SUNDAY SAUCE

SUNDAY SAUCE by DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE is Set For November 25, 2013 Publication Date .. November 25, 2013 Publication Release Date by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

EXCERPT From SUNDAY SAUCE .. November 25, 2013 PUBLICATION by DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE

If you utter the term Sunday Sauce to any number of millions of Italian-Americans, they start salivating at the simple mention of its name. The wheels start turning in their heads, with thoughts of how tasty it is, with its various components; the Meatballs, Sausages, Braciole, maybe Pork Ribs, Beef Neck, or Pig Skin Braciole (Coteca), the Pasta, and the Gravy itself. They think about sitting at the table with friends and or family, people they love. They’ll ponder the Antipasti, wondering what it might be; Mixed Salumi, Baked Clams, Grilled Calamari? And with the meal, there will surely be Wine, Italian Wine, maybe a good Chianti or Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. With Uncle Frank and Uncle Tony, the wine was usually Carlo Rossi Paisano or Gallo Hearty Burgundy, two solid Italian-American winemakers.
When thinking of a Sunday Sauce, you’ll think about the warmth in the air, of loved ones, Sinatra, Dino, and the Sunday Sauce, “It’s a beautiful thing!” If you’ve never done it, “Try it!” If you haven’t cooked one for some time, plan a get-together with friends and family, soon. Sunday Sauce, It brings people together, in a most Delightful way, and as the Big Boys would say, “It’s a Beautiful Thing.”

PASTA NIGHT NEW YORK

Saturday Night is PASTA NIGHT for New York City Marathon 2016

SPAGHETTI MEATBALLS For MARATHON SATURDAY

New York’s Biggest Pasta Night of The Year is Here! Tomorrow, Sunday November 3 is Marathon Day in New York 2013 … There was “No New York City Marathon” Last Year a result of Hurricane Sandy .. After much discussion the New York Marathon 2012 was cancelled. A couple “No Good Bastard Brothers” Bombed The Boston Marathon this past April 15, killing 5 and injuring more than 280 .. This years New York Marathon will Salute the victims of The Boston Marathon Bombing and pay tribute to survivors and victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Enough of the sad News, tonight is Pasta Night in New York. It is a annual tradition for people running th marathon to have a nice Italian Pasta Dinner the night before the Marathon, on Saturday evening in order to “Carb Up” for energy to run the grueling 26 mile race. Yes the Pasta and Maccheroni wil be flowing at Italian Restaurants all over New York this evening. Little Italy on Mulberry Street will be all a-buzz with activiy, “Runners Eating Pasta.” Some of New York’s best Italian Restaurants with great plates of pasta are; Bar Pitti in Greewnich Village, Monte’s Trattoria Greenwich Village for those runners staying at Mid-Town Hotels, Elio’s on the Upper East Side, and Emilio Balato on East Houston Street .. Marathon Runners we “Salute” and wish “Bon Appetito” ! Mangi Bene! Mangia la Pasta!

LOOKING For GREAT PASTA RECIPES ???

GET SUNDAY SAUCE !!!

ITALIAN-AMERICA’S Best PASTA SAUCE recipes

AVAILABLE on AMAZON.com

RIGATONI “SATURDAY MARATHON PASTA NIGHT”

SUNDAY SAUCE “When Italian-Americans Eat” by Daniel Bellino Zwicke, Set For November 25, 2013 Release, Will Be Available on AMAZON.com See “La TAVOLA” For Great Italian-American Stories and Favorite Dishes (Recipes)

GREAT PASTA RECIPES “La TAVOLA” by Daniel Bellino Zwicke .. On AMAZON.com

SOPRANO’S At La TAVOLA

SOPRANO’S At La TAVOLA

The Sopranos

Frederico Casteluccio, Steven Van Zandt, James Gandolfini

Bumped into Federico today. Frederico Castelluccio that is. I know Federico for a few years. We are not fast friends or anything like that, aquaintances you could say, I know him from around town and when he first started coming to a restaurant I was Wine-Director of Barbetta. Federico first came to Barbetta with Tony Cipolla and the great Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini of Swept Away and other fame.

