Best Pizza on Earth

The Zen Master of Pizza

Mr. Dom DeMarco

DiFara Pizza, Brooklyn New York

 

DiFara Pizza,  Avenue J Brooklyn , NEW YORK

   

Dom DeMarco with Another One of His Masterpieces

Eating a Pizza Made by Dom DeMarco's is a Religious Experience !!!

"Yes," Eating Pizza Made by The Maestro DOM DeMARCO

Is a Religious Experience !!!

Much has been said of the now famed Pizzeria (DiFarra Pizza) on Avenue J in Brooklyn, New York the Capital of Thee Best Pizza in the whole United States of America, bar-none, even Manhattan. Brooklyn lays claim to the Top two Pizzerias in the country, the top of the list 1 and 2, number 1, The Best and number 2, the second best. Well no, I don't know if I should put it that way, as it sound s as one is better than the other, which is not ht e case, as they are both equally good, equally Great and equally the Best Pizza and the Best Pizzerias in the United States, though they are are little different than one another. The Pizza at both Totonno's on Neptune Avenue in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York and Di Farra Pizza on Avenue J in Brooklyn are both otherworldly specimens of some the Finest Pizza on other and the Undisputed Best Pizza in America.

Wow, got off on a tangent about both Di Farra and Totonno's when I just intended to talk about Di Farra Pizza, Dom DeMarco the Maestro of Di Farra's and the Religious experience that it is to go there, watch Dominic masterfully make Pizza after glorious Pizza (without the help of anyone else), to watch in awe and anticipation and Salivation til you finally get yours (after about a hour or hour and a half wait), you hold it in your hand like a precious baby, and then to sink your teeth into it, savoring each wondrous bite after the other. "Yes," it is truly a religious experience, that is, if you are a great lover of this wonderful invention, created in Napoli, spread throughout the the Italian Peninsular and then across the Atlantic to America from Italian Immigrants where Gennaro Lombardi opened the First Pizzeria in America on Prince Street in New York City some 100 years ago or so.

Back to Di Farra and Pizzaiolo Extraordinaire, Mr. Dominic DeMarco. It is Dominic that makes Di Farra what it is, it certainly isn't the Pizzeria itself which is ultra plain and even appalling to some. Mr. DeMarco's pizzas are just about as close to absolute perfection in the Pizza Making World, a world in which New York City excels and has only one rival in Naples, Italy and the whole of Italy itself. Mr. De Marco has the magic touch, with perfect dough, the perfect balance of ingredients, tomato and other ingredient ratio to cheese, and this include Mr. Demarcos judicious use of Olive Oil which is right-on and a little magic touch that whoever complains about it, just does not know there Pizza and Italian Food on a whole. We Italians love our olive oil. And those who complain are unaware that it is a condiment that adds the final last touch to many dishes before they are eaten. Dominic knows this and should not be discourage against his generous use of it by those who do not understand the proper essence of the Italian Table. So please, keep your traps shut, if you don't like it don't eat it, this countries finest examples of the Pizza Art.

And on to the religious experience of Di Farra, Dom DeMarco and the mans artistry with Pizza. There is nothing quite like it in the entire Pizza World. There does not exist, to my knowledge any place in the world that has an elderly man making a hundred plus Pizzas a day in a place that has endless lines, day and night. Pizza that are so perfect, words can not describe People line up for greatness and artistry, and for a couple of slices of the most marvelous pizza this side of Naples, and to watch this passionate little old man work his heart out, not getting, not allowing anyone else to make a pie at his beloved Pizzeria. The man is elderly. He's worked his whole life. He makes such a magical thing that people line up each and every day to see him and eat one of his many masterpieces. With business like this, he could hire to other Pizzaiolos to help him, doubling or tripling his business and and financial intake. He could hire two guys and make pizza aloing with them, or sit back and get three guys to do it. At his age, he's entitled to. But know, Dom DeMarco loves what he does, he loves his Pizza, each and every one that passes that counter and into thousands of appreciative hands. The man feels that no one else can make a Pizza the way he does and wants to serve to his customers. No one else who has his skills, his passion and love for the Pizza, thus he does it all himself. And this my friends is the reason that going to Di Farra's to watch Dominic the maestro in action, all by himself while hundreds of people line up every day, waiting an hour and a half to two hours just to get a Pizza (not just any old Pizza mind you). "It's a Religious Experience." Truly! A show and there is nothing like it in the World, Dom DeMarco, a man and his Pizza, America's Best, and something to rival that other World Pizza Capital, Napoli.

