Tuesday, June 20, 2017

NEW YORK PIZZA

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NEW YORK PIZZA



The most common and now quintessential form of NY pizza has thus become the type that is cooked in gas ovens rather than the Neapolitan-American type cooked with coal. NY style pizza is sold either as whole pies or by the "slice" — a triangular wedge cut from a whole pizza. Typically, an 18" NY pizza yields eight slices. With the exception of Patsy's, none of the original coal oven pizzerias sell pizza by the slice. The availability of slices of pizza fundamentally changed the nature of pizza in NYC, liberating it from the restaurant and substantially lowering the financial barrier of entry. NY style is virtually defined by the low cost of entry, the immediacy of service, and the portability of the product. The NY style pizzas tend to have far more cheese than Neapolitan-American coal oven pies. The cheese typically covers the entire pie, with sauce only poking out along the circumference. A low moisture mozzarella is used rather than fresh mozzarella, which is not well suited to the lower temperature and longer cooking times of the gas ovens. Gas fired pizza lacks the sooty exterior that is a hallmark of coal fired ovens, but it still has plenty of crunch and snap to go along with the pliancy and springiness of the dough.






The Original JOE'S PIZZERIA


Corner of CARMINE & BLEECKER STREET

Has Moved a few Doors Up to 71 CARMINE STREET

in GREENWICH VILLAGE


The QUINTESSENTIAL NEW YORK SLICE

at JOES






MANY CONSIDER JOE'S The BEST SLICE in NEW YORK


For GAS FIRED PIZZA


"I Beg to DIFFER" 

"PLEASE !!!" 
   
For ME
It's The Pizza Master Mr. Dominic DeMarco

of DiFARA PIZZA

Brooklyn, NEW YORK
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The MASTER HIMSELF

Mr. DOMINIC DeMARCO

DiFARA PIZZA






The MAESTRO at Work

Another Perfectly Crafted PIZZA PIE

by Mr. Dom DeMARCO

DiFRA PIZZA
photo Copyright DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE
BROOKLYN , NEW YORK






The Classic SICILIAN SQUARE



In addition to the classic round pizza, most every pizzeria also sells Sicilian style pies and slices. Characterized by a rectangular shape due to being pan cooked, with a crust that is generally over an inch thick, this style of pizza originated in the bakeries, not the pizzerias, of Sicily, where it is sold as Sfinciuni. In Sicily, Sfinciuni is topped with a tomato sauce spiked with anchovies and onions under a canopy of breadcrumbs rather than the tomato sauce and cheese we see in NYC. That latter recipe is the result of the American melting pot effect of throwing Neapolitans and Sicilians together into lower Manhattan. You can find a version of Sfinciuni sold at Prince Street Pizza as the Broadway Breadcrumb and also at Famous Ben's as the Palermo slice. Some of NYC's most storied pizzerias specialize in square slices like L & B Spumoni Gardens in Brooklyn and Rizzo's in Astoria, Queens.








L&B SPUMONI GARDENS

the UNDISPUTED CHAMP of THE SICILIAN SQUARE

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK





And DON"T Forget to Get the Namesake Dessert

SPUMONI



  
The BIGGEST QUESTION of ALL


WHO MAKES NEW YORK'S BEST PIZZA ???





LOMBARDI'S

AMERICA'S First PIZZA

LOMBARDI'S is the ROOT of ALL GREAT PIZZA In AMERICA
GENARO LOMARDI With PIZZAIOLO ANTHONY PERO (Totonno's)

Lombardi's thrived in Little Italy, feeding legions of factory workers and immigrants longing for a taste of home. It was so popular that Lombardi soon dispensed with the groceries entirely and started selling pizza exclusively. Numerous employees struck out on their own, fanning out across the city and spreading the distinctive style of pizza.







TOTONNO PIZZERIA NAPOLITANO

Neptune Avenue

BROOKLYN , NEW YORK

Since 1927



According to the owners of Totonno’s Pizza, sisters Cookie Cimineri and Antoinette Balzano will not tolerate anyone telling them someone besides their grandfather Anthony “Totonno” Pero brought pizza to America. They don’t want any money, so much so that if you disagree, they’ll probably kick you out before you can order.



