Autumn on Arthur

Autumn is my favorite time of the year.The crisp cool air, the colorful foliage ,and the glorious sunsets , all bring the promise of a bountiful and delicious harvest. It's definitely one of my favorite food seasons. Nowhere will you find a better harvest bounty than at the Real Little Italy .The markets are full of the all the glorious autumnal goodies just waiting to warm us up in our favorite recipes. Arthur Avenue is THE place to shop for produce. The quality is top notch and the prices are really hard to beat for what you bring home to your table. The market, constructed under Mayor Fiorella La Guardia is my first stop. Enter,smell the fragrance of ripened pears and apples that are flooding market at this time of year. Local crisp ,shiny apples in an amazing array of color, texture , and sweetness. The fragrance of Autumn pears is intoxicating as is the selection. Grapes are in and looking good .My eyes wander over the crisp , plump green beans and gigantic bell peppers in an array of colors that startle and get me thinking of more recipes. But for me this conversation starts with the magical pumpkin . When fresh I can eat pumpkin everyday, and sometimes do ,in one form or another! Pumpkin Pie is great but not the only or even the best  use for this versatile vegetable. We have some favorite recipes that we prepare every Fall. The first one is one of our favorites .Wait for at least a drop to 50 degrees to prepare this. It is definitely a cool weather dish.  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Pumpkin Fondue                                                                                                                                                  
Ingredients

•   Pumpkins.  Our preference is the small meaty solid fleshed pumpkins generally known as pie pumpkins. You will need one for every two servings as the shell is used to serve. If the pumpkins are really small, or you want larger servings, then get one per serving.
• A good , firm,round loaf of pane di casa, can't fail from ANY bakery in the neighborhood. For this dish, we like the whole wheat from Terranova.
• Cheese ; a nice, creamy, melting type. Choose what you like, but don't do anything foolish like Velveeta or American. We like to use a mix  which always includes Fontina and then we choose another  drier cheese like Jarlsberg or Swiss. Finally , we use a firm grating cheese like Parmigiana or Asiago. !/4 cup per serving plus a little extra for topping
• Heavy cream , about 3-4 ounces per serving
• Sweet butter,1 tablespoon per serving 
• 1 egg per serving
• Nutmeg
• Olive Oil  for the toast
• 4-6 cloves 
• Salt to taste
• Coarse ground pepper

    Press the garlic into the oil and set aside
    Roast the pumpkins whole at about 350 degrees, on a heavy baking sheet until soft but still somewhat firm     You  will need the shells to serve. Pierce with a thin knife to make sure flesh can be scooped out.
    When done, remove from oven and scoop out seeds.Save for another use or to use as a crunchy topping.
     Scoop out pumpkins into a bowl with tablespoon . Mash with a wooden spoon and add butter,cream,and nutmeg. Beat eggs until foamy and add to the mixture. Add grated cheese and mix well. Add pepper to taste. Fill the pumpkins evenly with the mix.Place the pumpkins in a lightly greased baking pan. Place the pan in a larger pan filled with about two inches of boiling water. Cover with foil. Bake for about 25-30 minutes. While the custard is baking, prepare the garlic toast.Add a small pinch of salt to the oil. Coat the bread slices with the garlic oil. Cut the bread into cubes or into small  slabs  and toast on a cookie sheet until golden.
Remove the foil from the pumpkin. Place some garlic toast on each pumpkin. Sprinkle with the extra cheese and return to the oven to melt and brown the topping. Serve with the additional toast for dipping into the fondue custard.
 Going Light ? A really good salad . One that we like to serve with this will be posted below.
More substantial ? We have served this  with along side rice and peas with mushrooms. .
Company ? A simple plate of grilled Italian sausage , both hot and sweet with a green salad.

DeLillo's New Home

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De Lillo has moved into a new home. Just a few doors down from their original store, De Lillo 's Pasticceria has opened a brand new beautiful  and larger shop. There is also expanded seating and an outdoor cafe. The authentic and delicious quality remains. Be sure not to miss this  Belmont fixture when visiting the area. The coffee is great and the baked goods are truly authentic. If you like an ambiance conducive to conversation rather than iphones and pads, this is the place for you.                                                                                                        

