Sunday Sauce – So Much Joy for Only 16 Dollars

SUNDAY SAUCE

WHEN ITALIAN-AMERICANS COOK

SUNDAY SAUCE

Sunday Sauce: The Italian-American Tradition of Sunday Gravy — Meatballs, Sausage, Braciole & Family

There are certain foods that are more than food.

They are memories.

They are Sunday afternoons in Grandma’s kitchen. They are the smell of garlic and onions cooking in olive oil. They are a huge pot slowly bubbling on the stove. They are meatballs, Italian sausage, braciole and pork ribs simmering in rich tomato sauce. They are a pot of pasta waiting for the sauce. They are family arriving at the door, friends pulling up a chair, a bottle of Italian wine being opened and everyone gathering around the table.

For generations of Italian-Americans, Sunday Sauce — also called Sunday Gravy or Italian-American Gravy — has been one of the great rituals of family life.

And few dishes capture the spirit of Italian-American cooking quite like Sunday Sauce.

That is the subject of Sunday Sauce: When Italian-Americans Cook by Daniel Bellino Zwicke, a cookbook and celebration of Italian-American food, family, tradition and culture. The book explores the great dishes of the Italian-American table, with Sunday Sauce at the center. (Sunday Sauce)

[Get Sunday Sauce by Daniel Bellino Zwicke on Amazon]

What Is Sunday Sauce?

So, what exactly is Sunday Sauce?

Ask an Italian-American from New York, New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago or another Italian-American community and you may hear slightly different answers.

Some call it Sunday Sauce.

Others call it Sunday Gravy.

Some simply call it Gravy.

Others call it Red Sauce or Sugo.

But the basic idea is wonderfully simple: a rich tomato-based sauce is slowly cooked, often together with several different Italian meats, allowing the flavors of the meat and tomatoes to come together over a long simmer.

A traditional Italian-American Sunday Gravy can include combinations of:

Italian meatballs
Italian sausage
Beef braciole
Pork ribs
Pork neck
Beef
Other slow-cooking meats

The sauce is then served with pasta — traditionally a substantial pasta capable of carrying plenty of that rich tomato gravy.

The result is one of the great comfort foods of Italian-American cooking.

Daniel Bellino Zwicke’s Sunday Sauce explores this tradition and the many variations of this beloved dish. His work specifically discusses the differences in what Italian-Americans mean when they say “sauce,” “gravy,” “Sunday Sauce” and related terms. (Sunday Sauce)

Sunday Sauce Is About More Than the Sauce

The most important ingredient in Sunday Sauce isn’t necessarily a tomato.

It is time.

Time to brown the meats.

Time for the tomatoes to cook.

Time for the flavors to develop.

And, perhaps most importantly, time for people to come together.

This is what makes Sunday Sauce so special.

It is not a meal you simply throw together because you are hungry.

Sunday Sauce is an event.

The pot goes onto the stove.

The kitchen fills with the aroma of tomatoes, garlic, onions, olive oil and slowly cooking meat.

Meatballs are prepared.

Sausages are browned.

Braciole is rolled and tied.

The sauce begins to simmer.

And eventually the entire house smells like Sunday.

That smell is one of the most powerful memories in Italian-American culture.

The Famous Italian-American Sunday Dinner

For many Italian-American families, Sunday dinner traditionally means a large gathering around the table.

Grandparents.

Parents.

Children.

Cousins.

Aunts.

Uncles.

Friends.

Everyone has a place at the table.

The meal may begin with antipasti, followed by pasta dressed with the Sunday Sauce, with the meats from the sauce served afterward.

Meatballs.

Sausage.

Braciole.

Pork.

And then perhaps salad, bread, wine and dessert.

There may be espresso afterward.

There may be cannoli.

There may be arguments, laughter, stories and memories.

That is the Italian-American table.

And that is the world Daniel Bellino Zwicke writes about.

Meatballs, Sausage & Braciole: The Heart of Sunday Gravy

One of the things that makes Italian-American Sunday Sauce so appealing is the combination of meats.

Italian Meatballs

Few foods are more closely associated with Italian-American cooking than spaghetti and meatballs.

But meatballs are also one of the essential components of Sunday Gravy.

Slowly simmered in tomato sauce, meatballs become incredibly tender while contributing their own rich flavor to the sauce.

Italian Sausage

Sweet or hot Italian sausage adds another dimension.

As sausage cooks slowly in the tomato sauce, its flavors become part of the gravy itself.

Braciole

Braciole is another classic.

Thin slices of beef are rolled around a filling and secured before being slowly cooked in tomato sauce.

The result is tender, flavorful meat surrounded by rich Italian-American gravy.

Pork Ribs

Pork ribs are another favorite addition to a big pot of Sunday Sauce.

The long cooking time allows the pork to become tender while adding depth and richness to the tomato sauce.

Put all of these together and you have something much bigger than ordinary tomato sauce.

You have Sunday Sauce.

Sunday Sauce vs. Sunday Gravy

Why do some people say Sunday Sauce while others insist it is Sunday Gravy?

This is one of the great Italian-American food debates.

There isn’t necessarily one universal answer.

Regional traditions, family history and the Italian-American community where someone grew up can all influence what they call the dish.

In some families, “sauce” means tomato sauce without meat.

“Gravy” may mean tomato sauce that has been slowly cooked with meat.

In other families, the terminology is different.

That debate itself has become part of Italian-American food culture.

And it is one of the subjects explored in Sunday Sauce: When Italian-Americans Cook. (Sunday Sauce)

The Godfather and Clemenza’s Sunday Sauce

One of the most famous Sunday Sauce scenes in American popular culture appears in The Godfather.

Peter Clemenza, played by Richard Castellano, teaches Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino, how to make his sauce.

The scene has become iconic.

Clemenza explains how to brown the meat, add the tomato sauce and let everything cook together.

The scene helped cement the image of Italian-American Sunday Sauce in popular culture and is specifically featured in Daniel Bellino Zwicke’s book. (Sunday Sauce)

For anyone fascinated by The Godfather, Italian-American food and classic Italian-American culture, this connection makes Sunday Sauce particularly appealing.

But the book goes well beyond one movie scene.

It is about the larger culture surrounding the food.

Daniel Bellino Zwicke: Italian Food, Wine & the Italian-American Table

Daniel Bellino Zwicke is an Italian cookbook author, food writer and Italian wine professional whose work focuses heavily on Italian food, Italian-American cuisine and the culture surrounding the table.

His author biography describes a career that includes cooking, wine direction and restaurant work, including his creation of Bar Cichetti, described as an early Venetian wine bar in America. He has also written extensively about Italian wine and Italian-American food culture. (Sunday Sauce)

His perspective on Sunday Sauce comes from a deep interest in both sides of the Italian culinary story:

Italy and Italian-America.

He writes about Italian food and wine, travels in Italy, New York’s Italian-American culture and the foods that have become part of the American Italian experience.

And that experience is about much more than recipes.

It is about lifestyle.

Italian-American Food Is Family Food

Ask many Italian-Americans what foods remind them of home and you are likely to hear a familiar list:

Pasta.

Meatballs.

Sausage.

Braciole.

Chicken Parmigiana.

Eggplant Parmigiana.

Pasta e Fagioli.

Cannoli.

Espresso.

And, of course:

Sunday Sauce.

These foods became part of an Italian-American culinary tradition that developed over generations.

Immigrants brought traditions from Italy.

Ingredients changed.

American ingredients became available.

Different regional Italian traditions came together.

And families created their own versions.

The result is the incredibly diverse world of Italian-American cuisine.

Why Sunday Sauce Matters

There are countless tomato sauces in the world.

But Sunday Sauce occupies a special place because it represents a ritual.

The cooking can take hours.

The meal can last for hours.

The table can be filled with people.

The conversation can continue long after the plates are cleared.

In that sense, Sunday Sauce represents something that is increasingly valuable in modern life:

sitting down together.

No rushing.

No eating alone at a desk.

No grabbing something from a drive-through.

Instead, a pot is simmering on the stove and people are gathered around a table.

That is the spirit behind Sunday Sauce: When Italian-Americans Cook.

A Cookbook for People Who Love Italian-American Food

If you love Italian-American food, this is the kind of cookbook that belongs in the kitchen.

If you grew up eating Sunday Gravy, it can bring back memories.

If your grandmother or grandfather made Sunday Sauce, it can remind you of family dinners.

