“Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.” Peter Clemenza says this to Rocco who just killed Paulie in the 1972 movie The Godfather. A tubular pastry shell filled with a chilled ricotta, mascarpone cheese, or custard filling, the cannoli has been a popular Italian dessert originating in Polermo.
These beautiful cannoli are from Colanglo’s Bakery in Pittsburgh’s Strip District are filled and dipped in chocolate shavings. A typical plain cannoli is filled with ricotta and is dipped in crushed pistachios. Cannoli are now made with various flavors and toppings.
A twist on traditional cannoli, the sweet chilled cannoli filling can be used in other dessert favorites.
I found this cannoli cupcake at Little Italy Days in Bloomfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh.Look at the creamy delicious cannoli filling- Made by Patti’s Pastries in Aliquippa, PA.
2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. Vanilla extract
2 cups All Purpose flour (or substitute 1 cup oat flour and 1 cup All Purpose flour)
2 tbsp. Baking soda
1-1/2 tbsp. Cocoa powder
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
These gondolas are adorable and the perfect colors- red, white, and green!
Dreaming of a romantic gondola ride in Venice ? Need a healthy after school snack for the kiddos? Either way- these snacks are fun and healthy!
Having a pizza themed party? Wouldn’t these be a great veggie side?
Use this snack opportunity to explain the significance of a gondola to the kids! Here is a very brief description…
A gondola is a flat boat with a lifted stern that carries people along the canals in Venice, Italy. The person who rows is called a gondolier.
Photo Courtesy of http://www.ItalyTravel.com
For centuries gondolas were the primary means of transportation in Venice. Today, gondolas are used to give tourists rides along the canals. Lovers kiss under every bridge for good luck in love during the romantic rides.
Enjoy this fun snack!
Gondola Veggie Snack:
Ingredients:
1 avocado
1 red pepper
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
6 spinach leaves
Directions:
Wash and take the seeds out of the pepper.
Slice horizontally in half and then 4 more times to create 6 gondolas.
Cut and scoop out the green avocado. Mix the fresh avocado with a spoon until smooth and spread a layer on each gondola.
Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, salt and pepper.
Lean a spinach leaf against the gondola as the oar.
Sriracha is basically Thai “ketchup” and is named after a town called Si Racha!
I am totally shocked when people ask me, “What is Sriracha?” Sriracha is America’s #1 condiment! According to the Huy Fong Food Co., Sriracha is made of sun ripened chiles ground into a paste with garlic.
Photo via The Washigton Times 4/23/14. This photo depicts a Sriracha demonstration in CA as residents fought to shut down the Irwindale plant because the air was “too spicy.”
The fight was over by the end of May. The Sriracha plant, 1, the eyes and nasal passages of residents, 0.
I have created an amazing spicy, sweet sauce using a Sriracha, honey, brown sugar base. Since being featured by Emeril Lagassee on Good Morning America, fans have asked that I simplify the recipe for a quick sauce. I have been experimenting with the base ingredients and the result is an intense, flavorful 3 ingredient sauce!!
Here is the full recipe: Parmesan Princess on GMA
So far this amazing sauce has made the most mouthwatering pulled pork, pork chops, chicken, shrimp, and even grilled veggies!
Spicy Sweet -The Perfect Sauce!
Ingredients:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp. Honey
2 tbsp. Sriracha
Directions:
Dissolve brown sugar in water. Stir until smooth.
Mix in other ingredients.
Use sauce as Marinade.
Add additional sauce to browned pork, fish, chicken, etc. To create a saucy layer.
Spicy Sweet Sauce will not disappoint! Try it today!
These chops certainly have a kick! I am loving a hint of Sriracha with pork!
“It would be a dream come true if we were allowed downtown. [The Three Rivers Arts Festival] was our favorite event. People were lined up 30 minutes before we started!”- Saucy Mamas Italian Food Truck and Catering
Did you know Pittsburgh food trucks cannot legally serve food to the public downtown? With strict laws regarding parking locations, amount of time serving, and hours of operation, Pittsburgh food trucks are in a constant struggle to get in front of their customers. According to
www.pghmobilefood.com, some of the current laws are driven by distance from downtown restaurants. Would the customers buying a Bar-B-Cone or a chicken panini on the street be the same customers doing lunch in one of Pittsburgh’s finest?
