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Ciambella and Focaccia and Pull Aparts; Oh My!

The smell of fresh bread just coming out of the oven is nothing short of heavenly. The fresh aroma mixed with the thought of eating warm bread that is soft on the inside with the perfect amount of crunch on outside is enough to make your mouth water. At Caputo’s, we have a selection of fresh baked La Bella Romana breads to satisfy any craving!

One of our unique breads is our ciambella bread! In Italian, “ciambella” is generally used to describe a ring shaped baked good and that is exactly what our homemade ciambella bread is! It is a round loaf of bread with no center, the donuts of bread! It is light and crunchy. Made from scratch daily, the ciambella is a great addition to any meal or the perfect snack. While it is delicious on its own, you can always add a little flavor. Our La Bella Romana bread dipping is the perfect pair. All you have to do is add the bread dipping to oil and dunk your bread!

A classic is our focaccia! Focaccia bread is a go-to. Focaccia is a flat bread that has a similar consistency to pizza dough. It can be prepared with many different toppings. The classic focaccia you are probably used to seeing is topped with olive oil, oregano, and tomatoes. The cool thing about focaccia is that it is very versatile. You can eat it alone, cut it up and put it in your bread basket during dinner, or even use it to make a sandwich. It comes in a variety of shapes and sizes including square, individual minis, and round! Who else wants a focaccia sandwich with mortadella and provolone for lunch tomorrow?

We are also bringing pull apart breads back! Our pull apart breads! Our pull apart breads are designed for sharing because of their unique style which make it easy to take pieces or cut the bread. We have different flavors of this bread and the style make it so you can get the different ingredients in one bite! This bread consists of fresh dough that is seasoned with herbs then left to rise before adding various combinations of ingredients.  One is made with Genova salami and provolone, then splashed with our extra virgin olive oil. Another type is for our spicy lovers! This one is made with sliced jalapeño and sharp cheddar. Our third type is our broccoli and cauliflower medley with cheddar cheese. The veggies are sautéed in extra virgin olive oil with fresh garlic, herbs, and spices. Once the breads are paired with their respective ingredients, chopped to achieve the unique shape, left to rise again, and placed into an oven until golden brown. This process creates a medley of melted cheeses and ingredients that will leave your mouth dancing from the combination of flavors! While they can be enjoyed cold, they’re best enjoyed warm! At home, all you have to do is pop it into your oven and reheat it for 10 to 15 minutes at 300-325 degrees until crispy! It will taste as good as it smells!

 

Stop by our bakery section to pick out the perfect bread to accompany your meal or just something to snack on!

From Our Family To Yours

 

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Caputo’s Faves Madness

The weather is warmer, basketball is always on TV, and bracket season has begun! We are always down for a little friendly competition, so we have developed a bracket of our own. Our first annual Caputo’s Faves Madness competition puts some of our signature and favorite items head to head and asks the real hard hitting questions, like eclairs or cannoli. Submit your brackets for a chance to win a Caputo’s gift card and apron!

It is very simple to enter. The first thing to do is fill out the bracket.  Brackets are very easy to fill out, all you have to do is look at the 2 items being matched up. You select which one you like better and move that onto the next round. For example, in the cannoli vs eclairs competition, I chose cannoli so I moved it to the next round. Then in the lobster tails vs cream puffs, I chose lobster tails and so that advanced. Now, I am forced to choose between cannoli and lobster tails (a very hard decision).

You continue to do that for every pair until you pick a winner.  You have a few different options for the way you choose to fill out your bracket. You can save the bracket as a PDF and fill it out on your computer or just type right on the bracket page. You can also screenshot it and fill it in with photo editing tools. Another way to fill it out is to print it out and fill it in by hand, then email it to us or turn it in at the service desk of your local store.

To figure out who the winners are, we are leaving it up to you! Every item in the competition is completely fan voted. Throughout the next weeks, we will feature the polls on various social media sites. Make sure you are following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter so you can cast your votes. The votes will be tallied and the winning items will be posted. The championship round will be on April 8th!

What happens if you win? You get a Caputo’s gift card and a Caputo’s apron! So fill out your bracket and join the madness!

