Favorite Italian

AS part of my trip back home to Chicago for the Thanksgiving Holiday, I was able to celebrate my birthday with family at our favorite Italian Resturant Gennaro's on Taylor Street. Family owned, been there forever, bar in front with 3 booths and 8 tables in back. I would highly recommend it for anyone visiting. Only open for dinner Thursday thru Sunday. Here are a couple of my favorites: Sausage and Peppers and Braciole.

Man, I gotta say, that is some mighty fine looking food. Is that s sauce of some kind on the sausages? That looks mighty tasty!!!

MY Favorite Italian?-----My Noni--my maternal grandmother-Rosa Marie Santoro--or "Nosy Rosy" as my Dad called her......and oh huh i miss her---AND her cooking!!!-


BTW---that Braciole looks fabulous!!! Bella Bella!!

quote:

Originally posted by carlton pierre

Man, I gotta say, that is some mighty fine looking food. Is that s sauce of some kind on the sausages? That looks mighty tasty!!!

THAT, I suspect, is real Italian-American "gravy"--the Americanized version of a Neapolitan ragu. That indescribable red color is the giveway--can't get that with a short cooking time or if you skimp on the meat in the pot. It's the stuff grandmas simmer all day (and all night) and mostly likely the bracciole (as well as a rack of spare-ribs, maybe a brisket--and maybe the sausages too--all at the same time) was cooked in it.

I just have to say that these pictures have inspired me. Went out today and bought the ingredients for some "gravy"--sausages, pork spareribs, even a chunk of salami; as well as the other usual ingredients of tomato sauce. I usually modify the meats. I also commonly use my crockpot as the "large pot" called for--the very long slow cooking this provides only improves the result--but here's the basic recipe I plan to use (you can cook braciole, meatballs, brisket or any meats you want in it):

Italian Gravy

Servings: 6

2 28 Ounce Cans Tomato Puree
1 6 Ounce Can Tomato paste
1 Quart Chicken Stock or Beef Stock
2 Cups Dry Red wine
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 Yellow Onion, Peeled and Minced
6 Large Garlic cloves, Chopped
2 Ribs Celery with leaves, minced
1 Carrot, Grated
1/2 Cup Parsley, Chopped
1/2 Pound Fresh Mushrooms, Chopped, Optional
1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tablespoon Crushed Oregano
1 Teaspoon Dried Rosemary
2 Bay Leaves
1 Tablespoon Dried Basil or 2 T. Fresh
2 whole Cloves, Optional
1/2 Tablespoon Black Pepper, Freshly ground
2 Tablespoons Salt, Or to taste
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Pound Pork neck bones or chicken backs
and necks

In a large pot, place the tomato puree, tomato paste, Chicken or Beef Stock and wine. Heat a large frying pan and add the olive oil. Saute the onions, garlic, celery, and carrot until they just begin to brown a bit. Add to the pot along with the remaining ingredients. Bring to a light boil and then turn down to a simmer. Simmer for 2 hours, partly covered, stirring often. Remove the bones and discard or make a private lunch of them. Skim the fat from the top and discard. Store in the refrigerator covered, in either glass, plastic, or stainless steel. It will keep for a week. Use for pasta topping or for any other dish calling for Italian tomato sauce or gravy. This freezes very well.

BT: How would this be used to cook meats in? How do you do it?

Thanks.

BT
That is Sunday Gravy in the pictures and it is outstanding. One cannot get anything even close to this here in the Dallas area so I also freqently make my for purposes of survival.
I always use fresh Pork Neck bones along with the Sausage and Braciole when making my Sunday Gravy.

Now that's what I call Italian. Oh for just a slice of that Braciole. It is what flavors the sauce, then sauce and cooking time flavors the meat and makes it tender. Nothing better when done right.

quote:

Originally posted by tsores

BT: How would this be used to cook meats in? How do you do it?

Thanks.

Well, the way I did it today was I put the tomato puree, paste and chicken broth in the crock pot. I added all the herbs (red pepper, oregano, basil, rosemary, pepper, bay leaves, sugar; but not the salt which I prefer to withold until near the end so I can tell how much is really needed).

Then I put the olive oil in a large frying pan and browned the meats in it. This time, I am just making sausage (the spareribs and chunk of salami are mainly just to flavor the sauce although they certainly can be eaten), but it could as well be braciole, meatballs or a piece of brisket or whatever you want. Anyway, I browned it--first the ribs, then the sausage. I put the browned ribs in the crock pot but reserved the sausage because I don't want it to cook as long as I intend to cook the sauce. Then, in the same frying pan, I sauteed all the veggies (chopped onion, celery, grated carrot, garlic, parseley) until soft and "golden"--then I dumped them in the crock pot. Finally, I "deglazed" the frying pan with the wine--poured it into the pan, sloshed it around while scraping any browned bits, then dumped it too into the crock pot.

