The NEW YORK ITALIAN FOOD & WINE GUY Blog is dedicated to many things, but mainly to three very GREAT ONES being NEW YORK, ITALIAN FOOD, and ITALIAN WINE. What's greater than these?
This beautiful Longines Watch made in Switzerland by one of the World's Great Watch Maker "LONGINES" is quite a deal at Less than $3,000 ... A ROLEX would cost you 6 to 7 times as much as this gorgeous Swiss Watch. This watch is equal in quality to a Rolex, it's just that they don't command the insabe prices that Rolex Watches do. Get Equal Quality for a whole lot less (Only $2,973 ). Quite a Bargain in comparison to ROLEX.
We searched Google today (October 12, 2023) for Best New Italian Cookbooks, and this is what came up. Number 1 at the Top of The List pf Best Italian Cookbooks is SUNDAY SAUCE by New York Italian-American author Daniel Bellino Zwicke. We have a couple more New Yorkers in the # 2 spot Best Italian Cookbooks with STATEN ITALY by Italian-American cousins Sal Basille, and Francis Garcia of Staten Island, New York.
In the # 3 spot is The Vespers Trial Italian Cookbook by Dominic Vesper and Thomas Vesper.
Two experts teach you how to "really cook" – in the kitchen and the courtroom. Follow Tom Vesper and cousin Dom in The Vespers' Trial Cookbook as they take you on a fun-filled, fact-filled, food-filled, instruction-filled journey to prove the unlikely axiom that good cooks and good trial lawyers share the same skills. All the while giving civil trial lawyers tips for success – from Dom in the kitchen and Tom in the courtroom.
The FOOD of SICILY
Fabrizia Lanza
In the 4th spot # 4 is The FOOD of SICILY by Fabrizia Lanza.
In this all-new cookbook from Fabrizia Lanza, one of the world’s greatest food cultures is distilled in 75 recipes for the home cook, plus a loving tribute to its ingredients, passions, influences, and history
Tucked away on an estate in the countryside south of Palermo is the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School, a unique center dedicated to preserving and sharing the great food culture of Sicily. The spirit of the school, now run by Fabrizia Lanza, the founder’s daughter and scion of a renowned family of winemakers that goes back generations, is what makes Lanza’s The Food of Sicily such a singular cookbook—not just a collection of recipes and techniques, but a vibrant and beautifully photographed profile of the land, the people, the history, and so much more.
# 5 BEST - ITALY by INGREDIENT by Viola Buitoni and Molly DeCoudreaux
A fresh approach to Italian cuisine through its most iconic ingredients, presented by Italian-born cooking instructor Viola Buitoni.
From glossy drops of balsamic vinegar to flakes of parmigiano reggiano and spoonfuls of fresh ricotta to creamy grains of risotto—the ingredients of Italian cuisine are beloved staples known the world over, available in specialty stores and served in restaurants across the globe. As a native Roman raised in the Umbrian countryside, Viola Buitoni grew up with these artisanal foods, learning about how they developed from centuries-old wisdom, tight-knit communities, and sustainable production. Now a US-based cooking instructor, Buitoni’s passion is sharing the beloved flavors of her homeland with home cooks.
BEST ITALIAN COOKBOOKS
We did another search and these books popped up.
SUNDAY SAUCE was still in there at # 1 & The Top Spot - Best Italian Cookbooks, with The Vespers Trial Cookbook Italiano Rustica , this time at # 2 instead of 3, with STATTEN ITALY by the two Italian-American cousins Sal & Frncis from Staten Island moving from 2 to the # 3 spot. Still good, and in the top 3.
On this search of BEST ITALIAN COOKBOOKS, The RAGU BOLOGNESE COOKBOOK by Daniel Bellino Zwicke popped up in the # 4 spot Best Italian Cookbooks - Google Search of BEST ITALIAN COOKBOOKS.
Well, these are all good cookbooks, and if you're doing your 2024 Christmas Shopping early or not, we'd recommend any of these fine Italian Cookbooks, escpecially Sunday Sauce at the # 1 Top Spot, will really apeal to all American home cooks, who love cooking Italian, "You can't gowrong."
Legend has it that in 1380 the father prior of the Carthusian Monastery of St. Giacomo was taken unaware by the news of the arrival in Capri of Queen Giovanna d’Angiò and so made a flower arrangement with the most beautiful flowers of the island. The water was not changed for three days and, when the flowers were thrown away, the prior noticed that the water had acquired a fragrance unknown to him. He went to the father alchemist who traced the origin of this scent back to the “Garofilum silvestre caprese”. That water became the first perfume of Capri.
History, on the other hand, relates that in 1948 the prior of the Monastery discovered the old formulas of the perfumes and, with by permission from the Pope, revealed them to a chemist from Turin, who created the smallest laboratory in the world and called it “Carthusia”, i.e. Certosa.