A BRIEF HISTORY of NEW YORK PIZZA


In 1924, Lombardi's employee Anthony "Totonno" Pero opened Totonno's in Coney Island. Five years later, John Sasso, also an employee of Lombardi's, opened John's Pizza on Bleecker Street. 1933 saw Pasquale "Patsy" Lanceri, reputed to have been a Lombardi's employee, open Patsy's in Harlem. Lombardi's, John's, Totonno's, and Patsy's are all still around today and represent cornerstones of the original NY style of pizza. (Lombardi's closed in 1984 and reopened a decade later in a different space on the same block.)

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1905: Gennaro Lombardi’s opens America's "First Ever Pizzeria" at  53 1/2 Spring St. in Lower Manhattam, New York, NY .. Some famed Pizzaioli  (Pizza Makers) work there over the years;Anthony Pero founder of Totonno's Coney Island, John Sasso of John's Pizza Bleecker Street, and Pasquale Lancieri aka "Patsy" who opens "Patsy's Pizzeria in Eats Harlem. A Pizza cost a Nickel at Lombardi's in 1905 ..
1924: Anthony “Totonno” Pero opens Totonno’s in Coney Island. Establishes unusual ritual that some Pizzerias carry on to this day. When the dough runs out, the Pizzeria close for the day.
1929: John Sasso opens John’s Pizzeria on Bleecker Street. 1933: Pasquale “Patsy” Lancieri opens Patsy’s in East Harlem.
1956: Average cost of a slice of New York pizza: 15 cents. Price keeps pace with cost of subway fare, seen as a kind of an economic indicator. 1959: Ralph Cuomo opens Ray’s Pizza on Prince Street.
1964: Di Fara Pizza opens in Midwood, Brooklyn.
1977: Saturday Night Fever: John Travolta double-slices it at Lenny’s in Bay Ridge. 1990: Three Ray’s owners, none of them named Ray, band together, form a coalition to trademark the name, and eliminate impostors, or make them pay a fee.
1994: Seventy-nine people are arrested for operating an international drug ring out of a midtown Famous Original Ray’s.
  2004: Anthony Mangieri opens Una Pizza Napoletana. Some cal him "The Pizza Nazi" 
 2004: Zagat awards Di Fara 28 rating for food along with Le Bernardin and Jean Georges; Di Fara also receives lowest rating ever for décor: 5.



SUNDAY SAUCE

No PIZZA HERE !

JUST LOTS of OTHER GREAT RECIPES

by Daniel Bellino "Z"












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The RAGU BOLOGNESE COOKBOOK

SECRET RECIPE

by DANNY BOLOGNESE


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https://ny.eater.com/2014/3/20/6261635/a-complete-guide-to-new-york-city-pizza-styles




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Sunday, June 18, 2017

Capri Provola The Amalfi Coast

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View of Marina Grande CAPRI with Sorrento in the distance, from Anacapri