Head over to Pgh Mobile Food’s website and read the information, fill out the petition to change the laws governing our fabulous food trucks.
Enjoy my next stop! The Pittsburgh Food Truck series continues with even more unique, awesome food served through a window on a truck!
Saucy Mamas Italian Food Truck and Catering!
Paninis, meatballs, and Italian sausage, all of the authentic homemade Italian favorites you wish for, cooked and served by the authentic, saucy mamas you expect!
From left- Kim (family friend helping out) Megan, Diane, and Brittany (not pictured) has a new little meatball at home and is taking some time off. Photo time following the lunch rush at an office building in Wexford!
Saucy Mamas Diane Forrester, Megan Coleman, and Brittany Newton opened their food truck for business in February with Steel City work ethic, a lot of sweat -a food truck in the summertime is hot!- love, and hope that people would enjoy their food.
What a cool truck! Saucy Mamas Italian Food Truck and Catering!
As I chatted with a few customers in the Saucy Mamas lunch line at a Wexford office building, they were expecting average Italian food and were blown away by the delicious, homemade menu items.
The chicken panini is the Saucy Mamas’ most popular item right now!
Flattered by the compliments and praise, Megan told me a great customer story, “One customer bought a tray [of the five cheese meaty lasagna] for his mother’s birthday and called the next day to say it was the best he and his family had ever had.” The saucy mamas are so humbled and grateful for the feedback…they better get used to it!
The meatballs, wow! Without giving up their secret meatball recipe, the saucy mamas did tell me their balls are baked and loaded with garlic and herbs. The secret to keeping them moist? Parmesan cheese. Topped with the Saucy Mamas’ marinara and fresh grated parm, Yum!
Saucy Mamas Meatballs!
The Saucy Mamas are just getting started. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next! Brace yourselves for their fall menu! Hearty soups and cheesy lasagna will be new for fall!
Being a saucy mama myself, I fit right in on this truck! Saucy Mamas who cook homemade Italian food is a sisterhood. I love these girls and can’t wait to see where they go from here!
Entertaining for the upcoming holiday season? How about a tray of Saucy Mamas meatballs? Or lasagna? Reasonably priced and Homemade- these meatballs are not coming out of a freezer!
My meatball totally approved! And she’s a picky princess ; )
Ciao!
Saucy Mamas Italian Food Truck and Catering
Saucymamaspgh@gmail.com
412-367-7777
Prosciutto Cotto, Mozzarella, Tomato and Oregano Frittata
A frittata is a flat Italian style omelette in which the ingredients are mixed into the eggs instead of being stuffed like a traditional omelette. The top layer is the creative, artistic finishing touch. I like to serve a gorgeous frittata by using vibrant colored vegetables. Like a traditional omelette, a frittata can be healthy, or not.
How to make a healthy frittata:
Use egg whites
Add healthy vegetables
Sprinkle in chia seeds
In this frittata, I wanted to use some beautiful prosciutto cotto. Prosciutto cotto is the highest quality Italian cooked ham with a smooth mild flavor. Perfectly paired with a gooey mozzarella or fontina on a panini, or in this case, baked into a frittata.
Prosciutto Cotto and Mozzarella Frittata
Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 tbsp. milk
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella or fontina cheese
4 slices prosciutto cotto, chopped
1 small tomato sliced
2 tbsp. Oregano
2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
Salt/Pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven 350 degrees.
In a small mixing bowl, beat eggs with a whisk.
Continue whisking while adding milk until egg turns pale yellow in color.
Or just use a fork to beat the eggs!
Add cheese and prosciutto cotto and stir.
Pour into a Pam coated 9″ round cake pan.
Top with sliced tomato, oregano, Parmesan, salt and pepper.
