The Arthur Avenue Cookbook: Recipes and Memories from the Real Little Italy

by Ann Volkwein

Overview

Arthur Avenue winds its way through the heart of theBronx. Known to many as the "real Little Italy," the storiedArthur Avenue neighborhood has been home to a vibrantcommunity of Italian-Americans for over a hundred years.Today, this area continues to thrive as visitors and residents stopto buy a fresh, crusty loaf of bread; to enjoy a meal at Mario'sRestaurant; to dawdle for a while at Randazzo's raw bar on a warmsummer afternoon; or to hear Mike's Deli owner Michele Grecobelt out an aria from Rigoletto and spellbind his customers withtales of the Avenue's past.

Now, for the first time, the residents of Arthur Avenue inviteyou to experience the magic of their kitchens and share theflavors of their family tables. Passed down through generations,their delicious recipes are time-tested, tried, and true -- and readyfor any kitchen. They include:

• Sicilian Baked Ziti • Yankee Stadium Big Boy (The Grecofamily's famous grinder that was rated one of the best in the cityby the New York Times) • Osso Buco • Olive Ciabatta • Italian RicottaCheesecake • Cannoli • and more

The Arthur Avenue Cookbook also invites you to savor the memoriesof the neighborhood's most colorful residents, restaurateurs, andshop owners, and those of their families -- many of whom havelived in the neighborhood since it first came into being. MeetMario Borgatti, the noodle maker who has been there for morethan eighty-five years. Anthony Artuso, Sr., takes his bakerybusiness so seriously that he went seventeen years without avacation -- in part, to ensure that each bride and groom got theperfect wedding cake. And Mike Rella, president of the ArthurAvenue Retail Market, remembers learning English by workingin a butcher shop, where he's now a partner with his uncle PeterServedio.

This cookbook also provides a guide to the pastry shops, delis,restaurants, and other famous and lesser-known gems that lineArthur Avenue. Gorgeous photographs, extraordinary characters,and enticing dishes make The Arthur Avenue Cookbook an irresistibleaddition to any kitchen.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062125729
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	11/15/2011
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	60 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Ann Volkwein is a food and lifestyle writer based in New York City and Austin, Texas, who also collaborated with Guy on his four previous books.

Read an Excerpt

The Arthur Avenue Cookbook
Recipes and Memories from the Real Little Italy

Stuffed Pork Chops

Makes 4 Servings

From:
Peter's Meat Market
Peter Servedio

Ingredients:

4 double-cut pork chops
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 pound fresh Italian sausage, diced
1 slice prosciutto, minced
1 slice fresh mozzarella, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of salt and pepper
String for tying
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup butter
1 cup dry white wine

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

With a paring knife, cut a pocket in the rounded side of each chop. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs, sausage, prosciutto, mozzarella, garlic, and salt and pepper. Stuff each chop with the mixture and sew or tie them closed with string.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, pat the chops dry then place them in the pan. Brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the pork chops and set them aside in a roasting pan.

Add the onion, butter, white wine, and chicken broth to the skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes. Add them to the pan with the pork chops and bake for 1 hour. Remove the string before serving, and drizzle the pork chops with the pan juices once plated.

Tips:
Juicy and flavorful, this dish makes a dramatic centerpiece for a Sunday meal. If you're in the neighborhood, Peter sells prestuffed pork chops.

---

Cannoli

Makes about 20 Cannoli

From:
Gino's Pastry Shop
Jerome Reguso

Cannoli Shell Ingredients:

Oil for deep frying
2 cups cake flour 1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 ounces lard (1 stick or 8 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon rum
1 tablespoon honey
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large egg plus egg wash
(2 eggs whisked with 2 tablespoons water)

Ricotta Filling:

1 pound dry ricotta (impastata), or buy good-quality ricotta, line a strainer with cheese cloth, place the cheese in it, and drain overnight or a full day
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon oil or ground cinnamon
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions:

Heat a deep fryer to 320° F.

In a mixer, combine all the cannoli shell ingredients except the egg wash, adding enough water (1 to 2 tablespoons cold water) until it reaches a doughlike consistency. The amount of water will vary according to the outside temperature/humidity. Roll the dough to the thickness of pasta (1/4 inch). Using a cannoli cutter (an oval-shaped cookie cutter), cut out the cannoli. Place the cannoli ovals in a row and place a cannoli rod down the center. Flip the cannoli up and over, sealing the opposite edges where they meet with egg wash and pressing down.

Deep fry them for 3 minutes, until golden brown.

Combine all the fi lling ingredients. Let the cannoli shells cool, then using a large-tip pastry bag, pipe the ricotta mixture into the cannoli.

Serve, sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.

Tip:
Jerome's (now-deceased) father, Gino, opened his pastry shop in 1961 after working for several years at DeLillo's, located farther down 187th Street. You can order cannoli cutters and rods (sometimes called tubes) online; try Amazon's baking section or specialty baking stores.

The Arthur Avenue Cookbook
Recipes and Memories from the Real Little Italy. Copyright © by Ann Volkwein. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	ix
	Foreword	xi
	Introduction	2
	Recipes
	Antipasti	16
	Pasta	40
	Meat & Poultry	66
	Fish & Seafood	104
	Bread	132
	Sweets	158
	Neighborhood Guide
	Visiting Arthur Avenue	184
	Shop & Restaurant Index	188
	Index	201