Scotto Sunday Suppers and Other Fabulous Feasts: Creative Entertaining for Every Occasion

by Scotto Family, Linda Stasi, Linda Stasi (With)

Overview

A gorgeous new cookbook from New York's first family of Italian food

Scotto Sunday Suppers and Other Fabulous Feasts continues the rich Italian and Scotto family tradition of Italian Comfort Food with recipes for Sunday family gatherings and holiday meals. The Scotto family, owners of the celebrated Fresco by Scotto restaurant, share recipes and stories from their family gatherings and provide ways for you to bring your family together.

The Scottos are known for their incredible hospitality both in their home and in their restaurant. Their warm, friendly advice on making guests comfortable will prepare you to recreate this environment in your own home. From planning the menu to setting the table, greeting your guests to choosing the wine, the Scotto family will show you how to be the perfect host.

More than one hundred delicious recipes provide the makings of incredible menus for every occasion, from Fourth of July to a Christmas feast. These mouthwatering recipes include:

• Sautéed Zucchini Blossoms Stuffed with Herbed Ricotta Cheese
• Watermelon and Red Onion Salad with Watercress and Muscat Vinaigrette
• Cavatelli with Sweet Italian Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
• Risotto with Roasted Red Peppers, Trevisano, and Pancetta
• Basil-Studded Grilled Salmon Steak with Summer Salsa Cruda and Fresh Grilled Corn on the Cob
• Maple- and Bourbon-Glazed Roast Pork Loin Stuffed with Apples and Sun-Dried Cranberries
• Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding Cake with Vanilla Gelato

With beautiful photography and a family spirit that's contagious, Scotto Sunday Suppers will inspire you to create your own fabulous feasts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060815639
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	11/08/2005
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 10.75(h) x 0.25(d)

About the Author

Marion Scotto, Rosanna Scotto, Anthony Scotto Jr., Elaina Scotto, and John Scotto own and operate Fresco by Scotto restaurant. The family often demonstrates their recipes on Today with Katie Couric and Matt Lauer, and Rosanna Scotto is a coanchor for FOX 5 News in New York. Fresco by Scotto has received outstanding reviews in New York magazine, Gourmet, and the New York Times and received three stars in Crain’s New York Business. The Scottos live in New York City.

Read an Excerpt

Scotto Sunday Suppers and Other Fabulous Feasts

Creative Entertaining for Every Occasion

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By Barbara Scotto Family

HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Copyright © 2005 Barbara Scotto Family
All right reserved.
ISBN: 0060815639

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Fettuccine with Pesto Sauce, String Beans, Yukon Gold Potatoes, and Marigold Petals

Serves 6

Ingredients:

For the basil pesto (makes about 4 cups): ½ cup pine nuts
4 cups basil leaves, washed and dried in a salad spinner
3 cloves garlic, crushed
Juice of ½ lemon
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the fettuccine: ½ pound string beans, cut in half
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, diced small
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
½ tablespoon julienned shallots
Salt
2 pounds uncooked fresh fettuccine
Freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces fresh marigold petals

Instructions:

To make the basil pesto: In a hot saute pan, toss the pine nuts for 2 minutes or until golden. Remove the pine nuts from the heat and set aside.

Place the basil, garlic, and lemon juice in a food processor and process until well combined. With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil. Add the pine nuts and Parmesan and process briefly to retain some texture in the pesto.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the fettuccine: Place the string beans and potatoes in boiling water for 1 minute. Place them in a cool bath, then carefully remove them with a slotted spoon. Drain and let cool on a paper towel.

In a large pan, heat the oil and saute the garlic and shallots over medium to high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown. Add the string beans and potatoes and saute for 1 minute, or until warmed through.

In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the fettuccine for 3 minutes or until al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to the saute pan with the string beans and potatoes.

Simmer for about 2 minutes over medium heat, then add N cup of the basil pesto and toss. Make sure there is pesto throughout the dish. Season with salt and pepper to taste, garnish with the marigold petals, and serve.

Note: Leftover pesto can be frozen for up to 2 months.