Provolone, for many Italian-Americans it’s their favorite cheese. Case in point, its mine, my favorite cheese, as is with my sister Barbara, we both love it. The love of Provolone is more prevalent with Italians who are over forty years of age. The younger generation is more apt to go for Burata, something that didn’t exist in America previous to the past 15 years or so. Growing up in a 60’s 1970’s Italian-American household there were a few Italian Cheeses that most everyone ate and used in cooking their favorite dishes, put on antipasto platters and in sandwiches. There was Ricotta that went into making Lasagna and Manicotti or Stuffed Shells, Cheesecake, Cannoli, and other items. You normally didn’t eat Ricotta on it’s own as you might Mozzarella or Provolone, the ricotta was usually in cooked dishes, however I always loved taking a couple tablespoons, eating it fresh out of the container, all smooth and creamy. Yum! For many years Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano Reggiano were the most popular cheeses as they were grated over pasta and used in various recipes. Mozzarella came in third in popularity in Italian-America. Mozzarella is most famous for being a topping of millions upon millions of Pizzas, or in the popular Insalata Caprese, a thing of simplistic beauty and taste. A Caprese Salad looks lovely and fresh and just like an Italian Flag, the colors are the same, the Red of the fresh Tomatoes, the creamy white Fresh Mozzarella, and bright green fresh Basil comprises the classic Insalata Caprese, which of course is drizzled with a little bit of Italian Olive Oil to complete this wonderful dish, that’s simple, yet perfect, and based on the best top quality fresh ingredients. All this being said, using the Mozzarella in this way wasn’t the most popular way of getting this cheese in an Italian household. Mozzarella in Italian-America is most popular when it is cooked (melted) into a multitude of Italian dishes like; Lasagna, Manicotti, Stuffed Shells, on Chicken and Veal Parmigiano, in Baked Ziti and on Pizza. Yes we would have a Caprese Salad now and then, but more often if we were eating fresh uncooked Mozzarella it was usually on a sandwich or in the ever popular Antipasto-Misto platter of which the ingredients would vary according to who was making it, but most often it would consist of Salami, fresh Mozzarella and or Provolone, Roast Peppers, Olives, and fresh Celery. Provolone, always my favorite cheese when I was growing. It was my sister Barbara’s favorite as well and whenever we went to Barcelona’s Restaurant we always ordered a plate of Provolone along with Mussels Marinara, Baked Clams, and all our other favorites. Yes, Mozzarella was fine, but for my sister Barbara and I it just couldn’t keep up with the big bold flavor of Provolone.   







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Girl Making My PANINO



   I used to love walking into Belevedere Salumeria around the street from our house. The place had large torpedo-like Provolone (weighing 40-50 lbs.) hanging from the ceiling, along with Sopresseta, Prosciutto, and various types of Salumi. The smells dominated by the Provolone when you walked through the door were intoxicating. My friends and I, when we had a couple extra bucks we would treat ourselves and run over to Belevedere Italian Deli and get an awesome sandwich of Gabagool (Capicola), Salami, and Provolone, one of the world’s great sandwiches. Oh my God it’s making me hungry just thinking of it! I want one now! So along with those boyhood memories of eating a piece of sharp Provolone off the antipasto platter or on one of those great Belvedere Sandwiches, I now have some more fond memories of Provolone Cheese. They come from my latest trip to Italy. I was down on the Amalfi Coast for the first time in a few years, and got a nice panino at a Salumeria one day. I was looking in the refrigerated glass case of Salumi and Cheese looking over their products. I decided on and ordered a panino made with Sopresseta and Provola Afumicata (Smoke Provolone). The counterman made my sandwich and when I ate that baby, boy the combination was absolutely amazing. I couldn’t believe it. I never had this combination before and I just loved it. Simple, just some Sweet Sopresseta and Smoked Provola, the combination was out of this world. It was simple, but each wonderful ingredient of perfectly cured Sopresseta Salami and wonderful Smoke Provolone on a nice Italian Roll, it just made for a great tasting sandwich. What more can I say? I ended up eating about 6 of those sandwiches from various salumerias on Capri, in Sorrento, and on the Amalfi Coast on that trip. I’d get a sandwich or an Arancini to hold me over between meals, if I was going to the beach or taking a boat ride from Amalfi to Capri, or whatever. The sandwiches were all so very tasty and an unexpected pleasure that I hadn’t expected at all. So now after eating all those tasty Panini I now I go to Faicco’s Pork Store around the block and buy some nice Sweet Sopresseta, Smoked Provola and get a loaf of Italian Bread, and I’m all set, right back there on Capri, eating my special Panino di Provola Affumicata e Sopresseta. This brings me back to Capri, Amalfi, and memories of a trip. A trip of beauty, tasty food, and recollections, the beauty of Capri and the Amalfi Coast, eating Vongole, Pasta, Arancini, and Provolone. I tell you folks, “it just doesn’t get much better than that.”  







