Italian American Cuisine

Italian American food is often somewhat pejoratively known as "red sauce" food from the significant amounts of tomato sauce characteristic of the style. A common aesthetic associated with Italian American food is the cliched image of a "red sauce joint", a restaurant specializing in such foods as spaghetti with meatballs, decorated with red checked tablecloths and old-fashioned straw-covered Chianti bottles serving as tabletop candleholders; while more upscale restaurants specializing in continental Italian cuisine tend to avoid something so formulaic, the design is de rigueur for more traditional Italian-American restaurants, to the point where some chain restaurants such as Papa Gino's use the same red checked pattern on their laminate tabletops.

Prominent chefs who work in the Italian American style include Lidia Bastianich and Rachael Ray . Italian-American food (and Mediterranean influences in general) has been highly influential in New American Cuisine as well.

SPECIALTIES

Spaghetti and Meatballs -- a combination that does not exist in Italy, but is iconic in the USA. Often the meatballs are used in cooking the sauce along with Italian Sausage (salsiccia) and Braciole (stuffed beef rolls).

Polenta - Cornmeal mush, either in a soupy or more solid form. Sometimes made with pepperoni and/ or cheese.

Fritatta - A kind of omelette that can take many forms. There can be potatoes and eggs, peas and eggs, asparagus and eggs, peppers and eggs, cucuzza (i.e. squash/zucchini) and eggs. These can be eaten by themselves or on sandwiches.

Sausage and Peppers - Salsiccia, peppers and onions and a very light red sauce.

Pizza , particularly Americanized forms such as Deep Dish or Greek Pizza

Cioppino -- a fish stew characteristic of West Coast Italian American cookery, particularly San Francisco

Baked Ziti

Lasagna

Sunday Gravy -- a meat-infused Tomato Sauce commonly made on Sundays and special occasions. There is some friendly debate among Italian-Americans over whether it should be called "sauce" or "gravy".

Lobster Fra Diavolo

American Chop Suey -- a relative of Ragu Bolognese made primarily with hamburger meat

Chicken Parmesan -- fried breaded chicken cutlets covered in sauce and cheese

Cannoli -- a sweet Ricotta filling in a fried pastry shell

Pasta Fagioli (pronounced Fazool, from southern Italian ''fasule'')-- Macaroni with beans in a red sauce

Pizzagiena or ''pizza ghen'' -- Easter Pie, made with various cheeses and salted meats.

Strufoli (or Struf')-- Fried dough for dessert

Evushgadil (spelling unknown) or ''biscotti d'anodare'' -- knot cookies

Baccalà -- salted cod fish for Christmas Eve or during Lent . Can have it fried, baccala salad, etc.

Aliche -- another integral dish served during Christmas Eve's "Feast of the Seven Fishes." This dish's real name is Spaghetti con Aglio E Olio E Aliche which essentially means spaghetti with garlic, oil and anchovies. The anchovies and garlic are sliced very thin and dissolve in the oil. When served, the dish appears to be just pasta covered in hot oil.

Peas And Eggs -- originally a meal eaten by poor Italian immigrants has since become a favorite lenten meal. It consists of simply eggs and peas, fried in a pan with olive oil and some garlic, onion and pepper.

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Italian American Cuisine