Wednesday, February 26, 2014

BIG LEBOWSKI "No OSCAR"




GREATEST PERFORMANCES NEVER GOT An OSCAR




JEFF BRIDGES

The DUDE

THE BIG LEBOWSKI


Yes, Bridges won an Oscar for 2009’s Crazy Heart. But for playing the immortal Dude for the Coen Brothers in 1998’s iconic The Big Lebowski,  Bridges got snubbed for one of the great comic performances in cinema history. Whaaaat!  All together now: “Are you effing kidding me?” Close your eyes and you can see and hear Bridges: “I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing.”  More shame: This was the same year that Roberto Benigni won the gold for hamming it up in Life Is Beautiful. Oscar, you’re not living this down.







BOOGIE NIGHTS

L - R: The Late-Great PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN

MARK WALHBERG  and JOHN C. RILEY



It’s possible that the Academy didn’t yet know what Wahlberg had in him in 1997 when he played 1970’s porn star Dirk Diggler in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights. But why be forgiving in the face of the actor's breakthrough performance as a kid who rises to X-rated fame on the size of his dick. Moving from naive teen to cynical burnout, Wahlberg is on fire as Dirk, fueled by drugs and arrogance, lashes out at anyone who tries to control him: “You’re not the King of me!” It’s a blazing performance that's mercilessly honest and mercifully humane at the same time.






SEAN PENN

as "SPICOLI"

Jeff Spicoli

FAST TIMES at RIDGEMONT HIGH



The BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK



The BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK

COLLECTED RECIPES of The DUDE


SINATRA 'S FAVORITE FOOD




FRANK EATS With AVA

Frank Sinatra & Ava Gardner





FRANKS FAVORITE RESTAURANT
PATSY'S RESTAURANT
West 56th STree, New York, NY


FRANK'S FAVORITE FOODS  ... Excerpt from Daniel Bellino-Zwicke's SUNDAY SAUCE
When Italian-Americans Cook


Oh, and by the way, di you know Sinatra loved it? Loved what? Veal Milanese! It was one of Blue Eyes favorites, along with; a simple bowl of Spaghetti Pomodoro (Tomato Sauce), Clams Posillipo, Sausages, Meatballs, and of course Sunday Sauce. As many know, Patsy’s on West 56th Street in New York was Sinatra’s all-time favorite restaurant. He loved it, and ate there for more than 50 years. He loved his Veal Milanese at Patsy’s and he liked it a certain way, very thin and extra crisp. Veal Milanese is already pounded thin to begin with, but Frank liked his even thinner, and at Patsy’s they always granted Frank’s request and gave him what he wanted, good old, no-fuss Italian Food prepared to perfection. Basta!






RECIPES For SINATRA'S FAVORITE FOODS
Can Be Found
in
La TAVOLA

and 

SUNDAY SAUCE




MANGIA BENE !!!!






YOUNG FRANK









Sunday, February 23, 2014

PASTA PRIMAVER RECIPE SIRIO MACCIONI





FETTUCCINE ALFREDO 

 Excerpted from Daniel Bellino-Zwicke's "SUNDAY SAUCE"  When Italian-Americans Cook


   In the 60’s and 1970’s Fettuccine Alfredo was one of  the great favorite dishes on Italian restaurant menus throughout the country. It was in the late 80’s that the popularity of the dish started to wane for a couple of  reasons,  one being  the Genesis of the health movement in  The United States and two being the start towards more authentic Italian dishes and  the almost  total  disdain of the so-called cliché dishes, Fettuccine Alfredo being one of them.
    Being in the restaurant business, I have people request this dish to me several times a week. Let me tell  you, “this is the sign of a great dish, regardless of  what  anyone thinks otherwise.” Fettuccine is quick and easy to make. Once you know how to make the sauce,  you  will be able to make  a number of  other  dishes simply by changing or adding different ingredients.
    You can make Tortellini Panna by substituting tortellini for the fettuccine, add a few cooked veget-ables like mushrooms, peas, carrots, and broccoli florets and you have another hugely famous dish of the 70’s and  80’s,  “Pasta  Primavera”,  supposedly invented at Le Cirque by Sirio Maccione and still a popular dish there.
    It’s not on the menu and you have to be an insider to  order it. When I was a Sous Chef at Caio Bella Restaurant, one of the hot trendy restaurants of the late  80’s,  I used to make a dish called “Fettuccine Lemone” that only the regulars knew about. It was not on  the menu,  but if you were in-the-know  you could get it. I used to make this dish for a rich Oil Baron’s daughter from Kuwait and you can make it too simply by adding the zest from a couple lemons to the basic Fettuccine Alfredo recipe, and a few leaves of Fresh Basil is nice addition as well. Buon Appetito!



