Still Celebrating!

Santa was very very good to us yesterday... he brought London and Maddie a Wii, and Wii Fit Plus for Roxy...should be a big help getting started on my New Year's resolutions.

On the day after Christmas, we're working on a jigsaw puzzle in front of a roaring fire, and Rex will be out shopping for our second big Christmas celebration tomorrow, when we'll have 15 for a crown roast of pork from Perrotti's butcher in Far Hills, NJ.

Nice Weather Forecast for This Weekend's Far Hills Race Meeting October 18, 2008, to Benefit Somerset Medical Center

I was on the phone earlier today with my favorite butcher, Mario Perrotti at M&M Perrotti's over in Far Hills, NJ, and he reminded me that (1) his Friday and Saturday are going to be absolutely crazy getting ready for the Far Hills Race Meeting to benefit Somerset Medical Center and (2) I've got to get out and buy our tickets!

I've only been to "the Hunt" once... in October 2007, when the sun was shining, the horses were running, the beer was flowing, the kids were playing in the mud, and I'll hope the weather repeats this year on Saturday, October 18th. The weekend weather for Far Hills, New Jersey, promises more clouds than sun, with highs in the upper 50s. I guess I'd better get that sweater out....or maybe a rugby shirt.

More than 50,000 spectators converge each Fall on the rolling hills of Moorland Farms in Far Hills, New Jersey, for the Garden State's biggest social event of the season -- The Far Hills Race Meeting. This year's race -- on Saturday, October 18, 2008 -- will mark the 88th running, and the Far Hills Race features some of the finest steeplechasers in the world competing against a backdrop of autumn splendor in the Somerset Hills (and the Greater Roxiticus Valley). I sure hope I can wangle an invitation from our good friends with the perfect parking spot.

Tickets are now on sale online (ONLY in bundles of 10 general admission tickets for $500) and in many local stores.

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Rex's Recipes: Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb, with a Little Help from Perrotti's Butcher in Far Hills, New Jersey

Way back when Rex and I were first living together in NYC's West Village, we would occasionally attend a "celebrity chef" cooking class at Macy's DeGustibus program. Rex paid close attention to the recipes and preparation, while I enjoyed one delicious meal after the next. On one such occasion, we had the good fortune of cooking with Patrick O'Connell, the chef and proprietor of the Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Virginia, and taking home one of my all-time favorite recipes: Pistachio Crusted Grilled Baby Lamb Chop with Carrot Ginger Essence.

This past Saturday, as part of our weekend-long celebration of our tenth anniversary, Rex decided to prepare a rack of lamb for our Bay Head neighbors, Jango and Dorothy Parker, who provided the wine (including an amazing 30 year old cabernet) for our festive evening. After a perfect anniversary dinner at the Bernards Inn in Bernardsville, NJ on Friday night, we started our Saturday in the Roxiticus Valley. Rex usually gets his racks of lamb from Louie at the Chester Meat Market, but since we were travelling through Far Hills to get to the beach, I reminded him to give Perrotti's a try.

So I'm going to start with Patrick O'Connell's "incredibly sophisticated" recipe (Rex's notes on the recipe from 1996), and take you through step-by-step, along with lots of photos, how Rex applied it to a beautiful rack of lamb from Perrotti's Butcher Shop in Far Hills, New Jersey.

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Roxy's New Best Friends: Mario and Michael at M&M Perrotti's Butcher Shop and Prepared Foods in Far Hills, New Jersey

Today started out as a bad day, but Mario and Michael Perrotti of M&M Perrotti's Butcher Shop in Far Hills, NJ, have turned that frown upside down with a couple of 2-inch-thick ribeye steaks that Rex grilled for dinner tonight.

