A Taste of Brooklyn: When Only the Best Will Do

By Frank A. Saulle

Enjoy delicious meals that bring family and friends together around the table.

A Taste of Brooklyn Cookbook is a first-class Italian American cookbook with gorgeous full-color photos and easy mouthwatering recipes.

A Taste of Brooklyn Cookbook offers

120 easy Italian American family favorites and restaurant classic recipes.

True stories and cherished memories.

Delicious lite and healthy meals.

Recipes for weeknight, holidays, and romantic dinners that are perfect for any occasion.

I believe my cookbook will become a family favorite for you. All the recipes in this cookbook are a wide variety of dishes that are simply delicious.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781662453588

Book preview

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When Only the Best Will Do

A

Taste of Brooklyn

120 Italian American Recipes

Family Favorites and Restaurant Classics

Frank A. Saulle

Copyright © 2021 Frank A. Saulle

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2021

ISBN 978-1-6624-5357-1 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-6624-5358-8 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

To my family, friends, those who stood by me through the thick and thin, and most of all, my daughter, Mia Bella Saulle, thank you for giving me the strength, motivation, and courage to write this book. There are many more people I could thank, but time, space, and modesty compel me to stop here.

My daughter, Mia Bella Saulle

Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Beef

Poultry

This and That

Fish and Seafood

Lamb

Pasta

Soup

Veal

Pork

Vegetables

Acknowledgments

Glossary

Herbs, Spices, and Culinary Uses

Recipe Substitutions—Replacements

Measurement Equivalents

Index

Foreword

Giving, sharing, and touching others’ lives with stories and recipes from one’s childhood and culinary experience is something I am all too familiar with. Since I was raised in an Italian household, many of the Italian recipes listed in the cookbook are familiar to me.

And while different Italian families have their own version of recipes and stories, we all share the same core values. This cookbook captures the memories and shows that it is more than just a collection of recipes. It’s real stories from a life that is filled with personal journeys that he holds dear to his heart.

We’ve all had that experience where you sit down at the table and taste food that instantly brings back memories of our childhood. There is good reason that Nonna’s recipes bring us back to a point in time where memories are embraced.

Rossella Rago

Introduction

Welcome to my kitchen where recipes are created, then put together to be shared and enjoyed around the table. There is nothing I love more than a good home-cooked meal. Because, really, most of my favorite memories in life tend to take place in the kitchen and around the table and all the better with some seriously tasty food to bring us all together. I am a foodie and a self-taught cook who loves to prepare food for my family and friends. Passing food and telling stories around the table is the secret to what brings my family and friends together, turning my busy house into a home.

On the following pages, you will find a collection of easy, delicious, and casual dinners and intimate suppers along with something for the holidays as well. The recipes in this book are the earthy flavors of traditional Italian American dishes and are all created using the basic methods of cooking. The recipes I love to write are ones that I grow up eating as a child, and in this book, I’ve combined family favorites and restaurant classics that my family and I have loved over the years.

Each recipe comes with a little story about my childhood and culinary adventures along with recipe descriptions and some full-color photos. All the recipes I have chosen for this book are a true reflection of the recipes of my childhood and culinary adventures. The recipes in this book have been in my family for many years.

Cooking is an intimate and personal experience for me. I never knew how much work and time went into creating a cookbook until I was deep in the process. I am a home cook with a passion for culinary arts. My interest in cooking began in the early months of 1986. I was only sixteen at the time, summer break was coming, and I was going to be free for the whole summer. With no money in my pocket and the whole summer with nothing to do, I decided to take an after-school job working in Pastosa Ravioli for the summer. Pastosa Ravioli was the neighborhood spot for all your fresh premade Italian pasta, sauces, and other Italian specialties. There, I learned how to make fresh authentic ravioli and all different types of fresh pasta along with a wide range of Italian sauces. After working at Pastosa for the entire summer and with summer break coming to an end, I was out of work and preparing to return to school. It wasn’t until weeks later after returning back to school that I realized I had a true passion for culinary arts. It was then that I knew I had to follow my dreams and continue my passion for culinary arts and that the recipes we used in the store were not so different from my mother’s and grandmothers’. So from there, my cooking journey began.

