Grande Spuntino Recipes

MEATBALLS: THE SPUNTINO WAY

Steps:

• 1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Put the fresh bread in a bowl, cover it with water, and let it soak for a minute or so. Pour off the water and wring out the bread, then crumble and tear it into tiny pieces.
• 2. Combine the bread with all the remaining ingredients except the tomato sauce in a medium mixing bowl, adding them in the order they are listed. Add the dried bread crumbs last to adjust for wetness: the mixture should be moist wet, not sloppy wet.
• 3. Shape the meat mixture into handball-sized meatballs and space them evenly on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The meatballs will be firm but still juicy and gently yielding when they're cooked through. (At this point, you can cool the meatballs and hold them in the refrigerator for as long as a couple of days or freeze them for the future.)
• 4. Meanwhile, heat the tomato sauce in a sauté pan large enough to accommodate the meatballs comfortably.
• 5. Dump the meatballs into the pan of sauce and nudge the heat up ever so slightly. Simmer the meatballs for half an hour or so (this isn't one of those cases where longer is better) so they can soak up some sauce. Keep them there until it's time to eat.
• 6. Serve the meatballs 3 to a person in a healthy helping of the red sauce, and hit everybody's portion-never the pan-with a fluffy mountain of grated cheese. Reserve the leftover tomato sauce (it will be super-extra-delicious) and use it anywhere tomato sauce is called for in this book.

FRANKIES SPUNTINO PORK BRACIOLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cutlets up on a clean work surface with the shorter sides on top and bottom (seam side up, if made from a butterflied cut). Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with minced garlic, parsley and cheeses. Roll a cutlet into a tight log. Stretch butcher's twine along the length of the roll; wrap string tightly around one end and continue wrapping to the other end, each turn an inch from the previous one; tie loose ends. Repeat with remaining braciola.
• Empty two cans of tomatoes into a mixing bowl. Use your fingers to break tomatoes apart, and discard firm cores and tops. Pour half the sauce into a deep-sided roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add oils. When oils are hot but not smoking add braciola and sear, rotating every minute or so, until browned all over. Reduce heat to medium, add whole garlic cloves and sauté 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer braciola to roasting pan, allowing garlic to continue cooking until golden. Add a cup of remaining sauce to skillet, and scrape browned bits from bottom; shut off heat, and pour over braciola. Add remaining sauce to braciola, completely covering braciola. (If there isn't enough sauce, use another can of tomatoes.) Cover tightly with foil, and bake until tender, from 1 to 3 hours. Check frequently for doneness.
• Snip twine off braciola. Arrange, whole or sliced, on a platter, drizzle with some sauce and transfer remaining sauce to a serving bowl. Serve hot or at room temperature. Garnish with Parmigiano-Reggiano.

GRANDE "APPASSIONATO RUSH"

Steps:

• First, pour the vanilla syrup into the bottom of a cup. Sprinkle a small amount of cinnamon on top of the syrup. Add both espresso shots and mix well. Add the steamed milk until cup is 3/4 full, holding back foam. Top off the drink with velvet foam from steamed milk. Garnish with cinnamon.

THE MOST AWESOME GRANDE NACHOS IN THE WORLD!

Steps:

• Brown the beef in large skillet and drain (in colander rinsing with hot water if possible to reduce fat intake).
• Return to skillet with water, beans, taco seasoning, onion and green chilies.
• Cook until everything is mixed well under medium-low heat stirring often until a low boil is achieved.
• Reduce heat cover and simmer 10 minutes stirring every couple minutes.
• The construction.
• On a large plate cover with tortilla chips and dollop generous portions of the meat mixture on chips.
• Now pour over WARMED cheese sauce.
• Top with the lettuce next, then what ever order you want of the other veggies except the JP's.
• Then add the JP's AS MUCH AS YOU CAN MUSTER YEA!
• A couple dollops of sour cream and you are ready for a very filling, spicy treat that you will not forget--EVER.
• You should also consider topping with some of my guacamole.
• You are welcome.

SHAVED RAW BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH CASTELROSSO

Steps:

• 1. Discard any dark or limp leaves from the Brussels sprouts and trim off their bottoms. Cut the sprouts in half through the core and then slice them crosswise, taking time to slice them as thin as possible. We call them "shaved" raw Brussels sprouts, which says how thin we like them, so make sure you use a sharp knife.
• 2. Transfer the Brussels sprouts to a mixing bowl. (You can shave the Brussels sprouts up to a couple of hours in advance and keep them covered in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve them.)
• 3. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and white pepper in a large, wide mixing bowl. Add the shredded Brussels sprouts to the bowl by the handful, tossing all the while. Once you've dressed the sprouts, portion them out into salad bowls, top each salad with 1/4 cup of the crumbled cheese, and serve. Offer black pepper from the grinder at the table.