Sicilian Eggs in Purgatory

   


 Eggs in Purgatory is a tasty Italian Egg dish that's quick and easy to make. you can make it either spicy or mild. It is usualy made spicy but the option is up to you. Serve with some good Italian Bread for a nice light lunch, breakfast or in-between meal snack.     

 RECIPE : 6 large Eggs 1 1/2 cups tomatoe sauce 6 tablespoons Olive Oil 1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano 3 tablespoons chopped Fresh Parsley 


 Place tomato sauce in a large oven proof pan and heat. Turn oven on to 400 degrees. Fry eggs two or three at a time in the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan for 1 /12 minutes on hih heat. Remove eggs from pan and add to pan with tomato sauce. Once all the eggs have fried in the pan and added to pan with tomato suace, sprinkle with half the cheese and put in oven for 3 minutes. Remove pan from oven and serve two eggs to eacch person. Sprinkle on remaining cheese over eggs. Sprinkle parsley over eacch plate and serve with good Itlian Bread.

BASTA !!   ..   .

Pasta with Cucuzza - GAGOOTZ

 Growing Cucuzza in your backyard .. An Italian-American time-honoted Traditon ..



  PASTA con CUCUZZA    


Pasta & Gagootz !!!   Pasta & Gagootz is a long time favorite with the Bellino Family. Cucuzza, a.k.a. Gagootz is oh so Sicilian, and third only to Eggplant (Melanzane) and Artichokes, as the most popular and loved vegetable of all. Well yes there’s tomatoes and we love cauliflower quite a bit too, but Gagootz? Yes Cucuzza is the big Italian Squash eaten mainly by Italian-Americans, and mostly those of Sicilian and Neapolitan origins.  Even in the Italian-American community, still not many  know of this amazing Baseball Bat sized vegetable that most Sicilians do. So yes Cucuzza is ours, we Sicilians and other Southern Italian peoples, but not everyone you see. Hey, we love to share, but once in a while we like to keep a few things to ourselves. Doesn’t everyone? My mom used to make this often, along with Zuppa di Cucuzza from her mothers traditional recipes from Lercara Friddi. The recipe is oh so Sicilian, tasty and whimsical too. If you make it, you and your guest are sure to love it, as we Bellino’s have for more than 100 years now. Mangia Bene!    



RECIPE : PASTA GAGOOTZ

1 large Cucuzza (Italian Squash) 

1 medium Onion, peeled and chopped 

¼ cup Olive Oil 

1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes 

4 cloves Garlic, peeled and sliced 

1 – 28 ounce can "Best Quality" imported ITALIAN Tomato Passata

1 pound Green Beans, cleaned and cut in half 

¼ cup fresh Basil leaves torn in half 

1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano Cheese

Peel the Cucuzza with a vegetable peeler and scoop out an large seeds if there are any and discard.

Cut the Cucuzza (Gagootz) into 1 ½” pieces. 

Place Cuccuzza and olive oil in a 6-quart pot and cook on low heat for 5 minutes. 

Add onion and cook for 4 minutes more. Add garlic and cook on low flame for 2 minutes. 

Add red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute while stirring. 

Add tomatoes and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. 

While the sauce is simmering cook the green beans in a large pot of boiling salted water for 3 minutes. 

Drain the beans in a colander and put in the pot of sauce after it has been simmering for 12 minutes. 

Continue cooking for a total cooking time of 40-45 minutes for the sauce. Add basil and cook two minutes. Cook pasta according to directions on package. 

When finished cooking, drain the pasta in a colander, reserving about 7 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water. 

Put the pasta back in the pot it cooked in. Drizzle on a little olive oil and mix. 

Add 1/3 of the sauce to the pot with the pasta and mix. Divide the pasta among four plates. 

Top each plate of pasta with a little more of the sauce. 

Give a plate to each guest, pass the grated cheese and enjoy.

 

Pasta Gagootz ... 

Excerpted form GRANDMA BELLINO'S ITALIAN COOKBOOK by Danie Bellino Z

NONNA BELLINO'S COOKBOOK

RECIPES From MY SICILIAN NONNA

AMAZON.com

   

  

PASTA GAGOOTZ

This and other Great Sicilian Recipe

in GRANDMA BELLIO's ITALIAN COOKBOOK

by Daniel Bellino Z

Stewed CUCUZZA

a.k.a. GAGOOTZ

SEGRETO ITALIANO

SECRET ITALIAN RECIPES

PASTA CUCUZZA & SOUP

GINO'S PASTA SEGRETA "SECRET SAUCE"

LASAGNA - MARINARA

And Much More ...

 Click Here >>> AMAZON.com

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La Tavola New York Italian

  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.


 Read About  : Caffe Dante, John's Pizzeria Napoletan, Caffe Reggio, Facicco's, and more. La Tavola is Greenwich Village NEW YORK ITALIAN  ... Get IT !!!

