Daniel Paterna Author

Daniel Paterna’s Feast of the Seven Fishes: A Brooklyn-Italian’s Recipes Celebrating Food and Family is a timely reminder that a shared memory of food draws upon and enriches our souls.
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Often times gifts are not so obvious. They may be

Often times gifts are not so obvious. They may be revealed during a small family interlude you presumed ordinary. You may think no one see’s it the way you do until time tells you it wasn’t.

Life is how you interpret it. You may find yourself at the beginning of your own families history. My stories are inspired by the linkages manifested in food, family and solemnity of traditions.

This is short story began long before I was a glimmer in my parent’s eyes. It is pathway of how this simple bowl, modified by my Grandfather nearly a century ago, carried much more than the simple ingredients of flour, yeast and eggs.

Take five minutes, grab a slice of your own Easter tradition and watch someone else do the baking.

🇮🇹
FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES:
A BROOKLYN ITALIAN’S RECIPES CELEBRATING FOOD & FAMILY

Written contributions by:
John Turturro and
Chef Michael Lomonaco
Website link in my bio

Music credits:
Donald Johanos
Symphony No 1 Ion C Major 2.

Matteo Salvatore
Mo ve’la bella Mia da la muntanga

Stephen Layton
The lamb

#nytimescooking
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#tasteofhome
#TASTEcooking
#brooklynhistory
#brooklynbites
#naifitalianamerican
#growingupitalian
#italianamerican
#foodie
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#savuragazine
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#ItalianFood
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#feastofthesevenfishesmovie

✝️This Palm Sunday mediation is of one of the

✝️This Palm Sunday mediation is of one of the many traditional pies families make leading up to Easter. This is ours.

🥧Sausage pie, or casatiello, is a fortified fortress of eggs, ricotta, mozzarella, Romano cheese and finely sliced dry fennel sausage. The final product is a thing of majesty. Its domed grandeur always reminded me of the
Pantheon in Rome.

The genre of savory pies originated in and around the region of Naples and was traditionally served as a complete first meal to celebrate the end of Lent and the 40-day religious fast. My family could not wait until it completed its 2-hour oven firing. What away to
break a fast!

FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES:
A BROOKLYN ITALIAN’S RECIPES CELEBRATING FOOD & FAMILY

Written contributions by:
John Turturro and
Chef Michael Lomonaco
Website link in my bio

🎼
Gnossiennes No.1 by Eric Satie
Orchestra Of The Swan

#nytimescooking
#nytimesbooks
#ediblebrooklyn
#official_italian_food
#bonappetitmag
#tasteofhome
#TASTEcooking
#brooklynhistory
#brooklynbites
#naifitalianamerican
#growingupitalian
#italianamerican
#foodie
#books
#savuragazine
#pizzaathome
#italianheritagenyc
#ItalianFood
#Foodies

This bit of 🇮🇹pastry heaven are a once a yea

This bit of 🇮🇹pastry heaven are a once a year miracle honoring Saint Joeseph the carpenter. Napoli has their version in honor of Father’s Day made with custard cream.

Anyone lucky enough to have his name sake get a knock on their door with a fresh delivery on this day, St. Joseph’s Day.
Aunt Josephine and Uncle Joe would where we’d gather and sample the unique differences of several local Italian pasty shops. Ours are @filoncino_bakerycafe @savaresepastry

Italians are a people passionate about life and death as expressed through the preparation of food. Nothing could be more definitive by honoring the deceased as having one or more of these divinely dedicated pastries. The Amarena wild cherries are beyond words.

I enjoy extruding the dough into a “maruzzel” snail shape trying to avoid clumping in the center.
Buona Festa di San Giuseppe!

🇮🇹
FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES:
A BROOKLYN ITALIAN’S RECIPES CELEBRATING FOOD & FAMILY

Written contributions by:
John Turturro and
Chef Michael Lomonaco
Website link in my bio

🎵
Maruzzella - Claudio Villa

#nytimescooking
#nytimesbooks
#ediblebrooklyn
#official_italian_food
#bonappetitmag
#tasteofhome
#TASTEcooking
#brooklynhistory
#brooklynbites
#naifitalianamerican
#growingupitalian
#italianamerican
#foodie
#books
#savuragazine
#pizzaathome
#italianheritagenyc
#ItalianFood
#Foodies

Polpettone Made this “large meatball” (English

Polpettone
Made this “large meatball” (English translation -meatloaf.) *last pic of three is of the combined ingredients

I use my meatball recipe with added onion. Can you tell it’s totally vegan? I made it for Madeline and quite frankly myself.

