Wednesday, December 24, 2014

WHEN YOU'RE NOT ITALIAN

 
THIS Is WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU'RE NOT ITALIAN
YOU GET UGATZ !!!
 
FUNNY !!!
IF YOU'RE ITALIAN ???
 
The EAT FISH DAY SEVEN
 
For ITALIAN CHRISTMAS
 
THE FEAST of THE 7 FISH
 
ITALIAN CHRISTMAS
 
by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
 
or
 
IF IT'S NOT CHRISTMAS
 
MAKE SUNDAY SAUCE
 
ITALIAN GRAVY
 
SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS
 
SLEEVES
 
SAUSAGES
 
WHATEVER ???
 
SUNDAY SAUCE
 
When Italian-Americans Cook
 
by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
 
 
 

Saturday, December 20, 2014

ITALIAN CHRISTMAS



ITALIAN CHRISTMAS
.
.
BUON NATALE




THE FEAST of THE SEVEN FISHES


LEARN HOW To MAKE 
THE FEAST of SEVEN FISH

THE FEAST of THE 7 FISH

by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

In Paperback & Kindle

on AMAZON.com

Clemenza Godfather Meatball Sunday Sauce Gravy

CARBONE
 
Thompson Street
 
GREENWICH VILLAGE
 
NEW YORK
"MAKIN SUNDAY SAUCE"
 
aka GRAVY
 
CLEMENZA SHOWS MICHAEL HOW
 
How to Make SAUCE FOr 20 GUYS Some Day ...
 
One of Italian-America's Most Beloved Movie Scenes, from
The GODFATHER by Francis Ford Coppola ...
Corleone Crime Caporegime PETE CLEMENZA (Richard Castellono)
Show MICHAEL CORLEONE ( Al Pacino) How to Make
SUNDAY SAUCE Italian Gravy ...
 
 
 
LEARN HOW TO MAKE SUNDAY SAUCE
 
GRAVY
 
SUNDAY SAUCE - WHen Italian-Americans Cook
 
by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
 
Available in Paperback & Kindle Editions
on AMAZON.com
 
 

Monday, December 15, 2014

What Wine For The Feast of 7 Fish Italian Christmas

 
"SO? WHAT WINE For THE FEAST of THE 7 FISH" ???
What wine for the Feast of 7 Fish? A good question. Well for one thing, your favorite wine that you like best will always do. But if you are looking for suggestions and what are so-called expert pairings, then you would most likely want some good white wine, and some Italian white at that. My own number one personal favorite would be a nice Greco di Tufo from Campania, the region of Italy where the Festa di Sette Pesci is in its greatest realm. The Italian Christmas Feast is quite a big thing in Sicily and other parts of the South of Italy. But when it comes to great wines of Southern Italy, no region can beat Campania with wines like; Fiano di Avelino, Falanghina, Lacryma Christi Bianco, and Greco.
 
 
     So Greco di Tufo for your Feast of Seven Fish? Greco di Tufo has good acidity which makesit a clean/crisp wine that’s just perfect for fish. The wine usually exhibits Lemon Citrus flavors along with good hints of pear fruit for a nice flavor profile. So, I for one love to serve Greco with my Feast of The 7 Fish meal as it goes so perfectly with all fish and shellfish and that is from Campania, the capital region of this wonderful feast of seven fishes, and a place of charming beauty.
     Another great wine from Campania to contemplate for your meal is Lacryma Christi. Now considering the religious aspects of The Feast of The 7 Fish, Lacryma Christ is a wine that has very special meaning, as the wine is intertwined with Biblical History. According to legend, God cried when he found a corner of Heaven stolen by Lucifer, and where his tears fell, there grew the grapes that make Lacryma Christi, which translates to “The Tears of Christ.” Lacryma Christi Bianco is made mostly of Coda di Volpe grapes. It’s also a nice clean crispy white that usually shows flavors of White Peaches and Pineapples. Consider its taste and historical significance, Lacryma Christ makes a perfect wine for the Festa di Sette Pesci. Also not, that there is also Lacryma Christi Rosso (red wine), made from Piedirosso grapes that makes a wonderful wine for this feast if you want to drink some red.
 
