Mother Sauce - American-Made Italian Cooking

"In America today, nonna's cooking is everyone's favorite food with spaghetti, lasagna, and pizza some of the most popular dishes. Yet this is a cuisine that is only a century old. When Italian families first arrived in the U.S. in the first part of the twentieth century, mammas brought with them the skills and ingredient know-how to fashion a whole new foodway in spite of living in poverty and their ostracization from their newly adopted country. These remarkable women gave birth to a cuisine that their fathers, husbands, and sons then monetized outside the home. Red sauce joints thrive around the U.S., but rarely are these women actually credited as the true founders of the Italian-American cuisine. In her latest book, home cook and author Lucinda Scala Quinn cooks 100 iconic Italian-American recipes. Along the way, she shares the origins of the recipes and gives credit to the incredible women who developed our cherished Italian dishes. Home cooks and food lovers alike will delight in this masterful collection of America's favorite comfort foods, from Baked Ziti and Sausage and Pepper Hoagies to Chicken Marsala and Cannolis. With gorgeous recipe shots, archival photos, ingredient sidebars, and cultural essays, Mother Sauce brings nonna's cooking to kitchens everywhere"--

List of contents

Preface: Aquilina’s Daughters
Introduction: A Foodway by Our Italian Immigrant Grandmothers, Mothers, and Daughters
Mamma Knew: Frugal Ways to Cook in Your Kitchen        
Provisions to Have on Hand  
 
Simmered on the Stovetop: Saucy Meats and Hearty Soups
Sunday Sauce
Essay: Sunday Dinner Menu
Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
            Breadcrumbs
Beef Braciola
Meat Sauce (Ragù)
Sausage Ragù
Tomato Sauce (Sugo)
Chicken Parm Meatballs       
Italian Wedding Soup
Cannellini Bean Soup
Green Minestrone      
 
Between-Meal Snacks: Breads, Pickles, and Tidbits
Tomato Pie
Prosciutto Bread
Essay: The Antipasti Platter
Mini Meatball Sandwiches    
Fresh Ricotta  
Roasted Sweet Red Peppers  
Sidebar: Garlic Herb Bread
Essay: Peppers
Marinated Stuffed Hot Red Cherry Peppers
Hot Red Cherry Peppers in Brine      
Caponata        
Giardiniera     
Marinated Mushrooms          
Italian Tuna Dip         
Mussels Oreganata    
Clams Casino 
Roasted Chestnuts     
 
Sauced and Tossed Pasta: Macaroni Dishes Finished in a Saucepan
Penne alla Vodka
Sidebar: Preserved Tomatoes
Utica Riggies 
Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage
Pasta alla Norma        
Pasta Ceci
Bucatini Puttanesca   
Spaghetti Amatriciana           
Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken      
Turkey Tetrazzini      
Spaghetti Carbonara  
Creamy Lemon Spaghetti      
Garlic-and-Oil Spaghetti       
Fried Spaghetti          
Basic Pasta Dough     
Sidebar: Using Fresh Pasta Dough
Cheese and Spinach Ravioli  
 
Layered and Baked: Savory Oven-Cooked One-Pan Meals
Lasagna with Mini Meatballs
Baked Ziti      
Eggplant Romana Carolina   
Eggplant Rollatini     
Essay: Eggplant
Chicken Parmesan     
Steak Pizzaiola          
Boneless Pork Roast  
Brother Jim’s Easter Lamb    
Savory Easter Pie      
Baked Artichoke Casserole   
Italian Oven Fries      
 
Cooked in a Skillet: Seared, Sauced, and Cooked in a Big Pan
Chicken Marsala        
Chicken Oreganata    
Sidebar: Chicken Broth
Chicken Francese      
Chicken Cacciatore   
Sidebar: An Easy Way to Butcher a Chicken
Chicken Vesuvio       
Chicken Scarpariello 
Turkey Piccata           
Veal Birdies               
Pork Chops with Vinegar Peppers

Feasting on Fish: Seafood Dishes for Everyday and for Celebrations
Seven Fishes Seafood Stew (Cioppino)        
Essay: Feast of Seven Fishes
Lobster Fra Diavolo   
Spaghetti with Clam Sauce   
Shrimp Scampi Meatballs with Pasta
Shrimp Francese        
            White Wine Lemon Sauce
Shrimp Rice Balls (Arancini)
Seafood-Stuffed Shells          
Poached Fish Fillets (Aqua Pazza)    
Haddock Italiano       
Tuna or Swordfish Kebabs with Salsa Verde
Stuffed Squid in Tomato Sauce
 
Garden and Greens: Side Dishes Made from Beloved Italian Produce
Sautéed Escarole
Sidebar: The Italian Garden  
Utica Greens  
Greens and Beans      
Garlicky Broccoli Rabe         
Lemony Pole Beans   
Jambot (Vegetable Stew)      
Stuffed Artichokes     
Braised Fennel           
Fennel and Orange Salad       
Tomato Salad 
Put-Up Tomatoes       
Italian Vinaigrette
 
Eats from the Streets: Sandwiches and Sweets Inspired by Festival Foods
Sausage and Pepper Hoagies 
Sidebar: Festivals
Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Hoagies 
Stromboli       
Steak Sandwich, aka Philly Cheesesteak      
Chicago Beef 
Muffuletta Sandwich 
Beef Rice Balls (Arancini)    
Lemon Ice      
Espresso Granita        
 
Sweets: Traditional Pastries, Cakes, and Cookies
Italian Sponge Cake  
Tiramisu         
Nonny’s Cannoli        
Half-Pound Cake       
Cassata Siciliana        
Orange Olive Oil Cake with Whipped Ricotta Frosting       
Lena Strozzi’s Chocolate Roll           
Ricotta Pie     
            Pasta Frolla
Sherbet-Stuffed Frozen Lemons
Essay: The Italian Cookie Tray         
Sweet Wine Taralli    
Tarralluci (Glazed Lemon Knots)     
Biscotti Barricelli      
Chocolate Toto Cookies        
Chickie’s Cherry Cookies     
Pistachio Drops          
Nana’s Pizzelles
 
Afterword
Further Reading         
Shopping Resources  
Acknowledgments     
Index  
 

About the author

Lucinda Scala Quinn is the author of eight cookbooks, including the best-selling Mad Hungry trilogy. Her mantra is, “cook for the ones you love, teach them to cook for themselves and they will pass it on.” Her passion for cooking took root growing up in an Italian American family, which inspired her to begin cooking professionally at age sixteen. As a late-blooming entrepreneur, she founded the Mad Hungry kitchenware brand which makes multi-use tools for the home cook. For over a decade she oversaw all food content for Martha Stewart Living OmniMedia. She was the host of the television show Mad Hungry: Bringing Back the Family Meal and cohost of Everyday Food on PBS. Her radio show EatDrink on Sirius FM was an innovative precursor to podcasts. She lives in New York City and can be followed @madhungry.

Summary

Home cook and author Lucinda Scala Quinn shares 100 iconic and beloved Italian-American recipes from the last 100 years.

Product details

• Authors: Lucinda Scala Quinn
• Publisher: Workman Publishing
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 11.03.2025
• EAN: 9781648292019
• ISBN: 978-1-64829-201-9
• No. of pages: 320
• Subjects: Guides > Food & drink > International cuisine; COOKING / Methods / General, COOKING / Comfort Food, Italy, General cookery & recipes, National & regional cuisine, United States of America, USA, Comfort food and food nostalgia, National and regional cuisine, General cookery and recipes, Nostalgia: general, COOKING / Regional & Cultural / Italian