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Great Restorante Pizzeria in Napoli .... Da Marino

 

Da MARINO

INSALATA FRUTTA di MARE

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WORLD'S BEST SPAGHETTI VONGOLE

PIZZA con SOPRESSETA

THIS PIZZA Was AWESOME !!! As Good as Any in NAPOLI ..

Da Marino is a wonderful Restorante Pizzeria that serves Awesome Neapolitan Food and Great Pizza as well ... It's not as famous as Pizzeria Da Michele where Julia Roberts ate Pizza in  "Eat Pray Love"

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At Da Marino with My PIZZA

I stumbled upon Da Marino one day when I was walking around Napoli looking for a good place to eat  .. I popped my head into Da Marino to see how it looked .. The place looked promising so I decide to give it a go (good move). The hostess / cashier greetedd me and told me to take a seat anywhere I liked .. I picked out a good table against the wall by the Jersey of Diego Marradonna and other players of Team Napoli Futbol Team .. A waiter came and brought me a menu. I looked over the menu of many great Neapolitan Classics and settled on he Insalata Frutta di Mare (Sefood Salad) and Spaghetti Vongole (Spaghetti with Clam Sauce). I also ordered a small carafe of Falhangina (local White Wine).

The waiter brought me me wine and I was a happy camper. I took a sip and it was absolutely marvelous, and would make a great complement to myseafood meal to come. I sat and relaxed, sipping the Falhangina and watched the the large  family Neapolitan family across from me enoying the fine Sunday Meal. The waiters kept bring them platters of food, one after the other, and I must admit I was getting a bit jealous that I wasn't a part of their great feast. They seemedto be having such a wonderful time and I just sat there sipping my wine and enjoying seeing this large Italian family having such a good time.

The waiter brought me my Frutta di Mare, and it looked absoutely spectacular. The salad was filled with Octopus (Pulpo) Calamarri, Mussels (Cozze), Shrimp, and Clams and it looked just perfect. And yes I was write from the looks of it, this Insalta Frutta di Mare was absolute perfection. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I finished the Frutta di Mare, the my waiter brought me a plate of Spaghetti Vongole, the likes I had seen not too many times. This Vongole was like the Frutta di Mare that proceeded it "Absolute Perfection" all the clams perfecty cooked with a little Pepperoncino, Garlic, Olive Oil, parsley, and a few Cherry Tomatoes from the local soils of Mt Vesuvius. Now this was Heaven, I was in a wonderful little restorante in Naploli near The Bay of Naples eating a delicious plate of Spaghetti Vongole while drinking some tasty Falhangina.

Well I finished and made my way tho the bathroom. As I was heading there, I approached the Pizza oven and Pizzaiolo making Pizza. Dam those Pizzas looked good! I came out of the WC and was chatting with the Pizzaiolo.. We had a nice little chat and the Pizza looked so good that I couldn't resist. I wasn't planning on Pizza, and my Antipasto and Pasta were just perfect. But the Pizza looked so good, I just hadd to get one. I ordered a pizza with Sopressata. And yes, it was fantastic, and I was still in 7th Heaven in Da Marino Restroant / Pizzeria (Npales, Italy)

June 2015

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WORLDS BEST PIZZA

PIZZA at Da MICHELE PIZZERIA  ... NAPOLI

PIZZERIA Da MICHELE 

Julia Roberts at Da Michele Pizzeria

Filming EAT PRAY LOVE

My PIZZA FUNGHI at Da GAETANO .. NAPOLI

Pizzeria Da Gaetano  ... Napoli

"ONE of M FAVORITES"

Pizzeria Da Gaetano is nt as well known as some more famous Pizzerias in Napoli, such as; Da Michle, Gino Sorbillo, Da Mateo, Antica Pizzeria Presidente and others, but it is every bit as good as any of the more famous joints. Try it if you get a chance and I'm sure you'll agree. Basta!

Da Mateo

NAPOLI

NEAPOLITAN BEAUTY

SOPHIA LOREN

POSITANO The AMALFI COAST

TRAVEL GUIDE - COOKBOOK

AMAZON.com

NEW YORK MAKES GREAT PIZZA TOO !!!

"SOME of THE WORLD'S BEST"

As a Matter of Fact

The PIZZA MAESTRO Numero Uno .. DOM DeMARCO

DiFara Pizza, Brooklyn New York

JOHN'S PIZZERIA  .. Greenwich Village, New York

TOTONNO'S .. Coney Island

BROOKLY, NEW YORK

SUNDAY SAUCE

alla CLEMENZA

LEARN HOW to MAKE IT

and MANGIA BENE Sempre !!!!

AMAZON.com

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Aunt Fran 's Pasta & Peas

  AUNT FRAN’S PASTA & PEAS


  This is a nice simple little pasta dish that can be whipped up in no time flat, which my Aunt Fran often did if we stopped by for a visit at her and Uncle Tony’s house. The dish is sort of half a pasta dish and half soup, or it can be either a soup or pasta dish depending on how much liquid you use. More liquid and it’s a soup, less liquid and it’s a Pasta Dish with the peas and other vegetables and pancetta acting as a sauce. This is classic Cucina Povera, the kind of dish that Aunt Fran, my mom, aunts, and uncles grew up with. It’s a dish that is not well known outside of Italian-American households, so if you want in on a great little secret, here you go. Make it, Pasta or Soup, or both, “Mangia Bene.”