Anyway I bumped into Federico who was having lunch with a friend at Da Silvano Restaurant in my neighborhood. We chatted a few minutes and I gave him a copy of my book “La TAVOLA” Hope he likes it. Many might not know, but Federico is a World Renowned Painter. He paints in oils in the classic style, and he is a great painter. Federico was born in Naples, Italy and grew up in Paterson, New Jersey were his parents immigrant to when Federico was just 4 years old in 1964. Federico was a talented young artist and was awarded a full scholarship to The School of Visual Arts. Federico started acting in 1986 and is best know for his role as Furio in HBO’s The SOPRANOS. Federico has many other acting credits. He’s an all around talented guy and a Prince of a Person. We look forward to all of Federico’s artist endeavors in painting, acting, and other. Bravo Federico!

Federico Castelluccio In HIS STUDIO

: Painting by Federico Castelluccio

La TAVOLA

“La TAVOLA” Is Available on Amazon.com along with Other Titles by Daniel Bellino Zwicke, Including THE FEST of THE 7 FISH and GOT ANY KAHLUA? The COLLECTED RECIPES of The DUDE …. ABIDE ! Watch for Daniel’s “SUNDAY SAUCE” Due For NOVEMBER 2013 PUBLICATION ….

Get SUNDAY SAUCE on Amazon.com

SUNDAY SAUCE

alla CLEMENZA

alla PRIGIONE GOODFELLAS RECIPE

alla BELLINO alla SINATRA

RECIPES

Amazon.com

DANNY BOLOGNESE Meets With ANGELO GAJA

The “GREAT” ANGELO GAJA And DANNY BOLOGNESE CHATTED at WS GRAND TASTING NEW YORK … Angelo POURED Danny a GLASS of HIS GAJA BARBARESCO 2009 … ANGELO’S DAUGHTER GAIA GAJA Tasted DANNY on THE GAJA COSTE RUSSI 2009, BAROLO DAGROMIS and GJA BRUNELLO

SASSICAIA WINEMAKER “SEBAStIANO ROSA” TOAST A GLASS of SASSICAIA Then BARAU With Author “La TAVOLA, SUNDAY SAUCE) DANIEL BELLINO-ZWICKE at WINE SPECTATOR NEW YORK WINE EXPERIENCE GRAND TASTING at MARRIOTT MARQUIS, NEW YORK, NY .. October 25, 2013

GAIA GAJA at TERLATAO GAJA TASTING NEW YORK “Yes ANGELO’S DAUGHTER”

GAIA GAJA Is Almost LIKE SHRIMP SCAMPI or “SHRIMP SHRIMP”

ITALIAN WINE GUY / WRITER DANIEL BELLINO-ZWICKE With Two of HIS IDLES MARCHESE LAMBERTO FRESCOBALDI And His UNCLE “MARCHESE LEONARDO FRESCOBALDI” DANIEL SANDWICHED IN-BETWEEN The TWO MARCHESE’S

Sebastiano Rosa, Daniel Bellino, Giovanni Folnari

WINE-DIRECTOR DANIEL BELLINO-ZWICKE With CAVALIER LUIGI CAPPELLINI of CASTELLO VERRAZZANO (Owner) at DeGrezia Restorante NEW YORK …. CHIANTI !!!

It has Been a Busy 2 Weeks .. Met with and tasted Wine with Some of Italy and The WORLD’S Top Wine People, Estate Owners and Winemakers alike .. Winemakers like the Great SEBASTIANO ROSA Winemaker of SASSICAIA and His Sardegnian Property Producing “BARRUA” … Other Great Winmakers included the Talented ALESSANDRO CELLAI, Winemaker at CASTELLARE Which Produces wonderful CHIANTI, Lush VIN SANTO, and The Famed Flagship Wine of The Estate of which Alessnadro tasted me on at DeGrezia Restorante “I SODI SAN NICCOLO” 2008 “LOVE IT !!” To start off the 2 weeks of Heavy Hitting Italians and Other WINE LUMINARIES, my good Friend CAVALIER LUIGI CAPPELLINI came to See Me at Degrezia, hueling his llatest Vintages from his renowned Wine Estate CASTELLO VERRAZZANO in GREVE in CHIANTI CLASSICO .. LUIGI Had Me Taste His CHIANTI CLASSICO, VERRAZZNAO ROSSO “MiniTuscan” VINO SANTO and HIS Fabulous CHINATI RISERVA “SASSELLO” a Marvel of a Wine, “Just Love It” !!!

