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.

New Book Best Selling Author

Memories of Italian Food

Best Selling Cookbook author Daniel Bellino Zwicke has a new book of Recipes & Stories of Italian Food. As with most of Daniel’s books Mangia Italiano is filled with delightful stories of Italian Food and Culture as told through Daniel’s eyes. There are stories of; Braciole, Stuffed Artichokes, Pasta, Italian Wedding Soup, Lasagna, Frittata, Italian Red Sauce Restaurants and much more … This is a book of essays of Italian Food and the Italian-American Lifestyle, told as only Daniel can tell, with stories that are sure to delight any and all lovers of this most popular subject, Italian Food. Read Daniel’s accounts of meals at Gino’s, John’s, and other famed Italian Red Sauce Joints of New York City and of many cherished moments shared at his Italian Table with friends and family as they make their way through course after course of Italian-America and Italy’s most storied dishes. Dishes like; Lasagna, Spaghetti & Meatballs, Pasta Fazool, Braciole, Baked Clams, Spaghetti Vongole and much more. If you Love Italian Food, “and who doesn’t” you are sure to love Mangia Italiano, Memories of Italian Food.

MANGIA ITALIANO / Memmories of Italian Food is Due for September 2016 publication …

Stuffed Artichokes

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STUFFED ARTICHOKES

Stuffed Artichokes are another of my very first remembrances of Italian food. We are of Sicilian ancestry and Artichokes (Carciofi) along with Eggplant (Melanzane) are a very prominent part of the Sicilian Table. And as far as Italian-Americans go, when it comes to Artichokes and their preparation, stuffing them was the preferred way to go. Yes, every now and them we might have a Artichoke Frittata, or Pasta con Carciofi, but 98% of the time, when Italian-Americans get Artichokes at the market, you’re going to get them stuffed. There’s a reason for that, it’s the tastiest and most whimsical way to go. Yes whimsical, or so I always thought so, especially as a young boy, whenever my mom made them, I’d get quite excited, there’s nothing quite like a Stuffed Artichoke. All my life I’ve always viewed them as a very special treat. Stuffed with breadcrumbs that are flavored with garlic, oregano, parsley, and grated Pecorino or Parmigiano, yes these crazy looking vegetable are always a special treat, for eating a stuffed artichoke is unlike eating anything else. When making a stuffed artichoke you have to cut the spikey tips on the end of the leaves, and remove the center choke that you fill them with the tasty a breadcrumb stuffing, which also goes in-between the leaves. You then cook them with garlic and olive oil and a bit of water until done, and then the fun really begins, eating it.

Eating your Stuffed Artichoke is a great adventure, and there’s nothing quite like it in the whole wide culinary world. These baby’s look like some sort of Medieval Weapon or something, spirally with layers and layers of thorny tips. And now you’re going to dig into it. You have your Artichoke before, all hot and steamy and stuffed with that tasty breadcrumb filling in the middle, stuffed and overflowing between the leaves. You pull off you first leave, that’s cooked tender and juicy and has a bit of the stuffing upon its surface. You put the artichoke leave in-between you upper and lower teeth and the bite down onto the leave. Then you must pull the leave from back to front, all the time biting down on the leave and this way you will scrape that little bit of artichoke meat on the leaf, along with the breadcrumbs into your mouth for that little savory treat of one leaf of your stuffed artichoke. You will continue the process of eating the leaves one at a time until they are all gone. Well, you don’t actually eat the whole leaf, but you are scraping off that little bit of the edible flesh of each leaf, and breadcrumbs one-by one until they are all gone. That was quite fun and tasty to boot, and now your are left with the special prize of the Heart of the Artichoke, and any breadcrumb stuffing that is left. There’s some braising liquid as well. You’re in for the last special treat of your prized Artichoke and yes it is oh so very good. Better than good, it fabulous. This is the story of Stuffed Artichokes and the memories of eating them. Have you any? If not, then you should do so soon, and you’re in for a special treat.

A Stuffed Artichokes is a special treat Italian have been eating for years. Italian immigrants to American have been eating them for more than one hundred years now. They are one of our most prized items and are especially beloved in Italian-American enclaves all over the country. We love them in New York, New Jersey, Boston, and Baltimore, but no more so than in the great southern city of New Orleans, Louisiana where the popularity of the Stuffed Artichoke is at its zenith. Why? Well, there are no Italians who love and eat Stuffed Artichokes more than the Sicilians. The Stuffed Artichoke is mostly of the south of Italy, around Naples and Puglia, but at its strongest in the great region of Sicily, where artichokes were most likely imported into Sicily by the Arabs and later spread through other parts of Italy.