 
     You may also want to consider a wine from Friuli, as this region is Italy’s # 1 region for great white wines, as well as in my opinion the greatest single white wine region in all the world. Yes, it is. They make wonderful whites like; Sauvignon Blanc, Friuliano (formely known as Toacai), Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco, Riballa Gialla, and more. Great Friulian wine producers to look for are; Jermann, Venica, Colterenzio, Teifenbrunner, Marco Felluga, Livio Felluga, Zamo, and Villa Russiz.
    I particularly love all the wines from my friends Gianni and Gianpaulo Venica, especially their Friuliano (Tocai) and their great Sauvignon “Ronco d’ Mele.”
    As I’ve said, the wines from Friuli are some of the best in the world, but considering that when making a really fine meal you usually want to pair wine from the same region the food comes from. So considering that Campania and the south of Italy is where the Festa di Sett Pesci is most prevelant and at it greatest heights, you
want a wine from the south for your Feast of The 7 Fish, and Campanian white wines are without question the best way to go.
     If you want some red wine for your Feast, of course Italian reds are the natural bet. I suggest you do not get anything to big or of heavy weight. Get a nice lighter red like; Chianti, Barbera, or one of the lighter Etna Rosso wines. I particularly love Chianti from my good friend Luigi Cappellini of Castel Verrazzano in Greve. Yes it’s not from Campania, but I just love Chianti, especially Luigi’s. Though, often with this Christmas meal, I love drinking Lacryma Christi Rosso from either Mastroberadino or Feudi San Gregorio. Both of these wine producers make wonderful wines, and you can get; Greco, Falanghina, Fiano, Lacryma Christ Bianco or Rosso from either of these winemakers and you’d be doing very well. Basta.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LEARN HOW To MAKE THE FEAST of THE 7 FISH
 
THE FEAST of THE 7 FISH
 
by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
 
The DEFINING BOOK of THE GENRE
 
 

Friday, December 5, 2014

Italian Fishermans Stew Recipe


ITALIAN FISHERMAN'S STEW





FISHERMANS STEW
Here’s a great fish stew for the Feast of 7 Fish or any time of the year at all, it’s just great. For a normal meal, this amount of stew is enough for 6 to 8 people. If using this for the Christmas Feast you will have 4 of the 7 fish, but if you want to add more you can. You can add Scallops, Calamari, or Crab Meat to this stew. Add 1, 2, or all three and you have 7 Fish in this one stew. If you add more fish, add more water, garlic, and Thyme for flavor.
1 ½ pounds Filet of; Cod, Haddock, Porgy, or Grouper, 
cut into large chunks about 2 ½ to 3 inches square.
½ cup White Wine
2 pounds PIE Mussels
2 pounds Cockles
2 pounds 16/20 sized Shrimp, cleaned
¼ cup Olive Oil
2 Carrots, peeled and diced
1 large Onion, peeled and dice
6 cloves Garlic, peeled and sliced
2 stalks Celery, washed and cut to 1 inch dice
3 Idaho Potatoes, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon dry Thyme, 2 Bay Leaves
½ cup Italian Parsley, washed and chopped
Place olive oil, garlic, and onions in a large pot and sauté on low heat for 6 minutes. Add Celery and Carrots, Salt & Pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
Add water and potatoes to pot. Add Bay Leaves and Thyme and bring to the boil. When the water comes to a boil, lower to medium simmer and cook for 16 minutes.
While the vegetables are cooking, place the mussels in a large pot with 1 cup of water and the wine. Cover pot with a lid and turn heat on high. Stir mussels from time to time with a wooden spoon. Cook until all the mussel shells have opened. Discard any un-opened shells.
Drain mussel cooking liquid into the pot with the vegetables. Place mussels in a large bowl and set aside.
Cook the Cockles the same way as the mussels, but with only water and no wine.
Once the cockles have cooked, drain the cockle cooking liquid into the pot with the vegetables.
Add the cubed Fish Filets to the pot with vegetables and turn heat to high to bring to a low simmer and let the fish cook for 7 minutes. Add the shrimp to the pot and once the liquid has come to the boil, lower to a simmer and let cook for 4 minutes.
Remove most of the Cockles and Mussels from their shells and place in pot with shrimp and fish, reserving some Cockles & Mussels inside their shells to use as a garnish on top of the Fish Stew once you serve it.
Add the Parsley to the pot and cook all at a very low simmer for 2 minutes.
To serve, toast some slice of Italian-Bread and rub with garlic, and place a slice of bread on the bottom of a soup bowl. Ladle Fish Stew into each persons bowl, distributing all the fish, vegetables, and shellfish evenly. Enjoy!
This Recipe is Excerpted from new revisided editon of The FEAST of The 7 FISH  by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke .. Due December 9, 2014
More Great Recipes and complete instructions How to Make The Feast of Seven Fishes Italian Christmas at your own home ...
ZUPPA di PESCE