If you have never made a traditional Italian-American Sunday Sauce, it can introduce you to the tradition.

And if you simply love Italian food, pasta, meatballs, sausage, braciole and tomato sauce, this book gives you a chance to explore one of the defining dishes of Italian-American cuisine.

The book includes Sunday Sauce traditions and recipes alongside other Italian-American favorites, including Clemenza’s Sunday Sauce and other classic dishes associated with the Italian-American table. (Sunday Sauce)

The Sunday Sauce Tradition Lives On

Food traditions survive because people continue to cook them.

Someone teaches a daughter how to make meatballs.

A grandmother teaches her grandson how to roll braciole.

A father shows his son how to brown sausage before putting it into the pot.

Someone learns the family recipe and writes it down.

Then, years later, another generation makes the same dish.

That is how culinary traditions survive.

Sunday Sauce is not just a recipe. It is a tradition passed from one generation to the next.

And Daniel Bellino Zwicke’s Sunday Sauce celebrates that tradition.

Make Your Own Italian-American Sunday

Imagine this:

It is Sunday afternoon.

A large pot is simmering on the stove.

The sauce is slowly cooking with meatballs, sausage, braciole and pork.

The kitchen smells incredible.

A pot of pasta is almost ready.

You open a bottle of Italian wine.

Friends and family begin arriving.

Someone brings bread.

Someone brings dessert.

Music is playing.

Everyone sits down.

The pasta is served.

Then comes the meat.

Then wine.

Then stories.

Then espresso.

Maybe cannoli.

And nobody is in a hurry.

That is Sunday Sauce.

Discover Sunday Sauce by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

If you love Italian-American food, Sunday Gravy, Sunday Sauce, Italian recipes, meatballs, Italian sausage, braciole, pasta, The Godfather, New York Italian culture, or the traditions of the Italian-American family table, Daniel Bellino Zwicke’s Sunday Sauce: When Italian-Americans Cook is a book worth discovering.

It is a celebration of the food and culture surrounding one of America’s most beloved Italian-American dishes.

The Sunday pot.

The red sauce.

The meatballs.

The sausage.

The braciole.

The pasta.

The family.

The friends.

The stories.

The memories.

Sunday Sauce.

GET The BOOK !!!

SUNDAY SAUCE : When Italian-Americans Cook

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke is available on Amazon.

Buy Sunday Sauce by Daniel Bellino Zwicke on Amazon

“SO MUCH JOY For ONLY $16.50

Bring home the book.

Put a pot on the stove.

Invite your family and friends.

Make Sunday Sauce.

And keep the Italian-American tradition alive.

Mangia!

CLEMENZA SHOW MICHAEL

HOW to MAKE SUACE

The GODFATHER

DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE

COOKING UP ANOTHEr POT

GET SUNDAY SAUCE !!!

ONE of The SMARTEST PURCHASES

YOU’LL EVER MAKE

“So MUCH JOY for ONLY $16.50”

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Pasta Sausages Meatballs & Gabagool – In the Movies

“Shove in your Saa – Seeg & Meatballs”

It all started with Pete Clemenza and The Godfather, a movie by Italian-American director

Francis FOrd Coppola. Yes, I guess we can say it started with Francis. It was Francis Ford Coppola who wrote the Screenplay along with the author of the Best Selling Novel – The Godfather, Mr. Mario Puzo, also an Italian-American. Coppola was the co author of The Godfather Screenplay along with Puzo. And it was Coppola who was the films director and decided what would be in the film and what wasn’t.

Coppola brilaintly sets the scene of Sonny Corleone meeting with his Capo’s and other Corleone Crime Family associates, discussing strtegies of their next moves after Virgil Sollozzo puts out a hit on Sonny’s father, Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brand). The attempted assasination of Vito Corleone fails, and Vito Corleone is still alive, as his son Santino (Sonny) becomes the acting Boss of the Corleone Crime Family.

As Sonny and his cronies discuss what to do, sitting around eating Chinese Food, his Capo, Peter Clemenza is making a pot of Italian Sunday Sauce Gravy with Sausages & Meatballs. Sonny’s younger brother Michael (Al Pacino) is in the room as well. He gets a call from his girlfriend Dianne, who ask Michael if she loves him. Michael doesn’t say it, but Clemenza being the smart old guy that he is, knows what has been said, and says, “Why don’t you tell that nice girl you Love her. I Love you with all of my Heart. If I don’t again soon, I’ma gonna Die” Clemenza chuckles.

Clemenza continues cooking his Sauce, then says to Michael, “Come over here kid. Learn something. You never know when you’re gonna to cook for 20 guys someday? You see? You start out with a little oil. Then you fry some Garlic. Then you throw in some Tomatoes, some Tomato Paste, you fry it up. You make sure it doesn’t stick. You get it to a boil. You shove in all your Sausage, and your Meatballs. Add a little bit of wine. And a little sugar, and that’s my trick.”

Yes, Clemenza making Sunday Sauce and Meatballs was a favorite scene which just about everyone recalls and talks about, and for good reasons. It’s a great scene. But let us not forget some other scenes that included Italian food. At Connie Corleone’s Wedding, we have a Corleone associate throwing a Gabagool Sandwich to Paulie (watch the video below).

Also, let’s not forget Sonny tearing off a piece of Italian Bread, dipping it into the Sauce that Sonny’s mother has simmering on the stove. Then Sonny eats it. There are a couple scenes when the the wole Corleone Family is eating at the table. There’s the scene when Connie has cooked a meal for herself and her husband Carlo. One of Carlo’s girlfriends (Goomada) calls up asking for Carlo. Connie picks up the phone, then her and Carlo start fighting.

Another memorable scene that involved Italian Food was the meeting between Michael, Virgil Sollozzo, and Captain McCluskey at Louie’s Italian Restaurant in the Bronx. The three of them are sitting around the table when McCluskey asked Sollozzo, “How the Italian Food in this Restaurant?”

Sollozzo replies, “Get the Veal. It’s the best in the City”

Michael Corleone goes into the bathroom, and gets the gun that is planted for him inside the bathroom, above the toilet. Michael comes back out into the dining room and shoots and kills both Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey. The calmly drops the gun, and walks out of the restaurant.

Clemenza Makes SUNDAY SAUCE

ITALIAN GRAVY

Recipe

BIG NIGHT

In the annals of Italian Food in movies, Stanley Tucci’s Big Night is way up near the top. Some would probably put it on the top of their list. Yes when it comes to Italian Food in movies, Big Night is a heavyweight. The movie centers around two brothers from Italy, in their Italian Restaurant on the Jersey Shore, Louis Prima, and a monumental dish of Southern Italy, known as a Timpano (aka Timballo).

The brothers restaurant is not doing that well financially. The food is very good, but this is the 1950s, and the locals don’t get Chef Primo’s authentic Italian Food. When a fellow (rival) restaurant owner tells brothers Scondo (Stanley Tucci) and Primo that he knows the famous Sicilian-American singer Louis Prima, and that he is going to get him to come to the brothers restaurant, this get the ball rolling on a very special dinner hosted by the brothers, featuring Chef Primo’s wonderful food, and the centerpiece of the meal, The Timpano, a luxurious dish made of baked maccheroni, meats, sauce, and cheeses stuffed into a dough shell that’s baked in a pan called a “Timpano” by which the dish gets his name.

The movie stars Stanley Tucci as Secondo, Tony Shaloub as Primo, Secondo’s brother, Isabella Rossellini as Gabriella, with Minnie Driver, and Marc Anthony as the busboy.

The wonderful music, fine cast, and the scenes preparing the Timapno and other dishes is superb, and it’s these scenes that captivated audiences, and inspired to make their very own Big Night Style Italian Dinner Parties. The rest is history, and people still talk about Big Night, the Timpano, and wonderful Italian Dinner.

The TIMPANO

Stanley Tucci, Marc Anthony, & Tony Shaloub

BIG NIGHT

recipe

Goodfellas

Johnny (Frank Pelligrino Sr,) & Vinny (Charlie Scorsese)

DINNER in PRISON

GOODFELLAS

There are several Italian Food scenes in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, a true life story of factions of the New York Mafia members and associates, based on Nick Pellegi’s book Wiseguy. Of course the most famous food scene is when Henry (Ray Liotta) is in Prison with Vinny (Charlie Scorsese), Johnny Dio, and “Big Paulie” (Paul Sorvino). Viiny is making the Sunday Sauce Italian Gravy with Meatballs and Pork Neck, as Johnny Dio cooks up some Steaks. The scene is quite memorable, and people talk about it all the time, especially the way Paul Sorvino shaves the Garlic “Ravor Thin” with a ravor, and Big Paulie telling Vinny, “Vinny don’t put too many Onions in the Sauce.” You gotta just Love it?