   

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

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Italian Eggs

  ITALIANS & EGGS


  Not many would think of Italians as being big egg Eaters, but if you thought that, you’d be wrong. Italians probably eat more eggs than Americans, and they certainly have more ways to prepare them, especially in the form of the marvelous Italian Frittata. Italians eat Hard-Boiled Stuffed Egg at Wine Bars all over Italy, and they eat all kinds of Frittati mostly for lunch, but for dinner with a salad or as a late night snack as well. The fillings for Frittata are endless, with spinach, spaghetti, potato, and mushroom being most common. One famous Italian Egg dish is Uovo en Purgatorio, a dish of a couple eggs cooked in spicy tomato sauce and serve over toasted Italian Bread. But when it comes to Italian-Americans vs. our Italian brethren in Italy, Italian-Americans eat quite a bit more eggs than Italians in Italy. Where Italian-Americans beat out Italians in Italy in egg consumption is in the area of Egg Sandwiches, of which we just love and is our little secret, Italian-American Secret that is. American’s of other ethnic origins might not know of these tasty little sandwiches as we mostly eat them at home and the only Italian Egg Sandwich you are likely to see in an Italian-Deli is one of Sausage Pepper and Eggs. And you’re gonna have to go into a real heavy duty Italian neighborhood in Philly, Chicago, Brooklyn, and other parts of New York to find one, and even then you’re not gonna see many around. My favorite Egg Sandwiches are the previously mention Sausage Pepper & Egg and one my dear Aunt Helen (born in Salerno) taught me way back when. It’s a sandwich that’s not that well known and is sort of a family secret. I’ve cooked it for my friends, who have all gone nuts for it, and love it so much that since we have a good number of dinner parties, my friends asked me to top crostini with this egg sandwich filling. Oh, “So what is it,” you want to know? Well, it’s quite simple, but supremely tasty. It’s spinach sautéed with butter and olive oil then mixed in with eggs (Scrambling) and top quality grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padana Cheese. The result is amazing. One day I went over to Aunt Helen’s house to pay a visit to her and my Uncle Frank. As always Aunt Helen asked me if I wanted to eat. Well, more of an order than a question. “Heck yeah,” Aunt Helen, not what I said, but in my mind. OK, is what I said to Aunt Helen, one of the greatest Italian home-cooks this country has ever seen, her food was marvelous. Aunt Helen’s Meatballs are my all-time favorites. Anyway on this day, Aunt Helen gave me this sandwich. It was a Sandwich of Eggs scrambled with spinach and Parmigiano, and I was in Love at first bite. Dam, this sandwich was a revelation. I asked Aunt Helen how she made it, she told me and the rest is history. I made it for my friends who all went nuts for it as well, and I still make it to this very day, keeping my Aunt Helen’s memory alive, I always think of her and that day whenever I make it, Panino di Uovo e Spinaci. Yumm! You just gotta try one.

 

Aunt Helen's Panino di Uovo e Spinaci

So Frittata? They are quite a wonder this flat little Italian Omelette that can take on just about anything, the fillings that is. You can make them with an assortment of vegetables, with mushrooms, Spinach and Cheese, or my favorite, which I’ve never seen in Italy, I think I invented it, cause I’ve never seen anyone else make it, is Sausage & Peppers. Dam tasty. Frittata are amazingly versatile. In Italy they are most often serve thin and whole for most typically lunch, with maybe a little salad on the side. Over here, we Italian Americans like to make them thicker and cut them in to wedges to snack on, stuff in sandwiches, and bring along on a road-trip or in a picnic basket with Salami, Cheese, Bread and Wine. Now that’s a good picnic basket.



