Sunday, July 2, 2017

The HISTORY of ITALIAN AMERICAN FOOD

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Frank Sinatra in Mosaic

ITALIAN-AMERICAN FOOD  ... A Brief History

Italian food is one of the most popular ethnic foods in America. In fact, it’s so popular that Italian food authorities have become concerned with what they call “Italian sounding” or “fake Italian food products.” According to one study, authentic Italian food -- that’s food imported from Italy -- accounts for only about one-third of Italian food purchased in the United States. The remainder is foods that have Italian names, but are not authentic Italian products. Authentic Italian food products are available at specialty food stores in the United States --most notably in Italian food markets in cities with large populations of Italian Americans. Italian food producers say that Italy’s high standards, the importance of freshness and the cost and time of exporting have limited authentic Italian food products in the American market. However, the Internet has narrowed the gap, as more Italian products become available online. Many say the trend toward Italian food started in the late nineteenth century as Italian immigrants began to make their homes in America. The waves of immigrants from Italy continued passing through Ellis Island, traveling further west, yet holding on to their cultural identity through their cooking. One of the earliest dishes attributed to an Italian, and still extremely popular today, is Chicken Tetrazzini. It was created in the early 1900s in honor of Luisa Tetrazzini, the operatic soprano known as The Florentine Nightingale. The famous muffuletta sandwich of New Orleans, named after the muffuliette rolls baked in Sicily, was created in 1906 for Sicilian workers. The ever popular Philly cheese steak was invented by an Italian, and the specialty fish stew of San Francisco, cioppino, originated from the Italian fish stew ciuppin, made by the Genoese fishermen who settled there. Soldiers returning from Italy after World War II brought with them their desire for the foods of a grateful but war-torn nation. Enterprising immigrants opened restaurants providing the soldiers with the foods they had developed a craving for and introduced the soldiers’ families to spaghetti and meatballs, sausage and peppers, ravioli, lasagna, manicotti, baked ziti and pizza. Throughout the 50s and 60s, Italian food was becoming a part of the American diet and delicatessens offered salami, capocollo, mortadella, pepperoni, mozzarella and provolone, while spumone was a popular dessert, and variations of minestrone abounded. During the 70s and 80s, many Italian-inspired regional dishes became popular in America -- Eggplant Parmigiana, Fettuccini Alfredo, Penne alla Vodka, Shrimp Scampi, Chicken Piccata, Chicken Cacciatore, Steak Pizzaiola, Osso Buco, Veal Marsala, Pasta Primavera, Fried Calamari, Saltimbocca, Caponata, Calzone and Stromboli. Grissini, semolina bread, risotto, broccoli rabe, arugula, radicchio, Gorgonzola, Parmigiano Reggiano, ricotta, olive oil, pesto, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes, pizzelle, cannoli, zeppole, torrone, gianduja, panettone and espresso were common additions to meals. The 90s heralded a mass influx of Italian ingredients and foods, with bocconcini, mozzarella di bufala, ricotta salata, fontina, Asiago, Taleggio, Grana Padano, Pecorino Romano, caciocavallo, mascarpone, ciabatta, crostini, bruschetta, focaccia, panzanella, polenta, gnocchi, pancetta, specialty pestos, black and white truffles, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, dipping oils, pasta -- of all shapes, sizes, and colors, numerous pasta sauces, various types of pizza, cappuccino, flavored syrups, biscotti, tiramisù, granita and gelato. So far, the twenty-first century has brought more attention to frittata, timballo, panini, Insalata Caprese, Burrata, Arancini, homemade specialty pastas, flavored balsamic vinegars and oils, artisan breads and cheeses and, although not a food, but food related -- the barista.  

         

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SUNDAY SAUCE

aka GRAVY

GREAT MOMENTS in ITALIAN FOOD HISTORY

 

1492 ... Christopher Columbus discovers the Americas .. Soon thereafter, foods like Potatoes  (Gnocchi), Tomatoes  (Sugo di Pomodoro), and Corn (Polenta) are exported from the New World to Italy.

1880s  ... The first 5 Million Italian Immigrants arrive in America and eventuall invent one of the the World's Best Loved Cusines "Italian-American"

1889  ...  Raffael Esposito invents Pizza Margherita in Naples, Italy honor of Queen Margherita ..

1891  ...  Florentine baker Artusi Pelligrino writes the first modern Italian Cookbook .

1905   ... America's 1st ever Pizzeria, Lombardi's is opened by Genaro Lombardi on Spring Street in New York .. Lombardi's Pizzeria is till there, and is the 1st and oldest Pizzeria in the United States ..

1906  ... Barbetta Restorante opens in the Theater District in New York .. It's still open and run by the founders daughter Laura Maioglio ..

1908  ... John's of 12th Street opens on East 12th Street in the East Village .. Charles Lucky Luciano would whack (Murder) someone outside the restaurant one day.

