Marinara Sauce
Marinara is derived from the Italian word for sailor, marinaro.  This was the traditional sauce made by the housewives in Napoli for the sailors when they returned home from the sea.  Both Pèpe and Joey Pants’ families were originally from Napoli and this sauce is closest to their hearts.  Marinara sauce is also perfect as a base for creating all the classic Italian recipes…buon appetito!

Arrabbiata
Arrabbiata in Italian dialect means angry or enraged, but translates in English to hot and spicy.  Our spicy Arrabbiata sauce is perfect on a cold winters day served over penne.  Pepe’s mom used this sauce to create Lobster Fra Diavolo: sauté garlic in olive oil, add fresh lobster, deglaze with white wine, then simmer about 10 minutes and serve over spaghetti…mamma mia!

Vodka Sauce
Legend has it that Jackie O. ordered this dish whenever she visited Italian restaurants in America and in Europe, making it all the rage in fashion-conscious circles by the mid 70’s. Pepe’s version is to poach large prawns in the heated vodka sauce, then serve over penne and garnish with crispy chopped pancetta creating his famous Pink Vodka Sauce alla “Jackie O”… fuggetaboutit!

Tomato-Basil
In the old days when Hoboken was mostly Italian, it seemed that every family had a basil plant and cherry tomatoes growing in the backyard, on the windowsill or even on the fire escape.  For quick meals, they simply picked a little of each, sautéed them briefly and tossed in fresh cooked pasta and grated parmigiana. In our house, this is what we called “Italian fast food”…perfetto!

Garlic-Basil

Garlic, also known as “Italian perfume”, is a way of life in Italy and certain parts of New Jersey.  Folklore holds that garlic contains positive medicinal properties, will ward off the “malocchio” (the evil eye), and even has aphrodisiacal powers.  When Joey is on a health kick, he uses whole wheat pasta and adds sautéed veggies to make this sauce even more nutritional…alla salute!