Seafood Italian Style (and other recipes from Avanti Chef Giuseppe Lauretta)

By Giuseppe (Joe) Lauretta

Chef Giuseppe Lauretta brings his experience and knowledge of southern Italian cooking to print in this easy to follow edition of one of the world’s most beloved cuisines. Trained and schooled as both an artist and a chef, his emphasis is on simplicity without sacrificing the wonderful flavors of the old world.
He shares old family secrets as well as his own techniques for creating many of the most popular dishes found on menus of Italian restaurants.
Lavishly illustrated with mouth watering photographs and step by step recipes, Seafood “Italian Style” will be a welcome addition to any aspiring chefs’ or home gourmets’ cookbook collection.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Giuseppe (Joe) Lauretta
• Release date: Sep 23, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311458889

Giuseppe (Joe) Lauretta

The inspiration for this website and cookbook began in Sicily, that island of enchanted flavors, introduced by the civilizations that settled her shores and left their influence. More specifically, it began in San Cataldo, a mountain town at the heart of Sicily. It began in my mother's kitchen, the same kitchen used by previous generations of her family, "The Lunettas". Fifty miles away, in Comiso on the southern tip of Sicily, my dad's family "The Laurettas" developed their own style of cooking, using the skills and secrets of their ancestors.Surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, it was only natural that Sicilians acquired a unique talent for preparing and cooking seafood. I remember, as a kid, listening to my mom haggling with the fish peddler outside our front door. He would, in turn, be followed by the vegetable and fruit carts, or the cheese vendors, all with the luxury of shopping at home.Those days are long gone, but the strong Sicilian roots left their imprint on a ten year old who immigrated to America with his parents in the 1950's. I grew up in central Jersey, surrounded by the greater New York city area. My folks opened their first restaurant in Perth Amboy, New Jersey in 1961. They went on to own and operate over a dozen restaurants throughout the 60's and 70's. My mom's home cooking and my dad's business skills formed the basis of my culinary career.I consider myself a student, in the old school tradition, of Italian cookery and have no patience for Nouveau Cuisine or Fusion trends popular nowadays. I don't believe food should be served in piles or erecting towers with it. Italian food is kept simple, but is bursting with flavor. A well prepared meal should leave you full and satisfied, but saddened that it's over, like the end of a torrid love affair."Seafood, Italian Style", I confess is slightly misleading. A more accurate title would be "Seafood, Sicilian (raised in America) Style". Although my recipes have the inherited Sicilian trademark, courtesy of my mom, Gina, I have taken the liberty to experiment and alter them in subtle ways without sacrificing their original essence. These changes through the years have resulted in forming my own style and flair for Italian Cuisine. The seafood recipes offered in this cookbook are a fair representation of seafood dishes available at most Italian restaurants around the country. They are taken from the menus of our family restaurants including my own place on the Oregon coast, Avanti's.My passion for cooking is surpassed only by my love for fine art. The marriage of these two talents has only enhanced my skills in the conception and presentation of all my dishes. A great meal is like a work of art. It should be pleasing to the eye, as well as the nose and palate. I come from the Mediterranean world, where eating is the highlight of the day, to be looked forward to and enjoyed as in performing a sacred ritual. It is in this spirit that I dedicate this book to my family, the Lunettas and Laurettas, along with all the customers that have enjoyed our food throughout the decades. I invite you to share my secrets in creating your own unique "dining affair".

Book preview

Seafood Italian Style

Copyright 2014 Joe and Leslie Lauretta

ISBN: 9781311458889

Published by Leslie Lauretta at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Dedication:

This cookbook is dedicated to my mom and dad and all of our loyal customers who have supported us through the nine years Avanti Italian Cuisine was open, some of which also became great friends along the way.

Special thanks to my Mother-in-Law, Donna Byargeon, for her hard work and personal service that had so many of our customers referring to her simply as Mom.

Acknowledgements:

All photographs in this book were taken by Leslie Lauretta who is also a chef and Giuseppe Lauretta’s wife. She also helped design and coauthor the book with him.