1917  ...  Alfredo di Lelio invents Fettuccine Alfredo at his restorante in Rome  .. Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks eat it on their honeymoon in 1926 and love it, and spread the word back in Hollywood, and the word spreads. Within a year, a recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo is in cookbooks in the States . Fettuccine Alfredo becomes one of America's favorite dishes and is a bug part of Italian-American cuisine and is served in Italian restaurants all over America, where millions of dishes of it have been enjoyed by enthusiastic customers over the years. The recipe created by di Lelio is made with fresh fettucine egg noodles and the sauce is made by tossing butter and grated Parmigiano Reggiano together with the just cooked pasta. Italian restaurant owners in America make it a bit differently and their devoted customers just love it. In Italian restaurants in America the same fresh fettuccine egg pasta is used, but the sauce is different, it's made of heavy-cream and the grated Parmigiano Reggiano instead of butter and Parmigiano, either way is equally tasty.

     

AMERICA'S GREATS OLD SCHOOL ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

 

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RAO'S

East Harlem , NEW YORK

   

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JOHN'S

EAST 12th STREET , NEW YORK NY

Original DECOR SINCE 1908

   

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GINO'S

Lexington Avenue , New York , NY

 

"Sadly, has closed, but it was one of America's greatest Italian restaurants ever, so we just want to keeps its memory alive. Basta!"

       

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Saturday, July 1, 2017

Greenwich Village Italian






 Outside MONTE'S TRATTORIA in ITALIAN GREENWICH VILLAGE , NEW YORK








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Read About ITALIAN GREENWICH VILLAGE

in SUNDAY SAUCE


by Greenwich Village Author DANIEL BELLINO "Z"



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TABASCO - Hot Sauce

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TABASCO 




The KING 

of

HOT SAUCE








TABASCO PEPPER MASH AGING
in JACK DANIESL OAK BARRLES
On AVERY ISLAND, LOUISIANA



DID YOU KNOW?

1.  That TABASCO Bottle Is an Old Cologne Bottle from the New Orleans Glassworks.

2.  Invented in 1868 by Edmond McIlhenny, originally from Maryland.

3.  About 720,000 bottles are bottled a day and sold in 165 countries around the World.

4.  Tabasco is aged in used Jack Daniels Bourbon Whiskey Barrels ..

5.  1/8 Ounce Bottles of Tabasco  with Presidential Seal are served on Air Force 1







VALENTINA HOT SAUCE

From

GUADALAJARA, MEXICO



Valentina has become my favorite Hot Sauce of the past 3 years or so .. I picked it up at a .99 Cent Store one day, a 12 oz. bottle is just $1.29, average price of Tabasco is about $3.99 for a 5 oz. bottle .. It would cost me about $9 for the same amount of Tabasco or more than 7 times more expensive .. Don't get me wrong, I do love Tabasco and like its taste once and a while, it's definitely distinctive and a good deal hotter, but now by most preferred Hot Sauce by far is VALENTINA from Mexico .. It's not too hot, which for my personal taste I like ..  And the spices they use has a real nice flavor. And yes, Tabasco and some of the other brands are too dam expensive.







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Before I started up with VALENEtINA I was using CRYSTAL HOT SAUCE from Louisiana for a while .. I like Hot Sauce from Louisiana and as we all know Tabasco can be a bit expensive as compare to Crystal and Valentina and some others, Crytal is way cheaper than Tabasco, but it is also a lot less hot and not as florvorful.  I did notice that in New Orleans Crytal is pretty popular and I saw it on many a restaurant table sometimes along with Tabasco and other bottles. I don't use Crystal that much any more since I discovered my fave, Valentina ... Sometimes I will have in the house; Tabasco, Valentina, and Crystal, and will mostley use Valentina, and Tabasco and Crystal here-and-there ...  
My favorite is on Scramble Eggs with buttered Peas on the side for Breakfast or a lite lunch .. Sometimes when I make FRied Eggs I like to douse on a bit of "Maggi Seasoning" with Valentina as well. These make for some super tasty fried eggs. Try em!


Crystal Claims To Be Louisiana's # 1 Hot Sauce



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The BADASS COOKBOOK

SECRET RECIPES

SECRET KFC Kentucky Fried Chicken Recipe

SHAKE SHACK Burger Recipe

RECIPES USING HOT SAUCE

and Much Much More ....





