John Holl - Dishing up New Jersey : 150 recipes from the Garden State

To the staff of the New Jersey Network News, especially John Williams, Judy Goetz, William Jobes, Dave Frick, and Jim Hooker. When I was 16, NJN gave me the opportunity to travel the state in search of news and the training to tell it properly. And to all the editors at The New York Times and The Star-Ledger who allowed me to cover the state I love, seeking out stories and eating well along the way. Im here today, professionally, because of them.

Theres a recording of Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, performed live at Madison Square Garden, where Bruce Springsteen introduces the E Street Band. He tells a tale about standing at the edge of a forest, knowing that on the other side success awaits him. He encounters a gypsy woman who tells him that what he needs is a band; he needs some help to get to where he wants to go. Writing a book is a lot like that to get to the end, you need some help. And thats why Im so glad to introduce you all to the following people.

My wife, April Darcy, of Edison, is the true writer and explorer in the family, and she is the most encouraging, supportive, and loving partner anyone could ask for. My parents, John and Carolyn, and my mother-in-law, Teresa, are the kind of role models everyone should be blessed with in life. The same is true for my siblings, Tom, Amanda and Todd, Bill and Valerie, and Dan.

My Aunt Dellsie has long been a source of encouragement and love, and has again and again generously donated her time and resources to my various writing projects. We used her house along the Musconetcong River to prep and photograph many of the recipes contained within.

Although no longer with us, my grandmothers Adel Holl and Helen Gibbons helped shape my relationship, appreciation, creativity, and experience with food. Their kitchens were very different, but both produced meals that I remember and cherish to this day.

Since I started working with Storey Publishing in 2011, Ive been pushing to write this book, and along the way there has been no greater cheerleader than Margaret Sutherland. Not only is she a very talented (and patient) editor, but she is a calming force and a great lover of food. Sarah Guare took over the editing reins from Margaret, with great care and skill. Nancy Ringer gave every line in this book the careful and wise eye of an experienced copy editor. Together, they made this book better. My thanks also to Deborah Balmuth, Dan Reynolds, Sarah Armour, Alee Moncy, Jeff Stiefel, and everyone else at Storey for their commitment to quality books, their talents, and their kindness toward writers.

I was privileged to work with Amy Roth, a true artist and food enthusiast. We traveled around the state together while she took many of the beautiful photographs contained in the following pages. Her stellar work brings these recipes to life throughout the book.

For the last several years Ive served as editor of All about Beer Magazine, and its just the best job Ive ever had. This is thanks to my colleagues Daniel Bradford, Chris Rice, Ken Weaver, Peter Johnstone, Jeff Quinn, Daniel Hartis, and Jon Page, a North Carolinian with a sometimes-acerbic and dry wit that often makes me believe he was born here in Jersey.

Thanks to Jenny Stephens and everyone at Sterling Lord Literalistic for wonderful guidance, support, and representation.

My thanks also to Allyson OBrien, Rob Hurff, Scott Miller, Vince Baglivo, Warren Bobrow, John Kelly, Chris Oney and the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce, Jennifer Guhl and the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce, Mark Allen, Kathy Simon, Jennifer Lea Cohan, Vicki Jakubovic, Daria and Theodore Romankow, Susan Belfer, Wolf Sterling, Paul Kermizian, Jackie Pappas and the Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce, John Cifelli, Jeremy Lees, Rich Eldert, Augie Carton, and Jeff Cioletti.

This book is largely a collection of recipes gathered from talented chefs, cooks, and restaurateurs from every county in the state. I am indebted to their kindness, generosity, and creativity. Their names are attached to their recipes, and I encourage you to visit them in person.

Finally, Ive become the clichd writer who takes the time to thank the dog. Long days at the computer and in the kitchen were helped by Pepper, our mutt rescued from a shelter in Sussex County seven years ago, who has become my shadow, my sounding board, and a great excuse to get outside and work off the extra pounds associated with writing a cookbook. Shes a good girl.

If America is a melting pot, New Jersey is its heat source. The barrel tapped at both ends has everything and every type flowing through it at a zooming pace.

Within five blocks of my brewery, in a small town that is both the best in the world and your regular ordinary Jersey berg with a shore vibe, you can choose between three local pizza places, each with a deli making better sandwiches than are available at most places in the known universe. You can also have exceptional Thai, a world-class bagel, two proper diner breakfasts, a respectable cheesesteak, and the best Southwestern cuisine Ive ever had. You can choose Memphis ribs or a Tuscan trattoria dinner, either aspirational or traditional pub fare. And the best croissant I have had on any continent can be found in this town any morning between 6:30 and whenever the bakery runs out. All of these representations are as good as any others to be had anywhere, as long as you know what you want and how to filter the options.

Sure, you can figure out New Jerseys culinary jumble for yourself, and doing so is well worth it. There is as much pleasure in a life that knows where the perfect Pork Roll (dont entertain the misguided notion that Taylor Ham is or ever was a thing; you want to end up on the right side of history, dont you?), Egg, and Cheese on a hard roll with SPK is to be found as there is in discovering which of an areas roadside farm stands has this Augusts best Beefsteak tomato.

Its a rewarding endeavor, to be sure, but it will require a thick skin and the acceptance of some shenanigans along the way. Locals know best, and to locals Jersey is like our mom: were the only ones allowed to pick on her. New Jersey isnt a small-talk kind of place; we are brash, candid, and proudly opinionated, which adds a wrinkle to finding your own way. The things we pick on the most are the most loved. Its a safe bet that the best place for you to eat in a Jersey town is the one the locals tell the most jokes about. Short of a willingness and determination to wade in these waters solo, the camaraderie of a fluent and fluid tour guide will be your best way.

There are thousands of Jerseyans with whom I would happily spend hours debating the merits of one shops sub roll over anothers, but few who I will blindly follow into their chosen deli, let alone a linen tablecloth restaurant. John Holl has spent his life, from adolescence, as one of the last true newsmen, wandering each corner of New Jersey getting to know our home state. Typically proud and atypically egalitarian, John will candidly discuss the merits of ingenious local fare in the most pragmatic way, looking for a truth to it regardless of whether it is a Sloppy Joe, Oysters Braten, or the best stop on the route from Jersey City to LBI on a summer Saturday. Here, John has assembled a spread of Jersey samples only a man with his pedestrian knowledge of how we live could do; enjoy it.