John Holl, editor of All About Beer magazine, will bring his new cookbook, Dishing Up New Jersey, to the Beer, Bites and Books NJ Craft Beer Dinner at the Bernards Inn in Bernardsville on Thursday, June 2.
The new cookbook, says the Jersey City resident, “is my love letter to the state. I dare somebody to try to prove that there is a better food state out there than New Jersey.”
How can Holl, 36, be so sure?
As a teenage intern at NJN news television, he tagged along with reporters and camera crews “to all the great restaurants and holes-in-the-wall in all the cities in the state,” he says. He continued his culinary explorations after he graduated from Seton Hall University and covered New Jersey for the New York Times and Hunterdon County for the Star-Ledger.
The Holl truth and nothing but the truth?
“From Atlantic City and the Pine Barrens, up to High Point and around,” Holl attests, “my whole career has really been built around eating well while covering the news.”
The foreword to Dishing Up New Jersey, written by Augie Carton of Carton Brewing in Atlantic Highlands, opens with this bit of a boast: “If America is a melting pot, New Jersey is its heat source.”
In the book, Holl offers recipes from restaurants and home kitchens in every one of the state’s 21 counties. The book is illustrated with color photographs by Ringwood-based photographer Amy Roth.
Dishing Up New Jersey ranges from Holl’s mother-in-law’s Weeknight Tomato Sauce to chef/owner Marilyn Schlossbach’s Thai Fish Cakes from her Langosta Lounge in Asbury Park.
There’s a recipe for boardwalk-style funnel cake, as well as for Bernards Inn chef Corey Heyer’s Barnegat Inlet Scallops. That dish will be the first course served at the Beer, Bites and Books dinner at the Bernards Inn.
Tickets to the four-course dinner and pairing with New Jersey beers are $79 each; books are $19.99. Holl will also bring copies of his previous work, 2013’s The American Craft Beer Cookbook.
The menu and beer pairings will include:
BARNEGAT INLET SCALLOPS, charred corn, jalapeno, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, lime
Farmhouse Summer Ale from Flying Fish Brewing Co.
CAVATELLI, pheasant sausage, fennel, arugula, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon confit, basil
What the Butler Saw Wit (Wheat Beer) from Forgotten Boardwalk Brewing
HOUSE MADE BACON & PULLED BBQ CHICKEN, broccoli gratin, red onion marmalade, crispy skin, sweet & sour cabbage
Boat Beer (Pale Ale) from Carton Brewing
STRAWBERRIES, dark chocolate ganache, lemon gelato, mint
Iced Coffee Stout from Flounder Brewing
“Know the raw ingredients and know what you are tasting in the beer,” Holl says. “The worst thing that can happen if the pairing doesn’t quite work–well, you still have a really nice beer.”
You can buy a signed copy of Dishing Up New Jersey at the June 2 event. Also at the following:
May 28-Trenton Pork Roll Festival, Trenton
June 12-Clinton Farmers Market, Clinton
July 8- Cherry Grove Farm Dinner, Lawrence Township
July 9-Montclair Food and Wine Festival, Montclair
RECIPE:
Teresa Darcy’s Weeknight Tomato Sauce and Pasta
From Dishing Up New Jersey by John Holl
4-6 servings
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
15 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
5 large fresh basil leaves, minced
1 pound pasta
Directions:
- Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir until it becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the pepper flakes and stir for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper to taste, and stir. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the oregano and basil. Keep warm.
- While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and transfer to a serving bowl. Ladle two large scoops of sauce onto the pasta and mix well. Serve immediately, with additional sauce as desired.