FROM THE INTRODUCTION BY MICHELE GALLO COOK......... There are a few things you have to understand about this cookbook before you try any of the recipes. First, my mother was a terrific cook, and I'm not saying that just because she was my mother. Anyone who came to dinner at our house, and there were quite a few, shared that opinion. She could, with amazing talent, open the refrigerator and create a memorable meal out of almost nothing. This made for great dinners but hard-to-follow recipes My mother rarely wrote anything down, and for the most part, it wasn't until I got married that any of these recipes were written down. About a week before my wedding, I asked my mother to make my favorite foods, and then I followed her around the kitchen, badgering her about what went into what dish, how much and how long it was cooked, etc. I still have that first beat up cookbook with the recipes. I am convinced that some of my mother's recipes can never be duplicated, whether it was the pan she used or a trick of my memory, some things just never come out the same. --Michele Gallo Cook......... .......FROM THE EDITOR/DESIGNER, MARINO AMORUSO....... In a family full of great Italian cooks, Aunt Phil Gallo was by far the best. Felicia Amoruso came to America in 1938 at fifteen-years old from Bisceglie, Italy with her older brother, Vittorio, and her mother, Aurelia. He father had passed away and four of her older siblings, Angela, Marino, Pietro and Giovanna were already in New York. Older brothers Angelo and Francesco had been drafted into the Italian army by Mussolini and could not escape Italy. In 1944 she married a duck farmer from East Patchogue, Long Island named Michael Gallo and they built a wonderful life together until Aunt Phil passed away in 1990. The recipes in the book are by no means everything that Aunt Phil was capable of cooking. She could make hundreds of dishes - all from memory. My cousin Michele, however, has done an absolutely remarkable job in putting this collection together. It features Aunt Phil's best work. Michele makes just about everything in this book as good as her mother did, which is a high compliment, indeed. --Marino Amoruso