The tradition is now being continued and the limited production means being able to use the same methods as the Carthusian monks. All the preparations are made from genuine products of high quality and even the end product is handwrapped. The essence derived from rosemary picked on Monte Solaro is used in men’s products, while the essence of the Capri wild carnation is used in women’s fragrances.
The refinement of the floral notes of lily of the valley and wild carnation combined with the mysterious charm of amber, sandalwood, ylang-ylang and oak.
Carthusia's A'mmare Eau de Parfum is sunny, bright, and aromatic. Inspired by a lush, flowery, colorful garden where vegetation and water features draw a fragrant perimeter, rich in details that symbolize, as a whole, life and harmony.
Imagine an authentic, almost secret garden opens up among the alleys of Capri and intertwines under the veil of the waves, bringing to shore coral branches and vegetable compositions, together with shells and unexpected explosions of a natural heritage highlighted by a sunny day. A lush, flowery, colorful garden where vegetation and water features draw a fragrant perimeter rich in details that symbolize, as a whole, life and harmony. These are the inspirations behind Carthusia's A’mmare.
Bergamot, sunny and bright, meets Rosemary, aromatic and occasionally pungent. Salt is on the skin, crystallized. A plunge is refreshing, leaving room for what is new. Mint Leaves, green tender smoothness. Hidden energy. Now the vision is fulfilled, the horizon complete. Cedarwood and Guaiac, a precious forest, protect Patchouli and Musk, incoming gifts from faraway lands. The magic of the tale is complete, all around.
Fragrance Pyramid Top: Bergamot, Salt Crystals, Rosemary Middle: Water Accord, Mint Leaves Base: Cedar Wood, Patchouli, Guaiac Wood, Musk
This is a soup that my
mother used to make every now and then. Usually when her friend Mary Santangelo
gave her a couple big Cucuzza, from their backyard garden in Garfield. My
mother Lucia learned this recipe from her mother who used to make it back in
Sicily, and she learned how to make it from her mother, my Great Grandmother
Salemi. This dish is one of the quintessential recipes of this book, and also
of both the Italian-American and Sicilian-American table as a whole, and of
course of Sicilians in Sicily, especially in the years of the first 70 years of
the 20th Century from around 1900 to 1970’s or so. The soup is easy
to make and quite economical, feeding about 15 or 16 portions of which you can
serve over a 3 - 4 day time. Cucuzza are not always available in every store,
however more and more super markets are carrying them during their growing season,
and you can always get them at any produce store that specializes in Italian
foods.
This zuppa is a soup of
course, but almost a pasta dish as well, and you can vary the amount of pasta
as you like. Cooking pasta separately on the side and when you are serving it,
you will use double the amount of pasta or more, with less liquid in the soup
and using the soup actually as a sauce. I always do this, as there are always
leftovers when making a pot of it, and serving it as a pasta is a nice welcome
alternative to give one variety from the same dish. I do the same with Lentil
Soup to make Pasta Lenticchie, a pasta dish. In addition, if you like, you can
sauté one link of Italian Sweet or Hot Sausage, serve up the soup as either
pasta or soup and add a link of sausage or two to each plate. You will love it
any way you do, as do the Bellino’s and millions of other Italian’s have over
the years. So make it, and enjoy, and always Mangia Bene Amici!
GAGOOTZ
RECIPE :
INGREDIENTS :
1 large Cucuzza ak.a.
Gagootz
1 large onion, peeled and
diced
6 Garlic Cloves, peeled
and sliced thin
8 tablespoons Olive Oil
½ teaspoon Red Pepper
Flakes
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
½ tsp. Black Pepper
6 Plum Tomatoes, chopped
1 pound fresh cooked
Fava Beans, or frozen Baby Lima Beans (or canned lima beans)
1 pound imported Italian
Ditalini (or Ronzoni)
Cut off ends of the
Cucuzza and peel it with a vegetable peeler. Cut the Cucuzza in half
lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and discard. Cut into 1 ½ inch cubes.
Put olive oil and cucuzza
in a large 6-quart pot. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, occasionally
stirring with a wooden spoon. Add onion and cook for 4 minutes more.
Add garlic and cook for
3 minutes. Add red pepper, and cook for 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes and cook on
high heat for 5 minutes. Add water and cook on medium-low heat for 12 minutes.
Add Fava Beans (or Lima
Beans) and cook on low heat for 6 minutes.
Cook Ditalini according
to directions on package. When finished cooking, drain in a colander, making
sure to reserve 2 – 3 cups of water to add to soup.
Add all the pasta to the
soup. Add salt 7 Black Pepper and stir.
Add water little by
little to the soup until you reach the consistency that you like. The soup
should be fairly thick, yet slightly watery.
Ladle soup into bowls.
Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top of each bow of soup and pass grated
cheese for your guest to put in their soup.
Save any remaining soup
in a closed container to enjoy anytime for lunch, dinner, or anytime
in-between.
