A Pot of SUNDAY SAUCE
"There's Nothing Better"
The Philosophy of Sunday Sauce
Christmas 2023
I first realized I was a prophet (of Italian food) one Christmas Eve. It was December 24th, 2023 and I was at my good friend Jimmy’s home, on Roosevelt Island, in the middle of the East River, in New York City. When it comes to Christmas, and Christmas Eve, I can end up at any number of homes, whether family or friends. Often I go over to my cousin Joe’s home, on the East End of Long Island, where my cousin makes wine. We love making the Feast of The 7 Fish, Italian Christmas Eve meal of 7 different fish. We’ve had several wonderful times making this Italian Christmas Eve Feast, and we do a job making it. But my cousin Joe was busy, and wasn’t doing it this year, so I ended up on Roosevelt Island instead.
My friend Jimmy told me he was making Sunday Sauce, which sounded good to me. Naturally being an Italian-American New Yorker, Sunday Sauce is my favorite dish, and I love eating it, any chance I get. I even wrote a book about it (Sunday Sauce). I knew the sauce would be good, because my pal Jimmy makes one great Sunday Sauce. He does, because I taught him almost 20 years ago.
At one point, I think it was in 1996, my pal Jimmy and I decided to throw a dinner party at his place. We had it at Jimmy’s because his apartment was a bit bigger than mine, and more suited for a dinner party than my place. That first dinner, I made my famous Ragu Bolognese, which would be our main course of the evening. The Bolognese would dress the Rigatoni pasta. I made a nice antipasto misti for the antipasto course. I made a Spinach & Ricotta Frittata, and Roasted some Red Pepper, and Asparagus Vinaigrette to go onto the antipasto plate, along with Sopresseta Salami, Sicilian Olives, and Provolone Cheese. All these items made for a nice colorful antipasto, that was certainly tasty as well. If I must say so myself, this made for a beautiful looking plate, which is something I have excelled at in my culinary career, making food that is both tasty, and beautiful to look at as well. And I always have a plan.
Jimmy and I bought a few nice bottles of Chianti, and we had the girls bring the dessert, and of course we had lots of good music to play. Mostly we listened to Sinatra, along with Tony Bennett, Jerry Vale, and Nat King Cole. Later in the evening, the music would turn to R&B, Classic Rock, and other good tunes, but never any of that crap Rap, Hip Hop “so-called music” for us. No, we only listen to the good stuff.
That first party went well. The 10 other friends we had invited, all brought wine, they loved the food, the music, chit-chat and wine, and it was a great success, and everyone there wanted to know when the next party would be. Our parties became famous. Everyone wanted to come, but there was only so much room.
We had a great formula for our parties. Number one, I made the food, which everyone seems to like. Most of the time it was Italian Food, though we did have Steak Night a few times. We also made Tacos once, and I made a Thai Chicken Curry once that was quite good, but for the most part, the food, and wine was almost always Italian. We (Jimmy & I) are Italian-Americans, who love our heritage, and we like keeping it alive. We did so, through these parties.
Growing up, my family (the Bellino’s) would have, get togethers every other Sunday at either my Aunt Fran & Uncle Tony’s house, or at my Uncle Jimmy’s house around the block, in Lodi. The food was always Italian. My aunts were wonderful cooks, and we’d eat Raviolis, Sunday Sauce with Meatballs, Maccheroni, and Sausages, Lasagna, and other Southern Italian dishes.
Once it was time for dessert, the assortment and amount of Italian Sweets was incredible. On any given day, we could have Italian Cheesecake, Cookies, Cannolis, Sfogliatelle, and other pastries, served with both Espresso and American Coffee. Once we sat down to the dessert table, this course would last for hours, as my aunts and uncles talked about this and every other thing for hours. They’d talk about current events, sports, gossip, old-times, or whatever. And my Uncle Frank could have solved half the World’s problems, if he only had a chance. Anyway, they talked about it.
These family dinners were some of the best times of my life, and I cherish the memories of these family meals, my aunts and uncles, my mother Lucia, father David, and my dear sister Babrbara. Yes, I cherish all those great times. I never took them for granted, as I do not now, and hold these warm memories of those times at the table, breaking bread and having the most wonderful times with loved ones, at the table, Italian Food upon it. These are the most wonderful memories and times of my life.
And so, I have tried to keep these traditions, and memories alive. I’ve cooked many meals with my cousins Anthony and Joe, and their wives and children at the table, as well as my brothers, and sister Barbara, who sadly passed away in 2022. I cook, I bring people together, and we sit down at the table breaking bread. Italian Bread, Italian food, wine, music, and traditions. This is what we love.
I even wrote about it. My book Sunday Sauce is about all of this. I (we) cook wonderful Italian food. Food that our family has cooked and eaten over the years. I cook the food of my mother Lucia, aunt Fran, and aunt Helen, and my Nonna Giuseppina, who was born in Lercara Friddi, Sicily, and immigrated with my grandfather Fillipo Bellino, to America in 1906. Nonna and Nonno Bellino came to New York, where they lived for a couple years before moving to the Southern Italian enclave of Lodi, New Jersey, where my grandfather Bellino opened a shoemaker shop on Main Street. My mother’s parents lived upstairs from the shoemaker shop below, along with my mother Lucia, aunt Lilly, and my uncles : James, Tony, and Frank, who were of course children at the time.
