Thursday, December 18, 2025

Sinatra Eats Italian Cookbook



"FRANK"

GET a FINE ART PRINT

FRANK SINATRA

From FINE ART AMERICA


IT MAKES a MOST WONDERFUL GIFT

 


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A Young Frank Sinatra  ....  Hoboken, New Jersey


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Frank Sinatra

"Come Fly with Me" !!!


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PATSY'S  "Franks Favorite Restaurant"



Frank's Favorite Restaurant in The World, was Patsy's on West 56th Street in New York, in The Theater District near Times Square .. Frank's Favorites were; Calms Posillipo, Spaghetti Pomodoro,  Veal Milanes (extra Thin & Crispy) and Spaghetti & Meatballs of which patsy's makes The Best in The City ..

PATSY'S is by far the restaurant most associated with SINATRA -- on its website, the restaurant notes that it "has been known for years as the restaurant Frank Sinatra made famous." You can still order up old-school Italian there, but you might not have the exact same experience as Sinatra, who was said to have entered through a special door to sit at a reserved table on the second floor. Sinatra became especially loyal to the restaurant after making a solo Thanksgiving reservation one year, not realizing the restaurant was slated to be closed that day. Patsy Scognamillo didn't want to turn Sinatra away, so he allowed the reservation. He also didn't want Sinatra to know the restaurant was opened just for him -- so he had the entire staff bring their families to fill the place up, something Sinatra didn't learn until years later, according to Patsy's lore. The restaurant still celebrates its connection to Sinatra: At right, in 2002, Joe Scognamillo served actor Bill Boggs, who had dressed up as Sinatra . (236 West 56th St.)

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FRANK & AVA GARDNER Mangia Bene !!! 


FRANK & AVA GARDNER






The SINATRA COOKBOOK



SINATRA SAUCE

The COOKBOOK

COOK & EAT LIKE FRANK

His FAVORITE ITALIAN RECIPES










FRANK & DINO 


FRANK & DEAN






FRANK'S FAVORITE ITALIAN BREAD ... PARISI on MOTT STREET, LITTLE ITALY, New York, NY 



FRANK'S FAVORITE ITALIAN BREAD

PARISI BAKERY MOTT STREET

LITTLE ITALY, NY NY


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FRANK'S FAVORITE PIZZA 


FRANK'S FAVORITE PIZZA "PATYSY'S"

FRANKS FAVORITE PIZZA

PATSY'S in EAST HARLEM

No Relation to PATSY'S on 56th STREET


PASTY'S PIZZERIA







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SINATRA at JILLY'S New York with Friends and Daughters NANCY and TINA

Frank loved going to his close Pal JILLY RIZZO'S New York Restaurant JILLY'S where Frank would eat Chinese Food, tell stories, and drink JACK DANIEL'S to the Wee Hours of the morning 


 

Despite having served as an icon for high living for generations, Frank Sinatra was not a fan of haute cuisine. A high school drop-out from Hoboken, New Jersey, the only child of a father who was a lightweight boxer turned fireman and a political activist mother who ran an illegal abortion business that provided services for free, Sinatra even after his fame was established preferred simpler fare and cozier surroundings than were found in the five-star restaurants of the world. In New York he favored only a few establishments, none of them popular celebrity hang-outs (except for the celebrities invited by Frank). There was P.J. Clarke’s at 915 Third Ave., where Sinatra carefully scheduled his nights around those of gossip columnist Dorothy Kilgallen, whose favorite topic was anything going wrong in Sinatra’s life, especially if it concerned the disillusion of his relationship with actress Ava Gardner. Then there was PATSY'S at 236 W. 56th St., where Frank ordered the breaded veal and spaghetti with red sauce on the side. As a story goes, Sinatra found himself on the skids one Thanksgiving, without company and without plans. So he made a reservation at Patsy’s, which wasn’t open that day. But owner Pasquale Scognamillo scrambled his staff and family so that when Frank rolled in at 3pm, the place was full. Rocky Lee Chu-Cho Bianco at 987 Second Ave was where Frank would go for pizza, and if he wanted something a little more upscale, he hit the 21 CLUB over at 21 W. 52nd St., where the jacket and tie dress code was a lot less of an issue in the 1950s than it is now.