This Past MONDAY I Had Dinner with CINZIA TRAVAGLINI of The Famed Travaglini ESTATED and WORLD FAMOUS GATTINARA WINES … We Had a Great Meal, Joined By GUGINO CHEF LUIGI … Graet Food and Great Wines; Nebbiolo and The World’s Best GATTINARA From CINZIA’S FAMILY’S ESTATE .. The Dinner / tasting was Amazing …

Then I had ALESSANDRO CELLAI of CASTELLARE Visit me Friday Afternoon to Tatse Me on CASTELLARE CHINATI and The FLAGSHIP CASTELLARE Wine “I SODI SAN NICCOLO” Vintage 2008, a Truly Amazing Wine .. Can’t Wait to Put it on Our List .. “Next Week” Later That Night it was On to One Of New York’s and America’s Most Prestigious Wine Night of The Year, akin to THE ACADEMY AWARDS or Shall I Say “The SUPER BOWL of WINE” The Wine Spectator Grande Tatsting “New York Wine Experience” at The Marriott Marquis in Time Square, NEW YORK, NY

More to report on Later … To MUCH STUFF RIGHT NOW “Daniel”

TRAVAGLINI GATTINARA DINNER TASTING NEW YORK

TASTY PIZZA And GREAT GATTINARA

DINNER PRIVATE WINE TATSING With CINZIA TRAVAGLINI at GUGINO

We drank, we ate, whe talked we enjoyed .. A private tasting dinner with Cinzia Travaglini. Actually I thought there were going to be more people. Basically it was just me and Cinzia Travaglini tasting me on Travaglini’s current vintages of fine wines. We were joined by ANtonio from Palm Bay, Travaglini’s Importer, and then when we were finished eating, Chef Luigi joined our table as well. Cinzia started us out with her Nebbiolo Coste Della Sesia .. Travaglini is the unquestionable King of Gattinara, a small zone in northern Peidmonte .. The zone is only about 200 acres of which Travaglini comprises have of the entire zone. Gattinara is made mostly of Nebbiolo at 90 to 100% .. Gattinara may have up to 10% of Bonarda and Vespolina grapes, but all of the Travaglini Gattinara wines are made of 100% Nebbiolo … Travaglini are Kings of Nebbiolo of which about 97% of their entire vineyards are planted to the grape, along with a very small amount of Uva Rara, Bonarda, and Vespolina .. Yes they are masters of Nebbiolo of which they have been growing since the 1920’s …

So Nenniolo and Gattinara are the thing of Travaglini .. They are the biggest as well as the most famous Gattinara with their signature Trademarked Gattinara Bottle .. OK, so we started out with the Nebbiolo Coste della Sesia which blew my mind. I absolutely loved the wine. It was in perfect balance, full of flavor, yet light in weight, the perfect combination in an Italian Wine which are among the most food friendly wines in the world. And that’s what we were doing, food and wine, and yes friendliness too. This wine Coste della Sesia was an absolute marvel of a wine, that is very reasonably price and half to a third the price of the Travaglini Gattinara’s which are at their price points quite reasonable for wines of the highest of quality. This is thought of as an entry level wine, but it is anything but. Yes I loved this wine that was perfectly in balance in flavor, tannic and acidic elements along with the correct weight and wonderful flavor of ripe berry fruits with a nice twinge of licorice, just lovely. Cinzia poured me just a little, but it was so good I had to ask for a little more, and then more a thrid and forth time. That’s when you know a wine is good.

After the lovely Nebbiolo we moved on to the Gattinara’s, thee wine of Travaglini .. We ordered some grilled Clamari and a Pizza Margherita and Chef Luigi sent us some special bread and a platter of Salumi. We all flipped for the Pizza which we all thought was the equal of the finest Pizza from Napoli “The Pizza Capital of The World.” Well after all Chef Luigi is from Positano in the area near Naples on the gorgeous Amalfi Coast. We drank the Gattinara 2007 which as well as the Nebbiolo before was absolutely wonderful and a wine in perfect balance. Just delisous. It was then on to the Gattinara Riserva 2006, another winner, and then a very special and rare wine.