When my pal Jimmy and I first started our parties, Jimmy didn’t know how to cook. Not much anyway. Maybe cook a Burger and some eggs for breakfast, but Meatballs, Sunday Sauce, or Ragu Bolognese? No. So, we had all these parties, and Jimmy watched, and little by little, I’d teach him a thing or two. After about 3 years of throwing these parties, I told Jimmy that I didn’t want t o always cook all the food. I loved it, but I was getting busier with work, and wanted him to do some of the prep work to help me out, so I wouldn’t have to spend as much time cooking, and I could relax a bit more at the parties. Jimmy agreed, and so, when we decided to have a party, we’d plan it out. We decide on the menu and plan it out. Sometimes I’d do all the cooking and give Jimmy a list of the food we needed to cook. He'd go to the store and buy everything.
First, I taught Jimmy how to make Meatballs, and a good Tomato Sauce. He mastered that, and I taught him how to make Sunday Sauce. He was on his way. He wanted to make a Duck and cook a Goose one time, and I showed him how to do that. I also showed him how to make a tasty Venison Stew.
When I wanted him to cook. We’d talk on the phone, and I’d walk him through the recipes. My pal Jimmy became a damn good cook and is now famous in his own right for making a mean Sunday Sauce (Gravy), Meatballs, and Roast Prime Rib too.
I also taught him a few other things, like Minestrone, and Spaghetti with Broccoli, which he cooks for his wife and three children, a couple times a month.
So, there I was at Jimmy’s house on Christmas Eve 2023. Jimmy had a couple big pots, filled with Meatballs, Sauce, and Pork Ribs. When I walked through the door, I couldn’t believe how many people were there? More than 30. There were adults, and a whole bunch of kids. They were all waiting for the Sunday Sauce (Italian Gravy).
Jimmy had another two large pots, filled with salted water. He had 8 pounds of Maccheroni (Cavatappi). It would take most of this maccheroni to feed the entire crowd that Jimmy had invited to his home.
The water came to a boil, and Jimmy threw the maccheroni into the two pots. Jimmy stirred the maccheroni. The maccheroni was boiling away. After 10 minutes, it was ready. Jimmy removed some of the pasta cooking water and reserved it to mix in with the maccheroni and sauce. He picked up one of the pots and dumped the maccheroni into the colander, draining off the water. Then he put the maccheroni (pasta) back into the pot that he cooked it in. He pour on a little olive oil, then stirred the pasta in the pot. Then Jimmy took the second pot of maccheroni and dumped it into the colander, to drain the water. Then he put that maccheroni back into the pot it cooked in.
Then, just as I taught him to do, Jimmy ladled some sauce into each pot and mixed the maccheroni with sauce and olive oil. After he had mixed the Cavatappi (pasta) with the sauce, he started platting. He put some Cavatappi Pasta in each plate, topped it with a little of the sauce, added a Meatball and one Pork Rib to each plate, and we began serving them to the guests.
I stood there and watched in amazement. Jimmy had over 30 people here, and he was feeding them all, and he didn’t even need my help. Well, I did help pass the plates out, but they were already finished by Jimmy (without any help).
Yes, I looked back, and I was amazed at Jimmy’s skills. I taught him well. He watched, listened and learned. And I was quite proud. So proud that I had taught my good friend how to do this. It is quite an amazing thing, and not something to be taken lightly. Not everyone knows how to make a “Good Sauce” (Sunday Sauce / Gravy). And even if they do, not everyone could make a big batch, and be able to feed a small army of people (32), and be able to pull it off.
Yes, I was sure proud of Jimmy, and proud of myself for teaching him, and a few others, how to cook tasty Italian Food, like our parents, and grandparents cooked. And of course my dear Aunt Fran, Aunt Helen, and even my Uncle Tony Cooked. We keep the great Italian Traditions alive, in New York and New Jersey.
Yes, I’m proud. It’s really a most wonderful thing to do. To cook a nice meal and bring loved ones together at the table. My pal Jimmy learned from me almost 20 years ago. In those years, he has thrown numerous parties. He has cooked Sunday Sauce for friends and family. Inviting them into his home. They all sit at the table, coming together for a good meal. A good Italian meal. We bring, people together, and show them a good time, at the table. The Italian Table, filled with Antipasto, Pasta, Sunday Sauce, Meatballs, Italian Wine, Cookies, and Pastries. We listen to the sounds of Sinatra, and other great Italian Singers, and nobody has a better time than us. Me, my friends, and family, and all the people that I have taught The Philosophy of Sunday Sauce, and good Italian Food. “Is there anything better? I think not.”
Basta !
Daniel Bellino Zwicke
Daniel Bellino Zwicke ... December 25, 2023