But above and beyond them all was his affection for Jilly’s Saloon. Born Ermenigildo Rizzo on May 6th, 1917, Jilly’s career in food services started early, when he worked for his father delivering Italian ice to cafés. He opened his first restaurant, JILLY'S SALOON , on West 49th Street but eventually moved it to a new location on West 52nd. It was this second incarnation of Jilly’s that attracted Sinatra’s attention. On any given night, Sinatra could be found at his regular booth surrounded by regular friends who received the call earlier in the day — having grown up an only child, Sinatra swore he would never dine alone. Jilly’s kitchen specialized not in Italian fare but in Cantonese food. Sinatra spent so much time there that Jilly Rizzo became Sinatra’s closest friend, his right-hand man, and his bodyguard.

Learn How to Make SINATRA SUNDAY SAUCE and MEATBALLS




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Frank Sinatra with Jilly Rizzo and JACKIE "O"

By 1962 he and Jilly Rizzo were so close that Sinatra was securing bit parts for the saloon owner in films like The Manchurian Candidate. That same year, Sinatra and fellow Rat Packer Sammy Davis Jr. recorded the duet “Me and My Shadow,” which twice mentions ending up at Jilly’s. In Sinatra’s 1968 detective movie Lady in Cement, he pays tribute to his friend by naming a seedy Miami strip club Jilly’s. Also in 1968, Sinatra once again paid musical tribute to his favorite hang-out when, in the song “Star,” he crooned “If they’ve got a drink with her name in Jilly’s bar, the chances are the lady’s a star.”

Apart from being Sinatra’s throne room, Jilly’s was most famous as the spot where mobsters decided to murder television comedian Johnny Carson.



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SUNDAY SAUCE

alla BELLINO alla PACINO

AMAZON.com






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FRANK SAMMY & DEAN

And "JACK DANIEL"  TENNESSEE WHISKEY

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Recipe for SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS alla SINATRA

Click Here ! 



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Jack Daniel's and Frank Sinatra

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FRANK SINATRA with Cigarette & JACK DANIELS





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SINATRA and Friends at JILLY'S , New York

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Sunday, November 30, 2025

Get Sunday Sauce for Christmas Gift 2025

 "A GIFT to LAST a LIFETIME"

SUNDAY SAUCE



SUNDAY SAUCE

The DEFINING BOOK on The SUBJECT

"SUNDAY SAUCE"

by Daniel Bellino Z



"GET SUNDAY SAUCE for CHRISTMAS" - It makes a most Wonderful Gift. A Gift to last a Lifetime, and give the recipient much Joy. And it's practical too. Learn How to makes, Sunday Sauce, Meatballs, Marinara, Frittata, and all of Italian-America's favorite Italian dishes. 

"What More can You Want" ??? It's SUNDAY SAUCE - The Greatest Dish in all the World !!! "Get IT" !!!!


"Come here kid, lem-me show you something.You never know when you're gonna have to cook for 20 guys some day." Pete Clemenza says to Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather. It's one of the most famed movie scenes in history, and of great importance to Italian-Americans. Clemenza is making "Gravy" aka Sunday Sauce, the Supreme Dish of Italian-America, and the dish that brings Italian Families together each and every Sunday. Learn How to Make Clemenza's Sunday Sauce, Meatballs, Pasta Fazool, Momma DiMaggio's Gravy, Goodfellas Sauce, and all of the great favorites of The Italian American Table. Cook Sinatra's Spaghetti & Meatballs, Italian Wedding Soup and more, and delight in the many stories and factual information written by Italian Food & Wine Writer Daniel Bellino Zwicke. 

