recipe

Pavarotti Pasta Recipe by Bellino Spaghetti alla Luciano

 

LUCIANO Cooks PASTA


“BRAVO LUCIANO” !!!

PAVAROTTI PASTA

Recipe :

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium Onion, peeled and sliced
2 j- 32 oz. jars of Italian Tomato Passata (we like Mutti)
3 cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp. Tomato Paste
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup chopped Italian Parsley
12 fresh Basil Leaves, washed and torn with your hands
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1 pound of imported Italian Spaghetti (best quality)

In a large skillet, add the Olive Oil and onion. Cook the onion on low heat for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook on low heat for 2 minutes.

Add the wine, turn heat to high, and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the Tomatoes, Tomato Paste. Add 1 1/2 teaspoon each of Salt & ground Black Pepper, and half of the Pecorino Cheese.

Bring to the boil. Once the tomatoes start to bubble, low heat to low, and cook on low heat for 20 minutes, being sure to stir with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pot with the wooden spoon to keep the tomatoes from sticking  or burning.

After 20 minutes, add the Basil & Parsley, and cook 5 minutes more. The Tomato Sauce is done. Turn the heat off and let it rest in the pot.

Fill a large pot, 3/4 full with water. Add 2 tablespoons salt. Bring the water to a rapid boil. Add the Spaghetti.

Cook the spaghetti according to the directions on the package. Two minutes before the the pasta cooking time on package, remove one cup of water from the pot and reserve. When the spaghetti is 1 minute away from the cooking time on package, turn the heat off and drain the pasta in a colander.

Add the Spaghetti back to the pot it cooked in and add half of the cooking water. Add 2 cups of the tomato sauce. to the pot, and turn the heat on to a low flame. Cook for 2 minutes on a low flame. Add more of the pasta cooking water if it gets too dry.

Turn the heat off, and drizzle some olive oil over the spaghetti and mix.

Plate a portion of Spaghetti onto each persons plate. Add about half a cup of Tomato Sauce on top of each portion of Spaghetti, and serve.

Serve with grated Pecorino or Parmigiana Cheese on the side. 

Enjoy !


Recipe by Daniel Bellino Zwicke








SPAGHETTI alla PAVAROTTI 


A DINNER PARTY at LUCIANO’S

NEW YORK






SINATRA & PAVAROTTI







And PASTA SINATRA !!!

SINATRA SAUCE 

The COOKBOOK

COOK & EAT LIKE FRANK

His FAVORITE ITALIAN RECIPES

Daniel Bellino Zwicke
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Pizza Night in Jersey – 60s New Jersey

 

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Pizza Town
Route 46 , Garfield , New Jersey

“The First Place I ever had a Calzone!”



 

My first memories of PIZZA were from Bella Pizza in East Rutherford, New Jersey. I was a young boy and this Pizzeria just opened on Park Avenue. It was a standard Pizzeria like many others found all over the New York-New Jersey metro area, serving solid pizza just the way the locals like it. The pizza was of a high standard as all the pizza must be if you’re going to make and sell Pizza in the heavily Italian-Populated New York and New Jersey areas. A large pie which you just ordered as a Pizza, the one that is known as Pizza Margherita in Italy is made of the pizza dough topped with tomato sauce, Mozzarella Cheese, salt, pepper, and a little olive oil. Basta!

   The Pizza in America are much larger than those made in Italy and are cut into 8 triangular slices and are enough for 2 or 3 people to eat, or even four if you’re not that hungry or sharing a Pizza just as a snack in-between meals. I can still remember the price of the pizza at Bella Pizza in East Rutherford back in the 60s a whole pie cost just $1.50 and a slice was .20 cents. So if you wanted what they call in Napoli and all over Italy the Pizza Margherita, you just simply ordered a Pizza, or a Cheese Pie, or simply a Pie, meaning it was with Tomato, Mozzarella , and Basil and no other toppings. And if you wanted extra toppings, you just say a Pepperoni Pie, or half mushroom half pepperoni, or a Sausage Pie or whatever. That’s the way it was and more or less still is with ordering Pizza at your standard pizzeria. Nowadays most pizza cost between $2.25 and $2.75 a slice and about $16.00 to $20 and even more for a whole plain pie.

