Tag: PASTA
New York Italian Food and Wine Guy Daniel Bellino Zwicke
is a prominent New York-based
Italian food and wine professional, best-selling author, and restaurateur with over 30 years of experience in the industry. Known in the culinary world as “Danny Bolognese,” he is recognized as an authority on Italian wine and culture.- Professional Roles: He has held prestigious positions as a wine director and chef at notable New York establishments, including Barbetta, as Wine Director – (home to one of the greatest Italian wine cellars in the U.S.), Del Posto, and Da Silvano.
- Industry Connections: He is frequently associated with legendary figures in the wine world, such as Sebastiano Rosa (former winemaker of Sassicaia) and the Antinori family, Conte Sebastiano Capponi – proprietor of legendary Villa Calcinai Wine Estate in Greve, Cavelieri Luigi Cappellini (Castello Verrazzano), The Marchese Piero Antinori, Francesca Planeta of Planeta, Antonio Rallo of Donnafugata, and more.
- Notable Books & Writing
- Bellino Zwicke has authored numerous books that blend Italian-American recipes with wine pairing advice and travel stories:
- Sunday Sauce: a #1 Amazon best-seller focusing on Italian-American “Gravy” and wine culture.
- The Feast of the 7 Fish: A popular guide to the traditional Italian Christmas Eve seafood feast.
- La Tavola: Stories and recipes reflecting the life of an Italian-American New Yorker.
- Positano – The Amalfi Coast: A cookbook and travel guide that explores the regional dishes and wines of Southern Italy.
- SINATRA SAUCE – The Cookbook
- The RAGU BOLOGNESE COOKBOOK
- Current Projects: He is actively working on a dedicated book about Chianti and the wine of Chianti Classico, which he cites as one of his greatest passions.
- Online Influence
- He manages the highly successful Instagram page @NewYork.Italian, which has over 500,000 followers and covers topics ranging from regional Italian wine to classic cinema and recipes
Al Pacino Favorite Pasta – Recipe by Bellino -Spaghetti Aglio Olio
AL PACINO’S Favorite PASTA ! SPAGHETTI AGLIO OLIO recipe by BELLINO
- “Sunday Sauce” Sneakers: Bellino created limited-edition “Sunday Sauce” sneakers inspired by this theme and his Italian cookbook.
- Al Pacino’s Favorite Dish: Bellino has highlighted and written about Al Pacino’s favorite dish, which is Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (garlic and oil), a dish often cooked by Pacino’s family in the Bronx.
- Culinary Collaboration/Homage: Bellino-Zwicke has written extensively about Italian-American culture, often bridging the gap between iconic figures like Frank Sinatra and Al Pacino with authentic, traditional recipes in his books and articles.
- “Sunday Sauce alla Pacino”: This is a specific recipe created by Bellino-Zwicke, described as a culinary tribute to Al Pacino.
Italian Olive Oil
peeled and minced
Red Pepper Flakes
imported Italian Spaghetti
Italian Parsley
Italian Food in The Movies – Goodfellas The Godfather Big Night
“BIG NIGHT”
Spaghetti Carbonara – The American Connection – American Soldiers in Rome during WW II – Original Recipe
- Italian Adaptation: Local Italian cooks combined these ingredients with pasta, creating a version of bacon and eggs on spaghetti, sometimes called “spaghetti breakfast”.
- Key Ingredients: This fusion led to the creamy sauce of eggs, cheese (like Pecorino Romano), cured pork (substituted for bacon), and black pepper (resembling charcoal dust).
- Evolution to Modern Carbonara
- After the war, as local ingredients became more available, the recipe was refined using fresh eggs and guanciale (cured pork jowl), becoming the beloved Roman dish we know today.
- While some debate its American influence, most food historians agree the dish emerged in post-WWII Rome, a testament to an Italian-American culinary exchange
Best Selling Italian Travel Guide – Italian Food & Travel is the Number 1 Best Seller Italy Travel Guides Amazon by Daniel Bellino Zwicke
” by Daniel Bellino Zwicke is
a combined cookbook and travel guide that focuses on specific Italian regions and cities, including Naples, Rome, Venice, and the Amalfi Coast. It integrates personal travel anecdotes, practical advice for travelers, and authentic recipes.- Recipes: It features recipes for popular dishes from these regions, such as Insalata di Polpo, Arancini, Eggplant Parmigiano, Polpette (meatballs), and Spaghetti Vongole.
- Personal Stories: The narrative is enriched with the author’s personal experiences, recommendations for local spots (like bacari in Venice), and insights into the local food culture.