Neapolitan Fish Soup

RECIPE
in
THE FEAST of THE 7 FISH

Note: The Zuppa di Pesce Recipe
is different than above Recipe
Italian Fisherman's Stew
THE FEAST of THE 7 FISH
New Cover



LEARN HOW to MAKE THE FEAST of 7 FISH



SUNDAY SAUCE

When Italian-Americans Cook


by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
FEAST of THE 7 FISH
FEAST of THE 7 FISH
in
Paperback
&
KINDLE




Monday, November 24, 2014

Sad News .. De Robertis PAstry Shoppe CLosing

 
 
SAD NEWS !!!
 
 
Another One Bites The Dust !
 
DeRObertis Pastry Shoppe is CLOSING
 
 
 
De Robertis Pasrty Shoppe
 
1st Avenue at 11th Street is Closing
 
After 104 in Business
 
in New York's East Village
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sunday, November 23, 2014

ITALIAN CHRISTMAS FEAST 7 FISH

                                              The Feast of The 7 Fish
The Feast of The 7 Fish

The Feast of The 7 Fish
Kindle Edition

The Italian Christmas Feast of The 7 Fish? Ever Wonder about it" Its meaning, make-up, rituals, and of course "How To Make It?" Well Ladies and Gentlemen, You're in Luck." Renowned Chef and Cookbook author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke has just come up with his latest "THE FEAST of The 7 FISH" An Italian-American Christmas Eve Feast, and just in Time for Christmas. If you've ever wanted to know about this wonderful Italian Christmas Tradition and How to make it, then this book is for you. It has Everything you need to know to make this Wonderful Italian Feast and on all levels ..  


THE FEAST of The 7 FISH

THE FEAST of THE 7 FISH

Feast of The 7 Fish
by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
in PAPERBACK & KINDLE EDITIONS AMAZON.com