Although the mixture is uncooked, the toppings are the beautiful finish of a frittata. Like the red ripe tomatoes, greens pop also such as spinach and kale!
Bake 20-30 minutes or until the egg is cooked through and set.
A quaint, small restaurant nestled in a city block; long open doors allowing a soft breeze; exposed brick for character; white tablecloths for class; a fabulous wine list; Italian staples that never disappoint. This is how I would describe my trendy, hot, new Lawrenceville restaurant. They beat me to it! It’s called Matteo’s.
Located on Butler St. In Pittsburgh’s revitalized Lawrenceville. Photo courtesy of www.matteospgh.com
Open less than two years and already earning the titles 3rd best chef in the city by City Paper and “best restaurant” for Pittsburgh Restaurant Week, Matteo’s front man, Matt Cavanaugh, is showing no signs of slowing down.
Matteo, Matt Cavanaugh, in his kitchen.
After working for over 15 years in the restaurant business, Matt worked his way up the restaurant ladder from busboy to kitchen manager at legendary Pittsburgh steakhouse Red Bull Inn. Matt also gained experience at Dominica’s and Serafino’s. Matt explains, “I worked hard and learned everything about the restaurant business. I worked every position. I knew I wanted to open my own restaurant.”
A humble 34-year-old, Matt took the jump with the tools he learned and the ones that can’t be taught- a strong determination and a refreshing view of life.
While visiting Matteo’s, both times, I forgot I was in Pittsburgh. I was reminded of a small Italian restaurant I once visited in Soho, NY.
Matteo’s menu is authentic and traditional- and then totally not. Matt combines his steakhouse background by serving steak and seafood alongside an array of Italian favorites. If mussels served in a horseradish cream sauce wouldn’t be your first pick (Are you crazy?), Perhaps the greens and beans with sliced spicy sausage would be your pick.
MusselsGreens and Beans Sausage, banana peppers, caramelized onions, great northern beans and spinach
The wide range of absolutely irresistible menu items makes ordering impossible and returning imperative. My first visit was during Pittsburgh Restaurant Week, where area restaurants draw in new customers by offering a course menu at a discounted price. Matt says his restaurant is “three times busier” during restaurant week. Shhhh, don’t tell, but I actually had a reservation at another restaurant week restaurant the following night and cancelled so I could eat my Matteo’s porcini cappelletti leftovers. Yes, it is that good!
I was blessed to celebrate my birthday at Matteo’s last weekend with a large group of friends. I snuck back to the kitchen to learn some tip and tricks and to surprise you with a fabulous recipe!
You can tell by my apron I worked really hard in the kitchen!
Pans lined the stove with orders. Keeping up with the latest restaurant trends, Matt sears the black and blue ribeye creating a fabulous almost crusty edge with a melt-in-your-mouth center.
This group setting was the perfect opportunity to sample everyone’s food! Hey, I was the birthday girl! I got to taste the black and blue ribeye, the tuna steak with a Jack Daniels glaze, the veal diavola, the mushroom ravioli, and many more. I ordered my favorite, the porcini cappelletti.
Mushroom Ravioli, a seasonal menu item, was incredible!The steak was cooked perfectly- the outside crisp and inviting, the inside red and juicy.The Porcini Cappelletti… Wow!
Everything was cooked to perfection and everyone loved the food, the location, the vibe.
I’d say we all loved the food! The food portions at Matteo’s are substantial , but I’m guessing a doggie bag is a rarity!
Since the restaurant is closed on Sundays and Mondays, these are “the perfect days for private parties,” says Matt. Funny, you would think he wants a day off!
The desserts are beautiful, fresh, and delicious! Matt’s wife Andrea whips up a perfect tiramisu!
Tiramisu birthday cake! So sweet!
Here is the recipe for you from Matteo’s kitchen:
Surprise!!!! It is the amazing
Porcini Cappelletti Sauce! Can you believe it is this simple?