Check out the official rules and scoring and get the bracket here!

From Our Family To Yours

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St. Joseph’s Day

  The feast of St. Joseph is right around the corner– March 19th is the day dedicated to St. Joseph! To celebrate, many people are known to feast together. Some people attend parties where friends and family come together to honor St. Joseph or San Giuseppe. You will probably notice many St. Joseph’s Day tables in your communities around this time as a tribute to him. The traditions vary, but most celebrations include a lot of food and– of course– Zeppole!

Italians usually celebrate St. Joseph’s Day with a big feast. The tradition of the feast dates back to the middle ages. Sicily was in the middle of a big drought. This drought was causing crops to dry up and left sicilians on the brink of famine. They prayed to St. Joseph to relieve them with rain and in return they would honor him with a real feast or a banquet. When the rain came a few days later, they honored him as they said he would.

The feast can include a wide variety of items or, according to Angelo, “a little bit of everything.” Some traditions include a main dish of Mafaldine di San Giuseppe. Mafaldine is a pasta cut with curly edges, almost resembling a ribbon. This pasta dish includes bread crumbs and anchovies. The breadcrumbs are believed to signify sawdust as a nod to St. Joseph for being a carpenter!

For dessert, zeppole! Zeppole are traditional donut like fritters that are coiled on top. They are stuffed with different fillings and topped with a dusting of powdered sugar. This is fitting because St. Joseph also happens to be the patron saint of pastry chefs! There are many different types of zeppole. Traditional zeppole are filled with cannoli or french cream. We have recently expanded the types of zeppole we have. We have created different versions of these delicious treats, some filled with chocolate, some filled nutella, and more! All of our bakery items are made from scratch with no preservatives! Stop by and pick up your zeppole and try out our new flavors to celebrate St. Joseph’s Day!

What are your go-to meals or traditions on St. Joseph’s day? Share them down below!

From Our Family To Yours

 

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Perfect Meals for the Meatless Days

This Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten Season. Lent is the 40 days leading up to Easter recognized in the Christian calendar. Those who partake in Lent may follow a number of different rules. One big occurrence during the season is the fasting from meat on Fridays. We’ve got all the perfect meatless options to make Friday meals easy and delicious!

Some common questions may come up when hearing this. One may be why meat was chosen as the food to refrain from. At the time, meat and land animals were commonly associated with parties and celebrations. Because Lent is considered a time to be in remembrance for the death of Jesus and is a time to lead a simple lifestyle, it is asked that Christian abstain from consuming meat on Fridays. The reason that Friday is the day is because it is believed that Jesus Christ suffered and died on a Friday. For this reason, Fridays are the day of fasting and remembrance in Lent.

While some people cut meat out for a little during these 40 days, there are many delicious meals you can enjoy! One go to is pizza and our Pizza Fridays are perfect for this! You can have a grab and go 16” thin crust, cheese pizza for only $6! The pizza can be enjoyed in store or taken to go. In our hot foods, we also offer pizza by the slice for an easy and quick meal. You can even pick up all the ingredients to make your own pizza and turn it into a fun event. 

Another option is pasta. Pasta is great because it can be prepared in a variety of different ways. There is a number of different cuts of pasta as well as different sauces that can make each pasta different than the next. A personal favorite is our Supreme Sauce. This is a unique, creamy sauce that is unlike anything you’ve tasted before. It is great for any pasta! We even have a number of different pasta dishes ready in our prepared foods section. Full pans to individual meals can make cooking easy for you! Our prepared foods are made all natural with no preservatives– just like you would at home, but with less of a mess!

Seafood is also a great option for meatless days! We offer a great assortment of fresh & frozen seafood, imported & domestic. Different fish are filled with omega 3 and vitamins that are great for you. Our extensive fish department will help you find just what you’re looking for. We even have pre-marinated fish which are delicious and hassle free! Fish can be eaten as meals or can be added to different dishes for great flavors– seafood risotto, pasta with clams, or just a simply grilled salmon are all great dishes with lots of flavor!

 

Stop in for all the perfect meal solutions for those meatless days!