This morning, Maddie and London and I were cruising along Peapack Road with the top down, Springsteen on the tape deck singin' Born to Run, and we're all singin' along on our way to Annie's Playhouse Summer Stars camp at the Presbyterian Church in Bernardsville, when one of Far Hills' finest pulled me over by the train station and gave me a ticket...Roxy's Red Convertible was 14 days out of registration. I won't bore you with the details of how horrible The Perpetrator felt all morning, but $46.50 online registration, $54 ticket, unpleasant negotiations with a potential new client, and seven hours later, Roxy's Red Convertible was on the way back down the road to pick up the girls at Annie's in that little shopping center by the Far Hills Post Office. And that's when things started to look up.

When Perrotti's Butcher Shop first opened back in the Spring, I announced it here at Roxiticus Desperate Housewives, but since we do our grocery shopping at Shop Rite in Chester, NJ, we've always counted on Louie at the Chester Meat Market. Anyway, Rex and I have been meaning to give Perrotti's a chance, and today was the day. As he headed in to our office in NYC for a business lunch, Rex asked me to pick up a couple of ribeyes for dinner. Rex likes them extra thick, about two inches, and Mario, one of the butcher-brother owners, offered to cut them fresh for me.

While Mario was cutting the meat, I took a few pictures of the prepared foods and the meats in the refrigerator case, and we got to talking about Perrotti's Butcher Shop, and how I don't cook. More good news! In addition to all the steaks and chops and sausage and Bell & Evans chicken, Perrotti's has an amazing selection of prepared foods, including:

Carne:

• Chicken cutlets, fully cooked (breaded or grilled): $8.99/pound
• Veal cutlets, fully cooked (breaded): $16.99/pound
• Stuffed pork chops (pan seared): $5.99/pound
• Breaded pork chops (pan seared): $4.99/pound
• Stuffed peppers: $3.99/pound
• Chicken parmigiana (16 oz): $10.99
• Chicken romano (14 oz): $10.99
• Chicken marsala (16 oz): $10.99
• Veal marsala (14 oz): $16.99
• Sausage & peppers (1 3/4 lbs*): $8.99
• Sausage 'n' sauce (16 oz*): $6.99
• Meatballs (16 oz): $7.99
• Pork loin 'n' gravy (16 oz*): $8.99
• Meatloaf 'n' gravy (16 oz*): $8.99
• Stuffed cabbage (2 lbs*): $9.99

* All weights before sauces and cheese *

Verdura:

• Eggplant parmigiana (24 oz): $7.99
• Eggplant rollatinni (24 oz): $7.99
• Potatoes oreganato (24 oz): $6.99
• Potatoes & vinegar peppers (24 oz): $6.99
• Green beans (16 oz): $4.99
• Broccoli rabe (16 oz): $7.99
• Sauteed spinach (32 oz): $6.99
• Glazed carrots (12 oz): $4.99

Pasta:

• Lasagna (32 0z) -- cheese, meat, spinach: $10.99
• Stuffed shells (24 oz): $7.99
• Baked ziti (24 oz): $6.99
• Rigatoni bolognese (1 3/4 pounds): $8.99
• Fettucini alfredo (24 oz): $6.99
• Cavetelli & broccoli (24 oz): $6.99
• Manicotti (24 oz): $7.99
• Pierogies: $6.99
• Cheese ravioli (14 oz): $4.49
• Spinach ravioli (14 oz): $5.49
• Meat ravioli (13 oz): $5.49
• Stuffed rigatoni (1 pound): $4.49

Salsa & Minestra:

• Marinara sauce: $5.99/quart or $2.99/pint
• Vodka sauce: $5.99/quart or $2.99/pint
• Spaghetti sauce: $5.99/quart or $2.99/pint
• Meat sauce: $5.99/quart or $2.99/pint
• Pea soup: $6.99/quart or $3.50/pint
• Pasta e fagoli: $6.99/quart or $3.50/pint
• Chicken orzo: $6.99/quart or $3.50/pint
• Beef stew: $10.99/quart or $5.50/pint
• Beef barley: $8.99/quart or $4.50/pint
• Meat chili: $9.99/quart or $4.99/pint

Now I've got to say, bringing any or all of Perrotti's Prepared Foods home, transferring them to a plate or pot, and passing off each tasty dish as my own family recipe is certainly not something Bree would do, but you can bet your Emeril Lagasse Non-Stick All-Clad Saute Pan it is something Roxy would do!