Artuso's Sfingi

                                                                                                                             So the other day we visited Gino's and had the sublime taste of the Old World . It was the taste of tradition.  Today we sampled the same pastry called "Sfingi" from Artuso's . This zeppole was very light and airy .It seemed more air than pastry, until biting into it. The filling was very creamy and not too sweet. It was topped with the  candied fruit peel and a candied cherry . Artuso's  also added a modern twist with  green sprinkles reminiscent of  the red,white,and green of the Italian flag . The sprinkles are a change from the old days when  these pastries as well as the better known cannoli's were dusted with chopped pistachio nuts. I'm not sure why the change, but we could guess at the factors : the price of nuts combined with the possibility of them turning rancid , or a changed demographic who are used to seeing and tasting candy sprinkles on their cakes and pastries .           The price was about equal with Gino's priced ten cents more but a bit larger. It really comes down to preference. They were equally fresh as well as delicious . If you like a lighter dough ,then go to Artuso's for Sfingi. Gino's has the Old World texture that many people remember. Either way you can't go wrong. Just remember to have a cappuccino with it. The friendly service is very good . Don't forget to say  Hi to Joey who greets everyone with a smile and a warm greeting.

Dough is light and nicely  filled

Sfingi from Artuso's Bronx store

SPRINGTIME AT GINO"S PASTRY SHOP

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Every year since I've lived  over in the Arthur Ave community March is a very anxious time for me. St. Joseph's day has arrived and it's time to hit the bakeries for the traditional treats prepared for the feast day. I have visions of Sfingi and Zeppole frying in my head. So many choices and so little time. I never know where to start. Every pastry shop in the neighborhood is #1. Every year , it takes me at least three taste tests to eat my way across the competition , but I don't gain any weight. My secret : I live there so I get exercise walking to the various stores. I think sometimes it depends on the time of day or how hungry I am , but I do have trouble deciding. But I keep going. Yesterday. we visited Gino's on 187th street between Arthur Avenue and Hoffman Street. Jerome aka The Cannoli  King , took good care of us. He took those beautifully browned light and airy puffs and filled them with fresh ricotta cream right before our eyes. Then a garnish of candied citron. A visual feast. Then the first bite tells you about purity of product. All at once your mouth is alive with a symphony of taste and texture.The dough is a rich contrast of chewy and soft. Light and airy ,see the interior below. Then the cream, sweet and creamy ricotta mixed with chocolate chips and citron,  beaten into sublime submission , but managing to retain the integrity of the cheese texture. It is not over beaten. It is surprisingly filling which I attribute to the simplicity and purity of the natural  ingredients. The lack of processed foods used in Italian cooking is one of the reasons it's so good, and good for you. The products used are as close to their natural state as possible. Don't even think about passing up this shop when visiting Belmont. And, if you need  a cake for that really special occasion,  this is the place . The cakes are not only a taste treat, but are a feast for the eyes. Look for a blog and on the specialty cakes coming soon . Next, I'll be visiting Artuso's. I have to hurry. It's already April and St. Joseph's pastry will be but  a memory until next year. They are not readily available year round.

The Cheese Wars

I read an article this morning about the cheese wars, Initially, I considered the story to be an attention grabbing product of folks who really enjoy a fight and have little to fight about.Then I took a closer look. It seems the Europeans want to stop America from selling regional products that bear the names of some of the regions most prized exports. The economy is at it's worst and the Americans are unable to produce anything worse than most of these fake cheeses. I mean there are some really great naturally processed American cheeses that are being produced , but we are also guilty of plastic shreds in jars and labeling it  "Parmesan". Enough said.
Looking at  Parmagiano-

-Reggiano I  did a bit of research and found that in the UK, Costa Rica, Central, South America as well as other places , there are laws in place forbidding pseudo Parmesan ,(aka cellulose cheeses), to bear the name of parmigiano. This is not regulated in America, but it should be. If you've ever tasted Kraft , or any of the other "Parmesan" as they call it, you already know the Italians have nothing to worry about .However there are those consumers who don't even realize that the packaged products they are consuming is little more than cheese scented soap suds. Most of the ingredients are chemical additives and some really do taste soapy.
Parmigiano, on the other hand, contains only three ingredients: milk, salt, and rennet which is a natural enzyme harvested from calf gut. But the problem is these cheap substitutes are eating  a significant chunk of the market. According to a story in the New York Times, Parmigiano is so valuable , Credito Emilio has been accepting cheese from producers as collateral since 1953. Special climate controlled vaults were built to hold the cheese during the aging process. If the producer defaults, the cheese is sold at current market values.
It must be considered that America is the largest exporter of cheeses in the world. So why not stick to what we know . American Cheddars from Wisconsin, New York, and Vermont; the sweet nutty blues from Pennsylvania.There are many types from many states.Canned and jarred cheese should be required,
at the very least, to state they are nothing more than that. They should be labeled as cheese substitutes or pasta toppings.Time to stop being ugly Americans and trying to hog everything.