This book is filled with Joy & Love, and you will get many years of both, reading, cooking and eating the dishes in SUNDAY SAUCE "When Italian-Americans Eat".Do you Love Goodfellas, The Godfather, and Italian Food? Of course you do. Learn How to make Clemenza's Brooklyn Mob War Sauce for 20 people some day. Remember that scene in Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo classic Film Trilogy of the Corleone Family of Sicily and Brooklyn, New York. Recipes in Italian-American New York Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke's Best Selling Cookbook (2 Years Amazon Kindle) SUNDAY SAUCE include; Frank Sinatra Sunday Sauce, Dolly Sinatra's Spaghetti Meatballs, Joe DiMaggio 's mom's Sunday Gravy, and Charlie Scorsese making Sauce in Prison in Martin Scorsese's GOODFELLAS - starring; Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesce, and Ray Liotta making Veal & Peppers and Sunday Sauce. And by-the-way, Joe Pesci and Liotta are both Italians from New Jersey, so they know their stuff when it comes to Italian Food and all things Italian (Mafia speak and so-forth). .

SUNDAY SAUCE With SAUSAGE, MEATBALLS, SBRACIOLE, & PASTA..Editorial ReviewsReviewGreat Recipes & Stories of Italian-America .... I didn't know what to expect before I loaded this on to my Kindle and started reading. 

The premise of the book of Italian recipes with each one accompanied by a story. This is the first of its kind that I've ever read or even heard of, so I thought I'd give it a chance and wasn't disappointed after finishing it a few days ago.Daniel does a great job of creating the recipes and making sure that each one feels authentic and taste wonderful. All of the stories with each recipe is also well done and does a great job of connecting the food to the story. It's hard to figure out which one is more enjoyable. The story side or the recipes of this book but I had to chose it would be the recipe side of the novel as the recipes are truly great and highlight Italian cuisine.If you're looking for a great cook book to give you some great Italian dishes to try out all courses, with a few stories to read while your food is cooking, then this is definitely the book you've been looking for. As it does a splendid job of creating wonderful, quality meals..Buy This One ... This is The Best Italian Cookbook Ever ! Authentic Italian Cooking ... 

Many of the recipes are very close to those, my grandmother,who was from Sicily, made. These recipes are very good. My only critique is that the book could be edited better, but the recipes are very good. Buy the book if you want authentic italian recipes.From the AuthorI'd like to thank everyone who has obtained anyone of my books and for your many kind words about some of the joys the recipes and stories within have pleased you. It's truly an honor for me for each and every book that anyone obtains of mine and I thank each and everyone of you. A special thanks to those who have said Sunday Sauce is The Best Italian Cookbook Ever.Sincerely,Daniel.


From for a 2 Year Period between 2014 to 2016 the Kindle Edition of SUNDAY SAUCE was # 1 BEST SELLER of ITALIAN COOKBOOKS on AMAZON KINDLE longer than any other cookbook.





"YOU MIGHT ALSO WANT" - SINATRA SAUCE

The COOKBOOK



SINATRA SAUCE 

The COOKBOOK



 

Thursday, November 20, 2025

Feast of 7 Fish Italian Christmas - Recipes

 



"ITALIAN FAMILY CHRISTMAS"

The FEAST of The 7 FISH






The FEAST of The 7 FISH

"Do YOU KNOW HOW to MAKE IT" ?



The FEAST of The 7 FISH

"ITALIAN CHRISTMAS"

ALL The RECIPES & INSTRUCTIONS

YOU NEED





https://amzn.to/4ic4IY1

Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
 is the author of a best-selling book titled 
The FEAST of THE 7 FISH: An ITALIAN-AMERICAN CHRISTMAS EVE FEAST, which provides recipes, stories, and instructions for preparing the traditional Southern Italian Christmas Eve meal. The book is available in both paperback and Kindle editions. 
The book is considered a top resource on the subject and discusses the origins and customs of this specific Italian-American ritual, which is particularly popular in communities like New York, New Jersey, Boston, and Philadelphia.
The "
Feast of the Seven Fishes" as a named, codified tradition with a specific number of dishes is an 
Italian-American innovation and is generally not a widely known or celebrated tradition in Italy. 
In Italy, the Christmas Eve meal is called La Vigilia (The Vigil) or Cena della Vigilia di Natale. The meal traditionally focuses on fish and abstains from meat, in accordance with Catholic practice before a feast day, but the specific number and types of fish vary widely by region and family, or the number count may be entirely absent. 

