Posted on

Fall Fests

Fall has officially begun! We are getting into the fall spirit and want you to join us. This year, we are excited to have Fall Fests at every store. The events will go from 10am to 3pm with a lot to see, do, and eat!

The main attraction is pumpkins! One of my favorite parts of fall is pumpkin carving, especially because my family has a unique way to carve pumpkins. We will have a plethora of pumpkins to choose from at our Fall Fests– big or small, round or not, long stem or short stem– there are so many to choose from. In addition to pumpkins, we’ll have plenty of other things you need to decorate your home for fall like barrels of hay and corn stalks.

With fall comes the craving for specific foods. We will have some of our famous Caputo’s items to eat. Bratwurst, hot dogs, our famous chili, and more. Of course, can’t forget dessert. We’ll have elephant ears, cinnamon doughnuts, gourmet caramel apples, cider, pies, and more. 

We will also have some exciting activities. Each event will have a face painter and balloon artist. There will also be fun characters (like Mickey Mouse!), pumpkin painting, coloring, and tons of photo opportunities!

Bring your family and get in the fall spirit with us!

From Our Family To Yours

 

 

*The face painters, balloon artists, and characters will be at the events for a limited time, message us for details*

Posted on

Game Day Essentials

Football season is underway! This means Sundays (and Mondays and Thursdays) are spent in front of the TV with friends, family, and food! While you can’t always count on a win from your favorite team, you can be sure that Caputo’s is here to cover all your food needs.

Here are the top 5 items you need at your tailgates and watch parties.

Chips and Guac

The sign of any good party is a good chip setup. Our homemade dips are the key. Our guacamole is made fresh daily in house using high quality ingredients. In spicy or mild, you can satisfy all the cravings of your guests. Eb which is why our homemade tortilla chips are the best pair. Try our homemade tortilla chips. Made fresh each day using our tortilla machine imported from Mexico, they are crispy, fresh, and delicious!  

Potato Salad

Another good appetizer is potato salad. You can find many different potato salads in our deli section. Grandma’s grandpa’s, with mustard, baked potato, and more! These are all easy items to scoop into a bowl and let people enjoy!

Sub sandwiches 

Sandwiches and deli meats are a staple during game days. Our 3ft sub sandwiches are a great option for this. They come in Italian and American versions and are great for sharing. The American sub sandwich contains oven roasted turkey, polish ham, hard salami, and American cheese on a french baguette. The Italian sub sandwich contains Volpi genoa salami, mortadella, mild capicola, and provolone on a french baguette. They are easy to cut and serve!

Burgers and Sausage

For the main event, grilling! Burgers and sausage are a must on any grilling occasion. Our sausage is made in-house daily using recipes that have been tweaked and perfected throughout the years. If you want Polish sausage, Italian sausage, Barese sausage, and more. Our famous sausages are juicy and full of high quality ingredients which make it truly unparalleled to any other sausage. Burgers are a classic. If you’re tired of plain burgers and want something a little different, try our stuffed burgers. In three different varieties, our stuffed burgers are filled with the best ingredients. Pre-filled, all you have to do is grill it! The result is a great burger with everything you need inside!

Brownies and Cookies

Can’t forget the dessert! Our homemade cookies and brownies are the way to go. Easy to eat and in different varieties, they will satisfy your sweet tooth. Our brownies are rich in flavor and decadent. If you want to take it one step further, warm up the brownie and add a scoop of ice cream, it will not disappoint. We also have many different kinds of cookies. Butter cookies, almond cookies, or our pre-packaged cookies are easy to serve! Our bagged cookies are available in chocolate chip, m&m, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, and sugar– so some for everyone!

Happy football season and happy eating!

From Our Family To Yours

Posted on

Friselle: What it is and what to do with it

Whether you’re looking for an appetizer, a snack or even lunch, this hard italian bread is a solution to all. Native to the Puglia region of Italy, friselle is a twice baked piece of dough in the shape of a ring.

Because friselle is a plain bread, you have a lot of freedom to add different toppings that you love and make it fit whatever you’re craving! This bagel shaped food is baked multiple times to make it crunchy. Because it is not soft, so it is always a good idea to soak it– with with water or olive oil- to soften it up and make it easier to eat!

