Mangia Memoirs has transferred to the Big Apple and our first stop was to The Meatball Shop in Williamsburg.  A restaurant where the meatball is King. Different meat / non-meat varieties, as well as a spectrum of sauces, make this joint a place that all can enjoy.  Meatballs make people happy.

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember):  

After a whirlwind week of moving from Miami to NYC (like some real crazy fast shit), Weber and I took a break from the cardboard box graveyard known as our apartment, and ventured to Williamsburg for a St. Patty’s day celebration at the apartment of a friend of a friend (Have we lost you yet?).

Anyways, after knocking back a couple of green beers, meeting some new folks and dealing with the shocked expressions of everyone as we explained  “Oh, we just moved here….Ummm, yea about 3 days ago”, we could use a little comfort food. And what better comfort food than rolled up balls of meat?  Clearly, nothing.  As we walked back to the subway stop, The Meatball Shop lured us in.  I have  a feeling it won’t be the last time we go there!

My personal decor favorites:

1. Meat grinders as wall art = legit
2. Dry-erase menus that let you check the box to build your feast.  Brilliant.
3. T-shirts with a giant cow/bull looking thing that says “We Make Balls” –classy and sassy

Margherita Pizza

Rated #1 Pizza – Cincinnati Magazine!

If you love pizza, Betta’s Italian Oven is a must-visit.  And you don’t just have to take my word on it…they got a very well-deserved award from Cincinnati Magazine – Best Pizza in the Queen City.

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember)

Now…I have a very special place in my heart for this hometown pizzeria.  And in the practice of full-disclosure – I was the first waitress at Betta’s Italian Oven.  Yes, the first waitress. Ask Will, the owner, he’ll vouch for me.

I went to Xavier University, just down the street, and would stop by every few

Will DeLuca, owner

weeks after class (while Willie was still prepping the restaurant to open).  I bugged the living hell out of that poor man, reminding him that I’d love to work there and to call me when the restaurant was ready.  I suppose my persistence paid off, because I was rewarded with a job and access to the best pizza outside of Italy!

Betta’s is the type of Italian restaurant that you WANT to go to.  Family owned. Family operated. Family recipes. Catching a theme?  Yes, FAMILY.  There are even little kiddos running around.  It’s the way a family owned Italian restaurant should be.

Tile Mosaic

I have fond memories of my time working at Bettas –  constantly busting Willie’s chops, listening to the Italian CDs on repeat, laughing with Cheryl (Will’s wife) and sneaking back to kitchen to chat with my girl, Clara (Will’s sister).  I even got my best pal, Tony, a job there as a “pizzaiolo”, where he learned the craft of making amazing wood-fired pizza.  It really is an art-form and Tony will tell you any day of that week, that maneuvering that pizza peel is a GIANT. PAIN. IN. THE. ASS.

My family has come to love this place.  It’s a go-to spot for a relaxing night with good food.  Uncle Joe and Jane had out-of-town guests (their old neighbors that moved to Canada), so decided to have some folks up to Willie’s to enjoy some pizza pie and a few good laughs.

The Verdict

• 5 out of 5
• FOOD: Wood-fired pizzas are what speak to my soul, but they also have a wide variety of Italian favorites like homemade lasagna, Chicken cutlet Milanese and a signature Chicken Filo.  If you go though, you gotta get a pizza, at least to try.
• SERVICE:  this night, our waitress was personable and assertive – 2 things that are nice to haves when trying to herd cats…also known as waiting on the Pitocco family.
• AMBIANCE:  Filled with Italian paraphernalia. Kitsch with class. My favorite is the Betta’s logo woven throughout the restaurant. It’s carved into the back of each chair and I adore the tile mosaic on the pillar.  The logo is inspired by the town from which the DeLuca family is from in Italy – Pietramelara   

Items Ordered:

• Margherita pizza: Perfect in it’s imperfection – the way a good pizza should be. A non-uniform shape, some “burnt” edges and a flavorful crispy crust. The simplicity of the fresh mozzarella cheese and tomato is beautiful.  I order this every time.
• Councilman’s Favorite pizza: Sausage, pepperoni, green olives and onion.  Satisfies those meat cravings, while still allowing the wood-fired char to shine.
• Betta’s Super Sub (baked): Mix of Italian cold cuts and cheese. Can be accompanied by hot relish, Italian dressing, mayo.  Order it the “Pitocco” way, with Betta’s marinara and get it baked.  This was my standard order.