*️⃣traditional way just swap out the first three ingredient for ground beef and eggs.

Set oven to 350
Combine the following and bake:

🛒
1 1/2 lbs IMPOSSIBLE ground
plant based meat
4 tbs of chick pea flour
2 tbs egg substitute
1 cup of dry bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
1/2 cup grated vegan cheese
3 tbs ketchup
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp sea salt or to taste
1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese can also add on top with additional marinara sauce

👨‍🍳
◽️Form a loaf in a rectangular oiled pan surrounded with cut potatoes and or peas
◽️Cover with aluminum foil an bake for at least :45 minutes or until loaf is firm and potatoes are soft and another
:20 without foil covering.

I like this variation especially for folks up in age like me who benefit by earing less animal fat diet than my earlier days. My older relatives who had to give up meat for health reasons would have satisfied their “a vuole!” Son Luca, who is of that indiscriminate late night eating age and ate ALL the leftovers, was shocked when I told him it was all plant based Polpettone.
God bless!

🇮🇹
FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES:
A BROOKLYN ITALIAN’S RECIPES CELEBRATING FOOD & FAMILY

Written contributions by:
John Turturro and
Chef Michael Lomonaco
Website link in my bio

#nytimescooking
#nytimesbooks
#ediblebrooklyn
#official_italian_food
#bonappetitmag
#tasteofhome
#TASTEcooking
#brooklynhistory
#brooklynbites
#naifitalianamerican
#growingupitalian
#italianamerican
#foodie
#books
#saveurmag
#cheflomonaco
#italianheritagenyc
#ItalianFood
#Foodies
#thetenementmuseum
#bookstagram
#feastofthesevenfishesfestival
#foodphotographer

💕”Sweet pie” or commonly named Torta Dolce.

💕”Sweet pie” or commonly named Torta Dolce. Italian ricotta cheesecake is a burst of satisfying flavor and the crowning dessert on any menu. It’s a perfect blend of sweetness, refreshing citrus and creamy ricotta. Consider it for your next dinner dessert. Your love♥️buds will not forget you. It’s like magic!

🇮🇹
FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES:
A BROOKLYN ITALIAN’S RECIPES CELEBRATING FOOD & FAMILY

Written contributions by:
John Turturro and
Chef Michael Lomonaco
Website link in my bio

🎵
Ballerina
-Yehezkel Raz

#nytimescooking
#nytimesbooks
#ediblebrooklyn
#official_italian_food
#bonappetitmag
#tasteofhome
#TASTEcooking
#brooklynhistory
#brooklynbites
#naifitalianamerican
#growingupitalian
#italianamerican
#foodie
#books
#saveurmag
#cheflomonaco
#italianheritagenyc
#ItalianFood
#Foodies
#seafoodlover
#maryland
#thetenementmuseum
#bookstagram
#feastofthesevenfishes

My Pratt sweatshirt states “Be true to your work

My Pratt sweatshirt states “Be true to your work and your work will be true to you”.
As corny as it may sound,
I believe it. All of you made it so.

I was intent to capture a sense of modesty, simplicity and pride of place in a cherished light reflected from its pages.
My motivation was you, the reader.

I was enlightened when I lived away from my beloved Brooklyn. I could clearly understand and appreciate the assumed gifts from a farther expanse. The distance allowed me to remember, to focus my memory.

This portrait is about our living breathing home, no matter what block or borough, from Bensonhurst and beyond, we were lived daily in unison, then and now. The faces live on. Their story lives on.

Feast of The Seven Fishes A Brooklyn Italians Recipes Celebrating Food And Family has been in print now for four years. Its success is a result of the family I was born, the inspired place I’m from and the kind support of friends like you. I guess it worked.

Grab a wooden spoon, pots and pans out to your stoop and make some noise -Buon Anno!

📽️All the faces here is 8mm film captured by my
insightful Dad.

🇮🇹
FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES:
A BROOKLYN ITALIAN’S RECIPES CELEBRATING FOOD & FAMILY

I n Written contributions by:
John Turturro and
Chef Michael Lomonaco
Website link in my bio

🎵
Auld Lang Syne
-Ian Post

#nytimescooking
#nytimesbooks
#ediblebrooklyn
#official_italian_food
#bonappetitmag
#tasteofhome
#TASTEcooking
#brooklynhistory
#brooklynbites
#naifitalianamerican
#growingupitalian
#italianamerican
#foodie
#books
#saveurmag
#cheflomonaco
#italianheritagenyc
#ItalianFood
#Foodies
#seafoodlover
#maryland
#thetenementmuseum
#bookstagram
#feastofthesevenfishes

I drift from the noise of these accelerated days t

I drift from the noise of these accelerated days to the meaningful meditative tradition of generations, imagine times of scarcity and be humbled by them.