Contents

Introduction

The Power of Garlic

The Classifications of Olive Oil

The Best Diet in the World

Secrets of Sautéing

Appetizers

Soups & Salads

Five Classic Sauces

Seafood

Meats

Pasta

Vegetarian/Vegan

The Parmigiana Family

The Best Homemade Pizza

Introduction

The inspiration for this cookbook began in Sicily, that island of enchanted flavors, introduced by the civilizations that settled her shores and left their influence. More specifically, it began in San Cataldo, a mountain town at the heart of Sicily. It began in my mother’s kitchen, the same kitchen used by previous generations of her family, The Lunettas. Fifty miles away, in Comiso on the southern tip of Sicily, my dad’s family, The Laurettas developed their own style of cooking, using the skills and secrets of their ancestors.

Surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, it was only natural that Sicilians acquired a unique talent for preparing and cooking seafood. I remember, as a kid, listening to my mom haggling with the fish peddler outside our front door. He would, in turn, be followed by the vegetable and fruit carts, or the cheese vendors, all with the luxury of shopping at home.

Those days are long gone, but the strong Sicilian roots left their imprint on a ten year old who immigrated to America with his parents in the 1950’s. I grew up in central Jersey, surrounded by the greater New York city area. My folks opened their first restaurant in Perth Amboy, New Jersey in 1961. They went on to own and operate over a dozen restaurants throughout the 60’s and 70’s. My mom’s home cooking and my dad’s business skills formed the basis of my culinary career.

I consider myself a student, in the old school tradition, of Italian cookery and have no patience for Nouveau Cuisine or Fusion trends popular nowadays. I don’t believe food should be served in piles or erect towers with it. Italian food is kept simple, but is bursting with flavor. A well prepared meal should leave you full and satisfied, but saddened that it’s over, like the end of a torrid love affair.

Seafood Italian Style, I confess is slightly misleading. A more accurate title would be Seafood Sicilian (raised in America) Style. Although my recipes have the inherited Sicilian trademark, courtesy of my mom, Gina, I have taken the liberty to experiment and alter them in subtle ways without sacrificing their original essence. These changes, through the years, have resulted in forming my own style and flair for Italian Cuisine. The seafood recipes offered in this cookbook are a fair representation of seafood dishes available at most Italian restaurants around the country. They are taken from the menus of our family restaurants including my own place on the Oregon coast, Avanti’s.

My passion for cooking is surpassed only by my love for fine art. The marriage of these two talents has further enhanced my skills in the conception and presentation of all my dishes. A great meal is like a work of art. It should be pleasing to the eye, as well as to the nose and palate. I come from the Mediterranean world, where eating is the highlight of the day, to be looked forward to and enjoyed as in performing a sacred ritual. It is in this spirit that I dedicate this book to my family, the Lunettas and Laurettas, along with all the customers that have enjoyed our food throughout the decades. I invite you to share my secrets in creating your own unique dining affair.

In 2001, after an absence of over four decades, driven by a strong sense of duty to honor the memory of my Mom and Dad, I closed my restaurant for a month and embarked on the long overdue journey back to our ancestral roots in Sicily. It was a cold day in February of 1956, when my family sailed from Palermo on our way to America aboard the S. S. Vulcania. It was the old Italian liner’s last voyage and the last time my parents would ever see Sicily and the many relatives they left behind.

My wife, daughter and I were welcomed at Palermo’s airport by my cousin Salvatore; whose only recollection we had of each other was playing together as five year olds. Although our lives had taken different paths, the strong family bonds and deep roots that held us together soon overcame the long absence and I found myself transported back to the world of my childhood.

Sicilian hospitality is legendary, as we soon discovered staying at my relatives. We were treated as guests of honor, well fed and accorded all due respect. My cousin insisted on paying for everything and was our chauffeur for the entire visit. This was at times frustrating, as one feels the need to reciprocate in some way for their kindness, but it would not be accepted. That is the Sicilian way; I would do the same if they came to America.

During our stay, I re-established family ties in San Cataldo, my Mom’s birthplace, as well as Comiso, my Dad’s hometown. We traveled around Sicily, visiting the many