Happy Birthday to Tony! This was made with L-O-V-E!

I don’t know if it was like this in your house growing up, but when your birthday rolled around, that meant you got to pick your “Birthday Meal”.  I can tell you my husband’s —pork chops, apple sauce, Mrs. Weber’s famous Mac & Cheese, and baked beans. BAM! And who says I don’t listen!

Well, I’ve also heard Tony’s.  And Tony’s is a pain in the ass.  He always wanted either homemade spaghetti and meatballs (nothing like rolling raw meat for a good 2 hours) OR he wanted stuffed cannelloni (nothing like trying to fill a tubed pasta and having the damn pasta break).

I decided it was worth the hassle for my dear friend, especially since I will be out of town on his actual birthday.

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember):

Tony was closing at JCrew and Adam was out of town, so Irmaliz and I decided to have a little girls night in.  I mentioned that I wanted to surprise Tony with a pre-birthday meal and she was down for some fun in prepping it.

I made the spicy marinara before Irmaliz got here, so we could concentrate on making the homemade pasta.  Yes, the old way. We did the infamous dough “well” and used a pasta crank that is older than God. Irmaliz was quite the kneader too.  She even managed to look super fine while grinding the hell out of dough.

It was fun to make everything from scratch.  I’d never made fresh pasta sheets (like lasagna size) before. We usually just make the dough and it turns immediately in to ravioli.  It was pretty scary.  The sheets just kind of undulate in the water, folding and unfolding –almost dancing.  Beautiful.  But beware, when you take those things out, they are hotter than hell, especially when you are trying to get them to lay flat on the paper towels.

Ingredients

• 1 lb cannelloni store bought or homemade
• Spicy Marinara sauce store bought or homemade with addition of red pepper flakes
• 1 lb shredded chicken
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne
• black pepper to taste
• salt to taste
• small container of ricotta cheese
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup parmigiano
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• black pepper to taste
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Have the sauce pre-prepared and simmering.  Take the cooked shredded chicken and add to the simmering sauce, so it soaks up the flavor.
2. If you are making homemade pasta, prep the dough and let it sit for 20-30 minutes.
3. In the meantime, prep your ricotta cheese with the seasoning above. Be sure to mix well.  Let sit for half hour.
4. If making homemade dough, roll out the dough into lasagna style sheets.
5. Strain chicken from the marinara sauce (be sure to reserve the sauce), then add the seasoning above and mix well.
6. If using homemade pasta sheets, cook in boiling water for about 30 seconds or until al dente.  If using, store bought, follow box instructions.
7. Line the pasta sheets out on to damp paper towels and start assembling the cannelloni.
8. Add the spoon full of chicken, followed by ricotta and roll the lasagna sheet 1-2 times to create a tube shape, then cut the tube from the rest of the dough sheet. Place tube into casserole pan seam side down and repeat for remaining.
9. When casserole in filled with tubes, laddle spicy marinara over the top and shred a layer of parmigiano on top.
10. Bake in over 350 for approximately 30 minutes.

We wish every day was National Coffee day, so we could enjoy this treat — Affogato!

Affogato is an indulgent, super fun way to get your coffee kick.  And it’s a great “quick dessert” when you have unexpected guests.

Affogato with Nutella gelato, chopped Hazelnuts and grated cocoa

• 2 scoops of gelato
• 1 shot of espresso
• chopped hazelnuts
• bar of dark chocolate for grating
• Scoop gelato into serving glass, slowing pour the espresso around the sides of the ice cream, top with chopped hazelnuts and grate chocolate over the top.   I topped mine with a little bit of cinnamon just for fun

Like a beacon in the sky, Jungle Jim’s is a Foodie’s Paradise!

