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Segreto Italiano Secret Recipes

Verified Amazon Review

If you’re just beginning to learn Italian cooking – or you’re advanced…..you’ll find at least ONE recipe in this book you’ll have to try. But more likely, you’ll find several. What I love about this selection of recipes is that they include strictly Italian; Sicilian; and Italian-American dishes. The author recognizes Italian-American as a cuisine unto its own. Falling into all three categories myself, I have a large collection of Italian and Sicilian cook books, but none specifically for Italian-American. I think this is about as close as I’ll get. Dishes from my childhood (along with some charming anecdotes from the author) are in here and my mouth waters just thinking about which one I’ll make first.

The recipes are rather simple just like *real* Italian food. I remember the time I asked Zia Elena for her spaghetti sauce and meatball recipes. To me, she was the Queen of authentic and delicious Sicilian/Neopolitan cookery (she married one of those northern Italians, so learned to cook for him. I had to ask her on the sly as no one would admit to her superior culinary skills in front of their own mothers!) Her list of ingredients was short and of course, delicious. Most Italian recipes are like that —- not complicated, but delicious.

I give this book two paws up! For the price, it’s such a deal, it should be in any cook book collection which focuses on the three types of Italian food. And lest the reader say, “But I thought Sicilians *were* Italians…” You can read up on this on the internet and see that Sicily had hosted numerous types of colonies for hundreds of years by everyone from Greeks, Arabs, Byzantines, even Scandinavians!. It only became part of Italy in 1860. Then in 1946 it became an autonomous region. Why does this matter? Sicilian cooking has many influences and so differs, although at times in subtle ways and sometimes in a complete composition expression to the more northern Italian food and customs. Due to Sicily’s proximity to Greece, a dear Greek man once told me (as I choked on the sweetness of the baklava he had just given me), that Sicilians were “just Greeks” who wanted to be Italians. May be a grain of truth in that.!

If you love this outrageously ethnic food, then I highly recommend this. It’s the kind of book I wish Zia Elena would have written and left to me!

Thanks, Daniel

BACK COVER DESCRIPTION “SEGRETO ITALIANO”

Secret Italian Recipes & Favorite Dishes

OK, so you love Italian Food, “Yes?” Who doesn’t? You may not know how to cook, or maybe you do and want to add some Great Recipes to your repertoire. You may feel It’s high time you learned how to make an awesome Italian Pasta Sauce, “Hey, everyone should!” But, what kind; Tomato, Marinara, Bolognese? Or maybe you already have a number of recipes, but do you have recipes for; Clemenza’s Godfather Sunday Sauce or Danny Bolognese’s Ragu Bolognese? No, we didn’t think so! How about Gino’s Top-Secret Salsa Segrete from the beloved old New York Red-Sauce Joint “Gino’s of Capri?” Well, now it’s time for you to delve into SEGRETO ITALIANO and find rare and Secret Recipes, and learn how to make make Italian-America’s favorite dishes, dishes like; Cacciucco, Lucia’s Jersey Braciole, Uncle Pete’s Baked Rabbit, Jersey Shore Crab Sauce, or Serio Maccioni’s original recipe of the World Famous Pasta Primavera. Segreto Italiano is a celebration of Italian Food and Italian-America and is filled with countless recipes and wonderful stories of Italian Food and culture, like only Daniel Bellino “Z” can tell. Delight in Daniel’s wonderful storytelling and savor the recipes, the wonderfully delicious dishes of Segreto Italiano. Now it’s time to “Mangia Bene Tutti”

AVAILABLE on AMAZON.com

RECIPES Include :

CLAMS CASINO

CLAMS POSILLIPO

SECRET CAESAR SALAD DRESSING

LUCIA’S STUFFED PEPPERS

JOHNNY GOOMBA’S PASTA FAZOOL

FATHER DOMENIC’S MINESTRONE

UNCLE PETE’S SPARERIB SOUP

GRANDMA’S SECRET TOMATO SAUCE

MARINARA SAUCE

GINO’S SECRET SAUCE “SALSA SEGRETO”

LASAGNA

AL PACINO’S SPAGHETTI w/ GARLIC & OIL

MANICOTTI

PASTA CUCUZZA

DANNY’S BOLOGNES

BROOKLYN STYLE SUNDAY SAUCE GRAVY

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Worlds Best Recipe

They Used to Have Good Bolognese Sauce Here

“Mine is Better”

DANNY BOLOGNESE

Note : Sadly ROCCO’S No longer Exists

It’s now CARBONE RISTORANTE

LEARN HOW to Make The WORLD’S BEST RAGU BOLOGNESE

The RECIPE by “DANNY BOLOGNESE”

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The RAGU BOLOGNESE COOKBOOK

by BEST SELLING COOKBOOK AUTHOR

DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE

aka “DANNY BOLOGNESE”

“IT’S THE BEST”

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Timballo di Polpette

Timballo di Polpette

INGREDIENTS :

1 pound Arborio Rice

1 small Onion, peeled and diced fine

3/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

4 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 cup Tomato Sauce

1/2 teaspoon Salt

MEATBALLS INGREDIENTS:

12 ounces ground Beef

1 large Egg

1/2 teaspoon each of Salt & Black Black Pepper

1/2 cup Breadcrumbs mixed with 1/4 cup Milk

1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

1/4 cup Italian Parsley, chopped fine

Vegetable Oil for Frying Meatballs

1/4 cup Flour

NOTE : Bake these Timballi in a standard Muffin Pan, or individual molds if you have them. Grease your muffin pan (or molds) with softened butter.