   Anyway, as most kids did and do, we loved eating pizza, and on most Friday nights it was Pizza Night for many families in Jersey. Mom didn’t want to cook that night, the kids loved getting pizza and looked forward to it as a special treat on Friday nights, as we knew it as Pizza Night and we just loved it. We’d have pizza, Coca-Cola and some sort of sweets, a cake or Ice Cream for desserts after we ate our Pizza. Yes Friday Night Pizza was always a much loved treat as a child growing up in Jersey in the 1960s and 70s. We’d listen to WABC Radio and Top 20 Hits, R&B, and Rock-N-Roll and all was fine in the World, we had all that we needed. How I miss those sweet days of youth and a simpler time than today. Back then you had everything you needed in life. We had Radio and TV and we still do today. We had Cars that were beautiful unlike some of the ugly ones of today. We had the Telephone, no cel phones or internet, we didn’t need them. We all had a Football, a Basketball, a Baseball Bat, Baseball, and Glove to play Baseball, Basketball, and Football as all healthy American boys did back then. We didn’t have Video Games but we had Aurora Racing Car sets, maybe Electric Trains, and wonderful Board Games like; Monopoly, Candyland, Chess, Checkers, Stratego, and Battle Ship. And one of the most wonderful things we had back then in the 60s & 70s was great music unlike the Crap they call music today, we had Great Top 100 Hits, wonderful R&B sounds of Motown and The Philly Sound, we had The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Rock-N-Roll, what do the kids have for music today? Sadly, just Crap Rap and the other garbage they think is music. Yes it’s quite sad what has happened to music in the past 20 years. But yes we had everything we needed; Radio, TV, cars, a stereo, Sports, great music to listen to, and Pizza, we always had Pizza, we still do.

   Well sorry, I got off topic, but it’s all part of the story you see. In Italy when it comes to Pizza it’s a bit different than the way Pizza is done in America. Pizza was born in Napoli where it is revered into a high religion and is to made just so. The Pizza is much smaller and is made for one and they do not make slices unless you are in Rome or other parts of Italy where they make Pizza that is made in large pans ahead of time and then cut into squares and heated up when a customer orders some. That’s Pizza Taglio, and most Pizza made in Italy is Neapolitan Pizza that is made to order. As we’ve said they are individual sized (about 12” round) for one person and made to order and are cooked in hot wood burning ovens to strict standardized specifications. A Pizza Margherita made in the true Neapolitan fashion is made with fresh tomato puree, olive oil, salt, fresh garlic, basil, and mozzarella placed on top, then the pizza cooks in the hot wood burning oven, and is ready in just about 4-5 minutes. Pizza Margherita was created by Raffaella Esposito in 1889 where he was working at Pizzeria di Pietro. He made the Pizza and named it in honor of Queen Margherita of Savoy who was visiting Naples (Napoli) at the time. American Pizza on the other hand is made with a cooked sauce and we tend to put more sauce and cheese than they do in Italy .

   Now, my own experience eating Pizza in Italy. Well the first pizza I first had in Italy was Pizza Taglio (pan Pizza) and not the Classic Neapolitan Pizza, which is by far the dominant pizza in all Italy, and though there is Pizza Taglio which is sold in square slices, it’s a mere fraction as far as its presence goes, which is just about 1% of all Pizza consumed in Italy is Pizza Taglio, the rest being classic Neapolitan. Anyway, there’s very good pizzeria that makes Pan Pizza close to the train station in Rome. Like other pizzerias that make Pizza Taglio in Italy, there’s an array of different pizzas with different toppings that are already made and are laid out before you. You choose which type of pizza you’d like, tell them the size you want, they cut it and weight it to determine the price by weigh.

Yes the pizza is a bit different in America, but it’s dammed good, and America makes the world’s best pizza outside of Italy. And as far as Pizza goes in America, everyone knows that the best Pizza in the country is made in New York, and especially in Brooklyn with great shrines to Pizza in the form of; Tottono’s in Coney Island, Grimaldi’s, and DiFara Pizza by Pizza Maestro Dom DeMarco. Then you’ve got John’s on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village and the first Pizzeria ever to exist in the United States Lombardi’s on Prince Street, established in 1905.

   Anyway, enough with the technicalities of Pizza, sometimes things are analyzed too much, just eat it and enjoy. We loved eating Pizza on Pizza Night or any time of the week when we were lucky enough to get it. And there is one particular time that I always remember. We went on a trip with our local church to the big beautiful Riverside Cathedral in New York one time, and it was a very special trip. When we came home, the Priest and other church officials made a little Pizza Party for us in the church basement. They ordered a bunch of Pizzas for all the kids (Grownups too) and it was a very special thing for us, as pizza always was and even so to this day. Yes there’s nothing like when you’re a child and they have a Pizza Party for you, we just loved it. And so these are my memories of Pizza.