EATING The AMALFI COAST





VILLA MARIA LEMON FARM AGRUTURISMO

MINORI, ITALY

The AMALFI COAST

VINCENZO MANZO & Author DANIEL BELLINO "Z"













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Panino di Proval Affumicata e Sopresseta, Minori



  Now talking of these things, the Sopresseta, Provola, Capri Sorrento, and Napoli, I’ve got to bring up one more pleasure of that trip, the Aperol Spritz and Summer on the Amalfi Coast. It’s not that I’d never had an Aperol Spritz before. No, the first time I had one was way back in 1995 in Venice, the place where the Aperol Spritz was invented. I was on my exploratory trip of Venetian Wine Bars (Bacari) when I had my first Spritz. One evening I was walking around doing the Venetian Wine Bar tour. While walking on the Strada Nuova in Canareggio I dashed into a Bacaro I had spotted. I made my way up to the bar and surveyed the scene a moment before ordering. As I stood there I notice people drinking this particular drink. I asked the barman what they were drinking and he told me that it was a Spritz, “Prosecco with Aperol and soda.” OK, I said, “I’ll take one.” The barmen made me one in no-time flat, and that was my first Spritz, and I’ve had a number of them since then. Now getting back to that Summer 2015 on Costiera Amalfitana and the Aperol Spritz, they were everywhere, glasses of Aperol Spritz one after the other, bar after bar, caffe after caffe, table after table, everywhere you looked people were drinking this refreshing cocktail, the locals and tourists alike. Well I’d come back from the beach on my way back to my hotel, and as usual when on the Amalfi Coast when done at the beach for the day, I head to a nice bar or caffe for an Espresso, a glass of local White Wine, a Campari, or some other cocktail. Now all of a sudden it seemed that the Spritz had moved into high gear. The drink was quite popular, and as I’ve said, it was everywhere and everyone was drinking them. So I headed to the Piazza Umberto one day after a day at the beach (Faraglioni) as I usually do. There’s a few very popular caffe’s there, and it’s just a matter of picking one to spend your time at. I chose one of my favorites, the Bar Tiberius. I took a seat at a table outside and waited for the waiter to come over. The waiter came and I ordered an Aperol Spritz. He came back a few minutes later with a refreshing looking Spritz and a little bowl of peanuts for me to munch. Yes, it was good. My Aperol Spritz, Capri, the Piazza Umberto and all that goes with it, like a scene in a movie, set on the beautiful Isle of Capri. And you’re in it. Now that’s something. So, I ended up drinking a good number of Aperol Spritz’s on that trip. I had them in Capri, Positano, in Sorrento, and at caffé in the piazza in Ravello. It’s a great drink that’s light and refreshing and a great way to start any evening, slow and easy, that’s the Aperol Spritz, it eases you into the evening with its lightness and refreshing taste. Enjoy one some time, I do. So there you have it, the Provolone of my youth with those great Provolone & Gabagool Sandwiches at the Italian Deli Belveder, the Aperol Spritz, Capri, Napoli, Sorrento, and my Provola Panini on The Amalfi Coast. That’s Italy, Italian-America, Italian Food and memories of this blissful never-ending journey of Italian Food, the culture, people, places, and events. It’s all quite wonderful. Don’t you agree?     



Excerpted from Daniel Bellino 's forthcoming book  MANGIA ITALIANO ...





VOTED BEST AMALFI COAST

TRAVEL GUIDE



POSITANO The AMALFI COAST

TRAVEL GUIDE - COOKBOOK








The WORLDS BEST BREAKFAST



AT VILLA MARIA LEMON FARM

MINORI -The AMA:FI COAST

ITALY









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SUNDAY SAUCE

AMERICA'S FAVORITE

ITALIAN COOKBOOK

     









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MAKING PROVOLA


Watch the Video





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Leave The GUN Take The CANNOLI

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CANNOLIS







WATCH THE VIDEO


HOW to MAKE CANNOLIS








CLEMENZA Picking Up The CANNOLIS











"Leave the Gun, Take the CANNOLIS"


