Recently in New Jersey Category

The year was 1997 and I was a college junior applying for a prestigious fellowship for first generation college students. The fellowship provided funds and a mentor to guide and prepare students for graduate work in the humanities and sciences. The fellowship had strict academic and social-economic requirements. On the socio-economic side, students were expected to be first generation college students, fall on the lower end of the income scale, and come from an ethic group that were/are underrepresented at US graduate programs.
When I got the call from the faculty advisor alerting me that I would not be selected for the summer fellowship program, my immediate reaction was rage. Not because I had been denied, but rather because I had been denied for not being from an appropriate "ethnic group"; at least the groups that were currently in fashion as being minorities in the US and in turn at Academic institutions. I pleaded my case with the advisor and asked, for example, how many of the students that had been selected spoke a second language or had been to the region/country that deemed them to be a minority, for example? The answers that came back were disheartening and I felt betrayed.

So, what has happened to the Italian-American in the 90+ years since DiDonato's seminal novel? Has the Italian-American remained truly unique with strong ties to what it means to live like an Italian? Or have the images of Sonny, Tony Soprano and the cast of Jersey Shore penetrated our media driven society so deeply that to be Italian in America is solely about being involved in crime, putting gel in one's dark colored hair, and consuming tomato sauce? What has happened to the attributes of the Italian American that were so pronounced and vivid in DiDonato's America yet so dull and mis-represented in our current epoch? In short, what has happened is as simple as unadulterated assimilation (some self induced and some pushed by the larger American society) of the negative kind that leaves the current Italian American in a state of watered down culture and misrepresentation (in short, a sort of sudo Italian-American).
Scordo Pasta Challenge - #151 Paone Tripolini w/ Braised Meat Tomato Sauce

(photo: Tripolini close up)

With high winds and rainy weather I become like a house cat looking for comfort and, as you've probably guessed it, my mind turns to the ultimate comfort food: pasta!
The pasta brand is Paone.
There are certain items or products that are immediately associated with a given country, for example: ice hockey and Canada, beer and Germany, haute cuisine and France, hot dogs and the USA, and vodka and Russia. As a first generation Italian-American kid growing up in New Jersey, I secretly associated Italy with just one magical product, and it wasn't Ferrari or Soccer (calcio), but rather salami! Yes, salami (or salumi, as the Italians would say), that seductive product comprised of salty / cured / spiced perfection!

(photo: I sliced up four different types of Columbus Artisan product for a Thanksgiving appetizer)
My love of salami started as a young child during summer vacations in Southern Italy, as I described in my recent Guide to Italian Cured Meats and I thought it was a short lived love affair until I rediscovered that there are, indeed, high quality salumi that are being hand crafted and sold in the US (one doesn't need to hop on an Alitalia flight to Rome to find pork perfection).
![IMG_4807[1]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2566/4139163864_96b08b030a.jpg)
(photo: I think the packaging on the Creminelli product is top notch!)
I'll begin by saying that the Creminelli packaging is top notch. Each individual sausage is hand wraped in fine butcher paper and held together by an elegant sticker with the Criminelli logo, name of the product, and ingredients. The passionate owner Christiano Creminelli understands that along with a great tasting product, a customer starts his or her food "user experience" with their eyes and hands. Christiano uses no sodium nitrates in his products and his salumi recipes originated in Italy and are now being duplicated, by hand, in the US (Christiano is a Maestro of Salumi!). The Creminelli products I sampled were naturally molded salumi and were soft to the touch out of the packaging. I would have preferred to have had the salami age for 1-2 months in my cellar before sampling the product so that more complex flavor could develop, but I couldn't wait (I tried the product after having the product sit in fridge for 4 days)!
(photo: Creminelli exterior)

(photo: starting from upper right clockwise: Creminelli Piccante, Sopressata, and Cacciatore)
Creminelli Sopressata
Sopressata is traditionally made with wine and garlic and Creminelli's sopressata was no different, yet the wine and garlic flavor was muted letting the intensity and quality of the pork come through. The meat to fat ratio was also ideal, which is tough to get right in Sopressata. I would have preffered a bit more garlic flavor in the Sopressata and little bit less upfront salt but overall it is a fine salumi. Creminelli Sopressata would work well in a sandwhich combined with other ingredients.

(Photo: Creminelli product)
Creminelli Picante
My favorite of the bunch and not overly spiced with red pepper. The salt content was perfect in the Picante and the combination of high quality pork with mild heat made me quite happy. The color of the Picante was also well done, it's not the typical fiery red color you see in most spiced salami.

