Gina’s Meatballs & Chianti Classico Riserva is a Chef’s Kiss.

My tomato sauce and meatballs rarely have the same flavors, and that is because I like to experiment in Gina’s Kitchen.

This recipe did not disappoint:

3 beef short ribs 🥩
Salt & black pepper to taste

For the meatballs: ☄️
1.75 lb ground sirloin
2 eggs
1 piece of crusty bread, about 4-5 inches, soaked in milk, then squeezed
2 tbs. flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped 🌿
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbs. grated onion
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated
3/4 – 1 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Oregano
Olive oil for frying

For the sauce: 🍅🥫
Olive oil for frying
1 small onion, chopped
1 (26.46 oz) container, passata tomatoe purée Pomiusa
1 (24 oz) plain tomato sauce
1/4 – 1/2 cup water
Salt to taste

Season short ribs with salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, eggs, bread, parsley, garlic, onions, cheese, salt, pepper, oregano. Use a regular size ice cream scoop with a spring to form the meatballs. It will yield about 18 meatballs.

On medium-high heat, heat some olive oil, sear the short ribs on both sides for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove. Set aside.

Add more oil, sear the meatballs for 2-3 minutes on each side. Do not attempt to turn until the bottom has a crust.

Remove and set aside.

In the same pan, on medium-heat, sauté onions, return the ribs ONLY. Add tomatoes, water, salt & pepper. Simmer on low flame for at least an hour, while stirring constantly. Gently add the meatballs, simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Check for seasoning. The sauce will have deep colors with a rustic touch.

Serve with a salad or with pasta.

Wine pairing: Chianti Classico Riserva made predominantly with the Sangiovese grape🇮🇹

Hope you will try my recipe.

Happy Cooking from my kitchen to yours!

Gina Martino Zarcadoolas

Cookbook Author: Cuisines, Corkscrews &

Cultures | Food & Wine Blogger

Winner of Italian Wine “USA Blogger’s

Award” | WSET & Level 2 Certified Sommelier | Italian Wine Scholar 

Spaghetti O’s Replica

This replica of Spaghetti O’s was inspired by Dena from Miciamammas that evokes memories of her childhood. Thank you Dena for sharing your recipe with us.

In Dena’s words:

“Growing up I used to always see SpaghettiO’s commercials. I used to beg my mom to get them for me but she never would. So, in college I had to try them myself and they were gross. That’s why I had to come up with my own recipe, because the processed store bought one was nice in theory but tasted horrible. And let me tell you, you guys are going to love this.
This recipe is easy. The meatballs cook up in minutes. Your kids will love it and It is great left over. Please checkout her Instagram profile for more details.

SpaghettiO’s with Mini Meatballs (Serves 6)
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
½ Ib. Ground Pork
¼ Ib. Ground Beef
¼ Cup Plain Bread Crumbs
¼ Cup, Plus 2 Tbsp. Pecorino Romano
1 Egg, Beaten
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
¾ tsp. Garlic Powder
3 tbsp. Chopped Fresh Parsley
3 tbsp. Olive Oil

Sauce
4 Garlic Cloves – Sliced Thinly
1 (28 oz.) can of Whole Tomatoes – Pureed
2 tbsp. Tomato Paste
1 tsp. Salt
3/4 tsp. Pepper
10 Fresh Basil Leaves- Chopped
1 Cup Pecorino Romano
1 Ib. Pasta – I use Anellini (little rings)”

Have you had this pasta shape known as “anellini” in Italian. 🇮🇹

For the complete recipe, please check out Dena’s website: https://miciamammas.com

Happy Cooking from my kitchen to yours!

Gina Martino Zarcadoolas

Cookbook Author: Cuisines, Corkscrews &

Cultures

Food & Wine Blogger

Winner of Italian Wine “USA Blogger’s

Award”

WSET & Level 2 Certified Sommelier

Italian Wine Scholar 🇮🇹

Farfalle with Broccoli & Fragrant Garlic

Farfalle with Broccoli & Fragrant Garlic

Proof that some simple ingredients can flirt with my taste buds. 😌

Farfalle with broccoli and fragrant garlic, lightly sautéed and finished to perfection. Weeknight comfort done right.

🇮🇹This is a typical southern Italian dish. Some pasta shapes like orecchiette and cavatelli are often used.

