Table Of ContentSkinny
Italian
EAT IT AND ENJOY IT
L IVE L A B ELLA V ITA
AND LOOK GREAT, TOO!
Teresa Giudice
WITH HEATHER MACLEAN
To all my girls . . .
You mean the world to me.
Especially my fabulous daughters Gia, Gabriella,
Milania, and Audriana
I live for when you say, “You a good mamma!”
I miei figli sono la mia vita.
And for my own mommy, Antonia Gorga,
who taught me to be the woman I am today, taught me to respect
myself, to put family first, and to always walk a straight line (“like the
knife!”).
Sei bella in tutti i sensi.
Ti voglio tanto bene Mama, tua figlia Teresa.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
1. Salute!
2. The Cornerstones of Italian Cuisine
(or Things Not Found at The Olive Garden)
3. Blessed Virgin: Olive Oil
Sexy Italian Salad Dressing
4. Italian Seasonings:
What’s What and Who’s Who
T-Sizzle’s Basil-Lemon Drizzle
Sexy Swordfish with Capers and Lemon
Gorgeous Garlic Shrimp
Tempting Tomato and Oregano Chicken Soup
Sin-Free Linguine with Parsley Sauce
Rosemary Potatoes
Pork Chops Alla Salvia
Chicken Breasts with Lemony Thyme Marinade
5. Fresco e Naturale
Zucchini Spaghetti Salad
Sautéed Zucchini “Spaghetti” with Pine Nuts
Salsa Cruda
6. And God Said, “Let There Be Pasta.”: And There Was: And It Was Good
Teresa’s Favorite Tagliatelle
Bucatini all’Amatriciana
Farfalle con Piselli
Pasta Cacio e Pepe
Penne with Portobello Mushroom Sauce
7. The Secret’s in the Sauce
Basic Tomato Sauce, aka “The Quickie”
Milania’s Marinara Sauce
Gabriella’s Bolognese Sauce
Gia’s Napoletano Sauce
Danielle’s Puttanesca Sauce
Arrabbiata, the Angry Sauce
Skinny Pasta al Burro
Audriana’s Pesto
8. Pizza! Pizza!
Old World Pizza Dough
Pizza Margherita
Pizza Giudice
Pizza with Anchovies and Garlic
Pizza Napoletana
Pizza al Prosciutto
Pizza with Italian Sausage
9. Scratching it Up in the Kitchen
10. The Art of Eating
Bellissimo Bellinis
Lazy Bellinis
Homemade Limoncello
Dina’s Virgin Mimosa
Bruschetta Classica
Bruschetta e Prosciutto
Caponata Bruschetta
Balsamic Garlic Bites
Salerno Stuffed Mushrooms
One-Pan Oven-Roasted Chicken Feast
Papà’s Steak Pizzaiola
Voluptuous Veal Piccata
Stuffed Flounder Florentine
Lemonita Granita
Mamma Antonia’s Amazing Almond Cookies
Beautiful Biscotti
11. Italian Dressing
Fennel Salad
Panzanella Salad
Giardino Minestrone
Pasta Umbria
Skinny Snapper
12. Love-Love-Love
Spaghetti All’Ubriaco
Sicilian Steak
Luscious Linguine with Manila Clams
Fresh Strawberries and Sambuca
Fresh Fruit with Beautiful Balsamic Glaze
Pizza Nutella
Nutritional Information
Note to Reader
Index
Acknowledgments
Copyright
1 - Salute!
The first thing people usually say to me when they find out I have four kids is
that they could never tell from my body. I thank them, thinking this is a
compliment, only to be quickly proven wrong. Follow-up questions immediately
include: “What diet plan are you on?,” “Do you live in the gym?,” and my
favorite, “What’s the name of your plastic surgeon?”
If you watched the first season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, you
know I was brave (or maybe crazy) enough to allow Bravo to film me going
through the process of getting my “bubbies” done. If you saw me in the leopard-
print bikini, you are totally on my side on this one. I worried, I cried, I kvetched,
I kept changing my mind . . . because this was the first surgery I’d ever had in
my life.
I swear on Us magazine, I have never had lipo, a tummy tuck, a “mommy
makeover,” or even a C-section. All of my children were born the old-fashioned
way: with lots of pushing, screaming, cursing, and, thank God, pain medication.
I am a big fan of the epidural. Big knives near my body? Not so much.
I must exercise religiously then, right? Our lady of the heavens, no! I have
four little ones to chase after; I barely have time for a manicure. We don’t have a
workout room in our house (unless you count the bedroom, which I do . . . ). I
don’t have a personal trainer or yoga master or whatever. I have no strict
exercise regimen, although I’ll admit, I like how I feel after I work out. But it’s
not my thing. I’d rather enjoy life with my kids than live in a gym.
And, let me assure you, I eat. I freakin’ love food. Always have. Always
will. Food is an integral part of my life and the lives of my family and friends.
It’s how we communicate, how we love, how we laugh. Food is our second
language. It’s lovingly prepared, shared, toasted, savored, slathered (you read
that right), and occasionally, if you push my buttons, thrown. Food is such a
sensual pleasure. The thought of shoving your fingers into freshly made dough,
of licking the dripping tomato sauce off the spoon . . . I’m making it sound like a
giant aphrodisiac, and as I sit here, looking at the four beautiful kids Joe and I
created, I’m thinking maybe it is.
Eating is definitely one of the greatest joys on earth, and I wouldn’t give it
up for anything. My mother, who never dieted a day in her life, used to shake her
head and say, “Think of those poor women on the Titanic who refused dessert!”
In other words: life is short; pass the cannoli.
I’ll admit, before I was on TV, I never thought so much about my own body
and the way I eat. You think you’ve spent your entire adolescence in front of the
mirror, but until you’re cornered at Costco with curious fans literally picking
through your cart to see what you’re buying, you have no idea. It’s bizarre.
Suddenly, everyone wants the skinny on my ass.
And honestly, I don’t blame them (although, if you see me, please keep
your hands off my fresh vegetables—that kind of skieves me out). I like to know
what my friends eat. I’m interested in Oprah’s favorite foods. Actually, I like
Gayle’s picks better; girlfriend knows how to enjoy her food!
And everything about food and nutrition in this country has become a big
confusing mess. Is Splenda safe? Nutrasweet? Olestra? Which one gives you the
runs? Seriously, somebody tell me because I am not having that.
What’s in one day is out the next. Remember when eggs were the enemy?
Now, they’re fine. For a while, you were supposed to eat lots of meat—was that
the Atkins, Pritikin, or caveman diet?—then suddenly, meat wasn’t okay. Now,
half the “experts” say you need protein at every meal, and half say you don’t
need it ever. Milk was bad, then it was good, then it was even better because it
was supposed to help you lose weight. Now I’ve heard it’s going back on the bad
list. Too bad, because my girls drink milk, milk, milk all day long, and there’s no
chance I’m stopping them. They love it! Me too.