Porcini Cappelletti Sauce Matteo’s Pittsburgh
1/2 parts heavy cream /Marsala wine
Reduce to thicken
Salt and pepper
Throw in your favorite mushrooms sliced raw- shiitake, field, portobello
Serve over your favorite cooked pasta!
Enjoy!
Thank you Matt Cavanaugh and the Matteo’s staff for your hospitality!
Visit Matteo’s before it gets too cool to keep the doors open and sample the fall food and drink menus! Tell them I sent you!
Next time, I’m trying the linguini clams!
Ciao!
Matteo’s
3615 Butler Street
Lawrenceville, PA
412-586-7722
09/08/14 Dear Parmesan Princess:
I’m hoping you can help me out. I want to surprise my family and cook or bake something for our 1st Anniversary as a family October 4th…for our new blended family. Something for breakfast or possibly dinner. Recipe must be very simple.
Thank you, (He would like to remain anonymous, so we will call him, Pumpkin)
Dear Pumpkin,
This is awesome! Congrats to you!! Since October 4th is the first Saturday in October, how about something pumpkin for breakfast? Your house will smell amazing the whole rest of the day! I’m a super pumpkin freak, well until Thanksgiving, and then I’m totally over it- sick of it- done.
I’m thinking 2 ingredients should do the trick? And a muffin pan?
A mom actually contacted me recently about an easy pumpkin muffin recipe for her son’s football team and I have been playing around with different ideas, so good timing!
My “church ladies” taste-tested the same recipe, but with eggs and a larger can of pumpkin last week and they were delicious, but totally too sticky. I took out the eggs and they were great!
These muffins are super easy and perfect, Pumpkin. ; ) Enjoy!
Ciao,
Parmesan Princess
Super Easy Pumpkin Carrot Muffins Makes 16 muffins Ingredients: 1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist Carrot Cake
1 15 oz. Can Pumpkin Pie Mix (not just plain pumpkin filling) but the pie mix.
Pumpkin Pie Mix!
Yup, that’s it!
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a bowl, mix pumpkin into Super Moist carrot cake mix.
Or use mixer on lowest speed.
Spray muffin pan with Pam.
Fill each circle in the tin 3/4 full.
Muffins will bake and expand- careful not to overfill!
Bake 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Is Pittsburgh finally catching up to the food truck boom? There is something trendy, hipster, and totally sexy about getting great food from a mobile truck! The latest trend? Hiring food trucks for wedding receptions, after parties, and corporate events to supply the hottest gourmet grub.
I can remember only a few Indian and Middle Eastern trucks feeding students and faculty at Pitt library. They are still there with long standing permits and no air in their tires. Other trucks are mobile babies born from successful restaurants, to talented cooks looking to build a brand with little overhead. My first stop on the food truck roundup is the South Side BBQ truck!
You can’t miss this truck!
When I met up with South Side BBQ, it was lunch hour outside the Pittsburgh Public Market in the Strip.
Brothers Mike and Pat Joyce took their BBQ to a truck about 8 months ago. The two have extensive restaurant and food service backgrounds which has helped make them successful. Not to mention, they totally thought of everything!! Extremely knowledgeable and talented. Pat owns the 17th Street Cafe now turned South Side BBQ Company restaurant and Mike spent his career working with Big Burrito company!
With a Stump Smoker right on board and a large grill, these two did their homework.
Hot or Not Sauce to the menu item names, South Side BBQ is one cool truck!
Mike and Pat took a trip to Memphis in May for the biggest food truck convention in the country to learn tips and tricks from the best.
Pat says, “They’ll laugh you outta there if your ribs fall off the bone. Means they were cooked way too long!”
I must admit I never knew that?? and I cook mine too long. Oops!
As we were talking customers lined up, mostly first timers. Beautiful, juicy pulled pork and creamy mac ‘n cheese were in every order. In my opinion this would be the hardest part, to keep the food hot, juicy and not let it dry out. Mike said, “You learn your time and temps to keep everything perfect.”
Wings and ribs are made to order on the South Side BBQ truck.