 Excerpted From SUNDAY SAUCE  - WHEN ITALIAN-AMERICANS COOK 
  by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

      

Uovo in Purgatorio

    SAUSAGE & PEPPER FRITTATA INGREDIENTS: 

  Olive Oil 8 Large Eggs, beaten and season with Salt & Pepper 4 links Italian Sweet Sausage 2 Red Bell Peppers, cleaned and cut in 1 inch strips 2 medium Onions, sliced in 1” slices 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thin 1 bunch Italian Parsley, washed and chopped rough half cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana

1.  Place sausage in a small pot and cook in low simmering water for 10 minutes.
2. Remove sausages from water and cut in to 1” pieces.

3. Sauté sausages in a 10” non-stick pan with Olive Oil for about 6 minutes at medium heat until all surfaces of the sausage is nicely browned. 4. Remove sausage and keep on the side. Put the Bell Peppers in the same pan. Sauté over low heat for 10 minutes. Add onions and sauté for 8 minutes. 5.Add Sausages back to pan and continue cooking on low heat for 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 3 minutes. 6. Beat eggs in a large bowl with salt and pepper. Add grated cheese and most of the chopped parsley, reserving some of the parsley to sprinkle over the finished Frittata. 7.  Turn the heat up high and cook for 1 minute. Add the eggs and cook while constantly mixing the eggs with other ingredients. 8.  When most of the eggs have cooked but there is still some uncooked eggs on top, take the pan off the heat. Let cool a few minutes. Take a plate that’s larger than the diameter of the pan you’re cooking in. Place the plate over the pan, then flip over so the uncooked part of the Eggs is on top of the plate. 9.  Add olive oil to pan and turn heat up high for 1 minute. Slide the frittata back in to the pan with the raw egg side of the frittata going in to the hot pan. Turn heat down to low and cook for about 2-3 minutes until the eggs are completely cooked through. Cut into wedges and serve hot, or put into a picnic basket or your lunch box and enjoy whenever.

        

    

    

SOPHIA LOREN

Just Because

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Sicilian Christmas Pizza Recipe

 

 

 

Panificio Graziano ..  Palermo Sicily

 

 

 

Sfincione (Cristmas Pizza) is a special treat served at The Feast of SanGiovanni in San Giovanni Sicily on Christmas Eve, new Years, and Good Friday .. Sfincione is one of Palermo's most popular dishes along with Pane e Milza also known as Vastedda a sandiwhc made with Beef Spleen Ricotta & Caciocavallo Cheese. Sfincione is quite different from the hugely popular Neapolitan Pizza that everyone knows. Very few people know about real Scilian Pizza which is Sfincione and not the so-called Sicilian Pizza of America which like the real Sicilian Pizza Sfincione, American Sicilian Pizza is made in a pan and has a thick crust and is topped with tomato and mozzarella like Neapolitan Pizza .. Sfincione is topped with a breadcrumb topping that is made with onions sauteed with anchovies and has a little bit of grated Parmigiano in the breadcrumb mixture that is baked on top of the dough. Sficione is quite tasty and unique and if you ever have the chance to eat it, if you're in Plaermo or other parts of Sicily or in one of the few places that makes it in the States, like Ben's Pizzeria on Spring Street in Soho, New York, NY  ... If you can't find it, you might want to take the task of making it yourself and it would be quite a treat to eat in you no-meat Christmas Eve Feast whether you are makeing the Christmas Eve Feast of The 7 Fish, called La Vigilia, which is the Vigil of waiting for the Birth of The Baby Jesus .. And it doesn't have to be Christmas for you to make it, in Palermo they enjoy all year roudn every day of the year where it's served in Panfico (bakeries) or on the street as one of Palermo's most popular strret foods, it's absolutely awesome and a real special unique treat to eat. Bon Appetito e Mangia Bene Sempre ...