I’m sure you are like this too. Whenever you travel back home or to a city that you love, you always have a “hitlist” of local spots you have to visit before you leave.   For me, Jungle Jim’s International Market is always on the “list”.  Think about the craziest thing you would ever want to buy….duck feet? a whole pig’s head? the favorite chocolate you ate every day during your study abroad in Europe? Hot sauce called “sphincter shrinker”?  Yep, they have it at Jungle Jim’s.

[Show as slideshow]

Jungle Jim’s is the perfect blend of:

1. Function (they have everything)
2. Quirk (their decorations are eclectic to say the least – check out their website for photos),
3. Adventure (there is a surprise at every corner and you WILL lose track of time exploring the expansive selection)

Our “Mangia Memior”  (what we’ll remember)

To set the scene appropriately, my father and I are both insane.  We go into a trance the moment we walk through the doors.  My mom loves food andloves the adventure, but she is along for the ride.  And poor Anthony…ahh poor Anthony.  He loves to eat, loves to cook and is definitely an adventure seeker, but unfortunately, just had jaw surgery.  This means that he can’t eat for 6 weeks.  My worst nightmare.  But Anthony is a saint and doesn’t even complain.

My dad and I wove through aisle after aisle, while mom and Ant trailed us with the cart.After an initial scattered quest, we aligned on what our “weird” menu item would be -  “cinghiale” (aka wild boar). Cincinnati was kind of chilly and a wild boar ragu would be a nice hearty meal.

To our dismay, the meat department was fresh out of cinghiale.  Said he just sold the last one and was surprised about it.  I guess all the Italians in greater Cincy had a hankerin’ for some wild boar ragu.

No wild boar, no problem.  Guanciale (pork cheek).  We could make a nice Amatriciana instead- a traditional Italian pasta sauce based on guanciale, pecorino cheese and tomato, originating from the town of Amatrice. We also purchased some baby octopus, cerignola and castelvetrano olives and rosemary bread.

For our Amatriciana recipe, click here Recipe for Amatriciana

Top 5 “MUST SEES” at Jungle Jims

1. Visit the Bathroom.  The facade is a Port-a-Potty. Hilarious. Check out this video for a real view.
2. Scope out the Seafood section.  Tons of life fish, whole fish, shellfish. Awesome.
3. Check out the Hot Sauce area.  The names alone, will cure depression.  You will laugh out loud.
4. Look Up. Look Left. Look Right.  Amazing decorations EVERYWHERE.  An Amish carriage.  A bear dressed as a singing Elvis.  A talking Campbell’s soup can.  Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest.  Where do they get this stuff?
5. Check out the produce. Bring your iPhone.  You will see fruits/veggies you’ve never heard of.  Look them up and see how to eat them.

Find out what a Negroni is.  It might just be your new favorite cocktail!

Our favorite Italian friend, the infamous Vincenzo Gregorio Modugno (say that 3 times fast) has been working in Sante Fe for the summer, so when he finally resurfaced in Miami for a cameo appearance before heading home for a visit to Chicago, we threw an impromptu dinner to celebrate.  Gracious as ever, Vince came equipped with his own little surprise… a new signature cocktail.

Vince’s World Famous Negroni Sbagliato

• 4 parts Prosecco
• 1 part Campari (Italian bitters)
• 1 orange slice
• 2 Cerignola olives skewered
• Pour prosecco over rocks, add Campari and stir gently.  Squeeze a splash of orange in, then rim glass and garnish.  Add skewered olives and serve

Negronis in general can be an acquired taste.   Campari (Italian bitters) are, well… quite bitter, so having the squeeze of orange is great, especially for beginners.  You can also substitute Campari, for it’s cousin Aperol, a sweeter version.

For  other variations of the Negroni cocktails, including the original version that has gin and sweet vermouth, check out this very informational blog post.

Our “Mangia Memoir” (what we’ll remember)

Vince walked in the door, with that beautiful hair of his, all smiles.  Hugs were had and moments later, it felt like he had never been gone.  Everyone resumed their  spots and did the usual -  ate, drank, laughed and told stories.  Welcome Home Vince!