The most popular item? The BarBCone. A fresh waffle cone filled with creamy mac’n cheese a big scoop of juicy pulled pork pork, a squirt of house-made BBQ sauce, and topped with a crunchy vinegar based coleslaw.
BarBCone!!
New for Fall is the goBBlerQ!
Mac’n cheese or stuffing, smoked turkey, and cranberry coleslaw!
I am definitely going back to try it! Gobble Gobble!
Pat (left) and Mike are the real deal when it comes to BBQ! Stop in, say Howdy, grab a BarBCone, and tell them I sent you!
Find out where the South Side BBQ truck will be and when! Pittsburgh Food Trucks
@PghTrux
Follow South Side BBQ on twitter and Facebook!
Stuffed cabbage rolls, Halupki or Pigs in the Blanket – for many Western Pennsylvanians- remind us of church festivals, fairs, neighbors from our childhood, and grandparents. I’m not going to lie, the little old Polish ladies make them the best! Halupki can easily be made as a soup, a casserole, or the traditional stuffed cabbage rolls! How much time do you have? With the same ingredients, you can make stuffed cabbage three ways! The only variable is the additon of whole tomatoes. Leave them out for the rolls!
Enjoy!
The cabbage rolls are the most work because of the cabbage leaf boiling step.
Stuffed Cabbage Ingredients:
1 head cabbage
1lb. lean ground beef and/or ground pork mix
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 28oz. can tomato sauce (keep 1 cup for a sauce for the casserole and the rolls)
1 35oz. can whole tomatoes (except for the rolls)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup sauerkraut and extra 1/2 cup shredded cabbage (kept aside for casserole)
Salt/pepper
Directions: For Soup:
Shred or chop with a knife. I draw blood every time I use my box grater.
Shred cabbage and throw all ingredients in the crockpot!
Cook 8 hours on high!
The Stuffed Cabbage Soup is amazing and takes no time to prep! Let it cook all day! No babysitting required!
For casserole:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook rice according to the package.
Brown beef and/or pork in a pan with the onions.
Mix sauerkraut, and cabbage together in a bowl.
Mix tomato sauce and tomatoes in a bowl.
In a 9×13 pan-“lasagna style” -layer ingredients, starting with tomato sauce.
Cover sauce with shreded cabbage mixture, a layer of meat and top with tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Repeat layers until pan is 3/4 full. End with 1/2 cup cabbage on top.(2-3 times)
Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
Serve with a spoon or a fork! The casserole can go either way! Don’t add too much tomato sauce. Remember, you can and should serve the stuffed cabbage casserole with sauce on the side!
For cabbage rolls:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Boil 12-15 cabbage leaves until wilted and softened.
When cool, cut leafy sides from hard stem .
Cook rice according to the package.
Brown beef and/or pork in a pan with the onions.
Mix sauerkraut, and cabbage together in a bowl.
Line a 9X13 baking dish with tomto sauce, 1/2 cup shredded cabbage and 1/2 cup sauerkraut.
Set up an assembly line and spoon rice meat mixtures on leaf.
Salt and pepper.
Roll away from you, fold over the right side, then the left, creating an envelope roll.
Line them in the pan and top with tomato mixture.
Salt and pepper again.
Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes-1 hour or until sauce is bubbling and rolls are cooked through.
I always serve stuffed cabbage dinners with fresh grated Parmesan and a beautiful loaf of ciabatta. I don’t think that’s Polish ; )
Antonio Branduzzi must be proud to have the Colangelo family celebrate his legacy by continuing the traditions and recipes of Il Piccolo Forno. As a testament to the late baker’s impeccable reputation with colleagues, customers and friends, it was no surprise when Braduzzi’s close friends Nicholas and Denese Colangelo decided to carry on the baker’s legacy.
This framed photo and tribute hangs on the wall of Colangelo’s Bakery. Antonio Branduzzi (1949-2007)
Located adjacent to La Prima Espresso Company and sharing a common walkway, Colangelo’s Bakery is a natural spot to grab a pastry or a slice. I found Colangelo’s Bakery with my kids, ages 5 and 3. They are the perfect height to spot the square pizza with the tiny pepperoni in the case. We all fell in love with this pizza.
