This is based on a very traditional recipe which I, too, have been using for years. The addition of jalapeno and cayenne can make this too hot for some tastes but either one or both can be reduced or left out. The only change I would make is to increase the vinegar to oil ratio. By the way, this keeps very well, and only improves in the next few days.

Reviewed On: Jul. 30, 2009

Unless I did something wrong, I found this quite uninteresting. There didn't seem to be enough of the rub for the amount of fish on the recipe(each tilapia fillet weighs about 8 oz.). I added a little more oil to make it more spreadable, but I still thought it over- powered the sweetness of the fish. What did help, however, was adding a squeeze of lime at the end to balance it all out.

Reviewed On: Jul. 30, 2009

One of the best tomato "gravies" I've had in a long time. It was very close to my mother's, which I had been trying to duplicate. Following suggestions of others, however, I added Italian sausage (1/2 plain and 1/2 hot) and reduced the pepperoni. The pepperoni didn't add much and I will omit it next time. I also will increase the pasta, but won't bother with the macaroni. I cooked the sausage first, removed it, then added the vegetables, then the tomatoes, and returned the sausage. I didn't find it difficult. While the sauce was cooking, I did other things, and while the "cavatini" was baking, I set the table and prepared the rest of the meal. The sauce can easily be prepared ahead of time, and would also be delicious on other cooked pastas.

Reviewed On: Jul. 15, 2009