La Vigilia     


 My Aunt Helen used to make the famous Italian Christmas Eve Dinner, The Feast of 7 Fishes, The 7 Fish of the Seven Sacraments. I know she made it because I used to hear her talking about it when I was a little kid. Although I shared many wonderful meals with my dear Aunt Helen, I never had the pleasure of having the famous Christmas Eve Dinner “La Vigilia” Feast of Seven Fish with her. We always had Christmas Eve dinner with the immediate family and Aunt Helen had the Christmas Eve with her brother and sister and other family members. Aunt Helen was born in Salerno, Italy and was my Uncle Franks (1 of my Mother’s 3 brothers) better half. So for our Christmas Dinner my mother would make an Antipasto of Salami, Provolone, Peppers, and Olives, followed by Baked Ziti and a Baked Ham studded with cloves and Pineapple rings.    The first time I ever had the mystical dinner was about 14 years ago with my cousin Joe, his family and my girlfriend Duyen. We had been talking about this famous Italian Feast a few weeks previous, and were thinking of making it. Joe told me he wanted to have the Christmas Eve Meal of The Feast of The 7 Fishes, known in Italy as La Viglia (The Vigil) or “La Festa Dei Sette Pesci,” which is also known in Italian-America as The Feast of The 7 Fish, the 7 Fish representing the 7 Sacraments.    This Dinner, La Viglia originated in Southern Italy, especially in and around the environs of Napoli. The Feast of The 7 Fish is a Southern Italian tradition that does not exist in the rest of Italy, it is of the South. La Viglia, or “The Feast of the Seven Fishes” as it is known to Italian-Americans commemorates the waiting (Vigil) of the Baby Jesus to be Born at Midnight and the Seven Fish represent the Seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. Some also believe that the Seven Fish might signify the 7 Days of Creation, or The Seven Deadly Sins, but most believe the 7 Fish pertain to the Seven Sacraments.      So Joe asked me if I wanted to make this festive and all important dinner, to perform the ceremony. He didn’t need to ask twice. I had never made it before and was dying to do so. For a long time I had yearned to partake in this celebrated old Southern Italian Ritual, and this was my chance. Naturally I was excited, so was Joe. So it we had great anticipation of the grand Feast to come and we were filled with happy expectations of the meal to come. And what for the menu? I know Aunt Helen made Bacala, Shrimp Oreganata, Mussels, Baked Clams, Calamari, Octopus, and eel, all much loved Southern Italian (especially Napoli and Sicily) creatures of the Sea. We decided which fish we wanted and how to cook each one. Much thought and planning went into the menu and its execution. Joe wanted; Langoustines, Lobster, and Bacala. Alexandra asked if I would make Stuffed Calamari. We also decided on Shrimp Cocktail, Baked Clams Oreganata, and Cozze al Posillipo. The menu was set. Duyen helped me with the Calamari which we stuffed with Shrimp, parsley, breadcrumbs, and Peas. We braised the Calamari with tomato, white wine, and herbs, and if I must say so myself, the Calamari came out superbly. The Stuffed Calamari were a lot of work to make, but well worth the effort as they were a huge hit with all. The Macari boys, Joey, Edward, and Tommy, as well as sister Gabriella, Alexandra, Little Joey, Duyen, Jose, and Sergio from Barcelona were all in attendance.      The Mussels Posillipo, a great favorite of both Neopolitans and their Italian-American brethren, were cooked with garlic, white wine, parsley, and tomato, of which the sauce is always great to dip your bread into. This dish was one of my mother’s favorites back in the days when few Americans other than those of Italian origins ever ate these wonderful little bivalves. Now-a-days every-body does. As a young boy I remember my mother sending me to Bella Pizza in East Rutherford to get an order of them for her. She always gave me a few mussels to eat, and I have loved them ever since.      Joe helped me to cook the Langoustines. They are hard to find and I had to order a ten-pound box from Silvano in order to get them. The best way to cook langoustines is to split them in half and sauté them on each side in olive oil with a little butter and garlic. We served the Langoustines the same way as Silvano does as we feel his recipe is the best and everybody loves them that way. The Langoustines are served with a salad of thinly shaved fennel and celery dressed in olive oil and lemon with some split cherry tomatoes. Absolutely delicious!!!   The Lobsters we prepared the best way possible, the New England way, steamed and served simply with drawn butter and lemon wedges. There’s nothing better on Earth, well except for Sunday Sauce of course.   Well, that Christmas Eve Dinner The Feast of Seven Fishes was quite a wonderful experience. It was a huge success though quite a lot of work and actually, too much food, everyone was kind of full already by the fifth fish. The following year we decided on incorporating the Seven Fish into three courses instead of seven separate. It was a good decision. We still had 7 different fish, which is a must. Serving these 7 Fish in three courses was a good idea as it is much more manageable that way, both to cook and to eat. So, you will see later on that you can have this great Feast of 7 different Fish in a number of ways; either 7 fish in seven courses or do the 7 fish in three, four, 5, or 7 separate courses, whatever you choose, it’s up to you.    On this particular Feast of The 7 Fish in 3 courses, we decided to make the Stuffed Calamari, which I would not have chosen again because it was a lot of work, but it was Alex’s and Joe’s favorite and they said that it was a must whenever we make the meal. We had the Stuffed Calamari as our Antipasto Course. Alexandra and her mom helped me, so the amount of work was cut down and divided into three. The stuffed calamari took care of two of the seven the shrimp that were stuffed into the squid.  The second course (Primi) of Linguine Frutti de Mare consumed four of the Seven Fish required for the meal. It consisted of Mussels, Clams, Lobster, and Scallops cooked with garlic, oil, herbs, and just a touch of tomato.    The seventh and final fish was fresh Cod that I roasted and served with a sweet and sour onion sauce (Bacala Fresca Agro Dolce). Everybody went bananas for it especially cousin Joe who raved at each and every dish I put down. It’s a pleasure cooking for Joe as his passion for eating and for the Italian-American way of life, the food, the wine, the rituals. Joe truly loves and savors the experience, so I always love to cook for him, Alexandra, their children, or just about anyone for who savors the experience so well. This goes the same for my cousin Anthony Bellino his wife Debbie and their three girls Chrissy, Danna, and Allison, along with all my close friends and family who I share my meals with.    It makes cooking a joy rather than a chore, when cooking for family or friends, you give two of life’s great gifts, a tasty Home-Cooked meal combined with a little bit of love. Scratch that, “A Whole Lotta Love!”    If you don’t want to go so crazy, with 7 Fish as it’s quite an undertaking, you should try to do an odd numbers; 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11. Three (3) is a Nice Number and represents the Holy Trinity of The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Basta, e Buon Natale!   EXCERPTED from THE FEAST of THE 7 FISH   by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

  


The Feast of The 7 Fish

The Feast of The 7 Fish




SECRET ITALIAN RECIPES 
Segreto italiano

SEGRETO ITALIANO
by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke