POLLO alla NISSENA
CALTANISSETTA, SICILY
POLLO alla NISSENA
alla EVA
"Almost FRIED SICILIAN CHICKEN"
From CALTANISETTA, SICILY
SICILIAN CHICKEN
NONNA BELLINO'S COOKBOOK
Monday, September 28, 2026
Sunday, September 27, 2026
An Ode to Sunday Sauce by Bellino
CLEMENZA Making SAUCE
The GODFATHER
SUNDAY SAUCE
Of all the fine traditions of the Italian-American enclave in the United States, 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), whoever will make their celebrated “Sunday Sauce” and all is glorious. Sunday Sauce? What is it? Well, first off, Sunday Sauce, or as many of us 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 community as a whole. “It doesn’t get any better than gathering with family and making a Sunday Sauce on Sunday” Ok, now, to be more specific for those who may not know about Sunday Sauce (Gravy), 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 Peter Clemenza in Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic film, The Godfather. The most popular version of Sunday Sauce is with Sausages & Meatballs. Some may throw in chicken thighs or a piece of beef chuck, or veal shank into this mix, and braciole might go in as well. A Sunday Sauce 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, or just Meatballs & Sausages like Clemenza.
An old tradition in some families is that mother or nonna would start the Sauce early on a Sunday morning, get all the ingredients in the pot and start the Gravy simmering away for an hour or so on top of the stove. She’ll then put it in the oven for a couple hours while everyone goes to Church. When you get back home, the Sauce will 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 pleasing that no one can resist.
When a meal centered around a Sunday Sauce is announced, one can have visions of Blissful Ecstasy at the thoughts of eating maccheroni dressed in sauce and laden with all those tasty meats : Sausages, 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 imaginable. The smelling, seeing, and consuming of all those tasty ingredients? It’s one of the World’s loveliest feelings of all, and not everyone experiences it. Eating Sunday Sauce. Yes, a Sunday Sauce can and does have such effects on one’s mind, body, and soul. And, I do not want to sound prejudiced, but this is pure fact, it is the Male of the Italian-American species who Love The Sunday Sauce most. It’s True! We also cherish Meatballs, and Meatball Parm Sandwiches as well. Thai is all part of the Italian-American culture.
The Sunday Sauce that my mother would make was with Meatballs and Beef Braciole. My memories are vivid watching my mother stuffing the Braciole with garlic, parsley, Pecorino Romano, and Pignoli Nuts, then tying the bundles with butcher's cord to hold the Braciole together as they slowly simmered in the Gravy. Another fond memory was helping my mother roll and shape the Meatballs.
As for me, my Sunday Sauce can vary depending on my mood. One thing I love to do when making my sauce is to add Pork Spareribs to the Gravy. Gravy by the way is what many people in the New York, New Jersey (Soprano Territory) area call Sunday Sauce, particularly in Brooklyn and South Philly. Not many people make their Sunday Sauce with the Pork Ribs, but to me they are phenomenal, and anyone who tries them, they are immediately hooked. As I think back, none of the ladies in our family put Pork Spare Ribs into their Gravy. I guess I read or heard about some people doing it, and I believe it was about 15 years ago or so that I started adding the Ribs into my Sauce. I haven’t looked back ever since. Ribs in the Garvy (Sauce)? “I love them.” And whomever I serve them to, go nuts for them as well. Without question they are one of the tastiest thinks you well ever eat. This is fact, there’s nothing better then pork spare ribs slowly cooked in sauce.
Yes, whenever I make my sauce with Pork Ribs, my friends go nuts for them, and most are surprised, as they might never have had Ribs in a Sunday Sauce before. They didn’t know that you could? Put Pork Ribs i n sauce. Sunday Sauce, the best thing ever.
The ribs are traditional with some but not all. It is quite a shame for those who don’t add the ribs as they give the sauce a quite wonderful flavor, and the ribs themselves, “Yumm.” The ribs that simmer long and slow become quite tender. They are succulent and juicy, and they “Melt-in-Your-Mouth.”
Whenever I make the Sauce, and I’m dishing it out to friends and family, I always make sure that I have my fair share of the Ribs. These Sunday Sauce Ribs are literally “Out-of-this-World.” And what to serve with the Sunday Sauce you ask? Any short Maccheroni such as Rigatoni, Ziti, or Cavatelli are best.
The rituals of cooking, serving, and eating Sunday Sauce is a time honored one. It is quite a beautiful thing, same as making a Mole in Mexico, Cassoulet in France or Paella in Spain. They are all wonderful things of beauty. They delight man's every sensory perception; sight, smell, taste, and feel. First, you probably smell the sauce's heady aroma wafting through the air. The smell of a Sunday Sauce is oh so intoxicating - it immediately gets your juices flowing. So to speak. Once you smell it, you want it, and can’t wait to sink your teeth into it. Second, you will see it in all its gloriousness. You will then eat, whereupon you taste and feel and experience one of Italian-America’s greatest pleasures, the Sunday Sauce Italian Gravy. It is without question, the greatest of all pleasures of the Italian-American experience. “Nothing beats Sunday Sauce (Gravy).” A Sunday Sauce (Gravy) takes time and effort to make. It is made and served with Love. All these great dishes bring together friends and family, and for Italian-Americans, Sunday Sauce is King of all dishes.
If you utter the term Sunday Sauce or “Gravy” to any number of millions of Italian-Americans, they will immediately start salivating at the simple mention of its name. The wheels start turning in their heads, with thoughts of how tasty it is, with its various components; the Meatballs, Sausages, Braciole. Maybe it has Ribs, pork neck, or Pig Skin Braciole (Coteca). And maccheroni. Maccheroni (pasta) and all those tasty meats. They think about these things, and sitting at the table, enjoying the company of friends - family, the people they love. They’ll ponder the Antipasti, wondering what it might be; mixed Salumi, Baked Clams, Grilled Calamari? And with the meal, there will surely be wine. Italian Wine. Maybe a nice Chianti? Or perhaps Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. With Uncle Frank and Uncle Tony, the wine was usually Carlo Rossi Paisano or Gallo Hearty Burgundy. Nothing else. It was always, one or the other, from these two solid Italian-American Winemakers.
When thinking of a Sunday Sauce, you’ll think about the warmth in the air, of loved ones, Sinatra, Dino, and the Sunday Sauce itself. The world's tastiest dish! If you’ve never done it, “Try it!” If you haven’t cooked one for some time, plan a get-together with friends and family, soon. Sunday Sauce, It brings people together, in a most delightful way. And as the Big Boys would say, “It’s a Beautiful Thing.”
…. Daniel Bellino Zwicke ….
Excerpted from SUNDAY SAUCE - by Daniel Bellino Zwicke
SUNDAY SAUCE
alla BELLINO alla PACINO
AMErICA'S FAVORITE ITALIAN COOKBOOK
CLEMENZA SHOWS MICHAEL
HOW to MAKE SAUCE
.
Friday, September 25, 2026
Molise Campanella Sandwich
PAMPANELLA SANDWICH
PAMPANELLA di MOLISE
MOLISE, ITALY
PAMPANELLA
HOW to MAKE PAMPANELLA
VIDEO RECIPE
Recipe Ndunderi (Ricotta Gnocchi) - Minori
NDUNDERI MINORESE
MINORI, ITALY
NDUNDERI MINORESE
"RICOTTA GNOCCHI of MINORI"
The AMALFI COAST ITALY
RECIPE - "NDUNDERI"
Ricotta Gnocchi or Minori
INGREDIENTS :
1 cup Ricotta (well drained to remove excess water)
1/4 cup grated Parmigiana Reggiano cheese
2 large Eggs
1 cup all purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the ricotta, eggs and grated cheese, together with a good pinch of salt and a scrape of nutmeg, until you have a uniform paste.
Add the flour bit by bit until you get a soft but not sticky dough.
Knead very briefly on a well floured surface to form a ball. Cover in plastic wrap, then a towel, and let rest for at least 30 minutes.
Cut the ball in halves or quarters, then roll out into thick logs, then cut the logs into lengths.
Press a little dimple into each piece of ndunderi.
Simmer the Ndunderi in lightly simmering salted water of 5 minutes.
Drain, and serve with salsa pomodoro (tomato sauce), or in butter, with grated lemon zest, and grated Parmigiana cheese.
Enjoy !
Ndunderi are also, often served with a sauce of Sausages cooked with tomatoes.
POSITANO The AMALFI COAST
TRAVEL GUIDE - COOKBOOK
With 100 REGIONAL RECIPES
NAPLES - SORENTINO - POSITANO - CAPRI
The AMALFI COAST
Daniel Bellino Zwicke
Sunday, September 20, 2026
The Sinatra Sauce Cookbook by Bellino
SINATRA SAUCE
The COOKBOOK
COOK & EAT LIKE FRANK
HIS FAVORITE ITALIAN RECIPES
SINATRA SAUCE - The COOKBOOK
by Daniel Bellino Zwicke
Sinatra Sauce: The Italian-American Cookbook Inspired by Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra, Italian-American food, spaghetti and meatballs, Sunday Sauce, classic Italian recipes, New York restaurants, and the good life all come together in Sinatra Sauce: Music, Meatballs & Merriment by Daniel Bellino Zwicke.
What did Frank Sinatra like to eat?
For generations, Sinatra has represented more than great music. He represents a certain way of living: good food, good friends, a great glass of wine, music playing in the background, and a table filled with people you enjoy.
That spirit is at the heart of Sinatra Sauce: Music, Meatballs & Merriment by Daniel Bellino Zwicke, a cookbook and celebration of Italian-American food inspired by the culinary world surrounding Frank Sinatra.
The book brings together classic Italian-American recipes, stories of Sinatra, family traditions, famous New York Italian restaurants, and the unmistakable atmosphere of the Italian-American table.
And yes—there is plenty of sauce.
What Is Sinatra Sauce?
Sinatra Sauce is more than a cookbook about tomato sauce.
It is a celebration of the relationship between Frank Sinatra and Italian-American food.
The cookbook explores dishes associated with Sinatra's culinary world, including tomato sauce, spaghetti and meatballs, eggplant parmigiana, lasagna, clams, meat dishes, Italian desserts, and other classic favorites.
The book's full title—Sinatra Sauce: Music, Meatballs & Merriment—captures the idea perfectly.
Put on Sinatra.
Start cooking.
Open a bottle of wine.
Invite some friends.
Make a great Italian-American meal.
That's the experience the book is designed to evoke.
According to the book's official website, recipes include Sinatra Tomato Sauce, Dolly's Meatballs, Eggplant Parmigiana, Caponata, Sicilian-style artichokes, arancini, Minestrone alla Dolly, Pasta Fazool, Maccheroni al Forno, Sicilian Lasagna, Chicken Vesuvio, Veal Marsala, Steak Sinatra's Way, Marty’s Sicilian Meatloaf, Frank's Italian Cheesecake, and Reginella Sicilian Cookies, among others.
Frank Sinatra and Italian-American Food
Frank Sinatra was one of the defining figures of American popular culture.
He was a singer, recording artist, actor, entertainer and cultural icon. But for many Italian-Americans, Sinatra also represented something deeply familiar.
He represented the immigrant experience transformed into an American success story.
His family background, his New Jersey upbringing, his relationships with Italian-American friends and his affection for Italian food all contribute to the cultural world explored in Sinatra Sauce.
The cookbook takes that world and brings it into the kitchen.
Rather than treating Italian-American food simply as a collection of recipes, Daniel Bellino Zwicke approaches it as part of a larger tradition of family, restaurants, Sunday dinners, music and celebration.
That's an important distinction.
Italian-American cooking has always been about more than the food on the plate.
It's about the people sitting around the table.
The Sinatra Spaghetti and Meatballs Connection
Few dishes represent Italian-American cooking more powerfully than spaghetti and meatballs.
It is one of the most recognizable Italian-American dishes in America, and it fits perfectly into the Sinatra Sauce philosophy.
The Sinatra Sauce website features a recipe for Sinatra Spaghetti and Meatballs, including meatballs made with a combination of beef and pork.
The recipe is part of the larger culinary story explored in the cookbook.
Think about the scene:
A pot of tomato sauce simmering on the stove.
Meatballs browning in the pan.
The smell of garlic and onions filling the kitchen.
A large pot of pasta boiling.
Frank Sinatra playing in the background.
Family and friends arriving.
That is the world of Sinatra Sauce.
Dolly Sinatra's Italian-American Cooking
One of the most interesting elements of the book is its connection to Dolly Sinatra, Frank's mother.
The cookbook includes recipes connected with Dolly Sinatra, including her meatballs and other Italian-American dishes.
The book's official website also discusses Frank Sinatra's own connection to tomato sauce and a recipe associated with his television appearance on the Dinah Shore Show.
This gives the cookbook a particularly personal dimension.
Instead of simply asking, "What food did Frank Sinatra like?"
Sinatra Sauce asks a more interesting question:
What did food mean in Sinatra's life and in the Italian-American culture that shaped him?
The answer leads directly to the family kitchen.
Sunday Sauce, Italian Gravy and Sinatra
If there is one culinary tradition that perfectly fits the Sinatra lifestyle, it is Sunday Sauce.
Italian-American families have been gathering around large pots of tomato sauce for generations.