Yes, if you go down to New Orleans you’ll see Stuffed Artichokes all over the place. They are a popular deli item, especially if the owners are Italian-Americans you might see a tray of Stuffed Artichoke at the counter, cooked and ready to go. They are so popular in New Orleans that they have spread to the whole populous, becoming favorites of not just the Italians, but all other ethnic peoples of the great city of New Orleans. Artichoke, stuffed, they’re a special indulgence. If you’ve had them you know why. It’s time to indulge in one of your own.

Excerpted from Daniel Bellino’s newest forthcoming cookbook ; Mangia Italiano

RECIPE :

Ingredients:

4 large, full-size artichokes

1 lemon, halved

1 3⁄4 cups dried breadcrumbs

1 cup grated pecorino

1⁄3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

8 cloves garlic, finely chopped

10 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Using a serrated knife, cut off artichoke stems to create a flat bottom. Cut top quarter off artichokes, pull off tough outermost leaves, and trim tips of leaves with kitchen shears.

Fill a large pot with water and 2 tablespoons of salt and bring to the boil. Put artichokes in the pot. Once the water comes to the boil, cook the artichokes in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove artichokes from water and set aside.

Open artichoke leaves with your thumbs to make room for stuffing; set aside.

Heat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine garlic, breadcrumbs, 3⁄4 cup pecorino, parsley, salt, pepper, half the olive oil, and 6 tablespoons of water.

Take each artichoke and spread leaves apart in order to fill with breadcrumb stuffing. Working with one artichoke at a time over bowl, sprinkle one-quarter of breadcrumb mixture over each artichoke and work it in between leaves.

Once all the artichokes are filled with the bread stuffing, transfer the stuffed artichoke to a shallow baking dish. Drizzle each artichoke with 1-tablespoon oil. Pour in boiling water to a depth of 1″ .. Cover pan and artichokes with foil.

Bake Artichokes until a knife easily slides into the base of an artichoke, about 35- 40 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle tops with remaining cheese. Turn heat up to 400 degrees and bake for 8 minutes more.

Jersey Shore Pasta Crab Sauce

JERSEY SHORE CRAB SAUCE

There are plenty of Maryland Blue Crabs down on the Jersey Shore, as well as plenty of Italian-Americans. The two go together, and this Crab Sauce for pasta is a specialty of Jersey Italians who love seafood, along with their Brooklyn and New York neighbors. They all love it! So will you.

Ingredients :

12 Hard Shell Blue Crabs

12 tablespoons Olive Oil

12 Cloves Garlic, 1 for each Crab, peeled and chopped

1 Small Onion, peeled and chopped fine

1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

1 – 28 oz. can whole San Marzano Tomatoes

1 – 28 oz. can Crushed Tomatoes

1- 16 oz. can Tomato Puree

½ teaspoon dry Basil

¼ cup chopped fresh Italian Parsley

1 pound Lump Crab-Meat, fresh frozen or canned

1 pound imported Italian Spaghetti or Linguine

Put olive oil in a large pot and heat to high. Place the Crabs in the pot and sauté at high heat for 10 minutes.

After browning the crabs, remove from pan and set aside.

Put onions in pan and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and red pepper to pan and cook on low heat for 3 minutes. Add whole tomatoes to pan and cook on high heat for 4 minutes whole stirring with a wooden spoon. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato puree. Add the Crabs back to the pot. Cook for 90 minutes on low heat.

Remove the crabs from pan and let cool on the side. Remove all the meat from the crabs and discard the shells. Add crab-meat to sauce with your extra pound of lump crab-meat and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.

Cook pasta according to directions on package. Drain pasta and put back in the pot it cooked in with 8 tablespoons of reserved pasta cooking water. Sprinkle pasta with a little olive oil and mix. Add 2 cups of crab sauce and half the parsley to pasta and mix.

Plate the pasta with sauce on 4 plates in equal portions and top with some more sauce and some parsley.

Notes: Do not serve with cheese! Italians never have cheese with Seafood Pasta. This is enough sauce for 2 to 3 pound of pasta, or about 12 portions, so after you make this Pasta with Crab Sauce with 1 pound of pasta, you still have plenty left over for another day.

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MARYLAND BLUE CRABS

Caught on The JERSEY SHORE

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Finished Sauce

“Yummm” !!!

