A dinner you can't refuse...

Fans can feel like part of the family by following The Sopranos Family Cookbook, which features Neapolitan recipes from the show, as well as anecdotes from each of the characters about their relationship with food.

The book, supposedly compiled by fictional master chef Artie Bucco who runs the Nuovo Vesuvio restaurant featured in the series, appears so authentic you almost be forgiven for thinking the Sopranos were real.

And in fact upholding this fantasy is key to the popularity of the series in America, where it has become a trend on Sundays to invite friends over for a Sopranos-themed evening of food, TV and wine.

But of course the recipe book does have a real-life author, journalist Allen Rucker, who also wrote The Sopranos: A Family History, and the recipes were created by Italian cooking expert Michele Scicolone. The Sopranos features almost as much cooking as programmes dedicated to solely to culinary techniques hosted by the likes of Delia Smith, Jamie Oliver or Nigella Lawson.

"If you are one of us, either by birth or in spirit, you know that food is not just fuel for the Italian body. Food is la gioia di vivere, zest for life.

"Food is family, tradition, birth, confirmation, marriage, sickness, death - life itself."

In keeping with these powerful associations, the life and loves of the main characters in the series are all closely bound up with food.

Livia expresses her indifference to life by never learning to cook and Carmela uses desserts to garner favours - a ricotta pineapple pie helped extract a letter of recommendation from a local dignitary for her daughter to go to a better university.

And mob boss Tony Soprano loves to eat after he's had somebody "whacked" or when he's feeling guilty for cheating on his wife, Carmela.

The very sight of sliced meat gives him blackouts because he saw his father chop off the finger of a butcher who owed him money.

And seafood is strictly off the menu since his former colleague Big Pussy, who is currently drifting at the bottom of the ocean inside a mail sack, became reincarnated as a singing fish.

It is no small wonder that Tony Soprano eats at all - it must be something to do with the food his family is so fond of. Here are some recipe examples; buon appetito.

RIGATONI WITH BROCCOLI

(Serves four)

1 bunch broccoli (about 1 pounds)

Salt

Quarter cup olive oil

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Pinch of crushed red pepper

8 ounces rigatoni

Half cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano

TRIM the broccoli and cut it into bite-size pieces. Bring four quarts of cold water to a boil in a large pot. Add the broccoli and salt to taste. Cook for five minutes. Scoop out the broccoli with a small sieve. Reserve the cooking water in the pot.

Pour the oil into a skillet large enough to hold all the ingredients. Add the garlic and red pepper and cook over medium heat for about two minutes, or until the garlic is lightly golden. Add the broccoli and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the broccoli is very soft.

Meanwhile, bring the water back to the boil. Add the rigatoni and cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is not quite tender. Scoop out about one cup of the cooking water and set it aside. Drain the rigatoni and add it to the skillet with the broccoli. Add the reserved cooking water and cook, stirring often, for about five minutes more.

Sprinkle with the cheese, toss, and serve immediately.

ZITI AL FORNO (Serves eight to 12)

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound meaty pork neck bones or spareribs

1 pound veal stew meat or 2 veal shoulder chops

1 pound Italian-style plain or fennel pork sausages

4 garlic cloves

Quarter cup tomato paste

Three 28 to 35 ounce cans Italian peeled tomatoes

2 cups water

Salt and freshly ground pepper

6 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

For the meatballs:

1 pound ground beef or a combination of beef and pork

Half cup plain breadcrumbs

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon very finely minced garlic

Half cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano

Two tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

One tablespoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

To serve:

One pound ziti

Salt

One cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano

One cup ricotta

Eight ounces mozzarella, cut into small dice

TO make the sauce, heat the oil in a large heavy pot over a medium heat. Pat the pork dry and put the pieces in the pot. Cook, turning occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until nicely browned on all sides. Transfer the pork to a plate. Brown the veal in the same way and add it to the plate.

Place the sausages in the pot and brown on all sides. Set the sausages aside with the pork. Drain off most of the fat from the pot. Add the garlic and cook for about two minutes or until golden. Remove and discard the garlic. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for one minute.

With a food mill, puree the tomatoes, with their juice, into the pot. Or, for a chunkier sauce, just chop up the tomatoes and add them. Add the water and salt and pepper to taste. Add the pork, veal and sausages and basil and bring the sauce to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for two hours. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little more water.

Meanwhile, make the meatballs. Combine all the ingredients except the oil in a large bowl. Mix together thoroughly. Rinse your hands with cool water and lightly shape the mixture into balls the size of a small grape.

Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet. Add the meatballs and brown them well on all sides (they will finish cooking later). Transfer the meatballs to a plate.

After two hours, add the meatballs and cook for 30 minutes or until the sauce is thick and the meat very tender.

To serve, bring at least four quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Add the ziti and salt to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the ziti is al dente, tender yet firm to the bite.

Meanwhile, remove the meats, including the meatballs, from the gravy. Set the pork, veal and sausage aside for the second course, or for another meal.

Drain the ziti and put it in a large bowl. Toss it with about three cups of the gravy and half the grated cheese. Stir in the meatballs. Preheat the oven to 350F.

Spoon half the ziti into a shallow three and a half-quart baking dish. Spread the ricotta on top and sprinkle with the mozzarella and half the remaining grated cheese. Cover the dish with foil.

Bake the ziti for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 to 30 minutes longer, or until the centre is hot and the sauce bubbling around the edges.

Cover and let stand for 15 minutes before serving.