COOKING FOR MY FAMILY
From Catherine Pasculli's Hoboken Kitchen

From Catherine Pasculli's Hoboken Kitchen

PHOTOS

A Family Tradition Since 1913

Photo dated 1929

The home of Baseball, Frank Sinatra, & Fiore's World Famous Mozzarella. From the beginning in 1913, Fiore's Deli offered the freshest food and quality service to a very demanding clientele, the newly-arrived Italian immigrants of Hoboken, New Jersey. Over the years, Fiore's Deli has maintained its reputation for being the standard by which all other Mozzarella is measured.

Remember this from the 1950's Hoboken and everywhere????

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The renowned Dutch violinist, conductor and composer, and his orchestra did a tribute to Frank Sinatra with “My Way” on his Stradivarius violin at Radio City Music Hall – New York.

Hope you enjoy this lovely and moving piece of music.

Good Bread: Marie's Bakery and Dom's Bakery in Hoboken

Hoboken's bread-baking tradition traces his lineage to one man, Leopoldo Policastro, who was born in the small town of Saviano near Naples. After learning the trade in Italy, Policastro immigrated to New York, married, and ended up working at a bakery called Marie's on 2nd Street. He eventually bought out the owner and introduced his line of loaves, including round peasant bread and focaccia with a simple tomato sauce topping. His main product was the "French" loaf, a fat and chewy white-flour baguette. Policastro-style bread remains the staple on Hoboken tables today.

Leopoldo Policastro told his daughter, "You always have bread and water." In other words, even in the toughest times, you always have bread to sustain you. Today, Renee Marie Policastro still runs Marie's from the original location. Unfortunately, Marie's lost its oven a few years ago (long story). However, most of Hoboken's bakers are linked by bonds of blood, marriage, and obligation, so Marie's uses the century-old ovens at Antique Bakery on Willow Street, whose owner learned the trade from Renee's father. She goes there every evening to oversee, because even though the ingredients--flour, water, salt, and yeast--are simple, the preparation has to be done with loving care.

Marie's bread might look like a baguette, but it's much denser, with a fragrant yeasty aroma. It's a perfect base for the other Hoboken staple, fresh mozzarella, locally known as "muzz." Frank Sinatra used to have loaves shipped out to him in Palm Springs. Over at Fiore's deli at 414 Adams Street, they make superlative mozzarella and roast beef heroes on Marie's bread.

Another version of Policastro bread is made at Dom's Bakery on Grand Street. Its owner, Dominic Castellitto, got into baking because he married another daughter of Leopoldo Policastro. Ask him what makes Hoboken bread so special, and he'll instantly answer, "It's the coal ovens and it's the water." Renee Policastro says that the water is hard, i.e. it has a relatively high mineral content, and it's consistent, always coming out of the pipes the same.

Dom bought his bakery 18 years ago, finding one with 120 year old, coal-fired ovens. His loaves are slightly lighter than Marie's, with a crackling crust and delicious, springy crumb. Dom's focaccia is also superlative, with the moist bread holding a savory smear of sauce made from canned tomatoes, oregano, olive oil, and salt. Long after the TV cameras have gone, Leopoldo Policastro's breads will survive.

Marie's Bakery

261 2nd Street, Hoboken NJ 07030 (map)
201-653-1948

Dom's Bakery

506 Grand Street, Hoboken NJ 07030 (map)
201-963-4281

Hoboken Markets

MEMORIES OF HOBOKEN MARKETS IN THE 1940'S

What I loved so much about growing up in Hoboken in the 1940’s were the local markets that were all in walking distance. Though manufacturing, shipbuilding and the docks remained very important in Hoboken, of greater importance were the local markets, street vendors, fish stores, butchers, etc. in our neighborhood. On one block of Willow Avenue between First and Second Street there was Johnny the Butcher, Tedesco's Fish Store, Apicella’s Fish Store, Ginger's Produce and Grocery, Ruthie's Luncheonette, Mamie's Hardware and Nick’s Candy Store where you could get penny candy. Now if you wanted a chicken, you had to walk around the corner to First Street between Willow Avenue and Clinton Street to "Nick's Chicken Store", where we had to pick a live chicken for dinner. Mom would send me to Nick's and say, "get a fat one". Don't ever ask me to do that again!!