Depending on the family, it may be called:
Sunday Sauce
Sunday Gravy
Italian Gravy
Red Sauce
Tomato Sauce
Marinara
The terminology varies from family to family and from region to region.
The tradition, however, is instantly recognizable.
A big family meal.
A slowly cooked sauce.
Meatballs.
Sausage.
Braciole.
Pasta.
Bread.
Wine.
Dessert.
Coffee.
Conversation.
And plenty of time at the table.
Daniel Bellino Zwicke has explored this Italian-American tradition extensively in his earlier cookbook Sunday Sauce: When Italian-Americans Cook, which focuses on the history, recipes and rituals surrounding Italian-American Sunday meals.
Sinatra Sauce continues that culinary conversation through the lens of Frank Sinatra.
The Italian-American Table
One reason Italian-American cooking remains so popular is that it is approachable.
You don't need an elaborate professional kitchen.
You don't need rare ingredients.
You don't need to be a trained chef.
You need good ingredients, patience, a few fundamental techniques—and people to share the meal with.
That is particularly true with dishes such as:
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Eggplant Parmigiana
Lasagna
Tomato Sauce
Chicken Vesuvio
Veal Marsala
Caponata
Arancini
Pasta Fazool
These are dishes with history.
They are dishes with personality.
And they are dishes that have become part of the American culinary landscape.
Sinatra Sauce brings many of these classics together in one volume.
Sinatra, New York and Italian Restaurants
You cannot really tell the story of Italian-American food without talking about New York City.
New York helped shape Italian-American restaurant culture, from neighborhood trattorias to famous old-school restaurants that became institutions.
Frank Sinatra was closely associated with New York's restaurant and nightlife culture.
The Sinatra Sauce project explores places associated with Sinatra and the Italian-American dining world, including restaurants such as Patsy's and other famous New York establishments.
That makes the book particularly appealing to anyone fascinated by:
Frank Sinatra
New York City
Italian-American culture
Old-school Italian restaurants
Celebrity food history
Classic Italian-American recipes
The Rat Pack era
Mid-century American culture
More Than a Sinatra Cookbook
One of the biggest misconceptions about Sinatra Sauce would be to think of it simply as a collection of celebrity recipes.
It is more than that.
The book combines food, biography, cultural history, recipes and lifestyle.
It is about the atmosphere surrounding the food.
It is about cooking dinner while listening to Sinatra.
It is about gathering friends around a table.
It is about the Italian-American tradition of making enough food for everyone—and then making more.
It is about entertaining.
It is about family.
And it is about enjoying life.
That's where the phrase "Music, Meatballs & Merriment" becomes particularly appropriate.
What Recipes Are in Sinatra Sauce?
Readers interested in classic Italian-American cooking will find a broad selection of dishes.
Some of the recipes and dishes featured in the Sinatra Sauce project include:
Sinatra Tomato Sauce
A classic tomato sauce connected to Sinatra's culinary story.
Dolly's Meatballs
An Italian-American meatball recipe associated with Frank Sinatra's mother.
Eggplant Parmigiana
One of the great Italian-American comfort foods.
Caponata
A Sicilian vegetable preparation combining sweet, savory and acidic flavors.
Arancini
Sicilian rice balls that have become beloved throughout the Italian-American food world.
PASTA FAZOOL
The classic Italian-American name for pasta e fagioli.
Sicilian Lasagna
A hearty variation on one of America's favorite Italian dishes.
Chicken Vesuvio
A classic Italian-American restaurant dish featuring chicken and potatoes.
Veal Marsala
A restaurant classic combining veal with Marsala wine.
STEAK SINATRA'S WAY
A recipe inspired by Sinatra's culinary preferences.
Frank's Italian Cheesecake
A dessert to finish the meal.
Reginella Sicilian Cookies
A traditional-style Sicilian cookie.
The official Sinatra Sauce website lists these and additional recipes from the book.
Why SINATRA SAUCE Makes a GREAT GIFT
Looking for a gift for a Frank Sinatra fan?
Or someone who loves Italian food?
Or perhaps someone who collects cookbooks?
Sinatra Sauce combines all three interests.
It can make a particularly appropriate gift for:
Frank Sinatra fans
Italian-American families
Home cooks
Italian food lovers
New York history enthusiasts
Old-school Italian restaurant fans
Rat Pack fans
Music lovers
Cookbook collectors
People who love entertaining
The book also makes an excellent addition to a kitchen bookshelf or coffee table collection for anyone interested in Italian-American culinary culture.
Cook Like Sinatra
The idea behind Sinatra Sauce isn't simply to read about Frank Sinatra.
