I’m a Sopranos fan. I plan Sunday nights around the television so I don’t miss a whacking or one of Tony’s appointments with Dr. Melfi.
And one of my favorite parts of the show is, of course, the Italian food. Whether Carmela and the girls are dining at Artie Bucco’s restaurant or preparing dinner at home, I love to watch this clan cook and eat. In the Soprano household, dinner is a family meal. Unless, of course, Tony has a prior engagement.
So maybe it was with viewers like me in mind that they published The Sopranos Family Cookbook (Warner Books, 2002, $29.95).
For this book, television writer Allen Rucker has created a world from the show. The book is supposedly put together by Artie Bucco (played by John Ventimiglia), who is the fictional owner of the fictional Bucco’s Vesuvio, which (don’t tell Artie) Tony had blown up. Then there’s the chapters that appears to be contributed by Corrado Soprano, Jr., Tony’s tough-guy, opera-singing uncle; there’s “A Chat With Carmela Soprano,” Tony’s long-suffering wife; and even a chapter by Peter Paul “Paulie Walnuts” Gualtieri featuring recipes from this made-one’s mom, “My Nucci.” And in keeping with the theme, Tony is identifed as “a waste management consultant” in this book.
The recipes are the work of Michele Scicolone, who authored six Italian cookbooks, most recently Italian Holiday Cooking (William Morrow, 2001). Her grandparents come from the Naples area, just like Tony’s family.
There’s dialogue from the show and still photos from different episodes become family photos in the book. And other memorabilia has been created just for your enjoyment, including a recipe that Janice Soprano supposedly turned into her home economics class in high school; a letter from the now-deceased Livia Soprano to her sister Settima; an e-mail from Meadow Soprano on food and weight entitled “Don’t Even Go There;” and a menu from Artie’s restaurant, not to mention a newspaper clipping from when his place burned down.
But get beyond the silliness and fake artifacts and there are some good Neapolitan recipes. Making the Sunday Gravy with its four pounds of meat, including 28 meatballs, I could imagine Tony standing by me, spoon in hand, waiting for a taste. The rigatoni with its garnish of broccoli and lots of cheese is simple and flavorful and the Chicken Scarpariello goes together in a jiff (the recipe called for cutting the 3-pound chicken into 18 pieces, but I’m assuming that was a typo and they meant eight — I’m not as practiced at whacking chickens as Tony must be).
There are also some pretty ridiculous recipes, including Tony’s instructions for grilled sausages that has only one ingredient (“2 pounds assorted Italian pork sausages”) and instructions that read: “Place the sausages on the grill and cook, turning them once or twice, until browned and cooked through.”
There’s also information on “How to Cut a Garlic” and don’t miss “Junior’s Ten Tips to Living Long and Living Well,” including “Enjoy the music of life while you still have ears.”
Bada-bing.
ENTREE
SUNDAY GRAVY
SERVE WITH 1 POUND SHELLS OR RIGATONI COOKED AL DENTE AND FRESH-GRATED PECORINO ROMANO OR PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO CHEESE.
Tomato Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound meaty pork neck bones or individual spareribs
1pound veal stew meat or 2 veal shoulder chops
1 pound Italian-style plain or fennel pork sausages
4 garlic cloves
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 (28- to 35-ounce) cans Italian peeled tomatoes
2 cups water
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
6 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
Italian Meatballs:
1 pound ground beef or beef
and pork
1/2 cup fresh plain bread crumbs, preferably homemade
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon very fine-minced garlic
1/2 cup fresh-grated percorino romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons fine-chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
To make sauce: Heat the oil in a nonreactive large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Pat the pork dry and put pieces in pot. Cook, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes or until nicely browned on all sides. Transfer pork to a plate. Brown the veal in the same way and transfer to plate. Place the sausages in the pot and brown on all sides; transfer to the plate.