We'd get our bread from "Marie's Bakery" also on First Street between Park Avenue and Willow Avenue and wonderful pastries and cakes from "DiBari's" on Second Street. Oh, and those wonderful Italian and German deli's. I can still smell the provolone from Fiore's and potato pancakes from Mueller's! Fresh vegetables and fruit came only from the street peddlers who would sing out the prices of the day.

One market I can't forget is Carlo's Bakery. On a February morning in 1988, the new love in my life, Ken Lawrence, was visiting my apartment in Hoboken and decided to get pastries for us before he left for his home in Connecticut. Upon his return from Carlos with a box of pastries, he sat the box down on the kitchen table and said "What do say, you want to get married and move to Connecticut????" I said yes and were married shortly after. So thank you Carlo's Bakery for your romantic inspiration!!!! Ken and I were married and have been for 24 years.

Here is a dish that Mom frequently made for us, and no doubt purchased the fish from Tedesco’s on Willow Avenue or Apicella’s Fish market on FirstStreet in Hoboken.

FISH BAKED IN TOMATOES, PEPPERS, & OLIVES

2 pounds of fresh cod or haddock fillet, cleaned and patted dry

5 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for pan

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon of “Spice Rub”

2 cups cherry tomatoes

1 onion sliced very thin, (or 1 fresh bulb of fennel, sliced very thin)

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

2 red roasted peppers, cut into quarters

1 cup of Kalamata olives

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Rinse the fish under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels and transfer to a large baking pan that has been basted with olive oil. Season both sides of the fish with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of spice rub.

In a large bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of oil with the tomatoes, (onion or fennel), wine, garlic, parsley, rosemary and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Arrange half of the tomato mixture under the fish, lay the fish on top, and arrange the remaining tomato mixture over the top.

Bake for 30 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices. Remove from the oven and add the Kalamata olives and roasted peppers, stir with juices, then place back in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and transfer the fillets onto a large serving platter and serve with the tomatoes, peppers and olive topping.

Serves 6

Spice Rub: (optional – this addition is mine)

1/4 cup fennel seeds
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons white peppercorns
3 tablespoons kosher salt

1 star anise pods

Toast fennel, coriander, peppercorns and star anise. Allow them to cool. Add salt to mixture. Grind toasted spice mixture to fine powder in a coffee grinder that is used only for spices. Store in a tightly sealed jar.

Madonna Dei Martiri: The woman behind the
Hoboken Italian Festival

Katie Colaneri/The Jersey JournalMadonna Dei Martiri

The Eighth Annual Hoboken Italian Festival is already underway in Sinatra Park, with two more days to go of live music, food, games and contests.

Amid the carnival atmosphere is the Madonna Dei Martiri, looking out of place in her medieval garb from within a white tent strung with lights. A long blue ribbon is draped over the arm of her Christ child where festival-goers have pinned bills in a currency foreign to her.

Yet, she is what the celebration is all about.

"It's everything for me," said Domenico Di Candia of Jersey City who was sitting sentinel by the statue on Thursday evening. "I was a sailor in Italy and this Madonna represents the sailors."

The Madonna Dei Martiri (Madonna of the Martyrs) is the patron saint of sailors and has had special significance to the port town of Molfetta, Italy for centuries.

In the 1100s, crusaders returning to Molfetta by boat from the Holy Land found an icon of the Madonna in the water. They brought it to the hospital where it became known as the Madonna of the Martyrs in honor of those who died there of their battle wounds as martyrs of their faith.

Eventually, the icon was erected as a statue, but no one seems to know quite when.

"That's why we're devoted and we grew up with this devotion and we carry it with us," said Alberto Albanese, a native of Molfetta.

Albanese and Di Candia are members of the Society Madonna Dei Martiri, a fraternity started by Molfettese immigrants who brought the feast to Hoboken from Italy in 1927.

Tomorrow afternoon, society members will hoist the 800-pound statue, made in Molfetta, on their shoulders and bear her through the streets of Hoboken from St. Francis church to a boat on the waterfront.

The Madonna will look down on the throngs holding her up, her painted, wooden face frozen in a soft smile.