You will need:

Ingredients:
1 head of broccoli, cut up in florets
1 lb. Farfalle (butterflies aka bow ties in US) medium-sized
1 handful of salt for pasta water
1 head of garlic, sliced razor-thin 🪒
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2-3/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
1/4 cup reserved pasta water

Preparation:

1️⃣Bring pasta water to a boil. Add salt. Add the pasta. Cook for 6 minutes. (use the timer) drop the broccoli in the same water. Cook for an additional 6 minutes.

2️⃣In the meantime, in a large frying pan, heat up the olive oil on medium-low, drop the garlic. Remove from the burner. It will continue to cook.

3️⃣Drain the pasta. Add it to the garlic. Add the cheese and pasta water. Mix well. Serve at once.

Wine pairing suggestion: Sauvignon Blanc from Alto Adige. This grape has become one of the region’s leading varities, and displays notes of passion fruit, elderberries, and black currants. The wines tend to be crispy with a fresh mouthfeel and great intensity.

Would you eat this as a side dish?

Farfalle with Broccoli & Fragrant Garlic

Happy Cooking from my kitchen to yours!

Gina Martino Zarcadoolas

Cookbook Author: Cuisines, Corkscrews & Cultures

Food & Wine Blogger

Winner of Italian Wine “USA Blogger’s Award”

WSET & Level 2 Certified Sommelier

Italian Wine Scholar 🇮🇹

Potato Dauphinoise

My Luxurious Potato Dauphinoise 🥔(or gratin dauphinois) is the perfect accompaniment to the @georgestonecrab jumbo stone crabs🦀, and pairs harmoniously with the champagne. 🥂

You will need:

🟧2 1/2 pound Gold potatoes
about six medium-sized, divided, thinly sliced

🟧1-2 tsps. salt or to taste

🟧1 small onion, chopped

🟧1 1/2 cup heavy cream

🟧Freshly ground black pepper to taste

🟧1/2 lbs Gruyère cheese, grated

🟧1/2 stick of salted butter, cut up in pieces, divided

🟧1 cup whole milk

🟧Nutmeg, grated to taste. A must!

🟧Chives, for garnish optional

You will be doing 2 layers.

1️⃣Preheat the oven to 375-degree Fahrenheit.

2️⃣Season the potatoes with salt. Mix well. Layer the bottom of a large Pyrex dish with the potatoes. It’s OK if they overlap a little. Add onions, heavy cream, black pepper, Gruyère cheese, milk, and nutmeg. Do a second layer, and repeat the same process. Finish with some butter.

3️⃣Bake for 45 minutes until it’s bubbling with a golden brown color. I served mine with stone crabs from George Stonecrab, and champagne. It was was the perfect prelude to Valentine. 💞🦀🥂🥔

✍️Gina’s notes: Let the potatoes set for about 15 minutes before serving. Alternatively, you can use a mandolin to slice the potatoes.

if you’re anywhere in the US, indulge in the most delicious stone crabs. Please let me know if you’re going to try my Dauphinoise recipe?

Happy Cooking & Happy Valentine’s Week!

Potato Dauphinoise
George Stone Crab based in Miami delivers nationwide

Gina Martino Zarcadoolas

• Cookbook author: Cuisines, Corkscrews & Cultures

• Italian Wine Scholar

• Winner of USA Blogger Italian Wine Awards

WSET Level 2 Certified – Sommelier Level 2 Certified.

Social Media Personality

Creamy Corn Casserole

My “Viral” Creamy Corn Casserole was so rich and creamy, I ate it for lunch and was too satiated to eat dinner.

To make it, you will need:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1.5 cup 2% milk*
  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 (15.25-ounce) can whole kernel sweet corn drained
  • 1(14.75-ounce) can cream-style sweet corn
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Grated nutmeg to taste, optional

Method:

1️⃣ Heat oven to 350°F.
2️⃣In a large sauce pan, over medium heat, slowly swirl the butter until it’s melted.
3️⃣Whisk the flour into the melted butter until well incorporated. Next whisk in the sugar, eggs, milk and cream cheese. Mix well.
4️⃣Stir the creamed and kernel corn into the butter mixture. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix well. Turn the stove off.
5️⃣Pour into a 8×8 glass casserole baking dish.
6️⃣Bake in the center of the rack, uncovered for at least 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown. It should come out creamy and delicious. It made the perfect side dish to my prime rib roast paired with a 2019 Brunello di Montalcino. There was also champagne.