The crock pot can now cook on low overnight. I will put the sausage in before going to bed and check the whole thing in the morning. If the meats are done--meat falling off the rib bones--I'll remove the rib bones, salami and any large chunks of meat from the ribs (and, temporarily, the sausage). Then I'll probably puree the liquid with the smaller bits of rib meat to make a smooth sauce, then put the sausage back in it and put it in the fridge until I'm ready to use it. You could use it all for a standard 2-course Italian meal (sauce on your pasta or polenta for first course, sausage for the second) but I think I'll have the sausage on Sunday, maybe with some fried peppers as per the photo, and the sauce on pasta Monday.

Got it.

Thanks.

BT -

That gravy recipe sounds incredible!!! Think I might give it a try this weekend as we are going to be cool down here (at least for us - highs around 60, lows in low 30's). I still prefer good old fashioned Neapolitan red sauce Italian cooking over the "gourmet" and "Northern Italian/Tuscan" styles.

If anyone is looking for this in Pittsburgh area, try Del's on Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield. About as old-fashioned as Italian restaurants get, and sometimes that's a pretty good thing!

Wow - that looks better than pizzaI might have to dirty up the kitchen. What is in that braciole?

quote:

Originally posted by Theedge

Wow - that looks better than pizzaI might have to dirty up the kitchen. What is in that braciole?

Braciole is lean beef (skirt steak, round steak) pounded thin. Then you layer on various ingredients. I like Parmesan, prosciutto, pine nuts, currants, garlic and parseley. You can also use other kinds of cheese, breadcrumbs or almost anything that sounds good. Then you roll it and tie it with string so it stays rolled, brown it as I suggest above and cook it in the sauce. You can make it with other meats (pork, chicken, lamb. even venison) besides beef as well but beef is traditional.

quote:

Originally posted by Tommy2dogs

AS part of my trip back home to Chicago for the Thanksgiving Holiday, I was able to celebrate my birthday with family at our favorite Italian Resturant Gennaro's on Taylor Street.

Anywhere near Western?

quote:

Originally posted by enginecapt

quote:

Originally posted by Tommy2dogs

AS part of my trip back home to Chicago for the Thanksgiving Holiday, I was able to celebrate my birthday with family at our favorite Italian Resturant Gennaro's on Taylor Street.

Anywhere near Western?

1/2 block east of Loomis

BT: Well, I made your gravy recipe. It was so good that we had it three nights in a row. 1st, we just picked the necks and sausages out of the gravy that was used in the cooking. 2nd, gravy over broiled fish on a bed of pasta. 3rd, broiled chicken breasts on a sub roll with gravy. Freezing the reminder and looking forward to using that.

BTW, I prefer a richer tomato taste and so I doubled the tomato paste.

Many thanks.

Favorite Italian--It's got to be Genarro's in Chicago, with fond memories from the 70's. MMM--their "noodles with butter and cheese"--do they still have that. Do you still have to knock on the door and get approval to get in?

My favorite italian restaurant is right here in town. The place is called Vullo's, and it's located in Jamestown, NY. Your stomach growls the minute you walk in the restaurant.

quote:

Originally posted by sugarlander

Favorite Italian--It's got to be Genarro's in Chicago, with fond memories from the 70's. MMM--their "noodles with butter and cheese"--do they still have that. Do you still have to knock on the door and get approval to get in?

The menu varies by night, and yes you still have to be buzzed in from whoever is behind the bar.

hehehe can't help this one sorry-- my favorite italian would have to be the guy i worked with the summer i worked at the thunderbird hotel on the beach in mantaloking, new jersey.. have a picture with a caption under it that says 'the italian you will never forget' --- haha-- but i've grown up since then (that was summer of 81) and i'd honestly have to say my favorite italian is --- my mothers home made lasagna.. even though she doesn't make it anymore - that memory and taste is still with me... it was the BEST i've ever had... thanks mom :)

My favorite Italian is Sophia Loren ( I just had to say it) But to keep on topic a bit I did like the way she showed how to eat a slice of pizza in "Houseboat"

Charlie (owner of Vullo's) makes the best spaghetti in these parts!...along with everything else he makes... homemade everything, even salad dressings. I also think it's cool that he'll come out a few times a night and say hi to customers.

I ate at my favorite Italian place last night. It is a little place in our town called Milano's. Everything they serve is homemade.
The salads are always so crisp and fresh-I like the house dressing better than any I have tried anywhere. My favorite Pasta dish is the Cannelloni-it is served in a small tureen that it is baked in. And the garlic bread is wonderful. I am sure my breath doesn't smell so wonderful after I have eaten there though.

I agree, my favorite Italian dish is Sophia L.. . . I even named my Alfa-Romeo after her. . .
My sauce recipe (handed down from an Italian G'ma who I grew up next door to) called for lots of cans of whole tomatos with a small can of paste and 14oz. can of puree. . . the usual herbs and spices, a little sugar no stock or wine, etc. . . . cook for a day or so w/ meatballs the last few hours. Wouldn't know exactly what the ingredients are as I've been making it all my life and never used a recipe. I think my mother had it written down.

Going to Gennaro's for the first time this Friday

Have lived on and off in Chicago for 16 years, and never heard of the place until yesterday...but these photos look amazing...and can't wait to be buzzed in!

Anyone been lately? And if so, other than the braciole and sausage, anything else on the menu stellar?