Here are some of our favorite ways to enjoy friselle, either as a meal or as an appetizer to share!

 

Oil & Vinegar

One way to eat it is a simple dressing!

Toppings you need:

  • olive oil
  • balsamic vinegar
  • salt
  • pepper
  • oregano

Start by adding a little water to soften the friselle. Once the water is absorbed, add vinegar and oil. Then season it with salt, pepper, and oregano to your liking.  The balsamic vinegar adds a nice flavor that awakens the plain friselle. This is even good to use as an appetizer because of its simplicity.

Tomatoes

This version is a twist on bruschetta.

Toppings you need:

  • cherry tomatoes
  • olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper

Start with putting olive oil on the friselle. While the olive oil is absorbing, wash the cherry tomatoes and slice them. I like to cut them in half slices to make them flat and easy to eat. Douse the cut tomatoes in olive oil and put them on the friselle. Then add salt and oregano and top it with some fresh basil!

Avocado and Ricotta

I like to think of this as an Italian avocado toast!

Toppings you need:

  • olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper
  • avocado
  • ricotta (or any cheese you prefer)

Again, you’re going to start by putting a light layer of olive oil on the friselle to soften it. Then cut your avocado. You can cut it in slices or even mash it. Take your ricotta and spread a layer on the friselle. Then add another small amount of oil and top with salt and pepper! Another great cheese for this version is mozzarella or our homemade bocconcini! 

Stracciatella and Tomatoes 

Toppings you need:

  • olive oil
  • salt
  • oregano
  • tomatoes
  • stracciatella 

After drizzling your layer of olive oil to soften the friselle, add a layer of stracciatella. You may know stracciatella as the inside of burrata– a creamy and smooth cheese. When you cut the tomatoes on top and add a little bit of salt and oregano, you get a wonderful mix of flavors that will make your tastebuds do a happy dance! While containers of stracciatella are not always available, you can get your stracciatella fix by buying burrata cheese and scooping the inside!

Another good and clean tip is to use spray olive oil! It comes in a can and when you push it, the oil comes out. It allows for precise and controlled sprays which is great for foods like this!

There are so many fun ways to eat friselle and so many different things you can add to it! Do you like to eat it a different way? Let us know down below in the comments!

From Our Family To Yours

Posted on

Keeping Traditions Alive

 As a family owned and operated business, we are committed to helping you and your family keep traditions alive and teach younger generations. Whether meals, rituals, stories, amongst other things; we know how important traditions are. Two important Italian traditions are canning tomatoes and making wine!

The tradition of canning tomatoes can date back to the 1700s when people began putting their summer produce in jars as a way to preserve them and stock up for the winter. Since then, canning tomatoes has transformed into a yearly family get together. In late August, we truck in loads of locally grown, vine ripened tomatoes. Vine ripened is a key part of our tomatoes because some tomatoes are picked green and ripened through different processes. Our tomatoes are ripened fully on the vine, then picked. In doing this, they maintain the natural sugars crucial to making delicious sauce. In addition to the tomatoes by the bushel, we also sell jars and tools to aid in making the process easier. You don’t want to dirty your clothes, so pick up an “I Love shopping at Caputo’s Apron” to make it a clean process too   

Another important tradition amongst Italian-American families is wine making! The wine making tradition is an involved process that requires hard work and patience. We bring in a wide variety of wine grapes and juice every year for this custom. The juice comes from Italy and the grapes come from a grower in California. The grower has a specific process too when it comes to picking grapes. Our grower made the decision to leave the grapes on the vine to allow the sugar to continue to develop in the fruit. The sugar in the fruit is vital to the alcohol content that will be found in your homemade wine. We have tons of supplies for your wine making get togethers. From corks to bottles to pressers, we have the crucial tools you need to get your wine making process underway. We sell wine grapes out of our warehouse located in Carol Stream and out of our Elmwood Park store. Wine grapes will be available within the next few weeks!

Let us know how Caputo’s is involved in your family traditions. Comment down below with some of your family traditions or email us at events@caputomarkets.com with pictures and stories!

 

From Our Family To Yours