Pasta with Jersey Shore Crab Sauce

JERSEY CRAB SHORE SAUCE

and Other Great Recipes

SEGRETO ITALIANO

by Daniel Bellino Z

New York’s Best Pizza

TOTONNO’S PIZZERIA NAPOLITANO

Coney Island, BROOKLYN New York

THE GREATEST PIZZA in All of AMERICA

DiFARA PIZZA, Brooklyn New York

John’sPizzeria

GREENWICH VILLAGE New York

Celebrate Saint Josephs Day Feast

zzzzzStJOSEPH

St Joseph

aka

San Giuseppe

The March 19 is the Feast of St. Joseph , the day when, in Italy , we also celebrate all the dads and is the festival that opens the door to the Spring .
The festivities in honor of the Patriarch St. Joseph are widespread in many cities and towns of the Sicilia . the figure of St. Joseph , foster father of Jesus and husband of Maria , is deeply felt and venerated, also demonstrated by the many Sicilians who bear his name. in the memories of most Sicilians is the memory of the picture, the statue or printing of St. Joseph in her arms the Child Jesus , in plain sight in the homes of our grandparents . the Holy Patriarch is loved even today, as a symbol of ‘ honesty , of’ humility , of ‘ love and family , and sacred values absolutely be protected. in Trapani , in many municipalities belonging to the Diocese ofMazara del Vallo , as Campobello di Mazara , Castelvetrano , Santa Ninfa , Salemi , are set up altars to honor the patriarch St. Joseph . in almost all the countries of the Diocese is celebrated rite of the ” Dinner of the Saints “: the Saints knock on the door asking for hospitality; twice they are not accepted. The third opens wide the door and the Saints enter the house, where you will eat dinner. A Salemi you start with dinner on March 19th when we celebrate the religious rite of the ” Dinners San Giuseppe “, last a week, with exhibitions and exhibitions food and wine ; are set up altars decorated with lemons , twigs d ‘ laurel , orangesand the typical ” bread ” manufactured by local women into veritable works of art. The ” bread” in the shape of the symbols of Pentecost , like the fish , the three nails, scale, or make reference to nature; devotees who organize dinner must prepare a meal with 101 dishes , made from vegetables , grains , fish , fruit and sweets of every variety. After dinner there is the rite of the blessing of the ” bread ” which are then distributed to the children, who represent the Holy Family and the many visitors who came to attend the ” Eaten there for Saints .” In Sicily , each holiday has a flat or a traditional sweet and the list would be so vast to enumerate them all to risk of forgetting is always someone. At the Feast of St. Joseph , on the

Sfinci San Giuseppe

St Josephs Day Pastry

tables there was a menu special kind: according tradition imbandire you had a board with various kinds of foods, especially with the bread (symbol of fertility and prosperity) to give refreshment to pilgrims and fugitives; this custom recalls the escape of Mary, Joseph and Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod’s order to kill all the firstborn males. We start from the first course, as the famous pasta with sardines and wild fennel , or the virdi soup of San Giuseppi (legumes and vegetables with leftover pasta of various types) from Palermo, or even the ” ministredda of”Augusta (whose ingredients must be nineteen). the ” maccu “, known throughout the region but especially in the Syracuse area, composed of dried beans , lentils , spinach , onions ,dried chestnuts , oil and … more; He was present in every home and you had to send a sign of hope, family, friends, neighbors and even the poor of the neighborhood. And then the Beccaficu Sardines, broccoli and ” sparaceddi ” and many other dishes, not meat, because we are in the period of Lent . Finally the cake, with the preparation of Sfinci of St. Joseph . It is a fried sweet typical of Sicily , widespread especially in western areas of the island, originally produced in Palermo , is part of the cultural and traditional heritage of the region.

zzzzzzSfinci

SFINCI

The origins of sfincia are very old, seem to date back to the Persians, and there are traces both in the Bible and in the Qur’an , although under different names.
As for the ‘ origin of the name , there are several schools of thought: according to some, the name derives from the Latin ” spongia ” (sponge), while others derive from the Arabic ” isfanǧ ” (sponge), a name that was given to the special soft pancakes, irregularly shaped, and, precisely spongy, that Arabs ate covered honey or sugar .
the transformation of the Arab sweet fried sfincia we know is due to the Poor Clares of theMonastery of the Stigmata of St. Francis (the monastery was demolished in 1875, stood on the site where today we admire the Teatro Massimo ), who dedicated the sweet to the Holy of the Meek , St. Joseph .
later, the skill of confectioners Palermo turned the humble sweet delicacy in enriched withricotta cheese and candied fruit that, in recent times, you can enjoy all year round.