A Labor of Love

Arthur Ave folks are known for their incredible edibles. They love to cook, eat, and share their spectacular  food with others. My late father- in- law  Raphaello Angelo Martuscelli , a Belmont resident was no exception. Freddy , also known as the Baron, was a Master Chef who worked his magic in some of the finest restaurants in the Bronx and Westchester County. He was, by all accounts, an artist.

Anyone who ate at his table always said, "this is the best  (fill in any dish) I ever tasted " ! No kidding.  His secret : he loved what he did.
This was a really interesting guy. He came from a gifted family of musicians and could work his guitar and ukelele as well as his wooden spoon. He was a lover of Literature, his favorites being Nathaniel Hawthorne , Shakespeare, Chaucer and Poe. Not only was he a talented Chef, but a N.Y.U. Graduate. He also went on to Dental School, but suddenly decided he would rather put food in a person's mouth rather than his hands. He was able to speak, read, and write English, Italian, French, Albanian, and Chinese so perfectly he was offered a job as an interpreter at the UN. He turned all of these options down because he loved to cook. He would cook at work and he would cook at home. He owned and manged a 32 family building on the famed Belmont Avenue, and even his tenants would use their sense of smell to time their visits . They always feigned surprise when handed the visitor a plate of hot zeppoles, or a tray of veal croquettes that are still a closely guarded family secret. Likewise his recipe for spinach pie is legendary. These recipes , as well as others , came from Salerno and Ischia . My wife once said that her father warned her as a little girl, "you better watch if you want to learn how to make these things. Daddy is never going to write them down . They belong to us ".  It turned out he wasn't kidding !  Fortunately, she loved to share his labors, and loved the expression on the recipient's face after a taste of one of his specialties, and so inherited his skill in the kitchen.  The point is the best food is created through love of the art . He truly loved his work. There is a special bread he liked to bake in the Spring. It started for St. Joseph's Day and went straight into Easter. Everyone loved it. I'm posting it here and on Bellarturo's Facebook page. If you get a chance to bake it, let me know how you liked it. It is still a family favorite.

What's Cooking ?

 Welcome to Bellarturo's Blog.This is our first post and we are excited to share our experiences living in one of the most famous gourmet food shopping hubs in the United States . You can find the Arthur Ave label in supermarkets everywhere. Not as good as fresh, but almost . Now thanks to Bellarturo, your personal Arthur/Belmont shopper, you don't have to settle for retail versions. Check us out on Facebook.
Everyday the same question turns up in everyone's mind at least three times a day : what are we going to eat today ? Now depending on what's in the fridge or where you live, your answer might be very different than mine. I only have to walk to the corner to 187th St. or over to Arthur Avenue. I am privileged to live in the heart of the Real Little Italy in the Bronx home of the best  and freshest food anywhere. I wake up every morning to the glorious aroma emanating from Terranova's ovens. I walk to the kitchen and at once I breathe in the smell of sugar and butter magically being transformed into an Artuso creation. I walk out into the front yard and my nose is treated to a smorgasbord of delight. Depending on the direction of the morning breeze, I can smell the mozzarella smoking behind Joe's Deli or the coffee being ground and the milk scalding for the best Cappuccino anywhere. I catch the smell of peppers roasting or eggplant frying in preparation for the lunch menus. I can smell the lemon and garlic chicken baking . Walk to the back yard and Arthur Avenue hits me with it's glorious pungency. All at once : cheeses, seafood, cold cuts , meatballs and then  the Pizza shops ! It makes me want to cry to think of all those people driving right through the neighborhood and in a zombie-like trance going through the McDonald's Drive thru . Not me. Heading over to Arthur.Follow the smell ; kind of like Hansel and Gretel, except this is Zia Maria Giussepina and her brother Enzo.  How about a hot potato and egg hero topped with mozzarella  ? No ? Then try a pepper and egg hero topped with provolone. Wash it down with a frothy cappucino. Head over to the Arthur Avenue Market, Stop in . for a bite. Go around to the other side for some pastry and coffee at Giovanni's. Need bread ? Madonia and Addeo is just  a couple of doors down. Italian soul food at it's best;  an art form. While on Arthur ,do some shopping. Broccoli di Rapa looks good today. So does the lamb sausage at Biancardi's. Can't get there ?
Give me a holler on Facebook .Bellarturo will shop and ship for your table with the same care and attention to detail that I give to my own table.What's Cooking ?