Short Version







LEAVE THE GUN TAKE THE CANNOLIS


FULL SCENE







RECIPES FROM MY SICILIAN NONNA

by Daniel Bellino "Z"




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Goodfellas Prison Sauce

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Paul Sorvino
 
 
aka BIG PAULIE
 
Slicing GARLIC Ravor Thin
 
"For the Sauce"
 
 
 
 
 
Charlie Scorsese
 
 
aka VINNY
 
Making The SAUCE
 
 
 
 
MAKING THE SAUCE
 
GOODFELLAS
HENRY, JOHNNY DIO, VINNY, & BIG PAULIE
 
 
SUNDAY SAUCE DINNER in PRISON
 
 
From L to R : RAY LIOTTA,
 
The Late Great FRANK PELLIGRINO Sr. ,
 
CHARLIE SCORSESE, and PAUL SORVINO
 
 
GOODFELLAS
 
Directed by Martin Scorsese
 
Based on The Book Wise Guys by Nicholas Pellegi
 
 
 
 
LEARN HOW to MAKE SUNDAY SAUCE
 
Like in GOODFELLAS
 
alla PRIGIONE
 
 
 
RECIPE in SUNDAY SAUCE
 
 
 
SUNDAY SAUCE
 
by Daniel Bellino "Z"
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Saturday, June 17, 2017

Sinatra Eats







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A Young Frank Sinatra  ....  Hoboken, New Jersey





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Frank Sinatra
"Come Fly with Me" !!!



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PATSY'S  "Franks Favorite Restaurant"


Frank's Favorite Restaurant in The World, was Patsy's on West 56th Street in New York, in The Theater District near Times Square .. Frank's Favorites were; Calms Posillipo, Spaghetti Pomodoro,  Veal Milanes (extra Thin & Crispy) and Spaghetti & Meatballs of which patsy's makes The Best in The City ..




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FRANK & AVA GARDNER Mangia Bene !!!
FRANK & AVA GARDNER
FRANK & DINO



FRANK & DEAN




FRANK'S FAVORITE ITALIAN BREAD ... PARISI on MOTT STREET, LITTLE ITALY, New York, NY




FRANK'S FAVORITE ITALIAN BREAD ... 

PARISI on MOTT STREET, LITTLE ITALY, New York, NY

FRANK'S FAVORITE ITALIAN BREAD

PARISI BAKERY MOTT STREET

LITTLE ITALY, NY NY




FRANK'S FAVORITE PIZZA


FRANK'S FAVORITE PIZZA "PATYSY'S"

East Harlem


FRANKS FAVORITE PIZZA

PATSY'S in EAST HARLEM

No Relation to PATSY'S on 56th STREET



PASTY'S PIZZERIA


PATSY'S PIZZERIA


East Harlem, NEW YORK







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SINATRA at JILLY'S New York with Friends and Daughters NANCY and TINA



Frank loved going to his close Pal JILLY RIZZO'S New York Restaurant JILLY'S where Frank would eat Chinese Food, tell stories, and drink JACK DANIEL'S to the Wee Hours of the morning ...





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SUNDAY SAUCE





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Dean Martin looks on as Sammy Davis Jr. pours Frank a Jack Daniels





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Jack Daniel's and Frank Sinatra







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FRANK SINATRA with Cigarette & JACK DANIELS






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FRANK and His much Loved EGG SANDWICH








FRANK Chomps on a Good ol HOT DOG


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Friday, June 16, 2017

Capri Napoli The Amalfi Coast Positano



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Looking Down on POSITANO  ...  June 2015


FULL ARTICLE - CLICK HERE !





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Looking to FARAGLIONI ROCKS From Top of Mount Solaro, CAPRI  2015




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Piazza Umberto Capri




Click Here to SEE FULL ARTICLE







POSITANO

The SNEAKERS






  

Sinatra Sauce Cookbook

  SINATRA SAUCE aka The SINATRA COOKBOOK COOK LIKE FRANK !!! RECIPES &. REMEMBERANCES AMAZON.com "Just in TIME For CHRISTMAS" ...