  INGREDIENTS :

  ¼ cup Olive Oil
  8 ounces Pancetta diced
2 medium Onions, peeled and diced fine
Carrot, Peeled and diced fine
Peel and minced 4 cloves Garlic
1 large Potato cut to ¼” dice
  3 cups water
  1 Bay Leaf
  ½ teaspoon each of Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
  2 – 10 ounce boxes of frozen Peas
  12 ounce Ditalini
  1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano


  Place Pancetta and half the olive oil in a 6-quart pan and cook Pancetta on low heat for 6 minutes. Add onions and cook on low heat for 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook on low heat for 2 minutes. Add Potato, Carrot, water, half the remaining olive oil, Salt, Black Pepper, and Bay Leaf to the pot and raise heat to high. Bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes on high heat. Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to directions on package. Put Peas in pot and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Take 1 cup of pasta cooking water and add to the pot peas. Drain pasta in a colander, then add to pot with peas. Add half the remaining cheese and cook the past and peas on medium heat for 6 minutes. Serve each person a bowl of Pasta & Peas and pass grated pecorino and Olive Oil to drizzle over pasta.




  Excerpted from Daniel Bellino-Zwicke 's forthcoming book Mangia Italiano



  See Daniel's other Best Selling Cookbooks ...

MANGIA ITALIANO

SUNDAY SAUCE

GRANDMA BELLINO'S ITALIAN COOKBOOK

               

RECIPES FROM MY SICILAIN NONNA


by DANIEL BELLINO "Z"

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      . .    

Martorano on Meatballs Gravy & Sunday Sauce Jimmy Kimmel

The KING of MEATBALLS

And

 

SUNDAY GRAVY  Too !!!

 

 

 

MAKING GRAVY with JIMMY KIMMEL

 

STEVE SHOWS JIMMY

HOW to MAKE GRAVY

 

 

GUILLERMO JIMMY & STEVE

 

"MANGIA la GRAVY"

 

 

 

 

"IT Ain't SAUCE" !!!

 

IT'S GRAVY" !!!!

STEVE MARTORANO

 

 

 

SUNDAY SAUCE

 

by Daniel Bellino Z

 

 

 

 

 

DANIEL BELLINO MAKING SAUCE

Or IS IT GRAVY !!!!

I saw Steve Martorano on Jimmy Kimmel last night. Steve is great. He's the King of Meatballs, and quite possibly GRAVY. Italian Sunday Gravy that is! Or is it Sunday Sauce ... Steve empahtically says it's GRAVY, "IT AIN'T SAUCE" !!! And Steve is adoment about this ... Steve says, "If it has Meat it's Gravy, and if it doesn't as in the case with Tomato Sauce then it's SAUCE ... Basta!

Yes Steve is right about this, but that doesn't mean others are wrong. And Steve has stated that without a doubt in Brookly, New York and South Philadelphia where Steve is from, they all call it Gravy ... But there's always a debate. Some simply call a Italian sauce made with Italian Pork Sausages, Meatballs, Braciole, Spare Ribs, and other meat items (even chicken), that if its tomatoes braised with meat, it's GRAVY and not Sauce, aka Sunday Gravy .. But there are some who call this Sauce, or Sunday Sauce ... Well, different people call it different things, and really there is no one right or wrong answer. I myself and all my family members in Jersey, we all called it Gravy, as do most in the New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia areas do.

So why do I call my book Sunday Sauce you ask? Well because it can be. It can be called Sunday Sauce, and as a book title it just sounds better. And for those who don't know, there is a whole science and method to naming, producing, selling, and marketing a book, thus for my book, the name Sunday Sauce ... 

And hey, I'm not going to get into a beef with Steve, the guy is awesome and one of the greatest ambassadors of all to what I consider a trully Great and Ligitimate Cusisine of Italian America, that being Italian-American Food (Cusisine).

Anyway, back to the Jimmy Kimmel Show, Steve and the Sunday Gravy ... Steve showed Jimmy how to make it, with a bit of fun and funny ribbing by Steve of Jimmy ... The Gravy was made, and Steve sat down with Guillermo and Jimmy and ate it.

Well Gravy? We have al sorts of Pasta, Zuppa, Pizza, Meatball Parms, Veal & Chicken Parm, Sausage & Peppers and lots more, but there's one Italian-American dish that rains Supreme above all other, and that's our beloved Sunday Sauce on Sunday, or as Steve would say, 

"I Ain't Sauce, It's GRAVY" !!!!

BASTA la PASTA !!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yo CUZ" !!!!

 

 

 

STEVE MARTORANO

 

 

SAUSAGE MEATBALLS

 

CANNOLIS & GRAVY