The scene with Henry making Veal Scallopine and his brother stirring “The Sauce” is memorable as well.

So if you Love Movies, Italian Food, and Italian Food in movies, there’s a good chance you already know these films and the Food Scenes in them, and if you’re like me, you talk about them, and watch the movies over and over again. When you’ve got something good, you stick with it. And that’s The Godfather, Coppola and Pacino, Clemenza and his Sauce. Big Night Stanley Tucci and The Timpano, and Marty Scorsese’s Goodfellas, Robert DeNiro, The Prison Sauce, and the main character Henry Hill, and the late great Ray Liotta, who turned in such a great performance, he was even better than DeNiro. “Yes he was.”

Watch the movies, enjoy, make a Sunday Sauce, and listen to Sinatra. What’s better than that?

GOODFELLAS

PRISON DINNER

GOODFELLAS “PRISON SAUCE” Recipe

JOHNNY DIO’S STEAK – Recipe

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

SUNDAY SAUCE alla CLEMENZA

all PACINO

From The GODFATHER

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“MAKE a BIG NIGHT TIMPANO”

NONNA BELLINO’S COOKBOOK

RECIPES FROM MY SICILIAN NONNA

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Note : Timpano is also known as TIMBALLO in most parts

of Southern Italy, and there are numerous variations, and recipes,

like the one in Grandma Bellino’s Cookbook.

iL TIMPANO

“BIG NIGHT”

CARLO & CONNIE FIGHT

Connie : “Why don’t you bring your WHORE home for dinner” ?

SINATRA SAUCE

The COOKBOOK

COOK & EAT LIKE FRANK

His FAVORITE ITALIAN RECIPES

AMAZON.com

Paulie’s Friend throws him a Gabagool Sandwich

“Hey Paulie! I got some Gabagool” !!!

At Connie Corleone’s Wedding

Paulie’s friend (Mobster) has a couple Gabagool (Capicola) Sandwiches

and throws one to Paulie, who says, “Hey you Stupid Jerk” !

Watch this at Second 00.48 on the video clip.

“Don’t Overcook it.”

“You Overcook it, it Defeats its Own Purpose”

Robert DeNiro

RAGING BULL

PS “And Let Us Not Forget RAGING BULL and the Steak Scene”

“It’s Like a Piece of CHARCOAL”

“BRING IT OVER” !!!

“YOU WANT YOUR STEAK” !!!!

JAKE’S STEAK Recipe

The Italian Nonna Cookbook – NY Italian author Daniel Bellino Z

The ITALIAN NONNA COOKBOOK

“COOK LIKE a NONNA”

100 ITALIAN NONNA RECIPE

Including “PACINO PASTA”

AMAZON.com

The ITALIAN NONNA COOKBOOK

“COOK LIKE a NONNA”

Authentic Italian Recipes, Family Traditions & The Soul of Italian Home Cooking

What if you could bring the warmth, flavor, and timeless traditions of an Italian Nonna right into your own kitchen?

The Italian Nonna Cookbook takes you on a delicious journey into the heart of Italian home cooking—where recipes are made with love, generous portions, simple ingredients, and the kind of time-tested techniques that have been passed from one generation to the next.

Written by bestselling Italian cookbook author Daniel Bellino Zwicke, an Italian-American New Yorker with more than 30 years of experience in New York City’s Italian restaurant and Italian wine businesses, this book is the result of a lifetime immersed in Italian food.

For more than 40 years, Daniel Bellino Zwicke has traveled throughout Italy, eating, cooking, tasting, and gathering recipes and food traditions from Italian Nonnas, restaurants, trattorias, salumerias, markets, and food artisans. From the bustling streets of Naples and Rome to the kitchens of Sicily, Calabria, Puglia, Tuscany, Liguria, Genoa, Florence, Venice, Capri, and Ischia, these experiences have helped capture what makes Italian food so beloved around the world.

A Taste of Italy in Every Chapter

PACINO PASTA RECIPE & MORE …

Inside The Italian Nonna Cookbook, you’ll discover an enticing collection of classic Italian dishes inspired by the food Italians actually love to eat at home.

From comforting bowls of pasta and soup to leisurely Sunday dinners, you’ll find recipes for:

Authentic Italian Pasta Dishes
Soups & Hearty Italian Comfort Foods
Antipasti & Italian Appetizers
Classic Chicken Dishes
Fresh Italian Seafood
Steaks, Italian-Style
Tender Lamb & Pork Dishes
Frittata & Rustic Egg Dishes
Classic Italian Meatballs
Traditional Braciole
Sunday Sauce & Italian Gravy
Italian Vegetables & Side Dishes
Irresistible Italian Nonna Desserts

And, of course, the book celebrates those legendary dishes that seem to taste even better when served around a crowded family table.

Discover the Secrets of Nonna’s Kitchen

Italian cooking isn’t about complicated techniques or expensive ingredients. It’s about knowing how to coax incredible flavor from simple, honest food.

It’s the aroma of garlic and onions slowly cooking in olive oil, a pot of Tomato Sauce simmering on the stove. A batch of Nonna’s fresh made Meatballs, Lasagna, Ricotta Cookies and so many good things. Tasty Italian Food – It Nourishes, it makes us Happy!

Whether you are an experienced Italian cook, an Italian-American who grew up eating Nonna’s food, someone with Italian roots who wants to reconnect with the cuisine of your family, or simply someone who loves great Italian food, this cookbook belongs in your kitchen.

Open the book. Tie on your apron. Put the pot on the stove.

Then cook like a Nonna.

Mangia!

RECIPES INDCLUDE :

LASAGNA
TOMATO SAUCE
PASTA PUTTANESCA
DOLLY’S MINESTRONE
PASTA FAZZOOL
RAGU NAPOLETANA
BRACIOLE
SUNDAY SAUCE
FRITTATA
PACINO PASTA

TASTY DESSERTS – Including SINATRA CHEESECAKE

The ITALIAN NONNA COOKBOOK

COOK LIKE a NONNA

100 NONNA RECIPES

Daniel Bellino Z

AMAZON.com

AL PACINO

“PACINO PASTA”

RECIPE in The ITALIAN NONNA COOKBOOK

AMAZON.com

Pacino Pasta and New Book by Daniel Bellino

AL PACINO

PASTA alla PACINO

Daniel Bellino

Al Pacino’s favorite pasta? It’s Spaghetti Aglio e Olio, (Spaghetti Garlic & Oil). Al’s favorite. I know. Al used to come to the restaurant Barbetta, in New York’s theater district. I was the wine director there. Mr. Pacino once asked me, “Can you guys make me Spaghetti Aglio e Olio.?” To which I replied, “Of course we can. For you Mr. Pacino, we will make it.” And so we did. We had. He made us an offer we couldn’t refuse. The dish, as you should well know, is beloved by most Italians, whether in Italy, or here in America. We Italian Americans just love it. Especially in the New York Metropolitan area of New York & New Jersey. We grew up with it, as Al Pacino growing up as a boy in the Bronx, New York, and as a young man living in Manhattan. It’s part of his life, and is in his blood. He’s Italian. Italian-American from the Bronx. New York Italians? We love: Baked Clams, Sunday Sauce, Lasagna, Meatballs, Linguine Vongole, and yes, as Mr. Pacino, “Spaghetti Aglio e Olio.”

Take note, that Parade Magazine April 1, 2025 picked up on my story of Al Pacino and myself (Daniel Bellino Zwicke). The wrote a little piece, quoting me, and telling the story of Al Pacino and me. That night at Barbetta, and the subsequent act of me telling the story (with recipe) in my book Positano The Amalfi Coast – Travel Guide – Cookbook. Parade magazine picked up on it, and my story and Al Pacino and I (Daniel Bellino) has snowballed, in print and all over the internet. And yes, “I’m proud it is.”