The inspiration for the recipes in this book comes mainly from my childhood and the food I have experienced in restaurants. When I was a child and throughout my entire adulthood, I have always been surrounded by the flavors of Italian American food. I remember growing up in the Bensonhurst Neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, in the late 1980s, and on warm Sunday afternoons, every Italian mother and grandmother would have their Sunday gravy on. I mean the whole neighborhood made me feel like I was in the heart of Italy. This is why I decided Italian American recipes were going to be the ingredients for my book. When dining out, I am a huge food critic, and I always analyze the food and then write down the results of the meal so I can duplicate each one. Recipes like penne alla vodka from L&B pizzeria and veal marsala from Tommaso restaurant. Recipes that remind me of home are the ones that bring back memories of my childhood and working in Pastosa—recipes that are all easy and exciting to prepare.

I understand these days, everyone has a busy lifestyle. Fresh and delicious meals can still be created with a minimum of time and fuss, and most of the recipes in this book only take about thirty minutes to prepare. I truly believe that delicious healthy food need not be complicated nor take hours in the kitchen. Make sure to always have the basic easy-to-find ingredients available: salt, black pepper, a good olive oil, some pasta, and tomato sauce. If you can only make it to the supermarket once a week, choose a range of ingredients and include some foods that will last for a whole week such as grains, onions, lemons, and garlic. These all last a long time, and add a few bags of frozen berries and greens to spike up your dishes later in the week. Use the lettuce and leafy greens earlier and save the roots for later. This will give you time before spoilage. You should plan your recipes one or two days prior to cooking. Prep all the ingredients before cooking, mise en place, then put the recipe together. It’s that simple! Most of the prep can be done hours or even the day before. You see, delicious doesn’t mean hours of cooking.

When cooking, you get to choose what you make and what goes into the dish. You also get to choose the quality of the ingredients. So it’s easy to make things that are the most delicious to you. Whether you’re with friends or family or just cooking alone, there is always a certain joy in cooking. The satisfaction of having something that you just made with your own two hands and then the complements that follow are unbeatable. Always remember cooking should be fun and easy, so if something goes wrong, relax and try again if you don’t get it right the first time around. To avoid things like this, you should never try new recipes for the first time, especially when you have guests coming over. Make sure the recipe works for you ahead of time by adding a few more or a little less herbs and spices if required.

To make things easy, do yourself a favor and get some nice cooking tools. You can’t cook without tools! You don’t need a lot of stuff. Invest in a nice wooden chopping board and a good chef’s knife. Get one nice stainless steel pot, a heavy sauté pan, a cast-iron skillet, a few wooden spoons, some tongs, oh, and one oven-safe baking dish. And don’t forget a baking mitt to keep your hands safe from things that get hot.

I hope this book inspires you to enjoy your time in the kitchen. I hope the recipes in this book provides you with lots of inspiration for cooking at home and that you will be reaching for it again and again. While sitting at the table, sharing stories with your family and friends, turning your busy house into a home, I hope you enjoy the recipes I have chosen for this book for years to come.

Thank you so much for purchasing my cookbook. I am so excited to share my delicious recipes with you, and hopefully, this book has you convinced you need this book in your kitchen because your purchase now makes you part of the family. From my kitchen to yours, I now give to you the stories and recipes my family and I have cherished and loved throughout the years. So let’s get cooking!

Beef

Beef Braciola

Classic London Broil

Grilled Steak

Lemon Flanks on a Stick

Meatballs

Meat Loaf

Steak Pizzaiola

Beef Braciola

These braciolas have been in my family for many years. As a child making them alongside my mother, I hold them very dear to my heart. She always made me and my sisters help out, and the best part of making them was the fact that she always had me hold down the string with one finger so it wouldn’t come loose as she tied up each braciola. I don’t know which part was best: helping my mother make them or eating them. These absolutely delicious tender braciolas are made using thinly sliced flank steak stuffed with bread crumbs, garlic, cheese, and herbs, then rolled up, submerged, and braised in a slow-cooked tomato sauce until perfectly tender.