The Meal: Rosemary/Lemon Chicken Quarters and Homemade Pesto

The Details: We seasoned the chicken with garlic powder, salt, black pepper and a squeeze of lemon, then oven-baked. We also placed a sprig of our garden rosemary beneath the chicken before placing it onto the baking pan, in order to infuse the rosemary flavor through the chicken while cooking.  We garnished with a lemon slice for individuals to add at their liking.  Pesto was just some of the frozen walnut pesto we made a while back.

The Verdict:

• 4 stars
• It was nothing “special” but definitely a solid meal. One of those meals that you plan and execute in a matter of minutes that turns out to be pretty darn good.
• Chicken quarters are so much less expensive than chicken breasts and maintain so much more flavor, so if you have a crowd that is willing to do a little work cutting, they are perfect.
• Would You Eat It Again?: Yep.  We didn’t have any leftovers, so we’ll take that as a good sign.
• What Would You Change? Nada.  It turned out just fine!

Life without an Italian Market, is a life not worth living!

It’s been nearly 2 years.  2 years without the joy of having immediate access to fine Italian delectables.  Paper-thin salty prosciutto, milky fresh mozzarella, spicy “gabagool” (capicola) and guilt-ridden mortadella with pistachios.  Mama Mia!!!  I could go on FOR-EV-ER!  It’s sick, the amount of pure and utter pleasure I find from smoked meats (and don’t be gross!).

Sweet baby Jesus answered our prayers and alerted us to Laurenzo’s Italian Market in North Miami Beach.  For all of you Italians/Italian-Americans in South Florida, fret no more….this is your spot!  Maybe check it out this weekend?

Our “Mangia Memoir” (what we’ll remember)

We drove 30 minutes in Tony’s HOT. AS. HELL. car without air conditioning, obnoxiously singing to the soundtrack of In the Heights the Musical, just to keep our minds off the fact that our flesh was melting off. But when we got there….GLORY!

Skip the Laurenzo’s Produce Market.  There is not much there that you can’t find elsewhere.  Head directly to the market with the deli and plan to stay for hours.  We did.

Literally prancing through the aisles, with devilish grins on our faces, we terrorized this poor place.  We purchased roughly 10 gallons of olive oil, 6 pounds of really fun artisan pasta, a pound of fresh mozzarella, mortadella and prosciutto, fresh baguettes, calamari… ok, I could go on forever, but you would just think I was disgusting. Tony even found a bottle of wine, “Castranova” that was the same as his grandma’s maiden name, so of course, a couple of bottles of that were added.

We heard the workers speaking Italian, heard the butcher screaming over to the seafood guy who was bantering with the market guy.  It was pure bliss and it just felt so right.  Not pretentious.  A real “family” feel.   We grabbed a deli sandwich to share and some fried smelts and calamari.  Seriously, who has smelts?!  It was like being home for the Christmas Seven Fish Dinner (what the hell is that?  Well, that’s an entirely different post, but this site is pretty funny and video might give you a flavor for what it is for Italian-Americans).

Thank you, Laurenzo’s Italian Market for lighting up our lives and also providing the ingredients for us to make this glorious meal.

The Meal: Bruschetta with prosciutto, fresh mozz and fresh basil.  Tomato pasta with spicy lemon garlic shrimp & spinach

The Details: We toasted the bruschetta, then rubbed garlic cloves over it, added the fresh mozz and put it under the broiler for a second. Then, added the prosciutto—it will melt right on to the mozz, but not dry out in doing it this way.  The tomato pasta was house-made at Laurenzo’s and the rest of the sauce was a one-pan creation.

The Verdict

• Bruschetta: 5 stars
• Pasta with Shrimp: 3 stars
• Would You Eat It Again?  Bruschetta, definitely.  Pasta, maybe with some tweaks.
• What Would You Change?  While we loved the “idea” of the tomato-flavored pasta, it wasn’t what we were hoping for.  I think the texture was a little gummy and the flavor wasn’t intense enough.  Also, from a visual standpoint, it was “off”, because the spaghetti sort of looked like carrots, creating a disconnect between what you were seeing and what you were tasting.  Next time, I’d probably opt for a traditional non-flavored pasta and throw in some tomatoes instead.

Leftover bolognese meat sauce can be a perfect “spaghetti pie” in NO time!

