove from pot and set aside. Add onions, celery, and garlic
to pot and cook on low heat for 5 minutes.

Season the onions with a bit of salt & pepper. Add wine to pan and cook on high heat while scraping
the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. This will dislodge and brown bits
that have a lot of flavor from the bottom of the pan (deglazing). Cook until
the wine is reduced by half its original volume.

Put all the Veal Shank & Pork back in the pot. Add crushed tomatoes, Bay Leaf, Red Pepper flakes,
and tomato paste to pot. Fill an empty tomato can with water and put the water
in the pot. Bring all to the boil, then lower flame to a low simmer.

Simmer for 2 hours 15
minutes, stirring and scrapping the bottom of the pan occasionally with a wooden
spoon so the sauce doesn’t stick.

After the sauce has been simmering for 90 minutes, brown the sausages in a pan with a little olive oil
over medium heat until the sausages a lightly browned on all sides. Remove from
pan and let cool for a few minutes.

Once the sausages are cooled, cut each link into 4 equal pieces each, then put into the sauce.

Remove the Veal Shank from the pot and let cool for a few minutes.

Once the veal has cooled
enough to handle, remove the meat from the veal shank and break into pieces
that are about 2” square. Put the veal meat back in the pot, and let everything
simmer on low heat for another 45 minutes.

To Serve : Cook 1 or 2
pounds of your favorite maccheroni following the directions on the package. We
like to use; Rigatoni, Mezze Monica, Cavatappi, Cavatelli, or any short maccheroni that you like.

When the pasta is ready (finished cooking), remove from heat, and drain in a colander, reserving ¼ cup
or so of the pasta water to mix with the pasta and sauce. Put the pasta back in the pot it cooked in. Add some of the sauce with the pork and sausages to the pot. Drizzle a little olive oil over all and mix.

Spoon pasta onto however many plates you need. Top pasta with some more sauce on top and pass some grated cheese for your guest to apply them-selves. Buon Appetito!

Excerpted From Daniel Bellino “Z” s new upcoming cookbook,

GRANDMA BELLINO’S ITALIAN COOKBOOK

“RECIPES FROM MY SICILIAN GRANDMOHER”

Available July 2015 on AMAZON.com & Barnes & Noble Book Sellers

Grandma Bellino ‘s Italian Cookbook

Recipes from My Sicilian Grandmother

by Daniel Bellino Z

PAULIE SLICES The GARLIC

Nice & Thin For The GRAVY

Paul Castellano & Al Pacino

Francis Ford Coppola’s The GODFATHER

CLEMENZA SHOWS MICHAEL How to Make SAUCE

aka

GRAVY

How to Make an APEROL SPRITZ

The APEROL SPRITZ

Italy’s Hottest Cocktail

aka

APERTIVO

The Aperol Spritz is Super Hot! No, not hot, as in temperature wise, but

hot as in popular. It’s the drink of the moment. A drink I’ve known of since my

first exploratory trip to Venice, to do research on Venetian Wine Bars (Bacaro) of

which I was planning on and did open in New York’s Greenwich Village.

It was at a Bacaro (Venetian Wine Bar) in Venice that I had my first Spritz.

Venice is where these refreshing Italian drinks were invented and it was

in Venice that I had my first some 20 years ago, a good 15 years before most

Americans ever heard of them. Same thing with me and the Negroni, which

I discovered and have been drinking since 1985, my first of many wonderful

trips to my ancestral Motherland, Italy.

Anyway, fast forward to 2105. I just came back from Capri & The Amalfi Coast

in Italy. I had a wonderful time; swimming in the waters surround Capri everyday

before going back to my hotel to take a shower and little nap before going out for the evening.

Going out at night? I’d go out to a wonderful meal each night, but before going

to my favorite restaurant I’d stop off at Bar Tiberius or Caffe da Alberto at the

Piazza Umberto for a little apertivo before dinner. Such fun sitting at a outdoor table

at Bar Tiberius as I did way back in 1988 and having a nice refreshing drink in the lively

Piazza Umberto before moving on to dinner. Back in 88 I had a daily ritual of getting up, having a lovely Italian breakfast of Cappuccino, Cornetto, fresh Blood Orange Juice, and Yoghurt before heading for one of Capri’s gorgeous beaches and a day of swimming and relaxing on the lovely Mediterranean Sea. What’s better than that?

PIAZZA UMBERTO

CAPRI

By NIGHT

I’d swim for a couple hours in the morning, then go to a nearby restaurant or caffe for a little lunch, then back to the beach to late afternoon, before hopping on the little local bus up to the Piazza Umberto, Capri’s most popular piazza of all.

I’d then meet up with some friends for a drink or two before heading back to my hotel

(La Toasca) for a little nap, and then back to Bar Tiberius for another operative before dinner, and after dinner it was on to the bar at the Palma Hotel for drinks and good times with friends.

Oh what a life?

That’s the story of; Me, Capri, and My Campari, Granita, or a nice refreshing

Aperol Spritz … Basta!

HOW to MAKE ONE

INGREDIENTS :

3 ounces PROSECCO

2 ounces APEROL

1 ounce CLUB SODA

1 Slice of ORNAGE

ICE

1. Fill a nice clear GLASS 3/4 full with ICE

2. Add a slice of ORNGE