“Mommy, Can we go to Cowangewo’s??” Would you say no to that face? This was Bella’s 3rd birthday and her birthday lunch request!
After meeting Denese Colangelo and her son Nicholas, I knew I had to make my kids’ favorite pizza and spend some time here- yeah, I already somehow felt like part of the family.
Customers are family in the quaint bakery on 21st street in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. I was introduced to many people and saw so many faces light up while ordering their “usuals.”
Located on 21st between Penn Ave. and Liberty Ave.
The vibe?
Sit outside at the tables, hover at the pub tables inside, or take it to go!
It was a busy Saturday morning and the fresh pastries lined the sill between the case and the kitchen. My eyes were bugging out of my head when Nicholas Colangelo greeted me and mentioned the pizza we would be making. As I was surrounded by frittata, mele, ricotta pie, Danish, cinnamon sticks…I thought “What?”
View from the kitchen – Colangelo’s Bakery
Oh yes! I nearly forgot about the square pizza with the tiny pepperoni.
Nicholas mixed the dough in his super mixer, flattened it in the sheeter, shaped it in the rectangular pan, passed over it with the docker, proofed it…
Nicholas is so passionate and motivated. A skilled baker, working many nights with his father, Nicholas is learning the biz by having side jobs at other restaurants and pizzerias. His dream? To share his love of fishing with children by co-founding the area’s first fishing school with fellow fisherman Luke Wholey. While running the family’s successful bakery/restaurant, of course.
The pizza is then topped with the finest, freshest, local ingredients and baked. Ezzo pepperoni, an old fashioned made pepperoni from Columbus, OH, to Grande mozzarella, Colangelo’s Bakery does not cut any corners.
Nicholas Colangelo and the famous square pizza with the tiny pepperoni!
A secret garlic olive oil sauce here, a sprinkle of a secret herb blend dashed there, I knew I would never be able to replicate this one! Oh well, we know where to get it!
Nicholas says the significance of the secret toppings lie in the Colangelo’s philosophy, “Add flavor after the best ingredients are used. That is what makes our food so classic and naturally delicious.”
As lunch time approached, I was surprised to see the menu items being ordered. Salads, focaccia, Beans and greens? One of my favorites!
Since it was brunch-ish, Nicholas topped my beans and greens with an egg. Yummy!
While taste testing…
Denese told me the story of Antonio Branduzzi and his Mele, one of the many original recipes the bakery serves in the great baker’s honor. Once the health department questioned the refrigeration of his egg custard Mele, Branduzzi told them, it would be ruined. He made many other delicious Mele fillings after this. They sell so fast it makes no difference. One night in the refrigerator is ok, says Denese.
So since that Saturday morning, I have visited Colangelo’s Bakery and had the beans and greens with sausage, the cannoli, the avocado salad, the ricotta pie and much more. The place that was once only the square pizza with the tiny pepperoni is now Colangelo’s Bakery. Everything is Delicious. Perfect. Amazing.
Denese makes the house salad dressing. A tomato vinaigrette! Delicious and refreshing! The bread??? Warm, fresh…amazing!
Margherita Pizza
(Inspired by Nicholas at Colangelo’s Bakery)
One of the most basic and most delicious pizzas.
To make traditional Margherita pizza,
Cover dough’s surface in your favorite sauce, or chunky tomatoes drained,leaving a 1/2 inch border.
Add sliced buffalo mozzarella.
Drizzle olive oil.
Salt and pepper.
Bake at 400 degrees until cheese is melted and bottom is golden brown.
Remove from oven and top with fresh basil.
Enjoy!
Traditional Margherita Pizza prepped!I learned so much! And had a blast! Thank you! XOXO
Thank you Colangelo’s for having me, allowing me to cook with you, and becoming part of your “family.” It is an honor to know and to be able to share Antonio Branduzzi’s legacy with others.