No matter where in red sauce, a little sauce, white sauce Italy or greater globe your ancestors migrated to break bread, I feel it’s the solemnity of process that matters most. Sharing memories of food and family is what unifies us.

Once again Schuberts Ave Maria strikes a chord while making my families Frutta di Mare. It has all the stems of melancholy, gratitude, hope and the timeless reflection of light and remembrance.

God bless our home cooks, aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents who have have provided us the gifts of the table.

Buon Natale a tutti mei Amici.

🇮🇹
FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES:
A BROOKLYN ITALIAN’S RECIPES CELEBRATING FOOD & FAMILY

I n Written contributions by:
John Turturro and
Chef Michael Lomonaco
Website link in my bio

🎵
Ave Maria
-Hans Schubert

#nytimescooking
#nytimesbooks
#ediblebrooklyn
#official_italian_food
#bonappetitmag
#tasteofhome
#TASTEcooking
#brooklynhistory
#brooklynbites
#naifitalianamerican
#growingupitalian
#italianamerican
#foodie
#books
#saveurmag
#cheflomonaco
#italianheritagenyc
#ItalianFood
#Foodies
#seafoodlover
#maryland
#thetenementmuseum
#bookstagram
#feastofthesevenfishes

🎄These delicious 🍋lemon drops were something

🎄These delicious 🍋lemon drops were something my Mom endeavored long after I was out on my own. Not being by her side while she made them I don’t have al the same shared experience as with other recipes…

What I do remember however is her asking me, every year, “Do they taste like Mrs. Simone’s?” My guess is that these were made for the kids along with the classic fig Cucidati. Phonetically speaking, Mrs. Simone referred to them as (cu-da-del).Page 82

It was her nature to recreate what our cousins on 44th Street grandmother provided us, especially at this time of year. Her sense in recreating a dish or cookie a relative made was a way of honoring the luminous nature of those who are no longer with us.

🎵
Dance Of Sugar Plum Fairies
-Tchaikovsky
Leo Symphony Orchestra

🇮🇹
FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES:
A BROOKLYN ITALIAN’S RECIPES CELEBRATING FOOD & FAMILY

I n Written contributions by:
John Turturro and
Chef Michael Lomonaco
Website link in my bio

#nytimescooking
#nytimesbooks
#ediblebrooklyn
#official_italian_food
#bonappetitmag
#tasteofhome
#TASTEcooking
#brooklynhistory
#brooklynbites
#naifitalianamerican
#growingupitalian
#italianamerican
#foodie
#books
#brookylnitalian
#photomemoir
#saveurmag
#cheflomonaco
#italianheritagenyc
#ItalianFood
#Foodies
#thetenementmuseumnyc

🎄In this exciting photo-heavy cookbook, graphic

🎄In this exciting photo-heavy cookbook, graphic designer Paterna celebrates the culinary heritage of the Italian-Americans of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. He shares dozens of beautiful family photos and anecdotes (beneath photos of his maternal grandparents’ passports, he writes: “My grandfather promised he would bring her back to America as his bride”) that span three generations. Paterna’s mother, Anne, typed out dozens of the family’s recipes on index cards and carefully converted “pinches” and “approximate timings” into real measures.
-PublishersWeekly
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🇮🇹
FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES:
A BROOKLYN ITALIAN’S RECIPES CELEBRATING FOOD & FAMILY

Written contributions by:
John Turturro and
Chef Michael Lomonaco
Website link in my bio

🎵
Le Cose In Comune
-Daniele Silverstri

#nytimescooking
#nytimesbooks
#ediblebrooklyn
#official_italian_food
#bonappetitmag
#tasteofhome
#TASTEcooking
#brooklynhistory
#brooklynbites
#naifitalianamerican
#growingupitalian
#italianamerican
#foodie
#books
#saveurmag
#cheflomonaco
#italianheritagenyc
#ItalianFood
#Foodies
#seafoodlover
#maryland
#thetenementmuseum
#bookstagram
#feastofthesevenfishes

Struffoli🎁 were completed at least a week in a

Struffoli🎁
were completed at least a week in advance of Christmas or they would never get made -not an option.

🚂 Beyond the beautiful lights and electric trains circling the tree, these crusty, honey soaked, zesty tangerine delicacies are a signature sign that Christmas soon to arrive.

