Recently in New Jersey Category

Like the popular folk song states, "I'm from New Jersey."  Yes, that State next to New York defined by the "Turnpike", Tony Soprano, and Bruce Springsteen.  However, and as Lee Siegel point out in an excellent Wall Street Journal article, "The Hidden State of Culture", New Jersey often gets a bum wrap.

New Jersey has produced countless artists, academics, musicians, intellectuals, actors, and its geography goes from gritty to picturesque in a matter of miles.  New Jersey is also packed full of cultural diversity from eastern European immigrants from Italy and Croatia to Asian imports from Korea and Vietnam.  

New Jersey is, indeed, awesome and Mr. Gorka we are good enough and do expect much! 

One of the reasons I love the Summer season is the availability of locally grown tomatoes.  Tomatoes are incredibly versatile and, like Olive oil, are a staple of eating well.  My favorite Summer time use for tomatoes is the tomato salad:

• 3-4 tomatoes
• 1/4 cup of high quality olive oil
• salt (Kosher), pepper (freshly ground), and dried oregano (if you can avoid the generic oregano from big box markets then do so).
• 1/2 red onion (medium sized)
• Fresh basil (minimum 10 medium sized leafs)

Dice the tomatoes into small wedge and place in a medium sized bowl.  Next, slice the onions into thin pieces (large chunks aren't very good, as a fresh red onion will take a while to "mellow down") and place in bowl.  Add lots of salt (tomatoes and salt are best friends) and a dash of pepper, as well as the dried oregano (remember to crush the oregano in your hands to release the flavor). 

Finally, add your olive and basil (don't cut basil with a knife rather shred it with your hands to release the oils in the leaves) and mix well.  I usually like to let the salad sit for a few minutes so that all the nice juices in the bowl can blend together and do their magic.  Also, although I didn't cite the ingredient above you will need a good loaf of bread to go with the tomato salad.  In fact, I'd say good bread is a requirement as you'll probably want to mop up the olive oil in the bowl!

As a young chap, I lived with my grandparents in the typical "Everyone Loves Raymond" environment, that is my parents lived on the second floor apartment of a two family home while my grandparents occupied the first floor apartment.  On most Saturday afternoons I would wander down to my grandparents place and receive a boatful of kisses and the eternal question, "what do you want to eat for lunch?"  And my answer would always be, "nonna, you know what I like, can I please have Pasta Alio e Olio!" - picture a small boy with a Beatles type haircut and deep brown eyes.  So, here is the recipe (for one serving):

 

1. 1/4 pound of dried pasta - linguine or linguine fini works nice for this dish (preferably De Cecco; pleaese do not buy dry pasta manufactured in the US or make fresh pasta for this dish, it will not work).
2. Freshly chopped parsley (I'm not sure why markets sell non-Italian parsley, but make sure you buy Italian parsley).
3. Freshly chopped garlic (5-6 cloves).
4. 1/4 cup of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano - the king of cheeses.
5. Salt and pepper to taste.
6. A sprinkle of dried red pepper flakes.
7. Olive Oil.

The preparation is fairly straightforward:  Get a large pot of water boiling and drop the linguine into the pot.  Add a bit of salt and stir (linguine usually takes between 7-10 minutes, but go for the shorter cooking time as pasta should always be served al dente).  And no need to waste olive oil in the water as it will NOT prevent sticking (the best way to prevent sticking pasta is to have enough water in the pot).

While the pasta cooks, add olive oil to a lukewarm pan and add garlic (slowly sautéing).  Add salt and pepper.  Add you red pepper flakes.  Drain the pasta and save a bit of the starchy water.  Add the pasta to the saute pan (which should have a flame going) along with the parsley and mix well (at this point either add a bit more olive oil or some of the pasta water, I usually do both).  Use kitchen tongues to work or mix te pasta in the saute pan. 

Finally, add the cheese and mix one more time.  Plate the pasta and add a little bit more cheese (oh, try and grate the cheese fresh as it will make a big difference in flavor, it's the same principle with grinding coffee beans before brewing).  The dish is simple and brings back fond memories of Nonna Rosa.

The Jackson Hole Diner opened its doors (New York City) in 1972; more recently the diner opened a New Jersey location in Englewood.  The diner is famous for its 7 oz burgers, but I'm personally drawn to their "Bronco" Chicken sandwich with melted blue cheese, bacon, lettuce, and tomato.  The sandwich roll is toasted and buttered, but I think the real secret is the 24-hour marinated chicken breast (the owner told me the marinade is a secret, however he then proceeded to say the chicken is marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, and steak sauce!).

If you're in NJ or NYC any time soon, go and have a burger or, better yet, a chicken sandwich.