FILLING INGREDIENTS :

1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

1/2 cup Provolone or Caciocavallo Cheese

1/c cup Boiled Ham, diced

MEATBALLS PREPARATION

In a large mixing bowl, add the ground Beef, Salt & Black Pepper, grated Parmigiano, chopped Parlsey, breadcrumbs, and Egg, mix until well incorporated.

Shape the beef mixture into small meatballs, a bit smaller than a Walnut and place on a dry sheet pan. Once all the meat has been formed into small meatballs, take each meatball and dredge in the flour to coat lightly. Shake off excess flour and place the meatball back on pan. Repeat until all the meatballs have been coated with the flour.

Pour the vegetable oil into a non-stick pan, and heat over high heat until the oil is at frying temp. Cook the meatballs in two batches over medium-high heat. Brown meatballs on all sides, then place on pan with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
Set meatballs aside to cool.
Rice Preparation :

Fill a large pot with the Olive Oil and chopped Onion and cook on medium heat for 4 minutes. Add rice aand 1/2 teaspoon Salt and cook for 2 minutes on low heat. Add 2 quarts of water and bring to the boil. Cook the rice at a medium simmer for 12 minutes. Drain rice in a wire strainer or colander.
Let the rice cool for 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 teaspoon of White Pepper to the rice and mix. Add 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano to rice and mix. Add 1 cup Tomato Sauce to rice and mix.
Meanwhile butter the molds and set aside.

Form a layer of rice at the base and in the edges and press with the back of the spoon, place the ham in the center, the Provolone and a Meatball, a little tomato sauce and a bit of Parmesan, cover with rice.

Bake in preheated oven at 325 degrees for 18 minutes.
As the timballi are baking, heat remaining tomato sauce.
Remove from the oven to cool for 5 minutes, gently flip on a plate and
Place a little tomato sauce on a plate, place one Timballo on top of sauce, then garnish with a nice Basil Flower for each. Serve your guests.
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Excerpted form POSITANO The AMALFI COAST, the forthcoming new book of Best Selling Italian Cookbook author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

POSITANO

Travel Guide / Cookbook

POSITANO The AMALFI COAST

ITALY

RECIPES & INSPIRATION

AMAZON.com

Coniglio Ischitana Recipe

Congilio all’ Ischitana

CONIGLIO all ISCHITANA

Rabbit in the Style of Ishcia

There is no question at all, that Coniglio all Ischitana is by far the most popular and well-known dish in all of Ischia. The island of Ischia is much larger than its more famous nieghbor, Capri, and the island is filled with many vineyards where grapes are grown for the islands wonderful wines. And all over the island, in the vineyards, up the mountains, and in the woods, wild rabbits roam and have been the main source of meat on Ischia for hundreds of years.

Yes they make wonderful wine in Ischia, and if you are ever there, eating this famed rabbit dish, you must drink one of the island’s tasty wines. Biancolella is oh so delicious, and the wine most popular all around Ischia. Another fine white wine is made from the native Forastera grapes, and if you’re looking for a robus red, Per Palumm (Piedirosso) is robust and up to the task to pair with Coniglio Ischitana, or and grilled, roast, or braised meat that might be on the table.

CONIGLIO ISCHITANA

Ingredients :

1 small Rabbit (2 /2 lbs), cut into 8 pieces

1/4 cup Italian Olive Oil

4 cloves Garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1 small Onion, peeled and diced

¾ cup dry White Wine

Sea Salt & Black Pepper (teaspoon each)

1 – 28 ounce can San Marzano Plum Tomatoes

⅛ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

3 sprigs Fresh Thyme ( or 1 teaspoon dry Thyme)

Place olive oil in a large pot and turn heat to medium. Add half of the rabbit, and cook for 6 minutes on all sides. Sprinkle a little salt and black pepper over the rabbit pieces and continue cooking for a few minutes until the rabbit is nicely browned (3 to 4 minutes more).

Remove the rabbit with a large slotted spoon, and set aside on a large plate. Place the remaining rabbit in the pot, and cook just as you did in preceeding step.

Remove rabbit pieces from pot.

Add the garlic and onions and cook over a low flame, striing with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes.

Add half the wine to the pot, and tun heat to high, and scrape the bottom of the pot so you will deglaze the pan, lifting the brown bits on the bottom of the put into the liquid. Let cook at high for 3 minutes.

Add the remianing wine and all the rabbit to the pot, and cook on medium heat until the wine has reduce to ⅓ its original volume.

Add the tomatoes to the pot, with the Thyme, the Red Pepper Flakes, and the remaining salt and Black Pepper.

Bring the liquid to the boil, then quickly lower to a simmer, and let the Rabbit cook until tender, about 45 to 55 minutes more.

Turn the heat off, the Rabbit is done.

In homes in Ischia, families usually remove about half of the sauce from the pot, to lightly dress some spaghetti or maccheroni, as a primi course that preceeds eating the Rabbit as the main course (Secondo). We recommend you doing this. The rabbit does not need a lot of sauce to coat and eat it, and a little sauce on some pasta, sprinkled with a bit of grated cheese is a wonderful way of eat the dish.

You can serve the Rabbit on its own with the braising sauce, and if you like, you can serve some sauteed greens or whatever vegetable that you like on the side.

Buon Appetito !

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

This recipe has been generously given to the reads of this blog, by author Daniel Bellino Zwicke for your use and enjoyment. The recipe is Excerpted from Daniel’s forthcoming book

POSITANO The AMALFI COAST – Travel Guide / Cookbook and Stories of Capri, Ischia, Naples and The Amalfi Coast Italy.