Red Sauce America - Food, Culture, and Italian American Experience




The History of Pesto Genovese

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Friday, September 20th, 2024 | 159 views

homemade pesto sauce

Pesto sauce made in an electric food processor with basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmigiana, oil, salt and black pepper.



Spicy, creamy, and bright green, Pesto Genovese has become synonymous with modern Italian cuisine, particularly in the United States. But that wasn’t always the case…

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The History of Chicago’s Pizza(s)

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Monday, August 19th, 2024 | 698 views

Thin crust tavern style from Aurelio's

Tavern style pizza in Chicago is more common than deep dish



Chicago has a deep history of pizza, and there’s a lot more than the thick crust pizza most Americans associate with the windy city.

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Original, Famous, and Everything In Between: Ray’s, a Pizza Wars Story

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Friday, August 9th, 2024 | 836 views

Ray's Pizza neon sign

There have been many Ray’s pizzas, some famous, some original, some famous and original, but nobody actually named Ray


Ray’s — or some variation of the original, famous pizzeria — because ubiquitous in New York City. And then the lawsuits began. A look at the pizza wars that gripped the many Ray’s of New York.

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The History of the Giglio Festival

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Sunday, July 7th, 2024 | 1,727 views

The festival is religious in its nature and includes Catholic celebrations

Bishop Robert Brennan leads a precession in 2022

Since 1908, the Italian American community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn has celebrated the Giglio festival.

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Baking Up Personal Experience: A Conversation with Renato Poliafito

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Tuesday, June 25th, 2024 | 1,300 views

Renato Poliafito, a pastry chef based in Brooklyn and the cover of his latest cookbook, Dolci

Pastry chef and Ciao, Gloria owner Renato Poliafito launched his latest cookbook, Dolci!: American Baking with an Italian Accent. We caught up with him to talk about how he curated the recipes in the book, flavors, and baking techniques.

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Pizza by the Slice or Pizza by the Piece?

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Friday, June 14th, 2024 | 1,196 views

A New York Slice from Joe's Pizza; its a slice, not a piece of pizza

What’s the difference between a slice and a piece of pizza? It’s a New York thing.

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The History of Rhode Island’s Pizza Strips

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Wednesday, May 15th, 2024 | 3,901 views

Rhode Island pizza strips, also known asa red strips, are topped with thick tomato sauce


No state has a larger percentage of residents with Italian heritage than Rhode Island, so it’s no surprise the Ocean State has its own unique style of pizza. What is surprising is this classic pizza doesn’t have any cheese.

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How Sicilian Citrus Salad Conquered the World (Or At Least The Internet)

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Friday, April 19th, 2024 | 3,141 views

Sicilian style citrus salad with navel oranges, cara cara oranges, and blood oranges topped with red pepper

Mixing blood oranges with Cara Cara oranges and navel oranges brings a variety of sweet, bitter, and sour to the plate, along with spice from crushed red pepper


Just about everyone seems to have a recipe for Sicilian-style citrus salad these days. The colorful combination of oranges photographs beautifully, particularly since the fruits span a spectrum of deep red to pale yellow, from blood oranges to grapefruits. In the era of visual-forward social media like TikTok and Instagram, brightly colored foods get the clicks.

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The Many Ways to Cook Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil

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Tuesday, April 9th, 2024 | 2,666 views

Pasta with garlic and oil, known as aglio e olio

Spaghetti with garlic and oil — and in this case, black pepper



Sometimes known as ‘cuckold pasta,’ legend has it that cheating wives only had time to cook spaghetti with garlic and oil, but there’s a lot more to this simple pasta.

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Panzerotti and the Mystery of the Missing Florida-Style Pizza

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Tuesday, April 2nd, 2024 | 4,251 views

A panzerotto from panzerotti bites on Smith Street in Brooklyn, filled with mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce, fried in a thin pizza dough

Circulating on pizza message boards and other corners of the internet where pizza enthusiasts gather, a photograph of a sign advertising Florida Style Pizza has been making the rounds. Readers are confused: what is Florida-style pizza?

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