Hot Grill is nothing short of amazing. I did not grow up eating Texas Weiners (I’m from the mythical land of Central Jersey and we were Galloping Hill Inn folk), but I started years back when my girlfriend started taking me there. And you’re right, it really is the mix of the fried dog, the sauce, and the toppings… Read more

I honestly had to stop myself from Golf-clapping at “impasta”. Well done, old sport.

I generally only use uncured bacon, and it tastes more neutral. Read more

we ate pasta fasule on fridays because catholics couldn’t eat meat on fridays. so our new jersey version was meatless. also the bean is interchangeable. i like the color of black beans these days. Read more

I grew up in a Sicilian neighborhood of western NY and pasta fagioli was pretty common there. I love using ditalini in soups and stews that require a starch, because I certainly can’t be arsed to make dumplings (I make bastardized goulash with ditalini), and cannellini was already a common protein source for the… Read more

I suspect that you may be right. Read more

Just enough to brighten things up a bit - and of course “mixed” should be “minced”... Read more

No anchovy? The recipe I use (which I love, but I’m no Italian) has a couple of anchovies mixed into a paste in with the oil - gives it a little bit of extra oomph! Read more

Eating vegans probably counts as eating meat. I mean, they still have a bigger carbon footprint than a lentil so a cannibal diet can’t be good for the environment, right? Read more

So many versions of this. This is the one I learned from my mother and make all the time because it’s the definition of easy. Read more

Man, growing up Italian and then finding a very non-Italian spouse really brought up just how many Italian terms we had for things that I’m 100% certain no one actually knew how to spell, so trying to track down vaguely forgotten recipes and foods was a real hassle. The evolution of Italian American food for me has… Read more

Having been an Irish kid who grew up surrounded by first- and second-generation Italians in NJ, I was really shocked when I went to Italy and found out that nobody actually talked like that. The waiters and waitresses kept saying ‘scusi?’ every time I tried to order something ‘Italian’. Read more

Cavatelli = pronounced “gahv-ah-deel” in Northern NJ. Read more

Ok, I’ve been making Pasta e fagioli for six or seven years now, and comparing your recipe to mine... Read more

She told me that her Dad was loaded,
I said “In that case I’ll have a rum and coca-cola.” Read more

Adding it as a must-stop next time I’m in Baltimore! Read more