And so I could not resist telling the story again. The story and myself – Daniel Bellino Zwicke, and the great Al Pacino. I’ve been a huge fan, as most Americans of Mr. Pacino for some 50 plus years now. “We are Paisons,” and blood brothers in a way. We are both Italian-American New Yorkers, with Sicilian ancestry and roots, from the same area of Sicily. Al Pacino’s family, believe it or not, are from Corelone, Sicily. Yes I said Corleone, the same town in Sicily as the fictional character Pacino played in the movie The Godfather, as one Michael Corleone, whose father Vito is from the Sicilian town Corleone.

My family, the Bellino’s are from the nearby town of Lercara Friddi, Sicily, the same town that the famed Mafia Boss Charles “Lucky” Luciano is from, as well as Frank Sinatra’s father – Martino Severino Sinatra. That’s our connection – Frank Sinatra, Al Pacino, and Me – Daniel Bellino.

And yes, I greatly admire both Frank Sinatra, and Al Pacino, and I’m proud of our small connection as Sicilian Americans. “Paisons.”

PASTA alla PACINO – RECIPE

INGREDIENTS :

8 ounces imported Italian Spaghetti

8 tablespoons Olive Oil

5 cloves of Garlic, peeled and sliced

½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

2 tablespoons fresh chopped Parsley (optional)

Note : Make sure to use good quality imported Italian Spaghetti, and Italian Olive Oil.

Fill a 3-4 quart pot ¾ full of water and add 1 teaspoon Sea Salt. Turn heat to high and bring the water to the boil.

Add olive oil and the garlic to a large frying pan. Cook on low heat until the garlic just starts to brown. Turn the heat off. Add the red pepper and stir.

Drop the spaghetti into the boiling water. Cook, following the directions on the box (about 9 – 10 minutes).

When the spaghetti is finished cooking, drain it into a colander, reserving about ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water.

Reserve a ¼ cup of pasta water to mix into the finished plate of pasta.

Place the drained spaghetti into the pan with the garlic & olive oil. Toss and mix the spaghetti so it is completely coated with the sauce. Add a little of the parsley and a little of the pasta cooking water if needed. Mix everything together.

Plate the spaghetti on two plates, dividing it evenly. Sprinkle on the remaining Parsley. Serve immediately. It does not require cheese, but you may put on a little if you like. Just not too much. Enjoy.

Note : Yes, this book is all about Italian Nonnas and their wonderful home-cooked Italian food recipes. Going a little bit out of that realm with this story and recipe of Al Pacino’s favorite pasta – Spaghetti Aglio e Olio. Yes. Well yes and no. Al is Italian, of Sicilian ancestry, and though he does not at the time of this printing have any grandchildren, but we are certain with having 4 children that he will one day have grandchildren and become an Italian Nonno.

Anyway, we love Al. And who doesn’t? So, we have included our Italian-American brother here. “Basta”

…. Daniel ….

Excerpted from soon to be published book by author Daniel Bellino Zwicke. Working Title – Italian Nonna Cookbook … Anticipated publishing date – November 2026

Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

VERONA, ITALY

“BOOKS” on AMAZON

DINNER at “LUIGI’S”

A Fictitious Restaurant in The BRONX

The GODFATHER 1972

AL Pacino as Michael Corleone

Al Lettieri as Sollozzo

And Sterling Hayden as Captain McClusky

“DINNER with AL”

Daniel Bellino Z – Bestselling New York Italian Cookbook Author

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

The TEATRO GRECO

SIRACUSA, SICILY

Author DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE

Daniel Bellino-Zwicke, often known as Daniel Bellino, is a New York based cookbook author, particularly known for his Italian cookbooks. He is also recognized as a prominent figure in New York’s Italian wine scene, and as the chef / wine director, and creator of America’s 1st Venetian wine bar (Bacaro) Bar Cichetti.

Bellino has authored several best-selling cookbooks, including La Tavola, The Feast of the Seven Fishes, Got Any Kahlua?, Sunday Sauce, and Segreto Italiano/Secret Italian Recipes & Favorite Dishes. He is currently working on books about Chianti and other Italian and American cookbooks.

Daniel is a prominent figure in the New York Italian Food & Wine scene.

He has more than 30 years experience as a wine and restaurant Professional.

Bellino has a strong connection to Italy, particularly the Amalfi Coast, and often spends time there, staying in locations like Capri, Minori (on a lemon farm), and Salerno. He enjoys exploring the region, visiting local businesses, and sharing his experiences through his writing and social media. In Salerno, he particularly mentions staying at the Hotel Plaza and enjoying the local cuisine and wine. He also mentions family in Salerno, like his cousin Memo who has a Mozzarella factory in Salerno. These places have all been written about by Daniel, in his book Positano The Amalfi Coast – Travel Guide – Cookbook, Available on Amazon.

Bellino’s work often reflects his passion for Italian culture, food, and travel, with many of his books and blog posts focusing on his experiences in Italy. He frequently shares photos and stories from his travels, particularly from the Amalfi Coast, showcasing his love for the region’s food, scenery, and people.

Daniel has traveled extensively throughout ITALY to study its Regional Cuisine

and Culture.

POSITANO The AMALFI COAST

TRAVEL GUIDE – COOKBOOK

AMAZON.com

BESTSELLING ITALIAN COOKBOOKS

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Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

VERONA – ITALY

Italian American New Yorkers Adventures of The Table – Friends Family and Italian Food – La Tavola by Bellino

La TAVOLA

ITALIAN-AMERICAN NEW YORKER’S

ADVENTURE’S of The TABLE

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

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La TAVOLA

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

Ever Dream of taking a Wonderful Journey. A Journey through Italian-American New York and Italian America., complete with pots of Sunday Sauce, Ethereal Bolognese Sauce, Platters of Antipasto, Perfect Espresso, with trays of Cannoli and Sfogiatelle. Do you Dream of one day Eating the famed Christmas Eve, “Feast of the 7 Fish” or crave a perfect plate of Spaghetti Carbonara?

Do you have visions of the Amalfi Coast of Lemoncello, Fiano, and a flawless Plate of Linguine al Vongole. Would you like to know how to throw the perfect Italian Dinner Party, complete with Antipasti, Pasta, Chianti, and Dolce, while the sounds of Frank (Sinatra) and Dino play along? Do you want to know which are the best; Italian Restaurants, Caffes, Pastry Shops, and Pork Stores. Would you like to know how to make the Perfect “Negroni” or pick out the perfect Italian Wine and how to make a textbook Bolognese? Where to go in Italy and what to see? If you’d like to live these things, or just read about them vicariously, then take the journey, the Beautifully Wondrous Journey of La Tavola. Eat as Al Pacino, Jake LaMotta, Sinatra, and Dino had eaten over the years. La Tavola is part Cookbook, Guide-Book. Some have said it’s like a Italian-American New York version of a YEAR in PROVENCE, but with Italian Food in New York, and with Italian-Americans instead of French Food, people, and places?

LA TAVOLA entertains and Inspires with stories, antidotes, and recipes of Sunday Sauce (Gravy), Sausage & Peppers, Meatball Parms, and the “FEAST of The 7 FISH” Then MANGIA!Italian-American New Yorker’s Adventures of the Table. With 30 Wonderful Bellino Family Recipes.

Daniel Bellino Zwicke & La TAVOLA

Google Synopsis / Review

“La TAVOLA: Adventures and Misadventures of Italian American New Yorker’s“ is a popular culinary memoir and cookbook written by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke. [1]

Often described as an Italian-American New York version of A Year in Provence, the book blends storytelling with practical food guidance. It explores the cultural and culinary landscape of New York’s Italian communities. [1]

Key Highlights of the Book

Dual Nature: It serves as part memoir/guidebook and part cookbook. [1]
Authentic Recipes: Includes 30 traditional Bellino family recipes, featuring classic comfort foods like Sunday Sauce (gravy), Meatball Parmigiano, and Sausage & Peppers. [1]
Cultural Guides: Offers advice on how to throw a perfect Italian dinner party, pick regional wines, and locate the best pork stores, pastry shops, and cafés in New York. [1]
Pop Culture Connections: Weaves in anecdotes of how iconic figures like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Al Pacino dined. [1, 2]

About the Author

Daniel Bellino-Zwicke is a long-time New York City wine and restaurant professional. He is well-known for creating Bar Cichetti, recognized as America’s first Venetian-style wine bar. Beyond La Tavola, he has authored several other highly-regarded books celebrating Italian culture, including Sunday Sauce, The Feast of the 7 Fish, and Mangia Italiano. [1, 2, 3]

Availability

You can purchase the book in digital or print formats through major retailers:

E-Book: Available for digital download on the Amazon Kindle Store.
Paperback: Physical copies are listed on Amazon.
Reviews: Reader discussions and summaries can be found on Goodreads.