It is to experience the atmosphere.
Put a Sinatra record on the stereo.
Make a pot of sauce.
Roll the meatballs.
Cook the pasta.
Open a bottle of Italian wine.
Set the table.
Invite people over.
And enjoy the evening.
In other words:
Cook like Sinatra.
Roll the meatballs.
Cook the pasta.
Open a bottle of Italian wine.
Set the table.
Invite people over.
And enjoy the evening.
In other words
COOK LIKE SINATRA
EAT LIKE SINATRA
Live a little like Sinatra.
That's the spirit behind Sinatra Sauce: Music, Meatballs & Merriment.
Daniel Bellino Zwicke and Italian-American Cooking
Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke has written extensively about Italian food, Italian-American cooking and the culture surrounding the Italian table.
His bibliography includes Sunday Sauce, Grandma Bellino's Italian Cookbook, The Feast of the 7 Fish, Segreto Italiano, and Positano The Amalfi Coast, among other food and travel titles.
His work frequently combines recipes with stories, history, family traditions and the cultural background behind the food.
That approach is especially appropriate for Sinatra Sauce because Sinatra himself is such a powerful cultural figure.
The food becomes a doorway into the larger story.
Frank Sinatra's Favorite Italian Food
What makes the subject of Sinatra's food so fascinating is the simplicity of many of the dishes associated with him.
Italian-American cooking does not have to be complicated to be memorable.
A good tomato sauce.
A properly made meatball.
Fresh pasta.
Eggplant.
Clams.
Veal.
Chicken.
Good bread.
Cheese.
Wine.
These are foods that can form the foundation of an extraordinary meal.
The magic comes from technique, ingredients, tradition and the people sharing it.
That is the lesson at the heart of Sinatra Sauce.
The Perfect Cookbook for Sinatra Fans and Italian Food Lovers
There are plenty of books about Frank Sinatra.
There are plenty of Italian cookbooks.
But Sinatra Sauce brings the two worlds together.
It gives readers an opportunity to explore the Italian-American food culture surrounding one of America's most famous entertainers while also giving them recipes they can actually prepare at home.
That makes it something different from a standard biography.
It is also different from an ordinary cookbook.
It is a culinary portrait of an Italian-American legend.
Bring a Little Sinatra Into Your Kitchen
Frank Sinatra famously sang about doing things "My Way."
Sinatra Sauce takes that philosophy into the kitchen.
You don't need to recreate a Hollywood movie set or a Las Vegas nightclub.
You can start at home.
Make Sunday Sauce.
Prepare MEATBALLS
Cook EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA
Try a classic pasta dish.
Make a big Italian-American dinner.
Invite your family.
Invite your friends.
Turn on Sinatra.
Then sit down and enjoy the meal.
Because ultimately, that's what Italian-American food is about.
Food. Family. Friends. Music. Stories. Wine. Laughter. And a table full of people.
And that is exactly the world celebrated in Sinatra Sauce: Music, Meatballs & Merriment by Daniel Bellino Zwicke.
Get SINATRA SAUCE
If you love Frank Sinatra, Italian food, Italian-American cooking, New York City, classic Italian recipes, Sunday Sauce, spaghetti and meatballs, or the golden age of American entertainment, Sinatra Sauce belongs in your cookbook collection.
Discover the recipes, stories and Italian-American traditions behind Sinatra Sauce: Music, Meatballs & Merriment by Daniel Bellino Zwicke.
Read the book. Cook the recipes. Put on Sinatra. Gather your friends.
And make your own Sinatra night.
Make a big Italian-American dinner.
Invite your family.
Invite your friends.
Turn on Sinatra.
Then sit down and enjoy the meal.
Because ultimately, that's what Italian-American food is about.
Food. Family. Friends. Music. Stories. Wine. Laughter. And a table full of people.
And that is exactly the world celebrated in Sinatra Sauce: Music, Meatballs & Merriment by Daniel Bellino Zwicke.
Get Sinatra Sauce
If you love Frank Sinatra, Italian food, Italian-American cooking, New York City, classic Italian recipes, Sunday Sauce, spaghetti and meatballs, or the golden age of American entertainment, Sinatra Sauce belongs in your cookbook collection.
Discover the recipes, stories and Italian-American traditions behind Sinatra Sauce: Music, Meatballs & Merriment by Daniel Bellino Zwicke.
Read the book. Cook the recipes. Put on Sinatra. Gather your friends.
And make your own Sinatra night.
Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke
With "SINATRA SAUCE"
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