 

Recipe SFINCIONE :

• 3 cups All-Purpose Flour 
• 1 + 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons to 1 cup + 2 tablespoons lukewarm water*
• Topping
• 3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
• olive oil, for sauteing
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• Sea salt and fresh black pepper
• 28-ounce can chopped or diced tomatoes
• 3 or 4 anchovies, chopped, optional
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 + 1/2 cups dried bread crumbs, like Panko or seasoned Italian
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons oregano, divided

 

1. Combine all of the crust ingredients and mix and knead to make a smooth, soft dough, using a stand mixer, bread machine, or your hands.  2. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and allow it to rise until puffy about 90 minutes.  3. While the dough rises get your toppings ready. Fry the onions in a large skillet over medium heat with a few tablespoons of olive oil, sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Stir every five minutes until browned, about 25-30 minutes.  4. Add in the tomatoes, anchovies and a teaspoon of oregano, simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool.  5. Stir together the bread crumbs, oil and oregano, set aside.  6. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet (a 13″ x 18″ half sheet pan) with non-stick spray. Drizzle it with olive oil, tilting the pan so the oil spreads out a bit.  7. Gently deflate the risen dough, and stretch it into an oval in your hands. Put it on the baking sheet and gently knead and stretch it out to fit the pan. If you have a hard time stretching it leave it alone for five minutes and try again.  8. Cover the dough, and let it rise again for about 90 minutes.  9. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Uncover the dough and sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over top, then spread the tomato/onion sauce over top, sprinkle with Parmesan, then the bread crumbs.  10. Bake the pizza for 35 minutes, or until the crust and crumbs are brown. Remove from the oven and let set for 5 minutes before slicing. To keep the crust crispy cut pizza in half or in quarters and place on a wire cooling rack. Slices can be cut with kitchen shears. Serve hot or cold. 

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A Slice of SFINCIONE

 

Real Sicilian Pizza

 

 

 

 

 

 

The FEAST of The 7 FISH

 

ITALIAN CHRISTMAS

 

 

Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know

About The Italian Christmas Feast of The 7 Fish

But Were Afraid to Ask

 

 

THE FEAST of The 7 FISH

 

by Daniel Bellino Z

 

 

 

 

 

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World's Best Breakfast on The Amalfi Coast

My Breakfast at Villa Maria Agroturismo, Minori

"Yes the Breakfast was amazing and trully the best of my life. How can it not be, look where I was sitting."  Perched hi atop the town of Minori on the beautiful Amalfi Coast in Southern Italy, "My God!" I had the most beautiful view imagineable on the terrazzo at Villa Maria Agroturismo looking down on the lovely seaside town of Minori with Ravello higher up the mountian and to the right. My breakfast, The BEst in The World. Well the best breakfast I've ever had; nice hot Coffee, Amalfi Lemon Cake, fresh Sfogliatelle, fresh fruit, toast and 10 different Homemade Jams made my Vincenzo and Maria with fruit from there farm. What could be better? Not much I tell you!

The World's Best Breakfast? Yes, well maybe. Or maybe not, but for me, the best breakfast I've ever had in my life. I came across Villa Maria Agroturismo when I was watching vidoes of Sicily and The Amalfi Coast on Youtube one night. I was getting ready to go on my trip and I was just looking for inspritation and a way to psych myself for my upcomong vacation. I just happened upon this video made by David Rocco. David Rocco is a Celebrity Chef from Toronto and he had done a series of food & wine videos on Italy. This particular one that I came across was about this wonderful little agroturismo Lemon Grove Farm in Minaori Italy on The Amalfi Coast called Villa Maria Agroturismo. Well I loved the video and fell in love with this place and the people who run it, husband and wife team Vincenzo & Maria. Vincenzo tends to his farm which is mainly a wonderful Lemon farm, but Vincenzo also has a good number of Olive Trees to make olive oil, he has grapevines from which he gets grapes to make a wonderful red wine and a white as well, he grows all sorts of fruits and vegetables, he has chickens for eggs and meat, as well as pigs so he can make his own homemade Salami and Prosciutto.