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

“COOKING UP SOME BOLOGNESE”

One of DANIEL’S LATEST

ITALIAN FOOD & TRAVELS

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

“The BEST of ITALY’

TRAVEL GUIDE – COOKBOOK

With 50 of ITALY’S BEST RECIPES

ROME VENICE PIZZA PASTA & ???

AMAZON.com

Daniel Bellino and The Greenwich Village Newport Steak

NEWPORT STEAKS

FLORENCE MEAT MARKET

GREENWICH VILLAGE NEW YORK

Daniel Bellino Zwicke & “GREENWICH VILLAGE NEWPORT STEAKS

Daniel Bellino-Zwicke, a well-known New York City cookbook author and Italian-American food writer, is one of the most passionate culinary champions of the Greenwich Village Newport Steak. Through his books (like Sunday Sauce) and his blog, Greenwich Village Italian, he has heavily documented the history, culture, and preparation of this hyper-local steak. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

What is a Newport Steak?

The Cut: It is a small, tender steak cut from the tri-tip (the bottom sirloin) of the cow. [1, 2]
The Origins: It was invented in 1947 by Jack Ubaldi, an Italian immigrant and the original owner of the legendary Florence Prime Meat Market at 5 Jones Street in Greenwich Village. [1, 2]
The Name: Ubaldi wanted a catchy name to help sell this lesser-known, affordable cut to local neighborhood artists and bohemian residents. He named it the “Newport” because the curved shape of the cut resembled the Nike-like half-moon logo on a pack of Newport cigarettes. [1, 2]
Alternative Names: While known strictly as a “Newport Steak” in New York’s historic Italian butcher shops, the broader tri-tip cut is called a Santa Maria steak on the West Coast. [1, 2]

The Daniel Bellino Connection

Bellino-Zwicke treats the Newport Steak as a culinary symbol of a bygone Greenwich Village era. He frequently shares recipes that involve pan-searing the steaks to medium-rare in a hot skillet with butter, olive oil, and mushrooms, often pairing the meal with Italian wines like Barolo or Brunello. [1, 2, 3]

He historically sourced his meats from Florence Prime Meat Market and also highly recommends Pino’s Prime Meat Market on Sullivan Street, another landmark neighborhood institution that masterfully cuts and trims the Newport.

Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

CIPRIANI DOWNTOWN

NEW YORK CITY

SUNDAY SAUCE

AMERICA’S FAVORITE ITALIAN COOKBOOK

AMAZON.com

The GREENWICH VILLAGE NEWPORT STEAK

The Perfect Newport Steak? What? I make it. Not everyone can. Number 1, you have to start with a Great Steak, a Newport Steak. A Steak not known to many. Well if you’re fortunate to live in New York’s Greenwich Village, you might know about them. Then again, you might not, cause just because you live in The Village, doesn’t mean you know of this little thing of wonder, The Newport Steak. The Newport Steak is a thing of wonder, especially if you love Steak but don’t want to shell out about $19.00 a piece or more to get one. That’s uncooked from the butcher, a nice Prime Sirloin Steak that is. Now a Newport Steak on the other hand will cost you about $7.50 on the average, or roughly 2 1/2 times less than a Sirloin, and you do not give up on taste or quality. It’s just as good. Maybe better.

A NEWPORT Ready for the PAN

Screen Shot 2017-04-21 at 2.38.09 PM.png

Cooking My NEWPORT STEAKS

to PERFECTION

A Perfectly Cooked Newport Steak

“THE STEAK of GREENWICH VILLAGE”

Cooked by Cookbook Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

Greenwich Village New York

As The ROLLING STONES

Play in The Background

SWEET !!!!

It is said that The Newport Steak was created by Jack Ubaldi, an Italian immigrant who owned a Butcher Shop in New York’s heavily Italian Greenwich Village some time around 1947. The Newport Steak is actually most commonly known as Tri Tip Steak and comes from the Bottom Sirloin portion of a cow. The Tri Tip is not well known nor much in demand. Well not among the masses, but we “Smart Ones” know better. We always get equal or better quality of anything, but always pay less. Thus the case of a Tri-Tip or if as we call it in New York’s Greenwich Village “The Newport Steak” In California, Californians know it as The Santa Maria Steak.

Anyway, Mr. Ubaldi, wanted to sell this lesser known cut to his customers, but didn’t want to sell it as Tri Tip, he wanted a catchyer name. A name that would help sell this wonderful little steak, that was oh so tasty and cost far less than Sirloin, T-Bone, Porter House or Rib Steaks. He wanted a name that in the name itself would sell the steak. One day jack Ubaldi was looking at a pack of Newport Cigarettes and noticed that the logo of Newports was more or less the same shape of the Tri Tip Steaks that he cut. Right then and there Jack Ubaldi named his cut of Tri Tip

“The Newport Steak” the name caught on and they’ve been selling Newport Steaks at Florence Meat Market on Jones Street in Greenwich Village ever since. They’re are a couple other spots in the area where you can get a Newport Steak. Ottomanelli’s down the block at Bleecker and Joes Streets sells them, as well as Pino’s Prime Meats on Sullivan Street, and is a place where I often pick up a Newport Steak or two, along with ones from the original Florence Meat Market.

Well, I picked up a couple the other night and cooked them for me and a friend. As usual, they came out perfectly. We had a Couple good bottles of wine as well, in a nice bottle of Villa Sesta Chianti and a fine Bordeaux. And if that wasn’t good enough, and don’t you think it should have been? We listened to The Rolling Stones while I cooked those “Tasty Steaks” some Roast Potatoes and Carrots. Those steaks, yes they were Perfect. Not many people can cook a Steak as Good as Me, “No Brag Just Fact.” Yes it’s Fact, I can cook a Steak Better than anyone of ever met or eaten a steak cooked by another, and that includes Steaks I’ve had at Sparks Steak House, Peter Luger and other places renowned for their steaks. If you knew me, you’d know I’m telling the truth. Ask anyone who has ever eaten a Steak that I’ve cook, “They tell you.”

Any way, yes the Steaks were perfect. My mouth is watering now just thinking about them. Dam, I tell you, Those Newport Steaks were “So Dam Good” they were practically “Orgasmic” I kid you not. Ask my Pal Chris, or my Buddies Raoul or Jimmy S, they’ll tell you. So we had The Perfect Steak, drank Chianti, and listened to The World’s Greatest Rock Band of All-Time “The Rolling Stones.” And yes Boys and Girls, Ladies and Gentlemen, “Sometimes Life Can Be Blissful.” Yes It Can.

The Newport Steak

Is Cut From Tri-Tip Bottom Sirloin

A Couple Nice Newport Steaks

All Ready to Cook Up

IS THE NEWPORT STEAK GREENWICH VILLAGE’S OWN ?

Is that little thing of Beauty The Newport Steak Greenwich Villages Own? Yes Boys and Girls it is! I don’t know if anyone has ever coined it that. I do know that those of us in Greenwich Village and New Yorkers in other parts of the city know about it and that it is of Greenwich Village. And you see, just because you live in Greenwich Village doesn’t mean that you automatically know about it, not everyone does. We are few and small a group. An elite group who know of the wonders of our beloved Steak of Greenwich Village and Italian Greenwich Village at that.

Our beloved Newport Steak, those few of us who know about it, is a Greenwich Village Original created by an Italian Immigrant Butcher jack Ubaldi who created the now famous Newport Steak in the late 1940s when he had the idea of cutting the relatively unknown and inexpensive cut of beef known as the Bottom Sirloin in a different way and cut off a couple of Steaks from this piece of meat that was most often used as a roast in a larger piece or ground for Hamburgers, Meatloaf, or Meatballs. Today this cut of meat is normally known as Tri-Tip or Santa Maria Steak of Central California where it is grilled or roasted whole in one piece then sliced when serving. In France this cut is known as a Culotte which is popular in the Bistros of Paris and all over France.