The bolognese meat sauce you made turned out alright, huh?  But now you are stuck with a mound of leftovers and don’t really want to eat pasta for the next week straight…so whattya do?  Do what I did and turn it into a “spaghetti pie” and impress your friends!

I never really understood the fascination with “spaghetti pie”.  To me, it just sounds like a huge pain in the ass and a lot of work– Make the sauce, make the pasta, mix the the pasta and sauce, let it cool….blah blah blah.  All for a damn “pie” that I’m going to cut into that will probably fall back in to looking like a plate of regular ‘ol spaghetti anyway?  Eh, not for me.   BUT, if I’ve already served a meal and have leftovers, well, that is a different story!

Our “Mangia Memoir” (what we’ll remember)

At 11:00pm, while dumping our leftover bolognese and linguine into a pie-pan and pouring eggs over it….

Husband: “what the hell are you doing?”

Me: “making spaghetti pie, duh.”

Husband:  “Interesting.”

The Meal: “Spaghetti Pie”

The Details: We tossed in our bolognese and pasta leftovers. Instead of just a couple eggs, we added about 8 to make it  like a frittata, so it could be eaten morning, noon or night. And it was.  It never appeared on the dining room table, but it disappeared over the course of the week, devoured by little creatures that quietly snacked late-night after a couple brewskies, or first thing in the morning before any one would notice.  Naughty.

The Verdict:

• 4 stars
• I think it was a little difficult for some to get over the “frittata” factor.  The extra dose of eggs helped to keep the pie shape and you literally could eat it with your hands. No plate necessary, which was convenient! But, I could see where normal folks might find it weird to eat this for breakfast.
• Would You Eat It Again:  2 votes yes, 1 vote “I guess”
• What Would You Change: I’d love to own a spring-form pan.  It would make it a LOT easier to get this little puppy out. This time, I had to let it cool and then give it a hearty WHACK! to get it out. Also, I’d add more parmigiano into the sauce prior, then still add the cheese layer to the top as a final crust.

Basil harvest, means homemade pesto time!

This year, we decided to plant a little urban garden on our skyscraper balcony.  We have flourishing basil, parsley and dill.  Unfortunately, the cilantro died a frightful death.  It was not a fan of these Italian fingertips.  I should have had my Puerto Rican friend Irmaliz nurture that little plant! Better luck next time.

So, our flourishing basil quickly turned into a jungle tree, so we need to make pesto, stat!

The Meal: Homemade walnut pesto over thin spaghetti, topped with shaved parmigiano, served with a savory Malbec wine

The Details: ever notice how expensive pine nuts can be? Ever realize how restaurants substitute walnut for pine nuts and we all think it’s to make it “fancier”?  Well, it might be that, but it might also be because walnuts are cheaper and they go a lot further. Walnut, basil, parmigiano blended in a food processor, streamed in with olive oil and salt/pepper to taste

The Verdict

• 4 stars
• For our first basil harvest of the year, it turned out great.
• Would You Eat It Again?: yes, for sure. It’s the perfect quick meal. Plus pesto is easy to freeze and defrost for a weeknight meal when you don’t feel like cooking.
• What Would You Change?: I think I went a little crazy on the garlic this time, so next time I’d pay attention to the number of cloves I was throwing in the food processor

Our “Mangia Memoir” (what we’ll remember)

It’s kind of an awesome feeling when you sit down to eat and realize that the tasty meal you are about to enjoy has come from the fruits of your labor.  One Saturday, on the 11th floor of our skyscraper, we got our hands dirty and planted these basil seeds, then watched them grow into this monster of a plant that is now feeding our family.  I think it made it taste that much better

The Recipe

• 1 cup toasted walnuts (helps get the oil out and more flavorful)
• 2-3 cups of packed basil (if you wash it, let it dry on some paper towels before putting into the food processor)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup or so of extra virgin olive oil (I usually eye-ball this based on the texture I want. Some people like their basil chunky and others smooth)
• 1/2  cup or so of parmigiano reggiano cheese (this can also be to taste, but keep in mind that the cheese changes the texture as well)
• Salt/Pepper to taste
• Secret Ingredient (Optional) – couple flecks of lemon zest and juice of 1/2 – 1 lemon.  It can really brighten up the flavor and be a nice unexpected twist
• Blend walnuts, basil and garlic in food processor. Add cheese and blend.  Stream in olive oil while blending until desired consistency is achieved.  Salt/pepper to taste.  If adding lemon zest, include in the initial blend and juice at the end.