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless top round—sliced 1/4 inch thick and pounded

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

4 lg. cloves garlic—chopped

1/4 c. fresh Italian parsley—chopped

1/4 c. fresh basil—chopped

1/4 c. Italian bread crumbs

1/4 c. Parmesan cheese—freshly shredded

butcher’s twine

2 tbsp. olive oil

Directions

Lay the meat flat on the work surface, and season with salt and pepper. Evenly spread the garlic, parsley, basil, bread crumbs, and cheese over each piece of meat. Tightly roll up each steak like a jelly roll to enclose the filling completely. Using butcher’s twine, tie the braciola to secure.

In a braising pan over medium-high heat, add the oil, and when hot, add the braciola, and sear until well browned on all sides for about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the braciola with the liquid from the pan to a tomato sauce, and braise until the meat is tender for about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours, depending on the thickness of the meat.

Classic London Broil

I strongly believe that this is one of those recipes everyone needs in their kitchen. I’m always looking for different ways to incorporate beef into the weekly rotation, but this classic London broil is one of those recipes I find myself returning to time after time, and it’s definitely worth a try. It’s been in my family for years and is the only recipe we use. It’s easy to make and packed with flavor. London broil is marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, wine, Worcestershire sauce, along with fresh garlic and herbs, then cooked in the broiler.

Ingredients

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1/4 c. red wine—cabernet sauvignon

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 lg. cloves garlic—smashed

1 tsp. fresh rosemary—chopped

1 tsp. fresh sage—chopped

1 tsp. sugar

2 lbs. London broil—1 inch thick

3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp. butter—room temperature

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, wine, oil, garlic, rosemary, sage, and sugar. With a fork, poke holes all over the meat on both sides. Pour the marinade over the meat, and refrigerate for up to 12 hours, turning after about 6 hours.

Bring the meat to room temperature. Preheat the broiler. Remove the London broil from the marinade and pat dry. Brush the meat with Worcestershire, and season with salt and black pepper. Evenly spread the butter on both sides.

Place in the broiler 4 inches from the heat, and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 125° Fahrenheit for about 5 to 7 minutes per side. Remove from broiler and set aside to rest for 5 minutes. Thinly carve the London broil cross grain. Plate and serve.

Grilled Steak

My mom would always serve grilled steak at least once a month and always on a Saturday, the day after Lent. She would always serve it with a leafy vegetable and either a baked potato or french fries. Perfectly grilled porterhouse steaks are grilled to perfection on a cast-iron grill pan.

Ingredients

2 (1 inch thick) porterhouse steaks—room temperature

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tbsp. butter

Directions

Wash the steak under cold running water, then pat dry with paper towel. Season the steak with salt and black pepper.

Heat a cast-iron grill pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and butter, and when smoking, cook the steak until well browned on both sides for about 4 to 6 minutes per side.

Remove the steaks from the pan. Plate and serve.

Lemon Flanks on a Stick

(Tagliata di Manzo)

When the weather is beautiful outside and the family is looking for something grilled, these easy mouthwatering flanks on a stick are one of my favorite things to prepare. They’re an easy and satisfying summer meal the whole family enjoys and is an excellent way to entertain guests. Sirloin tip flank steaks are marinated overnight with rosemary, thyme, lemon, and garlic, then placed on the grill and cooked to perfection.

Ingredients

1 lb. flank steak

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

2 fresh lemons—zested and juiced

6 lg. cloves garlic—minced

1 1/2 tbsp. fresh rosemary—chopped

1 tbsp. fresh thyme—chopped

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

wooden skewers—soaked in water

Directions

Thinly slice the steak lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces, then cut the pieces into 2-inch-wide strips.

In a bowl, combine the oil, lemon zest, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, and black pepper, and mix well. Add the steak into the marinade and turn to coat well. Cover, place in the refrigerator, and marinate for at least 6 to 8 hours.

Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium heat. In the meantime, using the wooden skewers, push the skewer through each piece of steak, making sure the steak remains flat. Discard the marinade. Place the skewers on the grill over medium heat, and grill until just cooked through for about 3 to 5 minutes per side.

Remove the