So back to Jack Ubaldi who back in the 1940’s invented what is now known to those “In The Know” as a Newport Steak. Jack cut the a piece from the Bottom Sirloin that was about 1 1/2″ thick and had the shape of a Boomerang. When he saw a Newport Cigarette ad and noticed that his special cut of Steak looked like the Boomerang Logo of the Newport Cigarettes. Right then and there in his butcher shop on Jones Street in Greenwich Village, Jack named his special cut the Newport Steak. The rest is Culinary and Greenwich Village History, and Italian Greenwich Village History at that, as at that time Greenwich Village was heavily populated by Italians. The Village was filled with Bread Bakers like Zito’s(now defunct) around the block on Bleeeker Street, Zapieri’s, and Vesuvio as well as a host of other Bakeries, Italian Restaurants and Caffes like Caffe reggio and Caffe Dante, along with another fine Italian Butcher Shop in Pino’s Prime Meats on Sullivan Street, in business since 1904. Raffetto’s Pasta in Greenwich Village and Porto Rico Coffee are all over 100 Year Old Italian-American businesses as well.

So the Newport Steak. Created by Jack Obaldi, is cut from the Bottom Sirloin are about 1 1/2 inches thick, weigh about 14 ounces and cost about $7.50 a piece and are well worth it. Heck they’re a bargain compared to a Prime Sirloin which are about triple the price of a Newport. And the Newport is every bit as good as a regular New York Cut Sirloin. No quality loss what so ever. In fact, after getting on to Newport’s I prefer them to a Sirloin, as do the others in the know on the Newport.

WHERE To GET A NEWPORT STEAK

FLorence Meat Market “They Invented It” !!! … Jones Street, Greenwich Village, New York

Pino’s Prime Meats …. Sullivan Street, New York, NY

Ottomanelli’s Meat market …. Corner of Bleecker and Jones Streets, down the block from Florence … Greenwich Village, New York

PINO’S PRIME MEATS

ITALIAN BUTCHER SHOP

GREENWICH VILLAGE

Pictures of Al Pacino in The GODFATHER

and Cast of The Soprano’s

in Window at Pino’s

Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

CIPRIANI DOWNTOWN

NEW YORK CITY

FLORENCE MEAT MARKET

INVENTOR of THE NEWPORT STEAK

Copyright Daniel Zwicke

GREENWICH VILLAGE, NEW YORK

HOW to COOK The PERFECT STEAK

RECIPE in GOT ANY KAHLUA ?

The BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK

AMAZON.com

For Great Recipe and Instructions

On Cooking The Perfect Steak

THE BADASS COOKBOOK

Screen Shot 2017-02-10 at 12.26.09 PM.png

COOK IT !!!

The BADASS COOKBOOK

AMERICA’S FAVORITE DISHES

And SECRET RECIPES

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Ginos Secret Sauce Pasta – New York Italian Red Sauce

A Waiter at GINO’S

“You’ve got to get Pasta Segrete”

Segreto?
It’s secret
in Italian. I got the idea for the book one day, well not the idea, but
inspiration I’d say. I was thinking about one of our all time favorites
restaurant, the food, the ambiance and all the fun we’d had there over the
years. Many wonderful meals with family and friend, no foes. Dinners with
Cousin Joe, Sister Barbara, Brother Michael, and Jimmy. Oh, the food was
wonderful, all the great Italian Classics of good old Italian-American Red
Sauce Joints of which this one, was one of the best. The classics, like: Baked
Clams, Stuffed Artichokes, Spaghetti & Meatballs, Linguine with Clam Sauce,
Chicken Parmigiano, Veal Marsala & Milanese, Chicken Cacctiatore, Ossobuco,
Cannolis, Spumoni, and-on-and-on. I think you get the picture. Lots of good,
affordable Italian Wine, the affable waiter, the phone booth, and the Zebra
Wall Paper. If you were a regular their, from the last sentence, you the place
I’m talking about. Yes Gino’s! Our beloved Gino’s of Lexington Avenue. Sadly
they closed a few years ago. But we still have the memories of so many festive
meals. Happy times, good eats.

I discovered the wonders of Gino’s and first
brought my cousin Joe there in 1999. The place was thrilling in that, when you
walked in, you felt you were in the perfect place. Gino’s is charged with
energy by its wonderful clientele, well-healed regulars who have been going
there for years, they know the Maitre’d, the waiters and other customers, and
likewise the waiters, bartender, and maitre’d know them. The first time you walk
in, you feel that, and want to be a part of it. We did. Back then, Joe and I
used to go out to eat together all the time, at least once a week. Joe knew
about food, but not to the extent that I did. Joe would come in every week or
so, and his driver would drive us around town. He’d pick me up early evening
for a night of feasting and good times. We’d often eat at a couple different
place. We’d have our main dinner and maybe a little bite to eat when we first
went for cocktails to start the night off. As I said, Joe loved eating, and
knew quite a bit, but as much as he knew, it wasn’t a third of what I knew
about food, wine, and restaurants, and especially the restaurant, bar, and
night club scene in New York. I was teaching Joe the ropes, so-to-speak, and Joe
was an eager student. We had quite a lot of fun those few years, with dinners
at Gino’s, Elio’s (Mondays for Lasagna), Da Silvanos’s, Bar Pitti, The Waverly
Inn, Minetta Tavern, cocktails at Pegu and Temple Bar, and way too many other
places to name right here. We did New York, we did it all!

Back to Gino’s. So I had passed by Gino’s any
number of times, but never went in to check it out. I was a downtown-er, and
that’s where we did most of our eating, with an occasional trip midtown or
other local if a place peaked our interest. So I did finally walk into Gino’s
one day. I had to check it out. When I did, as I’ve already said, I walked in
the door and immediately felt the energy of the place. Gino’s was packed, full
of life and vibrant, and I knew I wanted to be there. I didn’t eat there right
then and there, I was scouting the place out, but I knew I would be back. So I
called Joe up and told him all about the place. It sounded great to Joe, this
type of place was right up his alley, as it was mine. So Joe said yes, let’s
check it out on our next night out.

Our first ever trip to Gino’s was a few
nights later. Joe packed me up at my place in Greenwich Village. I got in the
car, as usual, we had a little discussion on what we’d be doing. We mapped out the
night of eating and drinking, good times. We talked and decided to head over to
Otto Enoteca for a bottle of wine and some Salumi before heading up town to
Gino’s and our main dinner of the night. Joe loved Otto, and I was a fan too,
so we headed to Otto.

Well, we went to Otto, drank a little wine,
had some Testa, Mortadella, and Prosciutto, and it was on to Gino’s. Back in
the car, and Ziggy (our driver) drove us up to Lexington Avenue, across the
street from Bloomingdale’s to Gino’s. We were excited as we walked up to the
restaurant and through the door. The place was packed and super-charged. We
loved it. The Maitre’d greeted us with the first of many warm welcomes. We were
in like Flynn. We sat down at a nice table in the middle of the restaurant. We
were happy campers. As happy as can be, for we sensed a wonderful meal ahead.
Our hunch would turn out to be just right. A waiter came to our table, greeted
us a warm welcome, gave us a wine list and menus, and asked what type of water
we wanted. As always, we got a bottle of flat water. Joe gave me the wine list
as he usually does and told me to pick something out. I looked over the
reasonably priced list and picked out a tried and true wine from my good friend
Luigi Capellini in Greve. The wine, a bottle of Verrazzano Chianti Classico.
The waiter went to get the wine, and Joe and I looked over the menu. We were
happy to see a great old school Italian menu. The Red Sauce kind of a good old
classic Italian-American joint, of which there used to be many, but at this
point of time, far fewer. They had; Shrimp Cocktail, Baked Clams, Hot
Antipasto, Clams Posillipo, Spaghetti Vongole, Lasagna, Canneloni, Veal Parm,
Veal Milanese, Eggplant Parmigiano, Shrimp Fra Diavolo, Veal Marsala, Scampi,
and all the usual suspects. We were in heaven, and it was heard narrowing down
what to eat.

One dish really caught our attention, and
especially Joe, who although I love my pasta, Joe had has me beat, he’s the
pasta freak. Freak in a good
way that is. The dish was Pasta Segreto (Pasta w/Secret Sauce), and us
intrigued.