The special rare wine in question was il Sogno, which was a special project created by Cinzia’s father Giancarlo Travaglini in 2004 … Giancarlo wanted to make a dry table wine using the appassimento method of drying grapes before the fermentation process as with the famed wines of Amarone and the lesser known Sforvato of Lombardia. Giancarlo picked some of his best Nebbiolo Grapes and set them out to dry on matts. Unfortunately Giancarlo passed away in November of 20024 when the grapes had only been drying for 1 month. Cinzia and her winemaker husband continued the project. They finished drying thr Nebbiolo grapes, fermented them and made the wine that tey called il Sogno “The Dream.”

So Cinzia poured me a glass of il Sogno, and again my mind was blown. The wine an absolute gem had all sorts of wonderful flavors running through my mouth. It was delisious, it had power, but not too much as some big AMarone sometimes do. The wine was a delight and I’m looking forward to putting it on my own list.

We also drank the Gattinara “Tre Vigna,” The Three Vineyards .. The fruit for Tre Vigna comes from 3 very special small vineyards on the Travaglini Estate. These 3 different vineyards have different geographical vineyards on the estate and bring different characteristics to the wine to make up one complete and wonderful structure of a wine,

Travaglini Gattinara “Tre Vigne”

So we drank the fine wines from Cinzia Travaglini, we had perfect Pizza, Antipasti, followed by some wonderful Tagiatelle con Tartufo and Brasato di Manzo (Braised Beef), and finished up with some tasty desserts. It was a fine night and a dinner that along with the many wonderful private luncheons and dinners I have had over the years with some of Italy’s most prestigious winemakers, like Cinzia, I remeber them all, and I will always remember this one, absolutely Wonderful!

Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

The GREAT LINEUP Of TRAVAGLINI WINES “The KINGS of GATTINARA”

La TAVOLA is Available in Paperback on AMAZON.com

Marcella Hazan Recipe Ragu Bolognese

The ESSENTIALS of CLASSIC ITALIAN COOKING

by MARCELLA HAZAN is Considered by Many To Be The BIBLE of ITALIAN COOKING

RAGU BOLOGNESE

Bolognese Meat Sauce

for about 6 servings

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons butter plus 1 tablespoon for tossing with the pasta
1/2 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped celery
2/3 cup chopped carrot
3/4 pound ground beef chuck, not too lean
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 cup whole milk [or 2 %]
Whole nutmeg for grating
1 cup dry white or red wine
1 1/2 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds pasta
Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano at the table

Put the oil, butter, and chopped onion in a heavy-bottomed pot and turn the heat to medium. Cook and stir until the onion is translucent. Add the celery and carrot and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring to coat the vegetables with fat.

Add the meat, a large pinch of salt, and some freshly ground pepper. Break the meat up with a fork, stir well, and cook until the meat has lost its raw color.

Add milk and let simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has bubbled away completely. Add a tiny grating, about 1/8 teaspoon, fresh nutmeg and stir.

Add the wine and let it simmer away. When the wine has evaporated, stir in the tomatoes. When they begin to bubble, turn the heat down so that the sauce cooks at the laziest of simmers, with just an intermittent bubble breaking through to the surface. Cook, uncovered, for 3 hours, stirring from time to time. If the sauce begins to dry out, add 1/2 cup of water whenever necessary to keep it from sticking. At the end, there should be no water left, and the fat must separate from the sauce. Taste for salt.

Toss with cooked, drained pasta and the remaining tablespoon of butter. Serve freshly grated cheese at the table.

THIS RECIPE For BOLOGNESE MEAT SAUCE Is From MARCELLA HAZAN’S ESSENTIALS of CLASSIC ITALIAN COOKING Which is Considered by Many to be The BIBLE of ITALIAN COOKING, and Marcell Hazan The Julia Child of Italian Cooking .. Vey True! And this recipe for Ragu Bolognese is probably of all the great recipes published by Hazan, Ragu Bolognese the # 1 Most Popular and Loved of all …

We losted Marcella this year, the great doen of Italian Cooking passed away at age 89. Her Memeory live on in her books and her recipes like this Ragu Bolognese and every time some cooks and serves it. Bravo Marcella and R.I.P. ….

The Journal of Italian Food Wine & Travel Says That Daniel Bellino-Zwicke’s BOLOGNESE SAUCE RECIPE Is THE BEST in AMERICA “We Agree”

ESPRESSO “Italian Style”

Perfectly pulled Espresso con Crema Perfecto

BEST ITALIAN In GREENWICH VILLAGE? NOT BABBO NOT CARBONE

NOT

IT’S BAR PITTI

Yes, the best Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village is “Not” CARBONE, “Not” Babbo, and certainly not one of New York’s most “Overrated Restaurants of all, the gossly overrated Il Mulino, which is over-priced, good, but no where near to the high exaltation that those who know little of what makes a great Italian Restaurant give to it.