As I was paying for the ribeyes (reasonably priced at $10.99/pound for a total of $32.20 for the two huge steaks), Mario insisted that I take home a free 24 oz sample of his Eggplant Parmigiana, which he promises will be "the best you've ever had." Tomorrow, I'm taking Mario's Eggplant Parmigiana as my contribution to a swim play date and dinner at Susan and Mike's house for a "bake off" against Colonial Pantry in Mendham.

I took all my goodies, left the butcher shop, and crossed the parking lot to pick up London and Maddie at Annie's Playhouse. The girls sang "Love Potion Number Nine" (complete with dance moves) and climbed into the back of the convertible while I told them we had to make a trip to Shop Rite in Bernardsville to pick up baking potatoes because Officer Krupke had foiled my morning shopping trip. Something made me turn around and stick my head in the door of Perrotti's to ask Mario, "You don't know where I can get a baked potato around here, do you?" With a big grin, he said, "Right here," and gave me three of the biggest baking potatoes I've ever seen to be turned into Rex's signature Perfect Baked Potatoes for the girls. Time to head home, singin':

I took my troubles down to Madame Rue
You know that gypsy with the gold-capped tooth
She's got a pad down on Thirty-Fourth and Vine
Sellin' little bottles of Love Potion Number Nine

I told her that I was a flop with chics
I've been this way since 1956
She looked at my palm and she made a magic sign
She said "What you need is Love Potion Number Nine"

She bent down and turned around and gave me a wink
She said "I'm gonna make it up right here in the sink"
It smelled like turpentine, it looked like Indian ink
I held my nose, I closed my eyes, I took a drink

I didn't know if it was day or night
I started kissin' everything in sight
But when I kissed a cop down on Thirty-Fourth and Vine
He broke my little bottle of Love Potion Number Nine

Last but not least, here's a photo of the finished product after Rex worked his magic on the grill, along with Rex's signature Perfect Baked Potato.

Rex is sending me back to Perrotti's tomorrow, with the message that the two-inch ribeyes "charred up" beautifully, and the tender, buttery flavor and texture were extraordinary.

We'll be back!

Naturally, I know where to find Perrotti's when I get a hankering...for the rest of you, I just realized I almost forgot some key information:

M&M Perrotti's is located in the Far Hills Center, next to Country Curtains (in the sadly missed Romo Books location), 27 Route 202 South. Phone: (908) 306-8806.

Hours are Monday-Wednesday & Friday from 9:00am to 6:00pm, Thursday from 9:00am to 7:00pm, Saturday from 8:00am to 4:00pm, closed Sunday.

New Butcher Shop Opens in Far Hills, NJ

September 2008 update: Rex and I have since visited Perrotti's several times and I've posted about it at length, but Google keeps linking to this outdated post. Please click here for a complete review.


Since we haven't tried Perrotti's Butcher Shop and Prepared Foods in Far Hills, NJ, we cannot yet offer our Roxiticus Desperate Housekeeping Seal of Approval. However, we did want to let our readers know that there's a new butcher shop in Far Hills, NJ. M&M Perrotti's is located in the Far Hills Center, next to Country Curtains (probably in the sadly missed Romo Books location), 27 Route 202 South. Phone: (908) 306-8806.

Hours are Monday-Wednesday & Friday from 9:00am to 6:00pm, Thursday from 9:00am to 7:00pm, Saturday from 8:00am to 4:00pm, closed Sunday. In order for Perrotti's to be valuable to Rex and me, they'll need to stay open until at least 6:30pm on weeknights so we can stop by on our way home from NYC.