If you ever get the chance to dine with viral pastry queen Nadia Caterina Munno, don’t even think about ordering a cocktail with your meal.
“Wine goes with dinner,” she announced during a visit to Patsy’s Italian restaurant in Midtown. “Cocktails are always for aperitivo beforehand, and then to drink if you go out dancing afterwards.”
Such nuggets of wisdom, along with her authentic Italian recipes, have given the Lazio-born Munno a viral audience of millions of followers – including Kylie Jenner and Drew Barrymore – and made her one of the most popular authors of all time. sold by 2022 “A simply wonderful Italian cookbook”.
Now, the Florida transplant is expanding her empire with a just-published second book, “Pasta Queen: The Art of Italian Cooking,” and a self-titled series on Amazon Prime Video that combines cooking lessons and travels from around Italy.
“I’m very proud of the show because we really worked hard to make it fit my personality,” Munno told The Post of the fast-paced Amazon series, which counts Reese Witherspoon as an executive producer.
“It’s like what you see on my social media, but it’s a bigger picture of my mind and everything I love.”
On Monday at Patsy’s, the 80-year-old red sauce institution that once counted Frank Sinatra as a fan, even owner Sal Scognamillo was excited to see the Pasta Queen.
“It’s an honor to have you here,” Scognamillo told her, handing her a jar of Patsy Sauce. “It’s spicy, just like you.”
“I love Italian Americans, I’m actually obsessed with them,” she said. “It’s a completely different culture.”
Born in the old country to a family of pasta makers, Munno now lives in Tampa with her husband Brook, who runs a cyber security company.
While working as a finance director in 2020, she found the TikTok app on her daughter’s phone.
“I was ready to delete it and then I became addicted myself,” she laughed. Just a few years later, her cooking clips on the platform are regularly viewed by hundreds of thousands.
One of the Queen’s favorite things, both in her kitchen and when dining out, is spaghetti carbonara. She is so passionate about the quintessential Roman dish that she named one of her two dogs after it. (The other is called Cacio & Pepe, borrowing the title of another iconic Roman dish, which says it should never contain cream.)
“One thing about carbonara is that it should be made with guanciale, not bacon or pancetta,” Munno said.
The cardinal sins of Italian-American cooking
- There is no cream in Cacio e Pepe.
- Carbonara should be made with guanciale.
- You can’t put cheese on fish or pasta.
- Don’t make fettuccine alfredo with shrimp or chicken.
- It’s called sauce, not gravy.
- No cocktails with dinner.
- Without the hood after lunch. It’s a breakfast drink.
“Guanciale is the pig’s mouth and pancetta is the belly, so they give different flavors. Guanciale is much more playful,” she said, advising to keep the fat provided by guanciale. “You’ll want to add it back to the plate.”
When plates of hot antipasti, crispy calamari and delicious shrimp scampi arrived at the table, she warned against reaching for the formaggio for them.
“You can’t put cheese on anything served with fish,” she said, noting some exceptions. “Pecorino can be allowed and there are some dishes that combine it, but they are few and far between.”
And yes, that includes fettuccine alfredo. “Don’t serve it with shrimp, not even with chicken. This combination does not exist in Italy”.
After reading Patsy’s menu, Munno ordered Patsy’s puttanesca with linguine. “That translates to Mistress of the Night,” she said mischievously. “It’s the whore’s pasta.”
When it comes to sauces, the age-old question was asked to settle the Queen’s royal review once and for all: is it a gravy or a sauce?
“Gravy is what you serve a roast with, so it’s gravy,” she explained. “Or in Italian, we’d say sugo or salsa.”
Speaking of, there’s another American custom she’d like to set the record straight; it’s an issue she posted on TikTok with 18 million views: “No cappuccino after lunch,” she said. “It’s a morning drink.”
After her puttanesca was served, except that the sauce was served on top (Munno mixed it herself), the queen was satisfied.
“The capers were fantastic. The olives were the right olives. And they put parsley, which I was very impressed with. Not many people remember parsley. Great touch. And I’m sure there’s an anchovy melted in there, which is always the secret.”
“It’s also perfectly al dente,” she said. “Just like in Europe.”
Nadia Caterina Munno’s favorite spots in NYC
Alma Gourmet: She gets all the Italian goodies imported from the Long Island City wholesaler. “They actually sell the pecorino that I helped make when I went to the factory for my show.”
39-12 Crescent St, Long Island City, almagourmet.com
La Devozione: “They really are like family,” she said of the Chelsea Market restaurant run by pastry company Pastificio Di Martino. “They are Neapolitan and the owner, Giuseppe, is one of the biggest pasta makers in Italy. They do such a beautiful job with the packaging and everything and they partner with companies like Dolce and Gabbana. I feel like I’m in Naples when I’m there.”
428 W 16th St, West Village, ladevozionenyc.com
Ribalta: Another Neapolitan restaurant, Ribalta is known for its pizzas and boasts a weekend party atmosphere filled with Italian expats. “They are very high quality and just delicious.”
48 E 12th St, East Village, ribaltanyc.com
Seafood Amo: Owned by the team behind Ribalta, the fish-centric spot Amo is located a few blocks away in Union Square. “The seafood is incredible,” Munno said of the Italian restaurant. “Like, mind-blowing.”
15 E 12th St, East Village, amoseafood.com
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