Greenwich Village without question is tops in New York when it comes to having a string of New York’s best of the best Italian Restaurants. There’s Babbo, the Uber Hot “Restaurant of the Moment,” CARBONE. There is Lupa, which for me and quite a number of others The Batali Bastianich’s best restaurant in New York, not Babbo, no Del Posto. Yes, we will get to Greenwich Village’s Best Italian Resataurant in a string of not only the Village, but all New York. The Best is without question Bar Pitti on 6th Avenue near Bleecker Street and smack dab right next to arch enemy # 1 Da Silvano, a restaruant the gave birth to Bar Pitti but a few years ago had a “Nasty Nasty” highly publicized break-up between former 50 /50 Partners Silvano Marchetto the creator and still owner of Da Silvan which for a number of years rained supremme as New York’s # 1 Hottest Celebrity Restaurant of all (I myself was Maitre’d there during 3 of those years). Anyway Bar Pitti for those in-the-know and those who “Know” what they are talking about, and not some Food Critic that knows just a tiny fraction of what many eithers more cable know. Really seriously under quilified people who are put into place as critics by such, supposedly reputable publications as The New York Time and New York Magazine. It’s a sin.

So yes, Bar Pitti is tops. The food is amazing. And most important, it’s consistenly amazing. The food is always the same. Same being is that dishes like Coda d’Vaccinara (Braised Oxtails) Veal Milanese, Paparadell con Sugo di Cinghiale (Wild Boar Ragu) are authenticall and perfectlly cooked and done so each and every time they are done. If you get one of these dishes or any other on the menu or one of the daily specials, it will be the same if you get it today and then 3 weeks or 3 months down the road. The cooks in that kitcehn are conssitent, consistently good, and near flawless. The food is great, the ambaince and decor quite nice and fitting to what a Italian restaurant should be and that people expect, and not over contrived over-done like some joints such as SD 26 or Georgio Armani’s new restaurant Armani Restorante, both over-done, not warm and in the spirit of a truely great Italian Restaurant and one such as Bar Pitti. Yes, wonderful decor, great food, consisitency, good service, and a super great vibe created by the clientele that frequent the spot, many of whome are in publsihing, movies, advertising, and other high profile positions.

You can talk all you want about Babbo, which is good. I have had had numerous meals there. The experience is quite nice, with a wonderful warm ambiance, excellent servic and an area that they could teach Bar Pitti a thing-or-two. They have a great wine list, although not the best Italian List in the city as those who again don’t realy know have calaimed to it. That honor goes to Barbetta on West 46th Street which is so off-the-wall great, it makes Babbo’s fine wine-list look like childs play. If you don’t beleive me, check it out. The food at Babbo is very good, but I’ve got to tell you “not always.” I’ve had a few disappointing dished there, which were barely good and far from tasty. In the 21 years I’ve been eating at Bar Pitti I’ve never had such a dish that I’ve been disappointed with the way I have a couple times at Babbo, and I never remember being blown away with any dish the way I have been blown away by Bar Pitti’s Bolito di Manzo, Braised Oxtails, Tagiatelle with Black Summer Truffles or Trippa al Parmigiano, all Awesome. Hey, it may sound like I’m knocking Babbo. I’m not. It’s just that when so many think that one place is the best, and it really isn’t and it has more praise than it deserves and has been highly exalted by people like Frank Bruni and The New York Times and other prominent entities that irrisponsibly “miss-lead” the general public that doesn’t know any better. The general public is counting on entities like the New York Times to report factually. By buying a newspaper or magazine the are paying for good information and when publications like The NY Times, Time Out and othe publications put grossly under-qualified people in position as Food Critics when they know very little, and there are hundreds who know a thousand times fold more than a NY Times Food Critic, it’s is just plain wrong.

So, yes Babbo is dam good, though higher exalted then it really deserves, it’s not as far off the mark as one horrible restaurant around the block from it. A restaurant that is so Highly Over-Rated it’s sinful. This restaurant is IL Mulino, a restaurant that has good food, not great that is way over-priced expensive, the decor is dark and horrible, and the service annoyingly mechanical. The place is a Huge Dissapointement to those who actually know what constitutes a great restaurant, and more specifically a great Italian restaurant, one such as Bar Pitti … Basta !