Regional Variations in Italy
While the "seven fishes" rule is an American concept, the tradition of a meatless, fish-centric Christmas Eve meal is prevalent, especially in the coastal South. The dishes are intensely regional: 
Naples (Campania): Common dishes include frittelle di baccalà (cod fritters), spaghetti with clams (spaghetti alle vongole), and eel (capitone).
  • Calabria: Regional specialties might feature spaghetti with anchovies and breadcrumbs (spaghetti con la mollica e le alici) or a documented tradition of a meal with a number of fish dishes, which some sources cite as a possible origin for the Italian-American practice.
  • Rome (Lazio): A typical dish is pasta e broccoli in brodo di arzilla (pasta, broccoli, and skate fish soup).
  • Sicily: Traditionally includes various local seafood dishes, such as swordfish pie, but not necessarily a "feast of seven fishes".
  • Northern Italy (e.g., Piedmont, Lombardy): Seafood is less central, and some regions might serve simple meals like pizza, risotto, or local stuffed pasta (agnolotti) before midnight mass, or skip the formal fish dinner altogether. 
  • In essence, the Italian tradition focuses on the concept of a meatless vigil using local, seasonal fish, whereas the Italian-American tradition evolved into a grander, more standardized "Feast of the Seven Fishes," often involving a greater abundance and variety of seafood, including shellfish, shrimp, and lobster. 


The FEAST of The 7 FISH

Are You Making It This Year ?

Friday, November 14, 2025

Frank Bellino Picking Olives in Italy

 



"UNCLE FRANKIE"

FRANK BELLINO

WHEN He Was in The UNITED STATES MARINES

During WORLD WAR II

Picture is probably 1942 or 43

SAIPAN ISLAND - Western Pacific Ocean







Frank Bellino

"UNCLE FRANK tells Us of His Days PICKING OLIVES in ITALY"







The BELLINO

From Left to Right : NONNO FILLIPO

My MOTHER "LUCIA" - NONNA  GIUSEPPINA

And UNCLE TONY

LODI, NEW JERSEY 






NONNO FILLIPO BELLINO

Maybe 1906








Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Pasta Marciano Rocky - Recipe

 



ROCKY MARCIANO

And his MOTHER  - PASQUALINA PICCIUTO MARCHEGIANO



There has never been a recipe written down for Rock Marciano's mother Pasqualina's Tomato Sauce. We see two separate pictures of Rocky's mom serving him pasta. In the one picture Mamma Pasqualina is scooping some Spaghetti from a pot, and serving it to her son. While in the other picture we see Rocky sitting down eating bowl of Rigatoni Pomodoro (Tomato Sauce). 

Rocky's father Pierino Marchegiano was from Abruzzo, while his mother Pasqualina Piccuto was from San Bartolomeo in Galdo, Campania near Naples. Since Pasqualina was from Campania, it is almost certain that she made a simple Neapolitan style Tomato Sauce (Sugo di Pomdoro), so that's what we have created here, and named in honour of Rocky & his mother Pasqualina.




SPAGHETTI MARCIANO


RECIPE 

Ingredients :

2 - 28 oz. cans San Marzano Tomatoes

6 tablespoons Italian Olive Oil

3 half a small can of Tomato Paste

5 cloves minced garlic

1 small onion, minced (optional)

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

12 fresh Basil Leaves, torn into several pieces each

½ teaspoon each of Sea Salt & Black Pepper

1 pound imported Italian Spaghetti



Remove the tomatoes from the cans and place one can of tomatoes in a large bowl and squeeze the tomatoes with your hands to break. Leave in the bowl.