Daniel Bellino-Zwicke



 RECIPE for FETTUCCINE ALFREDO

1 lb. fresh Fettuccine
1 pt. heavy cream, ½ stick butter
1 cup grated Parmigianno
2 egg yolks, salt & pepper

1. Put the cream in a large frying pan. Bring to the boil,  lower the flame and let  the cream cook. Season the cream with salt  and pepper to taste.  Reduce volume by One-Third, this will thicken the sauce.

2. Cook the fettuccine and drain it. Put the fettuccine in to the pan with the cream. Add butter and stir.

3. Turn the flame off. Add egg yolks and Parnigianno and stir. Serve and pass around extra Parmigiano.


Note: You can make Fettuccine Lemone by adding the zest of two lemons to this recipe. Fresh basil is also another nice addition for the Lemone Sauce.










LE CIRQUE'S ORIGINAL SPAGHETTI PRIMAVERA 


1/2 cup freshly shelled peas (about 1 pound in the pod)
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese or more heavy cream
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 cup white mushrooms, caps only, sliced 1/8 inch thick
1 cup zucchini, split lengthwise then sliced 1/8 inch thick
1 cup very small broccoli florets
12 pencil-thin asparagus, green part only, cut in 1-inch segments
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic, peeled and finely chopped
10 to 12 leaves basil, chopped or shredded
1 cup canned, peeled plum tomatoes in 1/2-inch dice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons chopped chives

Bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add a teaspoon of salt. Add the peas and boil for 3 minutes. Drain in a strainer. Run under cold water. Set aside.
In a small pot over low heat, combine the heavy cream, mascarpone, butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir well and let the sauce bubble gently until it thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
In an 8 to 10-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the pine nuts, toss them in the oil, and toast until very light brown. Be careful not to burn them.
Add the sliced mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli, and asparagus and toss for 5 to 7 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Bring 3 quarts of water to a rolling boil and add a heaping tablespoon of salt.
While the water is coming to a boil, in a small skillet, heat 2 more tablespoons of olive. Add the garlic and basil and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Do not let the garlic brown. Add the diced tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a few grinding of black pepper. Stir, then cook gently for 3 to 4 minutes.
Put the spaghetti into the boiling water. Stir and cook at a full boil until slightly underdone. Drain in a colander, then return the spaghetti to the pot it cooked in or to the pan you will be tossing it in at table. Place over low heat.
Add all of the cheese sauce, all of the chives, and half the peas, half the sautéed vegetables, and half the tomato sauce. Toss well for 2 minutes over low heat. Add a little more Parmesan if the sauce needs thickening (or more to taste), or a few tablespoons of hot water if the mixture gets too thick. There should not a lot of sauce, just a coating.
To present the dish, pour the dressed spaghetti into a warm serving bowl, or divide it between individual pasta bowls. Top with the remaining peas, sautéed vegetables, and tomato sauce. Garnish with basil leaves. Serve with more grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on the side.






Pasta Primavera alla Le Cirque






Wednesday, February 19, 2014

SUNDAY SAUCE


SUNDAY SAUCE
alla CLEMENZA

CLEMENZA TEACHING MICHAEL

Richard Castellano & Al Pacino

Francis Ford Coppola's

THE GODFATHER


EXCERT From SUNDAY SAUCE

by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke


If you utter the term Sunday Sauce to any number of  millions of Italian-Americans, they start salivating at  the simple mention of its name. The wheels start  turning  in their heads,  with  thoughts of how tasty it is, with its various components; the Meatballs,  Sausages, Braciole, maybe Ribs, Beef Neck, or Pig  Skin Braciole,  the Pasta, and the Gravy itself. They think  about  sitting  at  the  table with friends and  or  family,  people  they love. They’ll ponder the Antipasti, wondering what it might be; Mixed Salumi, Baked Clams, Grilled Calamari? And with the meal, there will surely be Wine, Italian Wine, maybe a good Chianti or Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. With Uncle Frank and Uncle Tony, the wine was usually Carlo Rossi Paisano or Gallo Hearty Burgundy, two solid Italian-American  Winemakers. 
    When thinking of a Sunday Sauce, you’ll think about the warmth in the air, of loved ones, Sinatra,  Dino,  and the Sunday Sauce, “It’s a beautiful thing!” If you’ve never done it, “Try it!” If you haven’t cooked one for  some time, plan a get-together  with  friends  and  family,  soon.  Sunday Sauce, It brings people together, in a most Delightful way, and as the Big Boys would say, “It’s a Beautiful Thing.”




RECIPE



Learn How to Make SINATRA SUNDAY SAUCE ITALIAN GRAVY

Sinatra n Sunday Sauce

   SINATRA & SUNDAY SAUCE ?   Yes, they go together, Francis Albert Sinatra  & Sunday Sauce  ...            ...