Weekly Features

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Here are our FEATURES for the week
~ Mon 6/27 ~

Tortellaci alla Romana
veal filled pasta in our cream sauce with peas & prosciutto

Pappardelle Giancarlo
mini meatballs, Italian sausage & chicken medallions in our fresh pomodoro
sauce over wide egg noodles


~ Tue 6/28 ~

Cannelloni
large pasta shells filled with seasoned beef, spinach and parmigiano
topped with our bolognese and bechamele sauces

Rigatoni alla Strappicciata
mamma's pot roast made into a decadent creamy tomato sauce over rigatoni


~ Wed 6/29 ~

Ricotta Stuffed Shells
ricotta stuffed shells in our creamy tomato sauce

Pollo Marsala
chicken breast saute with Marsala, mushrooms & cream served over fettuccine



~ Thur 6/30 ~

Manicotti
large pasta shells filled with ricotta cheese & spinach and
topped with our pomodoro, panna & pesto sauces

Saltimboca alla Romana
chicken breast filled with capers, prosciutto & cheese
in a white wine cream sauce over fettuccine


~ 7/1 Fri ~

Pork Osso Buco
pork braised in veal demi-glace & our pomodoro sauce
served over pesto infused mashed potatoes

Shrimp & Andouille Ravioli
ravioli filled with shrimp & andouille sausage
in our pesto creams sauce with asparagus


~ 7/2 Sat ~

Linguini Santa Lucia
lump lobster, white wine, cream, sun dried tomatoes and basil over linguini

5 Cheese Raviloni
Jumbo ravioli filled with 5 cheeses in our pesto cream sauce

My name is Sonia Bertolone and I am the owner of Joe's Italian in Alabaster, Alabama where you can always fine your little piece of authentic Italian cooking.

Sonia & the Super Tuscan

Poggio al Tufo

Rompicollo

Maremma Toscana

2009

So I have a little bit of a reputation for being the wino of the family. What can I say, I like wine. Especially when it's good wine. I'm in no way, shape or form a wine expert. I don't even consider myself to be a wine snob, although in fairness to full disclosure, I have to admit to turning my nose to a wine or two.

So "Super Tuscan" describes any Tuscan red wine that does not adhere to traditional blending laws for the region. I once thought that Super Tuscans had to contain Sangiovese, which as it turns out, is untrue. Super Tuscans often use other grapes, especially Cabernet Sauvignon, making them ineligible for classification under the traditional rules, no DOC(G) is authenticated on these bottle. So this wine, much like me, doesn't fit into any classification, can't adhere to the rules, and is a blended to create an end result which is fanastico. I love it for it's drinkability. It's not pretentious or overbearing and goes great with food.

This blend is 60% Sangiovese and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon from the "Poggio al Tufo" estate south of Pitigliano, in the heart of "Maremma Toscana", which is located just south of Tuscany and is owned by the Tommasi family whom acquired these vines in 1997.

The Rompicollo vineyard (Italian for neck-breaker), sits upon volcanic soil rich of tufo and has a southern exposure which allows for an abundance of sunlight.

This Intense ruby red wine is fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks for 10 days and then allowed to mature in Slavonian oak barrels for 12 months.

It is well balanced, with good structure, a nice length & residual fruit flavors.

Great with red meat sauce, white meats & fresh cheeses.

Available at Joe's Italian by the glass and bottle.

My name is Sonia Bertolone and I am the owner of Joe's Italian in Alabaster, Alabama where you can always fine your little piece of authentic Italian cooking.

Peach Cake

Peach Cake

If you haven't tried our Peach Cake you're missing out..
3 layers of white cake layered with
fresh local peaches, cream cheese & whipped cream frosting & peach schnapps.
Joe's only features Peach Cake while local peaches are available...

My name is Sonia Bertolone and I am the owner of Joe's Italian in Alabaster, Alabama where you can always fine your little piece of authentic Italian cooking.

Spaghetti ai pomodori crudi

It's hot. Too hot to cook really. So here's a dish that's super quick, requires minimal cooking and will send your taste buds spiraling.

This dish was always a "favorite" at our house in the summer: Spaghetti with an uncooked tomato sauce.

I recommend making this sauce a least an hour ahead of serving it, this will allow the ingredients time to marry and for all the flavors to fully develop.

Start with the best quality tomatoes that you can find, possibly from a farmer's market or from a quality grocer.

Also, some notes this being a simple dish based on raw ingredients; the freshness and quality

of the ingredients used in making the dish are crucial to the success of it. Most importantly, the tomatoes must actually taste like a fresh vine ripened tomato and must not be overly watery. If all you can is the pink, pasty super market variety tomato, do yourself a favor and pick another dish to prepare. Ask your market when local tomatoes are in, and then take advantage of tomatoes grown at the peak of the growing season.

Mamma's Spaghetti ai pomodori crudi

• 1 lb vine ripe tomatoes
• 1 lb Spaghetti ~ at Joe's Italian , we use Barilla
• 2 cloves of fresh garlic ~ freshly chopped
• 2 tbsp of kosher salt for the sauce plus more will be needed for the water used to cook the pasta.
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 12 fresh basil leaves ~ chopped just prior to using

1. slice tomatoes in half and chop into large mixing bowl
2. add olive oil
3. chop basil and add to tomato/olive oil mixture
4. add salt to both sauce and cooking water
5. cook Spaghetti according to package instructions or to your personal liking
6. drain pasta
7. mix together cooked pasta with uncooked tomato/basil sauce
8. enjoy immediately

No grated cheese is wanted or needed for this dish... it will simply overpower the taste of the sauce.