Place the other can of tomatoes in a blender with all the juices from the can and blend about 30 seconds, until they have just turned into a puree,


In a 6 quart pot or large frying pan, add the Olive Oil and onions and saute over a low flame for 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Do not let the garlic get dark or burn.


Add the Red Pepper Fakes. turn heat to low and cook for 1 minute.


Add tomatoes that you crushed by hand to the pot. Turn heat to high and cook on high heat, while you stir with a spoon for about 4 minutes. Add the Salt & Black Pepper. 


Add the pureed Tomatoes. Fill one of the empty tomato cans half full with water and place the water in the pot. 


Turn the heat on to high and cook the tomatoes until they just start to bubble and boil. Immediately turn the heat down to low, so the tomatoes will be cooking at a low simmer. 


Simmer for 35 minutes while frequently stirring the bottom of the pan to keep the sauce from burning. Add fresh basil in the last ten minutes of cooking.


Cook whatever pasta you choose (spaghetti is best) according to the directions on the package. Drain pasta, toss with tomato sauce and a drizzle of olive oil, plate, and serve with cheese.



Note : Serve with either grated Pecorino Cheese, Grana, or Parmigiana

Reggiano. We reccomend Pecorino, as the Marciano's ( Marchegiano's) were southern and usually served Pecorino cheese with their pasta with tomato sauce. 







ROCKY RIGATONI



ROCKY MARCIANO

EATING RIGATONI

With MOTHER PASQUALINA




ROCKY RIGATONI 


To make "ROCKY RIGATONI" - make the Above TOMATO SAUCE Recipe. Cook a pound of Rigatoni.

Once the Rigatoni is cooked, drain in a colander, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. 

Put the Rigatoni back in the pot it cooked in. Add 2-3 cups of the cooked Tomato Sauce and mix. Drizzle with a little Italian Olive Oil, and a few tablespoons of grated Pecorino cheese. mix all together.

Plate some Rigatoni on a plate or in a pasta bowl. Add a generous portion of tomato sauce on top of the Rigatoni, and serve with grated Pecorino cheese on the side.

Enjoy ! 









SUNDAY SAUCE










Monday, November 3, 2025

My Favorite Italian Cookbook

 



AL PACINO


SUNDAY SAUCE – When Italian Americans 

Cook: Secret Italian Recipes & Favorite Dishes 

.. Italian Cookbook with Clemenza Spaghetti & 

Meatballs Sunday Sauce Godfather Gravy – 

by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke – Review



"MY FAVORITE ITALIAN COOKBOOK"

Wow, Sunday Sauce is my new favorite Italian Cookbook, I just love it. It’s filled with lots of great recipes and animated stories that bring the food, the people, and places in Italian-American New York to life. I made Spaghetti & Meatballs and, Shoemaker Chicken alla Scarpariello, and Spaghetti Marinara and my friends and family loved them all. 

The recipes are well written and easy to follow and the author writes with great passion so when you read you get quite excited and can’t wait to cook and eat each recipe, one and all. That to me is the sign of a great writer who knows his craft, and is what I look for in a cookbook, and Daniel Bellino does the job quite well, and that’s why Sunday Sauce is my knew favorite Italian Cookbook. I highly recommend it to anyone and all. If you love Italian Food and cookbooks, you’re sure to love Sunday Sauce.


Gina DiNapoli






SUNDAY SAUCE

"MY FAVORITE ITALIAN COOKBOOK"









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Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Italian Immigrant Pasta Dishes

 








ITALIAN IMMIGRANT PASTA 

25 PASTA DISHES

THAT ITALIAN IMMIGRANTS ATE








FAVORITE ITALIAN DISHES

And SECRET RECIPES









SUNDAY SAUCE

alla BELLINO alla PACINO

PASTA MEATBALLS SOUPS

BRACIOLE & MORE ...