 

Excerpted From “MANGIA ITALIANO” Memories of Italian Food  




     by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

 

 

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Typical Large Pie for PIZZA NIGHT in The 60s



 

Read about PIZZA NIGHT , CANNOLIS, PROVOLONE, MEATBALLS, 
Growing Up Italian in America, Italian Food, Italy, and more, 
in best selling author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke’s 
latest book, Mangia Italiano – Memories of Italian Food.


 

 

 

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MANGIA ITALIANO !

The Latest From Daniel Bellino “Z”





PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE

POSITANO The AMALFI COAST

TRAVEL GUIDE – COOKBOOK

100 REGIONAL RECIPES – NAPLES

Including – PIZZA DOUGH PIZZA Recipe
POSITANO CAPRI NAPLES SORRENTO


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Bellino Party alla Bolognese – Pasta Recipe

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Pasta Bolognese

Recipe 

PARTY alla BOLOGNESE

Party alla Bolognese , ever hear of it? No, I didn’t think so. I coined the phrase, just like I coined the phrase Meatball Parm Mondays , which I first wrote about in my best selling Italian Cookbook Sunday Sauce. So, you want to know what a Party alla Bolognese is, a term you are no doubt hearing for the first time. Well as you might have already surmised, number one, it’s a party that has to do with Bolognese. A party where you eat Pasta with Ragu Bolognese you’re asking? Well yes, you are quite correct, you’ll be eating the famed Italian Ragu from the city of Bologna, Italy. This is a party centered around eating Pasta all Bolognese. Now what’s better than that?

So, as we know Ragu Bolognese is the famous meat-sauce for pasta from Bologna, Italy. Now, hopefully by the time you read this part of the book, you’ve already made your first Ragu alla Bolognese. Well congratulations are in order to you, you’ve learned something that is infinitely important, and something that will serve you the rest of your life. You now know the infinite glories of the Bolognese, that lush pasta meat-sauce from Bologna, Italy known as Ragu Bolognese. You know the wonderful flavor, and are sure to crave it often. No problem, if you have a craving, you can just make it. You have the recipe, you’ve made it once or twice, you can make it any time you want.

So, you want to throw a dinner party for friends? I certainly hope you do. If you’ve never done so before, I’d just like to tell you, you have no idea, and I’m sure you’ll be surprised, surprised how great it will be, ” a Party alla Bolognese.”

Making this famed Ragu and throwing a party centered around the Bolognese where you’ll feed Maccheroni alla Bolognese to friends and family, this is such a wonderful thing, you just can’t imagine. Do it once and you’ll see. You will make your friends oh-so-happy in more ways than one. They will thank you and sing your praises, and you will feel their joy. A joy that you gave them by making them Ragu Bolognese. Yes it has this affect.

Throwing a dinner party you say? It seems so daunting. Hey, you’ve made Bolognese, throwing a dinner party centered around Bolognese is as easy as pie, and I’m going tell you how. You will amaze your friends with this one! Trust me! Hey, I’ve already told you pretty much, 90% of all you’ll need to know to do your first fabulous Party alla Bolognese. “What,” you say? Well I’ve written the recipe for you, and you’ve already made your first Bolognese, maybe even two or three by now. You know how to make one of the World’s great dishes Pasta alla Bolognese, all you need now is some good music, good Italian Wine, and some sort of Salad or Antipasto to start you off.

You will make the Bolognese ahead of time, either the day before or early in the day before your party starts. You can either make a salad to have before the Bolognese, but a better choice would be either a Caprese Salad of fresh Mozzarella & Tomatoes, a lovely mixed Antipasto, or something as easy as Prosciutto & Melon would be very apropos, considering the Bolognese and the famed Prosciutto di Parma are both from the same region in Italy of Emilia Romagna.

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mrnewyorkny_grandma

The WORLD’S TASTIEST DISH

PASTA BOLOGNESE

AMAZON.com 

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PASTA with RAGU BOLOGNESE

RECIPE

So you go out and get some Provolone or other cheese if you’re going to serve a mixed antipasto before the Bolognese. Get some good Sweet Sopresseta, a jar of good quality Roast Red Peppers, and the best Italian Olives you can get, and your mixed antipasto is all set. Tell each guest to bring a nice bottle of Italian Wine, unless you prefer to buy the wine yourself, it’s all up to you. And there is nothing wrong with your guests each bringing a bottle. When they do so you end up getting a nice variety of different wines for everyone to taste, making your party not just a Party alla Bolognese but a pleasant little wine tasting as well. Nice, no? Yes, this works out quite well, and it makes the party a little more interesting, tasting the different wines. Tell your friends to bring Chianti, Barbera, Montepulciano di Abruzzo, or Lambrusco which is from Emilia Romagna and is the perfect wine if you’re having either Prosciutto & Melon or a Mixed Antipasto with some nice Salumi and Cheese to start.