- Practical Information: It provides travel tips and information, helping readers navigate specific locations and find authentic experiences.
- Where to Find It
- The book is available in both paperback and Kindle formats. You can purchase it or view snippets on the following platforms:
- Daniel Bellino Zwicke’s Author Website
- Other related works by the author include Mangia Italiano, Segreto Italiano, and POSITANO The AMALFI COAST COOKBOOK & Travel Guide
Going to ROME ? Travel Guide
Rome, Italy — a city that has captured hearts and minds for years. Like most big cities, you can spend a pretty penny in Rome if you aren’t careful. Luckily though, there are also numerous free things to do in Rome just waiting to be explored.
The Eternal City is a fascinating contrast of history and modern society living together in harmony. It seems that everywhere you turn there is a historical site surrounded by the modern city that has grown up around it.
Home to incredible churches, fabulous museums, beautiful piazzas, and unmatched historical sites, Rome is an ancient city with loads of things to do.
Rome’s tenacity is best illustrated in its ancient monuments, remarkably intact nearly 2000 years on. Debuting in 80 AD, the behemoth 50,000 seat Colosseum famously hosted frenzied spectators who would watch gladiators facing off against each other or wild animals. No photograph can prepare you for the thrill of seeing it for the first time. More than any other monument, this iconic amphitheater symbolizes the power and drama of ancient Rome, and still today it’s an electrifying sight. The amphitheater dominates as the top tourist attraction in the city; Book Tickets in Advance to bypass the lines.
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Offal is a cornerstone of Roman cuisine, dating back to when Europe’s largest slaughterhouse operated just outside the historic centre beside the Tiber river. Workers were partly paid in these poorer cuts, and a distinctive cuisine emerged. The most beloved of all is trippa or tripe–the honey-combed upper stomach of a grazing cow. In Rome, the tripe is slowly simmered in tomato sauce and topped with cheese, resulting in a pleasant flavour so long as you can get past the slightly off-putting texture.
Where to get it: Checchino dal 1887
# 7 – ROMAN PIZZA
Not to be confused with chewy Neapolitan-style pizza, Pizza alla Romana is cracker-thin and should always finish with a good crunch to the crust. The round pizza can be served with plain marinara sauce or piled high with toppings like olives, artichokes, egg and prosciutto alla capricciosa. The budget-friendly meal is most popular with young Romans, who hardly let a week go by without a night out with friends over pizza.
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“ROME to The AMALFI COAST”.
Classic Positano – What to Do
The HOTEL POSEIDON POSITANO
This is One of Our Favorite Hotels in Town
“We Just Love It”
This property is 2 minutes walk from the beach. Hotel Poseidon enjoys breathtaking sea views from its sun terrace. The beach and Positano’s historic center are within walking distance.
The hotel has an outdoor swimming pool and a wellness area with a Turkish bath excavated in the rocks.
An extensive sweet and savory buffet is provided daily including scrambled eggs and bacon.
The elegant, rustic restaurant serves traditional Neapolitan cuisine. In summer, dinner is served on Hotel Poseidon’s terrace.
Poseidon’s rooms are typically Mediterranean is décor and design. They all feature free Wi-Fi. Porter service is available day and night, free of charge.
Location, location, location! Hotel Poseidon sits up on the hills and offers it’s guests incredible views of the beautiful coastal town of Positano. The hotel also had a fabulous pool, delicious restaurant and bar, and beauty centre. The rooms are adorable and authentic with almost all room categories boasting a private terrace.
The hotel is home to the incredible bar and restaurant Il Tridente which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinners! Chef Antonio Sorrentino and his team love to honor the Neapolitan culinary tradition; they created a menu with special dishes that have been passed on for generations! But aside from the incredible food and friendly staff, this place is the perfect spot to catch a Positano sunset while enjoying a refreshing aperitivo with good company!
This is our guests’ favorite part of Positano, according to independent reviews.
Top 10 Things to Do in Positano
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Procida
Procida, a tiny spot of land in the Bay of Naples, might be best known as the island between Ischia and Capri. But in late January, it was named Italy’s Capital of Culture for 2022, beating nine other candidates—a mix of cities and small towns—and becoming the first island to ever be granted the title.
Under two square miles in total, the island has mostly flown under the tourist radar (except in July and August, when many Neapolitans come here for their summer vacations), overshadowed by its better-known siblings. This is all despite its big-screen moments—Procida has served as the set of The Talented Mr. Ripley and Il Postino—and the fact that it features the same pastel houses, cafes-lined marinas, and narrow streets as its bigger counterparts, but also historic sites, wild nature, and near-empty beaches.