It was a day of indulgence, since we were celebrating both the New Year 🥂🎊 and our son Matthew’s birthday 🍷🎂.

Now I’m eating like a bird. 🦅😂

  • You can use whole milk, but I didn’t have any on hand. That’s why I used cream cheese to make up for the fat content.

Are you going to try my recipe? 🌽

Creamy Corn Casserole
Looks golden brown and delicious!

Happy New Year 🎊

Gina Martino Zarcadoolas
Food & Wine Blogger, Sommelier Level 2
and WSET Level 2 certified.
Cookbook Author: Cuisines, Corkscrews & Cultures
Italian Wine Scholar
Salice Salentino Italian Award-Winning Wine Blog. Website: www.foodiewinelover.com
Email: gina@foodiewinelover.com

Clams Oreganata

My Clams Oreganata will have you dancing the Tarantella.

If you’re looking for a fancy appetizer to impress your guests, you must try my Clams Oreganata. They would be perfect for the Feast of the Seven Fishes 🇮🇹 or any other occasions.

My hubby usually helps me prepare the clams so he can snatch them straight from the oven as soon as they’re ready😄

Serves: 4

Level of difficulty: Easy to intermediate

Ingredients:

25 little neck clams, scrubbed
½ cup or so of seasoned breadcrumbs,
Italian-style
½ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
¾ teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to drizzle
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, juiced

Continue reading →

Pasta & Fagioli Dish

This recipe is a cross between a soup and a stew; it’s heartwarming and packed with nutrients. I consider it my Italian therapy. 🇮🇹

Pasta e Fagioli

You will need:

1/2 lb. Ditalini pasta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 carrots, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove diced, optional
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 can of Pinto beans, rinsed
1 (24 oz) jar of marinara or passata (puréed tomatoes)
2 bay leaves
1/4-1/2 cup water as needed
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

Method:

In a medium-sized pot, heat olive oil on medium high-heat. Pan fry the (soffritto) carrots, celery, onions and garlic. Season with salt & pepper. Add beans and tomato sauce. Use the immersion blender to thicken the sauce for 5-12 seconds. Add pasta and water. Simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked al dente. Be sure to stir occasionally. Add more water if necessary. Serve with the cheese.

Please remember to remove the bay leaves. I used mine as a garnish.

PS. If you don’t have an immersion blender, use the back of a wooden spoon to smash the beans.

Borlotti or cannellini beans can be used as well.

Are you going to try this hearty dish?

Buon Appetito!

I hope you will try this recipe.

Happy Holiday Season to all!

Gina Martino Zarcadoolas, aka Foodiewinelover
Culinary Personality, Food & Wine Blogger
Author of the cookbook: Cuisines, Corkscrews & Cultures
Level-2 Certified world-renowned – “WSET: Wine, Spirit, Education, Trust”
Level-2 Certified Sommelier and Italian Wine Scholar Scholar 🇮🇹
Winner of 2019 Italian Wines “Salice Salentino USA Bloggers” Award, held in Puglia, Italy
Brand Strategist

Chicken Meatballs Parm

This chicken dish is a crowd pleaser. I serve it with a side of pasta and veggies. For a low calorie version, serve the meatballs with a hearty salad.

Pan frying the meatballs
Cooked meatballs with melted mozzarella

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs. ground chicken 

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped, optional 

1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated cheese

1 tbs. flat-leaf parsley + more for garnish. 

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 egg

3/4 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

2-3 ounces fried pancetta, drained

1/4 cup milk 

Olive oil for frying  the meatballs 

2 (24 oz) plain tomato sauce, in a jar 

16 ounces shredded mozzarella 

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped + more for garnish. 

Preparation: 

Combine chicken, garlic, cheese, parsley, breadcrumbs, egg, salt & pepper, pancetta, and milk. Form the meatballs using an ice cream scoop. It will yield about 13 meatballs. 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. 

In the meantime, over medium heat, fry the meatballs in a 12-inch cast iron pan. Turning halfway until you get a crust/sear on each side. About 5-8 minutes in total.