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Lamb Pot Roast with Creamy Polenta

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

¼ cup olive oil
5 pounds lamb stew meat, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 ½ cups diced carrots
1 ½ cups diced onion
2 ½ cups diced fennel
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 cups port wine
1 quart veal stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Creamy Polenta with Mascarpone Cheese

To make the lamb: Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a braising pan over high heat, heat the olive oil and pan-sear the lamb in single-layer batches until it is dark brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.

Add the carrots, onion, fennel, and herbs and cook for 5 minutes. Add the port wine and simmer over medium heat until it is reduced by half, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the veal stock and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the lamb is tender.

Top the creamy polenta with the lamb pot roast.

Continues...

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Excerpted from Scotto Sunday Suppers and Other Fabulous Feasts by Barbara Scotto Family Copyright © 2005 by Barbara Scotto Family. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

	Introduction	xiii
	That was Then: Marion	xiii
	This is Now: Rosanna, Anthony Jr., Elaina, and John	xix
	Scottos' Super Simple Sunday Supper	1
	Why Italians Love to Wine	7
	Here to Serve You	13
	Everything You Need to Know About Entertaining	19
	Special Menus	25
	Appetizing Alternatives	37
	Scottos' Salad Days	63
	Pasta Brava!	81
	Vegetarians Are People, Too	117
	Fish and Tips	129
	Meat and Greet	159
	A Little Dish on the Side	193
	We're Desserting You!	207
	Index	248

Editorial Reviews

You can practically hear Rosemary Clooney's Mambo Italiano roaring in the background as the Scotto family waxes nostalgic about Sunday dinners in their third cookbook. Family, meatballs, Mom's sauce--all are evoked in these pages, both in the boisterous prose and the loads of photos of the Scotto family, which owns and operates the Manhattan restaurant Fresco by Scotto. The book begins with some entertaining basics, offering advice on, for example, keeping dinner conversation flowing (avoid religion and encourage people to talk about themselves). Like this recommendation, most of the Scottos' counsel is pretty boiler-plate, though it does teem with Scotto family attitude (which generally falls somewhere between corny and faux-tough). The menus and recipes, however, are tantalizing. On Easter Sunday, the Scottos suggest Zucchini Blossoms Stuffed with Herbed Ricotta Cheese, and Grilled Flank Steak Vegetable Kabobs. On Christmas Eve, Crab Cakes, pasta with rock shrimp, Steamed Maine Mussels and Manila Clams headline the menu. The recipes dance between unusual and classic; appetizers range from Grilled Pizza Margherita to Sweet Potato White Bean Soup; salads include Watermelon and Red Onion, and Fried Oyster. Pastas, too, are wide-ranging: there's classic Bucatini alla Amatriciana, as well as the more uncommon Whole Wheat Penne with Braised Beets, Gorgonzola Cheese, and Walnuts. Photos. (Oct.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

The Scottos, who own and run the Fresco by Scotto restaurant in New York City and appear frequently on The Today Show, have authored two other books, Italian Comfort Food and Fresco: Modern Tuscan Cooking for All Seasons. As much a celebration of family gatherings as the meals centering them, their latest book collects recipes ideal for entertaining a crowd. The introduction and first four chapters provide family reminiscences of past dinners, setting and serving advice, and holiday menus. The remaining chapters are organized by course and include seasonable recipes. Ranging from the hearty Sunday Sauce with Meatballs, Sausages, and Pork Chops to the lighter Salmon Cartoccio, the recipes are clear and easy to follow. Some recipes include notes with advice on accompaniments, preparation tips, or (occasionally) ingredient substitutions. The book recommends preparing the food as much in advance as possible to ease hosting pressures. Yet the recipes lack guidance on what part of the cooking process can be done ahead or how to reheat. While this work is enjoyable to read owing to the inspirational recipes, inexperienced cooks would do well to consult either Susan Wyler's Cooking for a Crowd with its preparation time lines or Diane Phillips's Perfect Party Food, which provides do-ahead tips.-Kimberly Bartosz, Univ. of Wisconsin-Parkside Lib., Kenosha Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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