Introducing No F**kin’ Ziti- A Sopranos Cooking Show

By: Mike Miranti

Welcome to No F***in’ Ziti, the world’s first Sopranos Cooking Show where Mike and Tom form the NotaFoodie Show will be combining two of their biggest loves, great food and amazing television. They will be cooking through all 86 episodes of The Sopranos.

Although it would be fun to eat nothing but antipasti and gabagool, the plan is to go beyond the “red-sauce” and cook a meal inspired by each episode. Expect dishes like Veal Chops, Lobster, and even homemade Sausage.

That being said, let’s start off with an Italian American staple. On the premiere episode, they’ll be making Artie Bucco’s Meatballs from the pilot episode of The Sopranos. Follow these simple steps and your guests will think that you’re the Executive Chef of Vesuvio’s.

Artie Bucco’s Meatballs

On the pilot episode of The Sopranos “Pilot”, Silvio Dante tells Tony Soprano that his uncle Junior Soprano wants to whack “Little Pussy” Gennaro Malanga an Italian restaurant called Vesuvio’s. Tony has no problem with the hit taking place, but the restaurant is owned by his childhood friend Artie Bucco, and if the hit occurs here it will surely also kill his restaurant’s business. Tony can’t get Junior to move the hit, so after consulting with his friend Hesh Rabkin he tries to give Artie all-expense-paid cruise ship tickets so he can go shut the restaurant down and go on vacation, forcing the hit to be moved elsewhere. When Tony and Christopher Moltisanti show up to give him the tickets Artie is cooking meatballs and Chris takes one. What better way to start this show than making Artie Bucco’s Meatballs

Ingredients

• 3 lb Ground Pork, Beef, Veal Mixture(equal parts)
• 4 cloves of garlic chopped fine
• 3 Egg
• 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
• 1 cup Pecorino Romano
• 1 whole onion diced
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 1/2 cup Parsley
• Salt and Pepper
• Canola Oil
  
  Mix all ingredients into a homogenous mixture and roll out into balls sized in between a golf ball and a tennis ball

Heat up some sauce in a large saucepot on the stove. You will be finishing all of your meatballs in here
Pour canola oil into a pan and get it hot. Do not crowd the pan, only put 2 or 3 meatballs in the pan at a time, When browned on all sides transfer to the tomato sauce. Let meatballs simmer in the sauce for 30 to 40 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 145°F  

Take meatballs out of the sauce and garnish with extra pecorino romano cheese