The waiter brought the bottle of Chianti,
opened it, and we were on our way. I ripped off a piece of bread and ate it.
So, we decided on the menu. We order a Shrimp Cocktail and Baked Clams
Oreganata to start. We would share these two antipasto items, then move on to
the Primi, the pasta course. We decided on, and just had to have the Pasta
Segrete, a half order each. We both love Veal Milanese (Frank Sinatra’s
favorite), and as we were having antipasto, and pasta, as well as a couple
desserts, we decided on one Veal Milanese to split for the main course, thus
leaving room for some tasty desserts we knew Gino’s would have. We talked with
the our waiter about the menu, and he agreed that we had chosen wisely, and
that one Milanese would be fine, so we could eat dessert and he’d help us pick
the two best later.

So we drank wine, and nibble on the bread,
chatted and waited in anticipation for the antipasto to arrive. I love Shrimp
Cocktail since childhood and don’t always eat it all that much these days, so
it’s always a special treat. The Baked Clams and the Shrimp Cocktail came and
were a great way to start the meal. The wine was great. Hey it’s Castello
Verrazzano!

So now, we were really excited. This
mysterious Pasta Segreto was about to come out. You can get the Secret Sauce with whatever Pasta you
like, Spaghetti, Raviolis, Tagiolini, Penne, Gnocchi, or Rigatoni. Joe and I
both love Rigatoni, so that’s what we went for, two half portions of Rigatoni
Segrete. Well, the waiter brought us our Pasta with Secret Sauce. Guess what!
It was outrageous, we loved it. Joe went crazy, and could stop talking about
it, and it was just a couple weeks before he’d have to go back and get another “Fix.”
Yes the Pasta with the
Secret Sauce did not disappoint. We loved it, and would be back for many more
bowls.

We finished the Pasta, grudgingly so, as we
didn’t want the experience to end, “It was that good!” We waited a few minutes
for the Veal Milanese. It came out, and we could tell just by looking at it,
that it would be great. For those of you who might not know, Veal Milanese is
one of Italy’s most famous a classic of all dishes. It’s a Veal Chop that’s
pounded thin, breaded with breadcrumbs and fried and tipped with a Salad of
Arugala and Tomato. The dish is simple, simply delicious when done right. Veal
Milanese was one of Frank Sinatra’s all-time favorite dish, along with
Spaghetti Meatballs, and Clams Posillipo. Frank used to get it often at his
favorite of all restaurants, Patsy’s of West 56^th Street, just 10
blocks from Gino’s. Both old-school Italian Joints were among Frank’s
favorites. Patsy’s was Frank’s # 1 favorite, but Gino’s wasn’t far behind, and
Ol’ Blue Eyes ate there many times over the years. Anyway, the Veal Milanese was
just perfect and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, life is good at times like
these.

We finished our Veal Milanese, and it was
now time to think about desserts. I love sweets and so does Joe, so
he said we gotta get two. The waiter told us the Tiramisu was “The Best in
Town,” and the Cheesecake was really wonderful as well, so we went with his
suggestions. Throw in a couple cups of Espresso and some Anisette too, and we
were still in heaven.

Needless to say, our meal was fantastic. We
loved it. We loved Gino’s and would be back for more.

We went back to Gino’s a couple weeks
later. Joe loved the Pate Segrete and kept talking about it. He was back for
more. We loved the menu we had the last time, and pretty much went with the
same again. When we were eating the Segrete Pasta I identified the secret
ingredients. They were butter and Parmigiano, mixed into Gino’s basic tomato
sauce. Just a little butter and the grated Parmigiano does the trick for a
tasty sauce. The recipe is in the book, and don’t worry, we didn’t eat the same
thing every time we went to Gino’s. Over the years, we pretty much had every
dish on the menu, from; the Minestrone and Pasta Fagioli, Manicotti, Lasagna,
Spaghetti and Meatballs, Chicken Parmigiano, Veal Marsala and all. Specials
too! We ate it all. “And loved every minute of it.” Gino’s, we miss you so! But
great memories linger on.

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

EXCERPTED FROM :

SEGRETO ITALIANO – Secret Italian Recipes and Favorite Dishes

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

RECIPES

GINO’S SECRET PASTA SAUCE

SECRET SALAD DRESSING

CREAMY ITALIAN

CAESER SALAD

LASAGNA

MARINARA SAUCE

JERSEY SHORE CRAB SAUCE

CU.CUZZA

SICILIAN FIG COOKIES

And More ….

SEGRETO ITALIANO Reviews

Steven S. says :

There is something very authentic about this book and the author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke. Entertainingly straight-forward and real, this cookbook has an awesome Italian American vibe throughout from cover to cover. Use this cookbook to create a dining experience that will make spectacular memories of comfort and deliciousness!

Italian and Italian-American cuisine is one of my favorites and it is just a blast trying out these rocking recipes in my own kitchen. These really are some secrets from the masters because they are uniquely wonderful – just created the Eggplant Caponata to the delight of my friends and family!

If you love Italian American food and like to cook and impress your Soprano’s fans, then pick up this book now!

Recipe “GINO’S SECRET SAUCE”

Salsa Segreto

Outside The Old GINO RESTAURANT

Lexington Avenue

NEW YORK , NY

One block north of Bloomingdale’s famous department store. Gino Restaurant, which all the regulars called Gino’s was one of the greatest most beloved Italian Restaurants in the history of New York City. And it’s just that, part of New York City History. Sadly, we lost Gino’s nine years ago, as the restaurant sold its last plate of its famous “Pasta Segreto” in the Winter of 2010. Some of Gino’s many regulars which included the likes of Frank Sinatra were brought to tears the day Gino shut its doors. The restaurant was truly one of those much beloved places that you don’t see every day, and it’s a dam shame we lost her. All of us who ever went there have many cherished memories spent with friends and family at Gino’s. I’m sure if Frank Sinatra was still alive, he’d tell you a few stories himself. Maybe his daughters Tina and Nancy Sinatra who of course are still alive might have some memories of their father, the great Francis Albert Sinatra holding court at Gino’s. Yes we all know that Patsy’s across town from Gino’s was Frank’s favorite Italian Restaurant o f all-time, but Mr. Sinatra loved Gino’s as well, and dined there many times.

Hey Tony Bennett who is till alive, is a fan of Gino’s. Maybe he can tell us some stories. Well, best selling Italian Cookbook author Daniel Bellino Zwicke is alive and doing well, and always writing about Italian Food, restaurants, pizza, pasta, celebrities, and Italy, and he has told us a few stories of great times with friends and family; his Cousin Joe, Brother Michael, and sister Barbara, and his fond memories of eating Baked Clams, Rigatoni Segreto and Veal Milanese, which Daniel says was his typical dinner when he dined at Gino’s with Cousin Joe Macari (Macari Vineyards).

Yes Gino’s was one great restaurant, that saw the likes of Mike Wallace, Gregory Peck, Gay Talese, and Italian Bombshells Sophia Loren and Gina Lollibrigida. The great things about Gino’s was that it was a well-rum machine, and its total mix of wonderful expertly prepared Italian Food, lively ambiance, excellent service, and cool vibrant crowd made for the most perfect mix that was Gino Restaurant. And if that wasn’t enough, the prices of the food and wine was most reasonable. This was just another added plus of this legendary New York restaurant. And the restaurant that Gino’s was, as shall tell you that the type of restaurant it was what we now call Old School Italian Red Sauce Joints. Yes, an old school Italian Red Sauce Joint, and the best old school Italian restaurant that any could ever possibly be. The same as places like John’s of 12th Street, Monte’s Trattoria in Greenwich Village, Rao’s, up in East Harlem, New York. Like any Red Sauce worth its Salt, Gino’s had great Red Sauce of course, with items like, Baked Clams, Spaghetti Meatballs, Manicotti, Lasagna, Veal and Chicken Parm, and Frank Sinatra’s favorites; Clams Posillipo and Veal Milanese.

We morn the passing of Gino Restaurant, as we morn the closing of two other great Old School Italian eateries of DeRoberti’s Italian Pastries and Lanza’s Restaurant, both of which were on 1st Avenue two doors from one-another on the block of 1st Avenue between East 10th and 11th Streets in New York’s East Village, which years ago was simply known as the Lower East Side. Luckily the other famous old Italian Eatery, “John’s of 12th Street” is alive-and-kicking after more than 110 years in business in the old Sicilian neighborhood where Mob Boss Charle’s Lucky” Luciano grew up (born in Lercara Friddi) after his family moved to East 10th Street (# 265) from Sicily.