(photo: Columbus Artisan Cacciatore)
Creminelli Cacciatore
The first thing that jumped out was the subtle juniper berry flavor in the Cacciatore! Moreover, the consistency and texture was typical old world, as was the physical size of the sausage itself (very small; afterall, tradition has it that hunter's stored the salami in their coats and when they got hungry in the forest they simply cut a few pieces and had a quick bite). Next to the Piccante, I really enjoyed the Cacciatore. There were some bitter components (at the very end) that may have been coming out of homemade wine I was having when sampling the salami, but overall you could tell that high quality ingredients were used in production. Finally, this salami also had a wonderful scent! This is a great all around salami to keep in the house for a quick meal on the weekend or for impromptu quests.

Next I moved on to the Columbus Artisan Collection salami which are produced in San Francisco and differ, to a large extent, from the mass production line of cured meats from the same company. Columbus does use sodium nitrates in their products and the salami did arrive pre-aged and hard to the touch. Like Creminelli, Columbus Artisan has a natural mold skin with all natural imported casings.

(photo: Columbus Artisan Finocchiona, my favorite amongst both the Creminelli and Columbus products)
Columbus Artisan Finocchiona
Let me qualify the following sentence first by saying that fennel seed was one of the key ingredients in my grandfather's salumi making arsenal and, as a result, I've been pre-programmed to respond positively to fennel flavor. And there's tons of authentic fennel seed flavor in the Finocchiona, in fact it was my favorite salumi out of the 9 products sampled. The Finocchiona had great texture, rich and flavorful pork, and the perfect balance of salt and bitter that is needed in any artisan salami.

(Photo: Along with the Creminelli cacciatore, the Columbus Artisan Salame Secchi would be an excellent overall choice for pre-dinner appetizers, small parties, and to enjoy with a glass of wine and good bread)
Columbus claims this is their oldest recipe and product and it shows. The Salami Secchi (meaning very dry) is the most subtle of the Columbus salami's I tried and I love the ratio of fat to pork. The salt and spice seasoning was also idle. This type of Salami is a good all round choice for keeping in the house at all times, while the Finocchiona, for example, would be something that you would consume a little less frequently (just because of the intensity of the fennel seed).

Columbus Cacciatore
My first thought when trying this cacciatore was, wow, this is kind of sweet tasting with lots of deep flavor. It was difficult to pick a winner between the Columbus and Cremenilli cacciatore, but Columbus had an advantage because the product seemed to have been pre-aged and, of course, the sodium nitrates help quicken the hardening process in the refrigerator. I think with more aging time, the Cremenilli would come out on top because of better ingredients (stay tuned!).

Where to Buy
One observation that many of my family members made about both artisan salamis was the price! At between $25 - $30 per pound for the Creminelli product and between $11 - $15 for the Columbus Artisan, the salamis aren't cheap and are on par with a product like Prosciutto di Parma (which is one of the few Italian cured pork product allowed to be imported into the US). Charging the same amount of money (or more) for a US salumi product is a big risk for hardcore Europeans customers who are particular about value.
I've always had romantic notions about living in the country. I've dreamed of waking up early and going for long walks and surveying the many acres on my "property" ; maybe encountering wild life and foraging for wild mushrooms (just like Mayle's book, "A Year in Provence"). I would certainly take refuge in the fact that I could not see another neighbor for miles and enjoy fresh country air entering a rustic, but chic, 19th century farmhouse (renovated with all the necessary modern conveniences, of course). Our country home would be near the sea as well, so I could enjoy the water at the beginning of each day.
As I see it, living in a suburban/urban area has many advantages and while I dream of the rural life enjoyed by my Italian family in Calabria, I could not spend the majority of my time in the country (at least at this stage of my life). Living in a suburban area allows me to:
I'll stick to the Burbs for now and aspire to short stints by the sea and the chic countryside.
Sustained physical activity makes your brain work more efficiently and actually improves neural performance.
2. Stress Killer
Does your work environment resemble a battlefield? If so, getting in a morning workout will help combat your super aggressive, Patton-like, boss.
3. Waistline Preserver
5. Better Sleep and, Yes, Sex!
6. Overall Health
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, here's my simple recipe
- 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)
- (OPTIONAL) 1 medium sized cucumber (with seeds and skin removed)
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!
Jackson Hole's Marinated Chicken Sandwich with Blue Cheese and Bacon
The Jackson Hole Diner opened its doors (
If you're in NJ or NYC any time soon, go and have a burger or, better yet, a chicken sandwich.