⛄️On any given school night my Aunts and Cousins would descend into my Grandmothers basement kitchen. We’d roll up our sleeves and be allowed to sip their grown up coffee so we all did not fall asleep rolling out strands of dough cut into the more traditional half inch squares. The best part was that this “homework” took prescience over school work. Carrying on with our cherished Neapolitan tradition was work for our souls.

🇮🇹
FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES:
A BROOKLYN ITALIAN’S RECIPES CELEBRATING FOOD & FAMILY

Written contributions by:
John Turturro and
Chef Michael Lomonaco
Website link in my bio

🎵
Mellow Christmas
-Sweetara Music

#nytimescooking
#nytimesbooks
#ediblebrooklyn
#official_italian_food
#bonappetitmag
#tasteofhome
#TASTEcooking
#brooklynhistory
#brooklynbites
#naifitalianamerican
#growingupitalian
#italianamerican
#foodie
#books
#saveurmag
#cheflomonaco
#italianheritagenyc
#ItalianFood
#Foodies
#seafoodlover
#maryland
#thetenementmuseum
#bookstagram
#feastofthesevenfishes

🌲Bacalla & Stoccafisso “Stocco” A Christma

🌲Bacalla & Stoccafisso “Stocco”
A Christmas Story

🧑‍🎄” To us children, the elaborate process of turning petrified fish into tender, white flesh seemed nothing short of miraculous. My mother and grandmother would always use the same porcelain coated pan to rehydrate the cured fish. The faucet would be turned on to a mere trickle to rinse the salt away from the baccala and to soften the stoccafisso.

🎁The slow, incessant drip of the fountain would become unbearable, a form of water torture, inspiring my father’s nventiveness. He
realized that by tying one end of a string to the faucet and placing the other end in the bowl, he could guide the drops of tap water along the the curve of the string. This primitive form of hydrotherapy would go on for two solid weeks-- the fish releasing its rich odor as it softened.. The pungent smell filledthe kitchen and shocked my budding olfactory senses, but the more senior members of the family seemed unaffected. They knew this suffering would lead to pure, nirvanic deliciousness.”

☃️Memories are made of this.
Brooklyn nYc

🇮🇹
FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES:
A BROOKLYN ITALIAN’S RECIPES CELEBRATING FOOD & FAMILY

I n Written contributions by:
John Turturro and
Chef Michael Lomonaco
Website link in my bio

#nytimescooking
#nytimesbooks
#ediblebrooklyn
#official_italian_food
#bonappetitmag
#tasteofhome
#TASTEcooking
#brooklynhistory
#brooklynbites
#naifitalianamerican
#growingupitalian
#italianamerican
#foodie
#books
#brookylnitalian
#photomemoir
#saveurmag
#cheflomonaco
#italianheritagenyc
#ItalianFood
#Foodies
#thetenementmuseum
#bookstagram

THIS iS 🇮🇹CHRiSTMAS🎄 Baccala With Fried P

THIS iS 🇮🇹CHRiSTMAS🎄
Baccala With Fried Peppers
🐟

I have many families. Extensions of relatives, friends, neighbors, the family I was born and
the one I now return home to.

The purveyors and shop owners that I rely on certainly represent that. In this instance it’s Lou Coluccio of @dcoluccioandsons . Always out front as a guide to his exclusive Italian imports. For sixty years my family has been waited on by him and members of his own family.

As a young man, I would wonder why a well of emotion welled in our elders eyes serving meals at our tables that were once prepared for them by their own family.

On and on the traditions bind us not only by the flavor but of the irresistible movement of the process. There is a stillness to this time, now as I prepare one of my favorite dishes from our heritage.

The sound church bells bring a past to the present. A life impression was made by the alchemy of time, taste and the aroma blanketing my Morher’s kitchen on December 24th’s Festa dei Sette Pesce -La Vegila. The anticipation is the same for me as it was then.

🎵
Christmas Twilight
-Sweetara Music

🇮🇹
FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES:
A BROOKLYN ITALIAN’S RECIPES CELEBRATING FOOD & FAMILY

Written contributions by:
John Turturro and
Chef Michael Lomonaco
Website link in my bio

#nytimescooking
#nytimesbooks
#ediblebrooklyn
#official_italian_food
#bonappetitmag
#tasteofhome
#TASTEcooking
#brooklynhistory
#brooklynbites
#naifitalianamerican
#growingupitalian
#italianamerican
#foodie
#books
#saveurmag
#cheflomonaco
#italianheritagenyc
#ItalianFood
#Foodies
#thetenementmuseum
#bookstagram
#brooklynfeastofthesevenfishes

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Paterna is the real deal, a second-generation Italian American, whose family has preserved their culture from the shores of Naples to the streets of Bensonhurst. more…