READ MORE on GINO’S

SINATRA SAUCE

The COOKBOOK

COOK & EAT LIKE FRANK

His FAVORITE ITALIAN RECIPES

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SINATRA !!! “JUST BECAUSE” !!!

FRANK SINATRA – DINNER at “JILLY’S” NYC

With Daughters TINA & NANCY SINATRA

And FRIENDS

No, it’s Not GINO’S but although FRANK Ate there Many TIMES

and it was one of his All-Time FAVORITE ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

there aren’t any pictures of him there. So we put this in. “It’s a great shot

of Frank holding courts.”

#LuckyLUCIANO PASTA

SICILIAN RECIPES

MORE on SCALAMANDRE

ZEBRA WALLPAPER

GINO’S CELEBRITY CLIENTELE

Frank Sinatra

Rocky Marciano

Jackie Kennedy

Aristotle Onassis

Ed Sullivan

PerryComo

Gay Talese

Tony Bennett

Gregory Peck

Gene Tierney

PELE

David Suskind

Mike Wallace

Dan Rather

Gina Lollibrigida

Sophia Loren

Nicholas Pileggi

Nora Ephron

Ralph Lauren

Mel Ott

Other Facts

GINO RESTAURANT was named after owner Gino Circiello. Gino’s partner was Guy Aventuriero. They were both born in Capri, Italy.

The tow partners Gino and Guy financed their restaurant (Gino’s) with their own money, along with help from Franco Scalamandre who owned the Scalamandre (Wallpaper and Fabrics).

The famous Zebra wallpaper was designed by Flora Scalamandre.

Gino’s most famous dish was Pasta with Salsa Segreto (Secret Sauce)

GINO’S BAR

And ZEBRA WALLPAPER

YELP Review of GINO’S by Author Daniel-Bellino-Zwicke.com

Dinner at GINO’S of CAPRI

NY NY

Gino Circiello is 2nd from Left

Guy Aventuriero far Right

Clemenzas Godfather Sunday Sauce – Castellano and Pacino

CLEMENZA Teaches MICHAEL How to Make SUNDAY SAUCE

Richard Castellano as Peter Clemenza and Al Pacino as Michael Corleone

In FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA’S The GODFATHER

Novel by MARIO PUZO

SUNDAY SAUCE

by Daniel Bellino “Z”

“Come here kid, lem-me show you something. You never know when you’re gonna have to cook for 20 guys some day.” Pete Clemenza says to Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather. It’s one of the most famed movie scenes in history, and of great importance to Italian-Americans. Clemenza is making “Gravy” aka Sunday Sauce, the Supreme Dish of Italian-America, and the dish that brings Italian Families together each and every Sunday. Learn How to Make Clemenza’s Sunday Sauce, Meatballs, Pasta Fazool, Momma DiMaggio’s Gravy, Goodfellas Sauce, and all of the great favorites of The Italian American Table.

Cook Sinatra’s Spaghetti & Meatballs, Italian Wedding Soup and more, and delight in the many stories and factual information written by Italian Food & Wine Writer Daniel Bellino Zwicke. This book is filled with Joy & Love, and you will get many years of both, reading, cooking and eating the dishes in SUNDAY SAUCE “When Italian-Americans Eat”.Do you Love Goodfellas, The Godfather, and Italian Food? Of course you do. Learn How to make Clemenza’s Brooklyn Mob War Sauce for 20 people some day. Remember that scene in Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo classic Film Trilogy of the Corleone Family of Sicily and Brooklyn, New York. Recipes in Italian-American New York Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke’s Best Selling Cookbook (2 Years Amazon Kindle)

SUNDAY SAUCE includes ; Frank Sinatra Sunday Sauce, Dolly Sinatra’s Spaghetti Meatballs, Joe DiMaggio ‘s mom’s Sunday Gravy, and Charlie Scorsese making Sauce in Prison in Martin Scorsese’s GOODFELLAS – starring; Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesce, and Ray Liotta making Veal & Peppers and Sunday Sauce. And by-the-way, Joe Pesci and Liotta are both Italians from New Jersey, so they know their stuff when it comes to Italian Food and all things Italian (Mafia speak and so-forth).

SUNDAY SAUCE

The Unofficial GODFATHER COOKBOOK

AVAILABLE on AMAZON.com

WATCH The VIDEO

CLEMENZA (Richard Castellano) Teaches MICHAEL (Al Pacino)

HOW to MAKE SUNDAY SAUCE

RECIPE

SUNDAY SAUCE

alla CLEMENZA

LEARN HOW to MAKE IT

AMAZON.com

SUNDAY SAUCE

The Unofficial GODFATHER COOKBOOK

ITALIAN-AMERICAN GRAVY

PASTA – MEATBALLS and Much More

AMAZON.com

CLEMENZA MAKES SAUCE

CELEMENZA’S

GODFATHER SUNDAY SAUCE

TEE SHIRT on Etsy

FLIGHTS & HOTELS

WORLDWIDE

FLY with EXPEDIA

EXPEDIA.com

The POPE of GREENWICH VILLAGE

MICKEY ROURKE & ERIC ROBERTS

TEE SHIRT on Etsy

Tony Sopranos Gabagool Sandwich – I LOVE Gabagool T-Shirt

TONY SOPRANO

Says “FUCK YOU”

Gabagool !!!

Mob Guy # 1: “Hey Paulie, I got some Gabagool !!!

Paulie : “Hey you STUPID JERK !”

“GABAGOOL” !!!

This is part of a scene in Francis Ford Coppola’s famed Italian-American mob-movie The Godfather. The scene is during Connie Corleone’s Wedding to Carlo. Paulie and Mob Guy-1 are assigned by Sonny to be guarding the outside of the Corleone Compound from any unwanted intruders (FBI, rival gangs, anybody).

Mob Guy # 1 got a couple of Gabagool Sandwiches from one of the cooks preparing the Wedding Banquet for Connie and Don Corleone’s guests at Connie’s Wedding. Paulie and Guy # 1 can’t eat with the guest, but they are hungry. “Hey they’re Italian-American!” And Gabagool will definitely fit the bill. Gabagool, aka Gabagul, or similar, is an Italian Salumi pork-product made from the neck-meat of a pig. There are several variations of the name, including; Capicola (most common), Ham Capicola, Coppa, Capocollo, and Capicollo.

“Gabagool” is slang for Capicola? It is not “slang” but Neapolitan dialect that many Italian-Americans use for Capicola, including Tony Sopranos and those real-life guys who don Big Pinky Rings.

A Gabagool Sandwich

So you wanna make a Gabagool. The preferred sandwich is on Italian Bread or a hero-roll from a great Bread Baker like, Parisi Bakers in New York’s Little Italy. Then you gotta get the Gabagool! You get yourself top-quality Capicola from your favorite Pork Store, Satriale’s if you’re in North Jersey, at Di Palo’s in Little Italy, or Faicco’s if you’re downtown New York and Greenwich Village or at their Brooklyn outpost. You’re gonna want Provolone or Mozz, I prefer Provolone. Get some peppers, Hot Cherry Peppers like Tony, Paulie, and Silvio, or as others like myself, with Roast Sweet Peppers. That’s all you need. To make a Gabagool Sub, you need a good sub roll or crusty Italian-Bread, and Gabagool (Capicola) of course, thin sliced Provolone, and either, Genoa Salami, Mortadella, Prosciutto (Proshoot), or Sopressata if you like. Put the Gabagool, Provolone and any other if any Salumi product on the bottom half of your bread, top with shredded Iceberg Lettuce, add a slice of ripe Tomato, then thin sliced Red Onion, and sprinkle on Salt, Black Pepper, Oregano, Olive Oil, and Red Wine Vinegar and “you’re set!” Set if you don’t want it “Hot.” If you do? Then again, get yourself some Hot Italian Cherry Peppers and throw them. That’s a Gabagool Sub.

If you want just a Gabagool and not a Sub, get a nice smaller roll, some roast red sweet peppers (or Hot), the Capicola, and sliced Provolone. Pile everything on between the bread, and Voila, you’ve got a Gabagool, just like Tony.

Excerpted From SUNDAY SAUCE by Daniel Bellino Zwicke … Available on AMAZON.com

PS … For a great Gabagool Sandwich in New York, go to either Parisi’s Italian Deli in Little Italy, or Faicco’s Italian Specialties (Pork Store) on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, for the best Italian Sandwiches on God’s Good Earth!