Adventure anyone? What better way to celebrate the launch of a food blog than with fresh whole fish, a raw meat concoction and great friends? I don’t thing anything!

My loving husband decided that we needed to have a “launch party” for the birth of Mangia! Memoirs because of the hard work that went into it.  I believe that to be true, but I also think he may have been looking for a good excuse to have friends over, eat some food and down some wine.  Regardless, the impromptu launch party took place and let me tell you, we went on a culinary adventure joy ride!

We were thinking to go big or go home, so ended up creating food items that we had never ever made before and honestly, really had no idea how to.  First up, beef carpaccio.  For those not familiar with carpaccio, I’ve included a link, but it’s basically very very thinly sliced raw “something”.  There are seafood carpacci, beef carpacci, vegetable carpacci – you get the point. We’ve had these many times in restaurants, but the real kick here is that it is 100% RAW and I was serving it IN MY HOME.

I’d tried to do all the gruesome meat pounding before everyone got here, in order to salvage their appetites, but I’d have to say my favorite quote of the evening from our pal Kelvin, (as I lay delicate slices of meat on a plate), was “Soooo, uhh…that was marinated like ceviche, right?”  NOPE! Sorry, buddy, when I said raw, I meant RAW.  I honestly got a little nervous after that point, thinking “Alisa, what the hell are you doing serving raw meat to your friends?!  But the show must go on.  We served up the beef carpaccio with fresh arugula and shaved parmigiano, olive oil and fresh cracked pepper.  Overall, a HIT.

The “sleeper” favorite of the evening ended up being the pasta.  I really just made this as a “filler-up” dish from things we had lying around. Fusilli lunghi (long spirally pasta that looks the way someone’s hair would look if they got electrocuted)  pasta in a mildly spicy artichoke heart, tomato, garlic and white wine sauce.

Next up was the MAIN EVENT.  I’d been wanting to cook a whole fish for sometime (just to see if I could do it), and this ended up being the perfect night for it.  My husband and I went to the local fish market, Garcia’s Seafood, and purchased two jumbo red snapper and decided to follow the directions of 2 awesome ladies from Florida that demonstrated an ancient technique for baking fish.  Naturally, we found this on YouTube.  You can stuff the fish with any herbs you like (I chose lemon, rosemary and thyme), then pack the fish in course sea salt, creating a salt cast that develops over the fish and keeps it moist while baking.  The craziest part, is that the salt becomes hard like concrete and you have to literally CRACK the mold to get the fish out.  It was totally wild and so much fun! I used my grandma’s rolling pin for extra drama – thanks Gram.

The Verdict:

• 5 stars!
• Would You Eat It Again?: Heck, yea with multiple exclamation points
• Would Would You Change? Buy more fish.  For a party of 6, two fish was a bit of  stretch as a main course.

[Show as slideshow]

Our “Mangia! Memoir” (what we’ll remember):

This was a food event worth remembering and I definitely recommend it.  The fish was moist and fell right off the bone.  The herbs that we had stuffed within the fish cavity infused the fish with flavor. And surprisingly, even though the fish was encased in salt, it wasn’t salty (Heads up, though – there were a few salty areas, mostly around the edges where the fish was right up against the salt cast).  Since this was a new technique for everyone, the whole party was centered around seeing this come to life, which ended up being pretty darn cool.

Every one watched in anticipation as the fish was stuffed, packed in salt and then put into the oven.  We then held our breath as the rolling pin smacked open the cast and inside lie the fully in tact and cooked fish.  Once we slid the fish from the bones, everyone, as if on on queue, starting picking at the remnant pieces.

I mentioned that the fish cheek is supposed to be very succulent and instantly everyone started going for it!  Then conversation shifted to how if you are ever stranded, you should eat fish eyes, because there is water in them.  Next thing I know,  people are going for the EYES!!  It was like be shot back to caveman era – everyone was so primal!