Living in Hoboken, NJ for three years, we came to love real Italian American cooking. We lived on the far west side of town (not that far since the whole of Hoboken is one square mile), which put us within easy walking distance of Leo's Grandevous. Named by Men's Journal as one of the best bars in America (agreed), the real star is the plain spoken Italian American food, heavy on marinara (gravy) and cheese. The meatballs there were perfection. I remember walking those blocks from our condo to Leo's several nights each week after our son was born. We needed carbs and comfort, and Leo's delivered every time.
Since moving away from Hoboken, we miss Leo's a lot. There are nights where I found myself in Hoboken after work (a great place to park when you're headed into NYC, with a quick trip on the PATH standing between you and Citarella on 9th for their lemon bars and cheap grey salt), and Karen has told me to swing by Leo's for a fix of Garlic Parm bread, oozing with provolone and a side of marinara.
When we can't get to Leo's, we make baked ziti, based upon a recipe from America's Test Kitchen. Tons of flavor. We add some spicy Italian sausage in at the beginning of the recipe, lightly browning it before we add the garlic. Then, we crank up the heat of the red pepper, eyeballing it between 1/2 - 1 teaspoon. Live dangerously.
Your weeknight meals just got happier.
Recipe | Skillet Baked Ziti