My name is Sonia Bertolone and I am the owner of Joe's Italian in Alabaster, Alabama where you can always fine your little piece of authentic Italian cooking.

The Bertolone Family’s Authentic Italian Food Draws a Crowd

By Daniel Schumacher Photo by Jason Wallis as published in Birmingham Magazine

It’s been nearly 20 years since I have eaten my Nonnie's Italian food, but I could have sworn she was back in the kitchen when I visited Joe’s Italian last month. The sounds, seasonings and harsh lighting brought me right back to her dining room in Huntington Station, N.Y., where I had my fi rst saucy southern Italian meals. Regardless of where in the metropolitan area you reside, Joe’s Italian is reason to visit Alabaster.

In 1977, Italian-born owners Giuseppe and Elvira "Momma" Bertolone packed up their young children and opened their first United States restaurant in Gilroy, Calif. They previously ran a small trattoria in Andora, Italy. The Bertolones ran the Gilroy restaurant for more than 27 years before retiring. Three years ago, they moved Alabaster and reopened Joe’s with the help of their children Sonia, Michael and Mary.

                   

Expect to wait for a seat, 30 to 90 minutes depending on conditions, or avoid the wait by placing a takeout order. Enjoy the mild spring evening with a glass (or bottle) of wine. Start with a Lambrusco, a sweet red sparkler, and compliment a tomatoey dish with a peppery Nero d’Avola. Joe’s does not mark up prices as much as many other restaurants, leaving many bottles in the $20 to $30 price range.

"The recipe for our white lasagna came to me in a dream," President Sonia Bertolone says. I believe her, because with its creamy white sauce and bits of spicy sausage, that lasagna was positively dreamy. The tender chicken parmesan, red lasagna and silky tomatobasil soup were also outstanding.

After four bottles of wine and generous entrées, we could hardly pass up dessert: massive slices of homemade cake. My group of seven barely finished three slices: strawberry cake, chocolate zebra cake, and my personal favorite, cannoli cake. Bring it home if you must, but do not skip dessert.

My name is Sonia Bertolone and I am the owner of Joe's Italian in Alabaster, Alabama where you can always fine your little piece of authentic Italian cooking.

Tomato Basil Soup

Joe's Italian is one of those mom and pop places where you are always guarenteed a great authentic Italian meal. My go to food, everytime I go to Joe's might be surprising to you, considering all of the rich and delicious Italian dished. My favorite is their Tomato Basil Soup. And I am not alone! It's one of their best sellers.

Today, I am stepping out of the box a bit and sharing an article  in the Birmingham News about Joe's that ran  with the recipe for my favorite, Tomato Basil Soup.
And Life just became that much sweeter. Beleive me.

(Pictures by Leigh)

Tomato Basil Soup

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
4 cups ground tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon oregano
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream or half & half
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

• 1. Melt the butter with the oil over low heat in a heavy bottom pot.
• 2. Add the onion; wilt over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic during the last 2 minutes, stirring.
• 3. Add the tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover; cook over medium-low heat for 60 minutes. Season with oregano, salt, and pepper.
• 4. Add basil. Stir in the cream or half & half, simmer for another 30 minutes.
• 5.Garnish with fresh basil before serving.

Note: When tomatoes are in-season use fresh tomatoes, blanch for 8 minutes and process with food processor. In the winter, use a San Marzano-type canned tomato, drain half of the liquid and process in food processor.

Recipe for Tomato Basil Soup from Joe's Italian Pizza, Pasta & Caffe
By Special to The Birmingham News
February 12, 2010, 4:02PM
by Lynn Grisard Fullman

Joe's Italian Pizza, Pasta & Caffe,
21 Weatherly Club Drive, Alabaster;
663-4111,
 http://www.joesitalianonline.com/


"Mama and Papa are there to serve you and make sure that everyone is having a great time," Nicole Creuzer of Birmingham reported when requesting the recipe for tomato-basil soup that is served at Joe's Italian Pizza, Pasta & Caffe in Alabaster. "It is divine!" she said of the soup. The restaurant's president, Sonia Bertolone, was not surprised by the interest in the soup that sells for $4.95 for a bottomless bowl and $3.25 for a cup. "I could drink it with a straw," she admitted, explaining that the soup is made from a recipe that belongs to her mother, Elvira Bertolone.

 
With the addition of cream, Sonia and her brother, Michael, "have taken the recipe to the next level," she said, explaining that her parents owned a restaurant in California for 28 years before selling it in 2007 and moving to Alabama. Served daily, the soup "is delicious," Sonia said, adding that the restaurant daily sells hundreds of orders of the soup.

 
Lasagna is the most popular entree served at the eatery that specializes in traditional food "like you get in Italy," Sonia noted, explaining that her parents, who work alongside her at the restaurant, often travel to their roots in Italy. Family meals-to-go, including lasagna for four with salad, bread and soup ($24.95), also are available. With seating for 110 and with two-and-a-half hour waits not uncommon on Friday and Saturday nights, Joe's Pizza, Pasta & Caffe is open Monday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

 
Not to worry should you have to wait on weekend nights. Pagers are offered, and Italian water (red wine and Sprite) and focaccia are served. Some nights, to the delight of customers, Sonia's mother even dances. No wonder the restaurant has become a favorite place for customers to celebrate birthdays and other special occasions.

 

Tomato Basil Soup from Joe's Italian Pizza, Pasta & Caffe (News staff /Tamika Moore) Joe's Italian Pizza, Pasta & Caffe Tomato Basil Soup

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Posted by Leigh of Tales from Bloggeritaville

My name is Sonia Bertolone and I am the owner of Joe's Italian in Alabaster, Alabama where you can always fine your little piece of authentic Italian cooking.