You’ve got to have some nice background music for your party. The best music would be a mix of first and foremost Frank Sinatra, with Dean Martin, a little Tony Bennett, and some Louis Prima to boot. Hip Hop and Heavy Metal are strictly forbidden and an absolute no-no, you don’t want to ruin your party with bad music, do you?

Dessert and coffee are always great. They are not an absolute must, but I do highly recommend you serve coffee and dessert. Again, you may want to have one or two of your friends pick up some dessert. Italian desserts like: Ricotta Cheesecake, Italian Pastries and or Cookies, or Gelato are all great, but not absolutely necessary that the dessert be Italian. Maybe one of your friends makes a great Pineapple Upside Down Cake, a Red Velvet Cake or something like that is great. What’s important is you have a dessert, it’s just another little facet of your dinner party, your Party alla Bolognese. And don’t forget the Bolognese is the centerpiece and as they say in France The Piece de Resistance!

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mrnewyorkny_grandma

The RAGU BOLOGNESE COOKBOOK

AMAZON.com 

PARTY alla BOLOGNESE CHECKLIST

  1. Get your ingredients for the Bolognese; the ground meat you choose. Tomatoes, wine, pasta, milk, butter, Olive Oil, and dry Porcini Mushrooms if you decide to use them.

2.   Get your ingredients for your Antipasto course.

3.   Buy at least two bottles of good Italian Wine, even if you have your guest bring wine, you’ll still want to get at least two bottles of your own.

4.    Have plenty of spring or filtered water. Buy gallons of Spring Water (at least 2 gallons or more).

5.    Buy one or two loaves of good Italian Bread.

6.    Make the Bolognese! It’s great to make the night before the party. Just to let you know, it doesn’t hurt that the Bolognese is made the night before, it’s actually better.

7.    Make sure you have some great music; Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin and or some nice mellow R&B music.

8.  Before your guest arrive, get your antipasto or salad ready to go when you need it. Keep it simple. If you choose one of the antipasto items from the antipasto section in this book, you can’t go wrong, they’re all real simple and don’t require any cooking, other than if you choose the Shrimp Cocktail, which is super simple and takes just a few minutes and can be done ahead of time, a few hours before or the day before your party.

9.    A few minutes before you will be serving the antipasto, put your pot of Bolognese on the stove and turn the heat onto the lowest flame possible to heat up the Bolognese Sauce. If after the Bolognese is simmering for twenty minutes, it looks like it is getting dried out, you can add some water.

10.   Put a large pot of water on to cook the pasta. Put a lot of salt in the pasta cooking water.

  1. Serve the antipasto course to your guest and make sure you have some nice Sinatra tunes playing. Enjoy the antipasto with your guest.

12.   Turn the water for the pasta on to a high flame. After you have eaten your antipasto with your guest wait about 15 minutes or more before you serve the Pasta alla Bolognese.

13.   Rigatoni, Cavatappi, Fusilli, or some sort of short pasta are the best type of pasta to serve with your Ragu Bolognese at Party alla Bolognese party, as it’s easy to serve and to eat short maccheroni as opposed to long pasta like Spaghetti or Tagiatelle for your guest. Got that? Serve a short pasta.

14.    After everyone has eaten their antipasto and are enjoying their wine, throw the pasta in the water to cook. The pasta will take about 12 minutes to cook. You want to have about 20 minutes in-between the antipasto and Bolognese course, so throw the pasta in the boiling water 10 minutes after everyone has finished eating the antipasto.

15.   Follow the directions for cooking the pasta that is on the pasta package. Once the pasta is finished cooking, drain the pasta in a colander, reserving about a ¼ cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Add the pasta back to the pot that it cooked in. Add some of the Bolognese with a couple knobs of butter to the pot and mix the pasta and Bolognese Sauce together. Have a plate ready for each guest and plate each one with an equal portion of the Pasta Bolognese. Serve to your guest and make sure to pass around grated cheese.

OK So How Do you make The BOLOGNESE you want to know? The RECIPE is in The COOKBOOK,  The RAGU BOLOGNESE COOKBOOK, where else?

WANT to MAKE SUNDAY SAUCE ?

a8145-mrnewyorkny2b252822529

SUNDAY SAUCE

alla BELLINO alla PACINO

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