Yes Vincenzo takes care of the farm and he also runs his little inn agrosturismo that has 6 lovely little rooms way up in the mountain top of Minori. They also have a nice little restauarnt that you eat, yes the world's best breakfast and a marvelous 4 Course Dinner every night made my Maria with all the food made from products from their farm; Salami, Wine, Olive Oil, fruits and vegetbles, Pork Chops, Frittata (eggs) etc.. You'll not get a better meal anywhere, I promise you.

View of Minori From VILLA MARIA

Lemon Grove, Villa Maria Agroturismo, Minori Italy

Pacceri Frutta di Mare  .. My Lunch Vilal Maria, the day I arrived ...

Me & Vincenzo

Agroturismo Villa Maria

Minori ITALY

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Sicilian Beef Sleen Sandwich New York

Vasteddi Sandwich

Also Known as Vasteddi or Pane e Milza

Is a Specialty of Palermo, Sicily

Made of Beef Spleen w/ Ricotta & Caciocavllo Cheese

on a Sesame Seed Bun called Vastedda

VINNY at HIS FOCCACERIA

East Village .. NEW YORK NY

Vinny is on The Right (Sadly La Foccaceria Closed in 2010)

La Foccaceria? Oh where have you gonna? Well, i know. After more than 90 years in business, it was time to close the doors. And a sad day it was for thousands, including me. I first moved into the East Village in November 1982 .. I was working in another famed old New York Italian institution in The East Village, in John's (Since 1908) on East 12th Street right around the block from La Foccaceria .. La Foccaceria was a great little Sicilian Specialties restaurant on 1st Avenue between East 11th and East 12th Streets on the east side of First Avenue .. That was  the first spot where they opened the doors in 1914 ... I'm sorry to say, I never went to that one but to it's (La Foccaceria) 2nd locatoion a couple blocks south on 1st Avenue between East 7th Street and St.  Marks Place (E. 8th Street) on the east side of the avenue. The new La Foccaceria, run by one Vinny Bondi was jsut one block from my apartment at the corner of Avenue A and St. Marks Place. In 1982 to the East Village was on an up-swing in popularity and improvement from a sort of sub-ghetto of The Lower East Side. the neighborhood which was strongly Eastern European; Ukranian and Polish, mixed with Hispanics, Italians, and people of Jewish persuasion. At this point in time many rental apartments were quite cheap and the neighborhood was attracting artists, so-called wannabe actors and musicians and young people who wanted to live in Manhattan. In the East Village they could find an apartment (though not the best physically) at reasonable rates for the time, I did. Through a friend I was able to procure a 2 bedroom apartment for a mere $400 a month. Quite a bargain. I shared the apartment with my good friend jay F. for the first year in that apartment. Once he moved out, I kept the apartment for myself.    Hey, I'm getting off the beaten track. Yes back in 82 the East Village was an exciting and changing neighborhood, perfect for me and other young people just starting out in this great city of ours.     I was only paying $400 rent and had money to spend eating out. i used to eat at a Ukrainian Diner Odessa on Avenue A and Leskos as well, 2 doors down from Odessa. there I could get plates of home-made Perogis, fresh Keilbasi and other solid for for cheap. In the East Village there were a few old-school Italian holdovers like; John's were I was working as a waiter & Bartender at the time, Lanza's (now over 100 Years old), De Roberta's Italian Pastry (over 100 years old) Brunetta a great little Italian Restaruant I used to go to which was on the same block as the original La Foccaceria and there was the current La Foccaceria on 1st Ave near East 7th Street .. I went in to La Foccaceria one  day, I met Vinny and I loved it from the start. Vinny's father and mother had started the place way back in 1914 ... Vinny, I never asked his age, but he must have been in his late 60's at the time (1983). La Foccaceria served an array of wonderful dishes; all the usual pastas like; Lasagna, Spaghetti & Meatballs, Spaghetti Vongole (Clam Sauce), and Sicilaian Maccheroni like; Pasta con Sardi and Lasagna Coccati, broken pieces of lasagna pasta baked with sausage,peas, tomato, and mozzarella. Vinny had great soups like Pasta Fagoli and the best Lentil & Escarole Soup around. He sold sandwiches like Chicken Parmigiano, Meatball Parm, Sausage & Peppers, and his most famous dish of all, the famed Vastedda Sandwich of Palermo. A Vastedda (Vastedde) Sandwich as we've said is a very famous sandwich that is a specialty in Palermo, is made with Beef Spleen (or Veal) with Ricoota and Cacciocavallo Cheese on a small Sesame Seeded Bun. It is quite wonderful and was a specialty of the house at Vinny's La Foccaceria. I just loved it, and at $1.60 per, even in 1982 it was one of New York's great prepared food bargains. The average price of a sandwich  back then was about $5.00, so at $1.60 per? Wow! I had tried most of the dishes at La Foccaceria in my first year eating there, but there was one that I loved by far most of all. Yes, the Vastedde. Most times I would have a Vastedde and a bowl of Vinny's wonderful Lentil & escarole Soup, the best I have ever had. If it was Thursday or Saturday, the days that Vinny made Arancini (Sicilian Rice Balls) and Sfingione (True Sicilian Pizza), I might get a piece of Sfingione and Lentil & Escarole Soup, or Sfingione, a Vastedde, and Soup. Yeah!  Boy did I love Vinny's. There was nothing like those Vastedde and Vinny making them. Vinny had a special stattion at a counter up front of the place where he cut the cooked Beef Spleen, fry it in lard, cut the bun, cut some Cacciocavallo, he'd lay the spleen on the bun, add some Ricotta, and sprinkle the cut Cacciocavallo Cheese over the top. Yumm! And I'd have a little chat with Vinny as he made my Vastedde right before my eyes. When i ordered it, all I had to say to Vinny, was, "One with everything." That meant everything; the spleen, Ricotta and Cacciocavallo. Some people would order them minus the spleen. Why? Amateurs. Sadly, Vinny closed his Foccaceria a few years ago. it was a sad day for me, no more Vinny, no more La Foccaceria, no more Vastedde. Ode to La Foccaceria Ode to My Pal Vinny Ode to My Beloved Vastedde, I Will Miss You All So

