Niccoli’s All Italian Blog

This is a very special day for the Italians. We always cook lamb or veal on that day. You were able to find prime spring lamb at this time of the year. No longer is this available in most parts of the country. You can still get milk feed veal more so in the east. Our mothers cooked meals that we took for granted. They were always with us so we never really learned how they cooked. When they are no longer with us and we try to fix the same meal and fail thats when it hits us that we should have helped and listen istead of just enjoying the food. So we kept on trying to continue the traditions.

All Italian familes make this. Some more then others. My mother made this for us when we where growing up. She continued to made zeppoles up until she died. It was one of her favorites.
We have a mix in our store that all you have to do is add water. whoever grew up with zepploes will recall all the spical times that our mothers would make these. I like them rolled in sugar, some people like powder suger other like honey on them. What ever you like on them, it will bring back memories of time go bye.

This is one of my all time favorites.
You need 1 lb of thinly sliced veal. 2 cups of italian bread crumbs. 6 or more eggs whiped.
Place the veal, one at a time into the eggs and then the bread crumbs. Shake off excess bread crumbs and place in heated frying pan. Fry until you have a golden brown on both side. Place them on paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Then salt lightly.
This can be served as main course or side dish or in a sandwich. You can never go wrong with this dish.

Easter was always good. I remember my mother makeing cookies with a hard boiled egg in it. She would have conoli’s and pizzelle. We would get up in the morning to the aroma of fresh gravey cooking and dunk italian bread into the gravey because we could not wait. My mother would always worrry that we would eat too much before the food was ready and then not eat when we sat down. This never happened. In the gravey were meatballs, neckbones, fresh ham hocks, italian sausageand beef short ribs. About noon we would sit down to eat and we had spagetti. That was all my father would eat. Later on in life he would try other cuts. Around 5 oclock we had the meat course which was either a roast leg of lamb, pork roast or vealroast with patatoes,onions and carrot cooked with the roast. Salad was always served after the main course. And the gal of red wine.

Geno from La Valle foods told me that the Italian Goverment has cracked down on the use of San Marzano on the label if it does not have the numbered stamp and D.O.P on the label. Too many companies were useing the name and the tomatoes were not from that area. So, check your labels to see if you are getting the real thing.

We recieved the new olive oil from Fabrizio in December and it is excelent. 

In Italian families during lent you were not allowed to eat meat on fridays and you also had pasta 3 to four days a week. Friday was always a pasta day. So, my mother would make her sause or gravey without meat but add hard boiled eggs. You have to try it to believe how good it is. This one always brings back such good memories.

This was my favorite. We didn’t eat it often because it was very rich. Ask the butcher for sheets of pork skin. Wash  and cut them into squares. Lay flat on the table and start to build. Sprinkle salt, pepper, basil, red pepper, romano cheese, garlic powder and a mixeture of eggs and breadcrumbs onto the sheets. Now roll them up and tie with string. Place the finished product into the fring pan and cook. The braciole will turn clear when they are done. Place them in your spagetti sauce that you are making and you will have a dinner that you will not forget and will want to make for family  and friends.

A few weeks ago a woman came into the deli looking for a good oilve oil for dipping. We recomended Poggio Cappiano, she was worried about a stong aftertaste. We assured her that this was not a problem. She purchesed the olive oil, came back 2 days later and raved about the oil. The next day her husband came and thanked us for the oil. Now the thing that will blow your mind is when I started to write this post she came into the deli to buy a larger bottle of that great evoo. She also proceded to tell me that they have a very good friend ,who graduated form the cooking school in Tuscany ,Tried the olive oil and said this is what you find in Italy. The friend never thought she would find that olive oil here in the US. She told them they were very lucky to find that guality olive oil.

I always look forward to the holidays because the family spends the whole day together. The food is great and the different personalities come out because that is who they are. No fake facades, the real deal. The mothers and the food that they prepare is the glue that brings all this together and makes the memories that we have for a life time.