DBZ

by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

ITALIAN SECRET SANDWICHES

Italian-Americans love their sandwiches. They’ve got some famous ones that many non-Italians in America know of as well. Of course everyone knows about Italian Submarine Sandwiches like the most typical of Salami, Ham, and Provolone with Lettuce, Onion, and Tomato dressed with Oil & Vinegar with Salt, Pepper and Oregano. Most everyone knows about Meatball Parm Sandwiches and Sausage & Peppers. Those in New orleans and those who have visited the famed Central Grocery know of New Orleans Famous Sicilian-American Muffuletta Sandwich and those in Chicago have Italian Beef (Sandwiches), and Philly Famed Cheese-Steaks, “Yes They Are Italian.” Italian-Americans have many great sandwiches that aren’t quite as well know. And we like it that way. Hey we have to keep some things to ourselves. For example I have a famous Sandwich that my Aunt Helen taught me, and all my friends go nuts for it, “Aunt Helen’s Panini al Ovo.” The sandwich amazing! Made of spinach sauteed with olive oil and butter, with grated Parmigiano Reggiano and served on nice toasted Italian Bread, my friends go nuts for it. Sausage Pepper & Eggs or Sausage & Potato are a couple other Secret Sandwiches.

As I said my Aunt Helen’s Panini al Ovo is famous, but famous just within a small group of a few who are Lucky to know of this rare Gem. Another one, is one I created by accident one day. When I owned my restaurant Bar Cichetti on Houston Street in New York’s Greenwich Village I created this tasty sandwich by accident one day. Before we started our lunch service one day, I had made a little plate of food for myself for lunch. The plate consisted of two Fried Eggs and 3 slices of Prosciutto di Parm with a couple slices of bread on the side. It made for a nice little lunch. One of my regular customers came in and saw me eating it and asked what it was, I told him, “Just a couple Fried Eggs with Prosciutto.” He said, “Hhumm.” A few minutes later one of my waitresses came in and said the guy wanted some Prosciutto with Fried Eggs. I made it and sent it out. She cam back and said the guy wanted some Garlic Bread. I made him some Tuscan Garlic Bread of toasted Italian Bread rubbed with garlic and drizzled with Olive Oil. The guy loved it. A couple days later, for my own lunch I decided to make the Fried Eggs with Prosciutto and put it on a toasted hero-roll as a sandwich. Voila a new sandwich was created.

So there you go, you’ve got the famous well-known Italian-Sandwiches, you’ve got lesser known regional ones like Italian-Beef of Chicago and the Muffuletta of New Orleans. Then you’ve got Secret Sandwiches like my “Aunt Hellen’s Panini al Ovo” and my own “Ovo Frittti con Prosciutto,” what’s better than that?

SUNDAY SAUCE

Sunday Sauce is excerpted from Daniel Bellino-Zwicke’s upcoming book “Sunday Sauce” Due for Release Novoember 2013 …

When a meal centered around a Sunday Sauce is announced, one can have visions of Blissful Ecstasy at thoughts of eating Pasta laden with Italian Sausages, Savory Meatballs, Beef Braciola, and succulent Pork Ribs. All this has been slowly simmered to culinary perfection. Yes just the thoughts can enrapture one into a Delightful Frenzy of the Most Blissful Feelings of smelling, seeing, and consuming all the ingredients, the Sausages, Meatballs and Gravy. Yes a Sunday Sauce can and does have such effects on one’s mind, body, and soul. And, I do not want to sound prejudice, but this is pure fact, it is the Male of the Italian-American species who Love The Sunday Sauce in all its form, far more than the female sex. True! Meatballs too! And Italian-American men and boys Love and hold oh-so-dare, their Meatballs, Sunday Sauce, Sausage & Peppers, and Meatball Parm Sandwiches.

The Sunday Sauce that my mother would make was with Meatballs and Beef Braciole. My memories are vivid watching my mother stuffing the Braciole with garlic, parsley, Pecorino Romano, and Pignoli Nuts, then tying the bundles with butchers cord to hold the Braciole together as they slowly simmered in the Gravy. Another fond memory was helping my mother roll and shape the Meatballs.