Saint Joseph’s Day Pasta

RECIPE in GRANDMA BELLINO’S ITALIAN COOKBOOK

RECIPES FROM MY SICILIAN GRANDMOTHER

by Daniel Bellino Z

GREAT SICILIAN HOME-COOKED RECIPES

FROM SCILIAN GRANDMOTHER GIUSEPPINA SALEMI BELLINO

SEE RECIPE for CUCCIDATI – SICILIAN FIG COOKIES

RECIPE at GREENWICH VILLAGE ITALIAN

CUCCIDATI

SICILIAN FIG COOKIES

For Christmas & Saint Josephs Day

or Any Day of the Year !

Neapolitan Ragu Sunday Sauce Gravy

“Vinnie don’t put to many Onions in The SAUCE”

Big Paulie (Paul Sorvino) warns Vinnie (Charlie Scorsese) in son Martin Scorsese & Nicholas Pileggi’s GOODFELLAS ...

GRAVY

aka SUNDAY SAUCE

Gravy? Some call it Sunday Sauce, or Sunday Gravy. Whether you cal it Gravy or Sunday Sauce, this dish eaten every Sunday by a million Italian families across America is the Supreme Dish of Italian-America .. The dish stems from the famed Neapolitan sauce known as Ragu Neapolitan in it’s native city Napoli (Naples) in Italy … This famous Neapolitan Ragu varies in it’s preparation from neighborhood to neighborhood in Napoli as well as family to family in this capital city of Campania as well as Sicily and all over the United States with Italian-American families in Brooklyn, New York, New Jersey, Boston, Providence RI, Baltimore, New Orleans, and all over the country.

Yes, in America, some families call it Gravy and others Sunday Sauce, Ragu Neapolitan or simply Ragu in Napoli. And in America some families eat the entire sauce with the meats on a plate with maccherroni (short Pasta) while others do as they do in Naples and eat some of the Sauce without the meat with maccheroni as one course and after the eat the pasta with sauce they’ll have the main course eating a little bit of each type of meat in the ragu along with some greens or boiled potatoes .. No matter how you like to eat the dish with the meats and pasta toghether or in two courses, this dish is always a tasty succulent treat that everyone loves .. Get some nice Italian Wine, put on some Sinatra, and all will be good in your world. Enjoy, be well and God Bless...

Sophia Loren

“Mangia la Pasta”

BRACIOLE

The meats inside any given Neapolitan Ragu or Sunday Gravy will vary depending upon who is making the sauce and their family’s recipe .. Many Italian-Americans make it with; Suasage, Meatballs, & Braciole, others may make it with just Meatballs & Sausages, and some will make it with Meatballs, Sausages, & Pork Spareribs .. You can also put in chicken thighs, Pig Skin Braciole (Coteca), beef or pork neck and other various meats.

Rigatoni e Ragu

zzzzzzMeatballs

Meatballs

“Always a Prized Item of the Italian-American Table”

GRANDMA BELLINO’S ITALIAN COOKBOOK

by Daniel Bellino Z

. zzzzzzzSophiaa

Sophia Loren making Neapolitan Ragu

aka Sunday Sauce

aka Gravy

Recipe in Daniel Bellino-Zwicke ‘s SUNDAY SAUCE

available in Paperback and Kindle on AMAZON.com

Ronzoni Pasta Company New York

Rigatoni No. 27

“Ronzoni Sono Buoni,”
if you are Italian and grew up in the New York area in the great
decades of the 1960’s and or 70s you know the slogan. We Italians do love our
pasta, we’re weened on it! Pasta is the main staple of our diet. Many are
fanatical about and love it so, they insist on having it several times a week.
I’m one. Pasta, can be covered in a wide variety of sauces, in some soups like; Pasta Fagoli (Pasta Fazool),
in Minestrone’s, with Pasta and Peas, and Pasta con Ceci (Chick Peas). Yes, we
are weened on it. Mommy gave me, my bothers and sister Pastina coated in a bit
of butter and Parmigiano when we were just toddlers and every so
often I have to pick up a box of Ronzoni Pastina, as I love and crave it still,
and of late as with many my age, you start craving things you loved as a child,
thus my stints with Pastina. “Ronzoni Sono Buoni,” it means, Ronzoni
is So Good, and that it is. This brand of Pasta, born in New York City at the
turn of the 20th Century has been a mainstay of not only
Italian-Americans of the East Coast but, for all. For years before the surge of
many a imported pasta product in the U.S., Ronzoni, was not the only game in
town for Macaroni, there was the Prince and Creamette, as well, but Ronzoni
dominated the market and though I don’t have stats, I would wage to say that 85
to 90 % of all commercial pasta sold in the New York, New Jersey, and
Philadelphia areas was Ronzoni, the pasta in the bright blue boxes, Ronzoni
Sono Buoni. God I wonder how many plates and bowls of Spaghetti, Ziti and other
Ronzoni pastas I ate over the years, starting with Pastina as
a toddler and moving to Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce or Meatballs,
Baked Ziti, Stuffed Shells and more. Oh “Stuffed Shells,” they bring back
memories of my mother who loved them. We had them often, along with Lasagna
made with Ronzoni Lasagana. You don’t see Stuffed Shells around that much any
more, they used to be on many a restaurant and even more home menus. There
popularity has waned, but every once and a while I’ll pick up a box of Ronzoni
large shells, just for the purpose of bringing back those memories of mom
making them and me loving them as a child. I’ll make a batch of
tomato sauce, cook the Ronzoni Shells, and stuff them with ricotta and
Parmigiano, bake them in tomato sauce, and “Voila” Stuffed Shells of
days gone by. I do the same with a Pastina as I still love the dish so, dressed
with butter and fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano, “makes me feel like a kid
again!” Yum, delicious little pleasure you can whip up in minutes and
bring back visions of your youth. All with some butter, Parmigiano and a box of
Ronzoni Pastina. That’s Ronzoni, every bit a part of my life and youth as
a spring ol Slinky, Etch-A-Sketch, The Three Stooges, Saturday Morning
Cartoons, and all the favorites of my youth, Ronzon Sono Buoni, “Ronzoni it’s
so good!”