Drain off most of the fat from the pot (leave about 3 tablespoons). Add the garlic and cook over medium heat 2 minutes until golden. Remove and discard garlic. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
Chop tomatoes and add to pot with their liquid (instead of chopping we merely squeezed the tomatoes to break them up as we put them in the pot). Add the water (use water to rinse out tomato cans), salt and pepper. Return the pork, veal and sausages along with the basil to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 2 hours. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little more water.
To make meatballs: Meanwhile, combine all ingredients except oil in a large bowl. Mix throughly. Rinse your hands with cool water and lightly shape mixture into 2-inch balls. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and brown well on all sides (they will finish cooking later). As they brown, transfer the meatballs to a plate.
After 2 hours of cooking the sauce, add the meatballs and cook another 30 minutes, uncovered, or until meat is tender. If sauce seems too thin, remove the liquid portion to another pot and boil, stirring frequently, until reduced and thickened. Return thickened portion to other pot with meat. Makes about 8 cups liquid sauce and 10 cups meat including 28 meatballs (total 18 cups).
Per meatball: 59 calories, 59 percent calories from fat, 4 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, .06 gram total fiber, 4 grams total fat, 26 milligrams cholesterol, 137 milligrams sodium.
Per (1-cup) serving sauce (without meatballs): 157 calories, 54 percent calories from fat, 12 grams protein, 6 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram total fiber, 9 grams total fat, 44 milligrams cholesterol, 389 milligrams sodium.
Recipe adapted from The Sopranos Family Cookbook (Warner, 2002) by Allen Rucker.
ENTREE
CHICKEN SCARPARIELLO
1 pound Italian-style pork sausages
Water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 (3-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
6 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup pickled sweet peppers, cut into bite-sized pieces*
1/4 cup white wine vinegar or pickling liquid from peppers
Place the sausages in a medium skillet and prick all over with a fork. Add cold water to come halfway up the sausages. Cover the pan, place over medium heat and cook until sausages are cooked through. Uncover and cook until water evaporates and sausages are browned all over. Cut the sausages into 1-inch pieces; set aside.
In a nonreactive skillet large enough to hold all the chicken in a single layer, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken pieces dry and place them in the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cook, turning occasionally, 10 minutes until golden. Add the garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes more over medium heat. Tip the pan and spoon off most of the fat. Add the sausages, broth, peppers and vinegar. Turn the heat to high and cook, stirring often, 10 to 15 minutes or until the liquid reduces to a light glaze. Serve immediately. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Per serving: 361 calories, 65 percent calories from fat, 27 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, .32 gram total fiber, 26 grams total fat, 90 milligrams cholesterol, 336 milligrams sodium.
*We used peppers from a 32-ounce jar sweet peppers packaged in distilled vinegar. You can also use sweet cherry peppers, drained and cut in half.
Recipe adapted from The Sopranos Family Cookbook (Warner, 2002) by Allen Rucker.
ENTREE
RIGATONI WITH BROCCOLI
1 (1 1/4-pound) bunch broccoli
Water
Salt, to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Pinch crushed dried red pepper flakes
8 ounces rigatoni
1/2 cup fresh-grated pecorino romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Trim the broccoli and cut into bite-size pieces. Bring 4 quarts cold water to boil in a large pot. Add the broccoli and salt. Cook 5 minutes. Scoop out the broccoli with a small sieve. Reserve cooking water in pot.
Pour oil into a large skillet. Add garlic and red pepper and cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until garlic is lightly golden. Add the broccoli and a pinch salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until broccoli is very soft.
Meanwhile, bring the pot of water back to a boil. Add the rigatoni and cook, stirring frequently, 12 minutes until the pasta is not quite tender. Scoop out about 1 cup cooking water and reserve. Drain the rigatoni and add to the skillet with the broccoli. Add the reserved cooking water and cook, stirring often, 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, toss and serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.
Per serving: 277 calories, 39 percent calories from fat, 11 grams protein, 34 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams total fiber, 12 grams total fat, 5 milligrams cholesterol, 152 milligrams sodium.
Recipe adapted from The Sopranos Family Cookbook (Warner, 2002) by Allen Rucker.