GRANDMA BELLINO 'S ITALIAN COOKBOOK

RECIPES FROM MY SICILIAN NONNA

by Daniel Bellino Z

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Ferdinando's Focacceria 

Union Avenue, Carrol gardens Brooklyn, New York

Ferdinadno's is the Only Place to Get a Good Vasteddi Sandwich Left in New York

Cooking Italian

Greatest Hits Cookbook

byDaniel Bellino-Zwicke

IS 2 BOOKS in 1 !!!

All Your Greatest Hits Italian Recipes

plus

THE FEAST of THE 7 FISH ITALIAN CHRISTMAS

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Best Sunday Gravy Videos Youtube

GIANNI of NORTH BEACH

Awesome SUNDAY GRAVY From a Great ITALIAN-AMERICAN COOK

GIANNI

Our Pal Gianni makes an awesome Sunday Gravy and we just love his passion. This recipe is for the Gravy that his Mom and Aunt Fran would make when Gianni was growing up in New Jersey where they make along with New York the Best Sunday Sauce Gravy to be found on the planet .. 

SUNDAY SAUCE alla CLEMENZA

From The GODFATHER

This Sunday Sauce video is from our friend Daniel Bellino, author of Sunday Sauce - 

When Italian-Americans Cook  ... We love Daniel's book, his Sunday Sauce (Gravy) recipe, and especially Daniel's great passion and love for Italian-American food and the rituals within ... Daniel just like our buddy Gianni is "The Real Deal," and these guys are both Italian-Americans from Jersey, one of the strongest Italian enclaves in the country. Bravo Daniele ! Bravo Gianni !

CARLA'S SUNDAY GRAVY NAPOLITAN

Carla mkaes an Awesome Sunday Gravy .. She's so Sweet, we just Love her. Her and her awesome Gravy Napolitan .. Brava Carla !!!

"THAT'S RIGHT, IT'S CALLED GRAVY" !!!