Add tomato sauce. Sprinkle the cheese. Turn the stove off. Bake in the oven to finish cooking the chicken and melt the mozzarella cheese, about 13-15 minutes.  

Serve in the pan. Garnish with parsley or basil, optional. 

Wine pairing suggestions: Pinot Nero, Bardolino Superiore or Valpolicella Ripasso.

Hope you will tris delicious recipe.

Bow Ties and Broccoli

Marry me bow ties. You will get stomach butterflies. 🦋🦋🦋 

While farfalle means butterfly in Italian, it is commonly refer to as bow tie in the US . This broccoli pasta dish is delicious and easy to prepare. Boil the broccoli in the pasta water to save time and cleaning.

Ingredients:

1 head of broccoli, cut up in florets

1 lb. Farfalle (bow ties) medium-sized

1 handful of salt for pasta water 

1 head of garlic, sliced razor-thin 🪒

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 

 1/2-3/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated 

1/4 cup reserved pasta water 

 Preparation: 

Bring pasta water to a boil. Add salt. Add the pasta. Cook for 6 minutes. (use the timer) drop the broccoli in the same water. Cook for an additional 6 minutes. 

In the meantime, in a large frying pan, heat up the olive oil on medium-low, drop the garlic. Remove from the burner. It will continue to cook. Drain the pasta. Add it to the garlic. Add the cheese and pasta water. Mix well. Serve at once. 

Wine pairing suggestion: Sauvignon Blanc from Alto Adige. This grape has become one of the region’s leading varieties, and displays notes of passion fruit, elderberries, and black currants. The wines tend to be crispy with a fresh mouthfeel and great intensity. 

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Farfalle (bow ties) with broccoli

Bow Ties with Broccoli

Spicy Rigatoni alla Vodka

Happy New Year 2025 to all my subscribers. Kicking off the New Year on a spicy note. Today, I am sharing my Spicy Rigatoni alla Vodka. It is silky on the palate and sexier than Puttanesca. I crafted this recipe to replicate the famous dish from Carbone Fine Food. I recently had the original at their Miami location, and I was blown away. Mine is even better. 😀 You might ask why? It’s simple, I made it and I know what I put in it. 

 Ingredients: 

1 lb. Rigatoni

1 handful of salt for pasta water 

2-3 tbs. olive oil for frying 

1 hipping cup of chopped onions 

 1 hipping tbs. of garlic, chopped 

 1 tsp. Calabrian chili paste 

4 ounces tomato paste 

 1 cup vodka 

 2 cups heavy cream 

Salt to taste 

 3 tbs. butter 

 1/2 – 3/4 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated Parsley or basil for garnish, optional  

Preparation: 

 1. Bring pasta water to a boil. Add 1 handful of salt. Cook the pasta al dente. 

 2. In the meantime, in a large skillet on medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Sauté the onions 2-3 minutes or until caramelized. Add garlic and chili pepper paste. Stir well. Add tomato paste, stir until it obtains a rust color. 

 3. Deglaze with the Vodka, lower the flame to medium. Reduce the sauce for 1-2 minutes. Lower the flame to low. Add the heavy cream and salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir well. 

 4. Drain the pasta. Pour it in the sauce. Swirl in the butter and sprinkle the cheese. Mix well. Serve at once. The pasta should be glistening.  

Gina’s notes: if you don’t consume alcohol, alternatively, you can use some reserved pasta water instead of Vodka. 

If you can’t find Calabrian chili paste, use Thai red curry paste along with some crushed red chili pepper. Use your judgement. 

While I love using reserved pasta water, I didn’t feel like I needed it. The ratio of sauce was perfect for one pound of pasta cooked al dente. 

Wine pairing ideas: Demi-Sec champagne, full bodied Sangiovese-based Rosato or a Pinot Nero. 

I hope you will give this famous dish a try. Until then, Have a wonderful New Year from my kitchen to yours.

Gina Martino Zarcadoolas
Food & Wine Blogger, Sommelier Level 2 
and WSET Level 2 certified.  
Cookbook Author: Cuisines, Corkscrews & Cultures 
Italian Wine Scholar 
Salice Salentino-Italian Award Winning Wine Blog
Website: www.foodiewinelover.com
Email: gina@foodiewinelover.com

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