MAGGI 'S

It's a SECRET SAUCE





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GOT ANY KAHLUA ?

aka

The BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK


Learn How to Make DUDES COWBOY CHILI

TACOS and BURRITOS all Using TABASCO SAUCE in The Recipes


ABIDE in IT !!!
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Thursday, June 29, 2017

RAOS NEW YORK ITALIAN



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RAOS

EAST HARLEM , NEW YORK


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  Founded in 1896, starting as a saloon, family owned - 4 generations in. From the famous NFL Manning brothers throwing a football outside of the restaurant which is on East 114th street to Sting and Bon Jovi both being in the restaurant and by the end of the night singing Sinatra's famous "New York" hit together and with the entire restaurant, to topping it with Sophia Loren walking in and the always noisy restaurant dropping silent. This place is home. We walked in, greeted with such kindness by the owner, Frank Pellegrino (with no reservation I might add as they do not accept them - however they are somehow booked for 2015), we fell back into the era circa 1930 and I felt like I was a main character in Goodfellas - it was amazing. I am still unsure how it happened, starting with some drinks with Dee behind the bar - who comes across as the friend you grew up with - followed by our dreams coming true as we were told a table is being set for us. Dining and having the seafood salad, calamari (duh), meatballs, lemon chicken, broccoli rabe, vodka penne, of course a bottle of wine and topping it with lemon cello courtesy of the down to earth, classy, stylish Mr. Pellegrino - it sure was one of the best nights in New York City. To get a seat here is unheard of, the tables are allegedly each given to certain family's for life and theirs whenever they want them. The generous, kind owner Frank, makes you feel like he's your uncle Frank seating you at his birthday party. He was born on East 114th street in Harlem - his wife of 40+ years also is from the same area - he keeps tradition alive in numerous ways. This is an establishment you will find no where else. (Well, you can try in Hollywood and Vegas as they opened there too :) but I'm confident it will not be as original as the Harlem location. 



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The late FRANK PELLEGRINO Sr. at RAOS

RIP


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The RAO'S COOKBOOK





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RAO'S MARINARA SAUCE







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Make Your Own SAUCE


BY DANIEL BELLINO "Z"





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Long time RAO'S Regular BO DEITEL shoots a Scene for The WOLF of WALL STREET
at RAO'S with LEONARDO DiCAPRIO

RAO'S LEMON CHICKEN




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JOHN'S of 12th STREET , RAO'S , PINO'S ITALIAN BUTCHER , MARIO BATALI 'S BABBO , GREENWICH VILLAGE NEWPORT STEAKS , CHEF PIETRO MOSCONI ,               ITALIAN FOOD, & ITALIAN-AMERICAN BEST SELLING ITALIAN COOKBOOK Author DANIEL BELLINO "Z" and more on NEW YORK ITALIAN on Instagram ...










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Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Perfect BAROLO in NEW YORK

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THREE GREAT BAROLO PRODUCERS

ELIO GRASSO , CAVALLOTTO , and ANDREA OBERTO




I had another tasty Barolo last night. Just one of so many hundreds over the years. Yes another tasty Barolo, I just love it. The Barolo in question was a bottle of BAROLO ANDREA OBERTO 2012.. All I can say is that I just sat back and enjoyed this wine after work one night with my friend Peter Mosconi. It was Peter's and he brought it to the table. I took a sip and wow, I was flabbergasted, this wine was absolutely awesome.  Drinking Barolo is always a special treat, and this time proved to be one of those extra specail ones, for sometimes the experience is good, at other time disappointing, and as with this night and this particular Barolo, the Andrea Oberto Vintage 2012, everything was just great, and just about as good as it gets, the Barolo was absolutely perfect and as I told Peter, you can buy a much more expensive Barolo, like one from Giaccomo Conterno or one of the Mascarello's, or similar high-priced Barolo and now matter if you spent $300 or $500 or whatever price you paid, it wouldn't matter, the Barolo could not be better than the one we were drinking tonight (Monday June 26, 2017) at Monte's Trattoria, there could be no Barolo better than this, for this particular Barolo (Andrea Oberto Barolo 2012) was absolutely perfect. It was a Text Book Barolo and perfectly in balance which says it all. It was full of flavor, the classic Barolo flavors, like ; Cherry Fruit flavors with some nice full Dark Chocolate notes, a twinge of Tar, Truffles, and Violets. This Barolo had the right amount of weight to it, with correct acid, tannin, and everything you expect from a great Barolo, it was all there. Well I don't want to go on and on on this that and everything, but quite simply the wine was I must say again, perfect and as good as it gets, and was purely a Joy to Drink.   

The MORAL of This Story is ; PERFECT BAROLO need Not Cost an ARM & a LEG !


BASTA !!!

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BAROLO

ANDREA OBERTO

2012

La MORRA




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FABIO OBERTO and His DAD ANREA OBERTO

Enjoying some of their Fine BAROLO ...



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SUNDAY SAUCE

When Italian-Americans Cook



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Sunday, June 18, 2017

Louis CK Fried Chicken Recipe

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LOUIS CK 

and Friend do the BANG BANG






HOW to MAKE LOUIS CK FRIED CHICKEN

WATCH The VIDEO








The BADASS COOKBOOK

SECRET FRIED CHICKEN RECIPE

and More ...






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