Take a peek inside Lou Palma's garage and check out his custom built smoker.
This Easter Lou will be smoking Alaskan Salmon and turkey.
Ah' Pizz Expands
Last summer, Hot From The Kettle visited Ah'Pizz, home of one of New Jersey's best Neopolitan Pizzas, to learn the secret to their Pizza Vera.
We are pleased to report that Ah'Pizz has recently expanded, adding an additional room for private parties, and a mozzarella bar.
Ah'Pizz is among the few Montclair restaurants to have expanded during a period marked by closings and empty storefronts. I asked owner of Ah'Pizz, Michael LaMorte, how that feels:
It’s a wonderful feeling. When I'm here, I go up to every table, and I’ve never had a complaint. We’re all about quality. It's a passion, not just a business - we really love it.
Blind Tasting Video!
Gary Fisch, owner of Gary's Wine & Marketplace in Wayne, and manager, Brian Maxwell, accepted Hot From The Kettle's crazy blind tasting challenge.
Watch the video to see if the wine professionals emerged victorious.
Eat A Burger - It's good for the community
Elevation Burger, 367 Bloomfield Ave, Montclair, will also be supporting the event by donating 10% of their dinner sales revenue from Monday, April 18 between 5 - 9 pm.
This June, just days after high schools close for the summer, St. John's Episcopal Church of Montclair will send 13 local teens packing to New Orleans on a mission of social outreach. The teens, mostly from Montclair, Glen Ridge high school will be working with hammers, nails, sheetrock and paint to transform an uninhabitable structure into someone's home.Parents are paying airfares, St. John's parish will purchase building materials, and the Episcopal Diocese will provide group accommodations. The group will be fundraising for remaining expenses.
Italian Easter Pies at The Pie Store
Erin Brennan Easter has a rich culinary tradition beyond the ubiquitous lamb cake, chocolate bunnies, and Cadbury Eggs.
I grew up in something akin to an Italian compound. I lived with my grandparents on what was former farmland that belonged to my great grandfather. Each time one of his six children got married, a piece of land was subdivided and a home was built on that parcel. By the time I arrived, two generations later, the family community was well established, and I grew up surrounded, literally, by family.
During the holidays, like Palm Sunday and Easter, specialty foods from different aunts and uncles were always appearing. By Palm Sunday, our kitchen counter was inundated with Easter Breads and Easter Pies.
There were several varieties of Easter Pies, and each Aunt seemed to have her own specialty. My favorite was my grandmother’s Ricotta Pie. But Grandma’s favorite Easter Pie was Aunt Betty’s Wheat Pie. Then, there was another pork filled pie that was definitely not dessert and was only eaten on Holy Saturday, after 12:00 p.m. It was called the Meat Pie.
Italian Spinach and Escarole Pie
This is a very old hand written recipe I salvaged from my grandparents. There's some difficulty deciphering the language due to faded ink. But it's definitely worth a try.
If anyone has a picture of an Italian Spinach and Escarole Pie, please send it over. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 large head of Escarole
2 pkgs. frozen chopped spinach
1 can large black pitted olives cut into pieces
4 scallions