From here, it’s a 15-minute walk uphill (then downhill) to Marina Corricella, Procida’s oldest fishing village. Only reachable on foot or by boat, the area is one of the best places to stay for a taste of slow island living, and is full of restaurants—Caracale, La Lampara, Il Pescatore, to name a few—gelato shops like Chiaro di Luna, and bars.
At the opposite end of the island, Marina Chiaiolella is another fishing village with great eateries (try Da Mariano and Lido Vivara), craft boutiques, and old-school bakeries—not to mention access to one of the island’s most popular beaches, spiaggia della Chiaiolella, known for its sunsets.
Terra Murata, the fortified medieval stronghold at the highest and northernmost tip of the island, is another highlight. A tumble of skinny lanes and crumbling houses, this is Procida’s most historical center, home to Abbazia San Michele Arcangelo, which honors Procida’s patron saint, and Palazzo D’Avalos, a 16th-century palace that was the former residence of the island’s governing family. In 1830 the building was converted into a prison that eventually closed in 1988. Two viewpoints here offer the island’s most panoramic vistas: Corricella in all its candy-colored glory to the west; and the Gulf of Naples, with Capri in the distance, to the east.
On the opposite coast from Marina Grande, in the southern part of the island, there here is a place that no guide on “what to see in Procida” will ever forget.
The seaside village of Corricella is simply suggestive and lively at the same time. It is the classic fishermen village animated by bars, restaurants and small craft shops where you can buy the most typical souvenirs, which anyone who comes to Procida cannot avoid to love and photograph.
Here you can stroll among the fishermen’s nets, admiring the very old colourful houses and deeply breathing the sea in the air.
The BEACHES
Among Procida’s most scenic beaches are Pozzo Vecchio, whose black sands were made famous in Il Postino; spiaggia Chiaia, to the east, which overlooks Ischia and features clear, shallow waters and a backdrop of rocky cliffs (plus the excellent seafood restaurant La Conchiglia); and Ciraccio, the longest and most secluded. Further down, the spiaggia della Chiaiolella is another gem, though slightly more frequented, especially in the late afternoon, when its stabilimenti (beach clubs with rows of sunbeds and umbrellas) start rolling out aperitivo.
Spaghetti alla Pescatora Povera – Recipe
This “poor” version of seafood spaghetti contains just anchovies, cherry tomatoes, and a dusting of Pecorino Cheese.
Luveri al sale
The waters of Procida abound with Pagello fish, which locals call luvero. The most popular way to cook this sea bream is in a salt crust (al sale) with some herbs.
Coniglio alla Procidana
In addition to the sea, locals have also sourced food from the island’s terroir. Procida, like Ischia, has a signature rabbit dish, usually prepared with cherry tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, olive oil, and white wine.
Calamari Ripieni
Recipes vary, but the Procidani usually slip anchovies into their filling for stuffed squid.
Pizza di Procida
As Procida is just a 40-minute ferry ride from Naples, it should come as no surprise that the island’s pizzaioli emulate the wood-fired style of the world’s pizza capital.
Tortano con i carciofi
Especially popular around Easter, this savory bread is stuffed with artichokes and, at times, sausage.
Spaghetti ai ricci di mare
Creamy and briny, sea urchin has a particular taste, one that fuses nicely with spaghetti when sautéed with olive oil, garlic, parsley, and a hint of lemon.
Lingue di Procida
Procida is famous for its lemons, which are larger and sweeter than other varieties. The Procidani prepare them in dozens of sweet and savory recipes, and a signature dolce is the Lingue di Procida, or tongues of Procida, lemon-flavored, cream-filled pastries.
L’insalata di limone
Speaking of lemons, the lemon salad with mint, garlic, crushed red chili pepper, garlic and olive oil makes for an airy, refreshing start to any meal.
WHERE to STAY
The San Michele in Corricella, has 12 tastefully decorated rooms done in earthy tones and minimalist design. A similar aesthetic is found in its slightly bigger sister property La Suite, a stylish accommodation near Ciraccio that comes with a pool, a garden, and striking views.
In Chiaiolella, the three-star Hotel Ristorante Crescenzo is a popular choice not just for its simple, brightly colored rooms but its pizzeria, one of the most famous in Procida. La Vigna in a beautifully restored farmstead within a vineyard that overlooks the Bay of Naples, delivers charm and tranquility.
MOVIES SHOT on PROCIDA













































