SPAGHETTI

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Sunday Sauce

Italian Wine New York

ITALIAN WINE CULTURE NEW YORK

Marchese Lamberto Frescobaldi with Author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke and Marchese Leonardo Frescobaldi

NEW YORK

SASSICAIA Winemaker SEBASTIANO ROSA

with Friends Daniel Bellino-Zwicke and GIOVANNI FOLNARI of NOZZOLE

NEW YORK

Marchese Piero Antinori
with Writer
Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
in NEW YORK

Marchese Piero Antinor with New York Writer Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

Ferdinando Frescobaldi
and
Daniel Bellino Zwicke
in
NEW YORK

MARCHESE FERDINANDO FRESCOBALDI Meets With Friend DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE at BRUNELLO EVENT

NEW YORK

Daniel Bellino-Zwicke & Calvalieri Luigi Cappellini at DeGrezia Restorante NEW YORK

LUIGI CAPPELLINI (L) the Propritor of CASTELO VERRAZZANO in GREVE in CHIANTI

Meets with Friend and Wine Director of DeGrezia Restorante DANIEL BELLINO ZWIKCE

at DeGrezia in NEW YORK

Count Francesco Muroni Cinzano (R) Propietor of Col D’ORCIA

Meets with DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE

GREATEST ITALIAN WINE LIST in AMERICA

zzzzzBARBETT

BARBETTA

West 46th Street NEW YORK NY

The Wine List at Barbetta is without question thee single

Greatest Italian Wine List and Cellar in the United States .. Other restaurants

get more notoriety than Barbetta, but none can match the the breath and extent of Barbetta’s Cellar with multi year verticals of all the great Barolo & Barbaresco Crus, as well as Brunello, Super Tuscans, Amarone, Taurasi, and more …

zzzzBarbetta RENZO

RENZO RASPIACOLE

Wine Director BARBETTA

zzzzzBarbet

Hillary Clinton & Bill Clinton

at BARBETTA with owner Laura Maioglio

and husband Dr. Gunter Blobel (Nobel Prize Winner)

How to Make Limoncello

zzzzLinoncellooooo

Bottles of Homemade LIMONCELLO

zzzzzzzVincenzoManzoVillaMARIA

My PAL Vincenzo Manzo at His Lemon Farm VILLA MARIA

MINORI , ITALY

On The AMALFI COAST

RECIPE : AMALFI COAST LIMONCELLO

INGREDIENTS :

zest of 6 or 7 large organic lemons
1 litre or quart of pure grain alcohol or vodka
5 cups (1250 ml) water
3 cups (700 gr) sugar

Preparation :

Peel the zest from the lemons with a vegtable peeler and place them into a large glass jar. Try to avoid the bitter white pith of the lemon skin, under the yellow zest.

Add the alcohol to the jar with the lemon zest.

Cover the glass jar with plastic wrap and store it in a cool place for 7 days

On the sixth day: Boil the water and add the sugar to the boiling water. Stir the sugar until it is fully dissolved in the water. Set the sugar syrup aside to let it cool over night.

On the seventh day: Strain the lemons peels from the alcohol and discard the peels.

Pour the sugar syrup into the glass jar with the alcohol and stir well.

Serve chilled, from the refrigerator or freezer.

zzzzlemon