This girl just cracks us up .. And she's from Jersey .. We swear, we didn't plan this, but we realize most of the best Sunday Sauce gravy recipes come from New Jersey, more than anywhere else in the country, even Brooklyn and the rest of New York .. Well I guess Jersey Wins Top Prize for The Best SUNDAY GRAVY in All of America ..

LEARN How to Make SUNDAY SAUCE alla CLEMENZA

From THE GODFATHER

Cousin's Antony & Daniel make an awesome SUNDAY SAUCE with Sausage, Meatballs. and Pork Spare Ribs .. We just love it .. Here they make this Gravy at Tony's father's house in Lodi, New Jersey which was at one time 100% Italian, mostly from Sicily and Napoli  .. Tony & Daniel's grandfather and grandmother were from Lercara Friddi Sicily, the same town that one Charles "Lucky" Lucciano was from, as well as another Jersey Boy named one Francis Albert Sinatra (Frank Sinatra) ...

Excerpted from SUNDAY SAUCE - When Italian-American Cook 

Of all the fine traditions of the Italian-American enclave in the United State, the Sunday afternoon ritual  of making  and eating a Sunday  Sauce, a.k.a. “Gravy” is Italian-America’s most Time-Honored of all. Mamma, Grandma (Nonna) will make her celebrated “Sunday Sauce” and all is glorious. Sunday Sauce? What is it? Well, first off, Sunday Sauce, or as some call it, Gravy or simply “Sauce,” is without question thee number-1 undisputed “Supreme Dish” of our great Italian-American Cuisine and the Italian-American enclave as a whole, “It doesn’t get any better than a Sunday Sauce.” Ok, now, to be more specific for those who may not know about Sunday Sauce, there are a number of variations on the theme. Most Sunday Sauces are made with Italian Sausages, Braciole, and Meatballs. Some people make their versions with; Beef or Pork Neck, while others make their Gravy (Sunday Sauce) with just Sausage and Meatballs, like Pete Clemenza, or the most popular version of; Sausages, Meatballs, and Braciole.  Some may throw some Chicken Thighs or a Veal Shank into this mix. Sunday Sauces can be made with any combination of these aforementioned meats. The meats are slowly simmered for several hours in a “Sauce” made with tomatoes, minced onions, and garlic. I generally like to make my Sunday Sauce Gravy with  Sausages, Meatballs, and Pork Ribs. Other times I’ll make it with Sausage, Meatballs, and Braciole.  An old tradition in some families is that mother or Grandma would start the Sauce early on a Sunday morning, get all the ingredients in the pot and start the Gravy simmering away for a couple hours on top of the stove, then put it in the oven for a couple hours while everyone goes to Church. When you get back home, the Sauce would be ready, “ready to be devoured that is!”

   Our family would usually start our Sunday meal with the most traditional Italian-American-Antipasto of roast  peppers,  Salami, Olives, Celery, and  Provolone.  After that, it’s on to the Main Event of Maccheroni and Sunday Sauce, a dish which is something so Blissfully and Pleasurably Sublime, that it is almost “Sinful.” Yes it is.

   When a meal centered around a Sunday Sauce is announced, one can have visions of Blissful Ecstasy at thoughts of eating Pasta laden with Italian Sausages, Savory Meatballs, Beef Braciola, and succulent Pork Ribs. All this has been slowly simmered to culinary perfection. Yes just the thoughts can enrapture one into a delightful frenzy of the “Most Blissful Feelings” of smelling, seeing, and consuming all the ingredients, the Sausages, Meatballs and Gravy. Yes a Sunday Sauce can and does have such effects on one’s mind, body,  and soul. And, I do not want to sound prejudice, but this is pure fact, it is the Male of the Italian-American species who Love The Sunday Sauce in all its form, far more than the female sex.  True! Meatballs too! And Italian-American men and boys Love and hold oh-so-dear, their Meatballs, Sunday Sauce, Sausage & Peppers,  and Meatball Parm Sandwiches.

Daniel Bellino-Zwicke   

SUNDAY SAUCE is Available on AMAZON.com