19 ‘Sopranos’-Inspired Italian Recipes That Carmela Would Love (2024)

FAQs

What does Carmela Cook in The Sopranos? ›

Meals were mostly prepared by Carmela, Tony's wife. Bread and a green salad were staples, along with a rotating menu of pasta featuring macaroni with marinara or Bolognese sauce, lasagna, manicotti, or eggplant.

In one episode, Tony famously declares his love for Italian cold cuts, such as prosciutto and soppressata, and he is shown eating these meats on several occasions throughout the series. Overall, while Tony Soprano had a love of food, there is no one specific dish that is identified as his favorite.

Baked Ziti: As Made Famous by The Sopranos. A specialty of the Campania region, and particularly well-loved in buzzing Naples, ziti are long dried pasta tubes that are traditionally broken into shorter pieces just before they're cooked. The result is a shape that's a little smaller than rigatoni.

Manigot. For manicotti, which are large ridged pasta tubes that are stuffed, usually with ricotta. The finished dish is also called manicotti. Mutzadell or just mutz.

Is Gabagool a prosciutto? So the short answer is No, Tony Soprano's pronunciation of “Gabagool” is Capicola - a dry-cured Pork Cold Cut that is very popular in the Northeastern area , especially for sandwiches. Prosciutto is also a dry-cured Ham Cold Cut but completely different.

Capicola (also called Coppa, Cotto, or Gabagool) is made from the prized cut of the neck and shoulder. It is cured for ten days, after which it is then coated in black pepper, fennel seed, coriander, and anise, and slow-roasted to produce a tender shoulder ham.

Formally known as capicola, gabagool is by no means the most trendy or popular of the Italian cold cuts, but it is, just on the mouth, the most fun to say.

And if you're making your way through the series for the first (or hundredth) time, you might notice that a certain word comes up an awful lot: gabagool. Tony Soprano utters the word many many times, as do his Italian American co-stars.

What gives with gravy as a sauce name? There are lots of different theories on why some Italian-Americans call tomato sauce gravy, ranging from immigration waves, generational divides, and influence from the definitive TV show on Italian-American culture, "The Sopranos," (per The Somerville Times).

In the crime-drama series The Sopranos, the phrase box of ziti is used as a euphemism for one thousand dollars.

What is Tony Soprano's favorite cold cut? ›

Some of the most popular foods in the U.S. today come from Italy. Think pasta, mozzarella and gelato. The boot-shaped European country is also well-known for its cured meats.

OOGATZ (OO Gotz) - Nothing.

Mangia – (Italian) – [You] eat; a common command in Italo-American households. Marone – (Southern Italian dialect) – literally "Madonna" (i.e. – the Blessed Virgin Mary, not the pop star), generally used as "damn" or "damn it". Sometimes pronounced "ma don".

googootz: a term of endearment to call someone; an Italian slang for zucchini. strunz: a jerk.

It is a form of pasta al forno. Typically, the pasta is first boiled separately until it is nearly, but not completely, done. The almost-cooked pasta is added to a tomato-based sauce. The tomato-coated pasta is then combined with cheese, typically a mixture of ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan.

manigot: aka manicotti; an Italian pasta dish filled with ricotta. googootz: a term of endearment to call someone; an Italian slang for zucchini. strunz: a jerk. pasta fazool: aka pasta e fa*gioli or pasta and bean soup.

It's a lot like a classic lasagna casserole, but easier to make and without lots of layers or broken noodles. It makes for a perfect midweek or weekend meal, or a hot dish to bring to a potluck. Make extra and freeze for later.

Culinary symbolism

In the world of The Sopranos, food provides pleasure. Even a kind of escape amidst the pettiness of illegal business and murder. In a therapy with sweets or excessive feasting as meditative escape routes.