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6 La Bella Romana Must Tries

When walking around our store, you might notice a unique brand with a beautiful black and white image on it… that would be our private label, La Bella Romana! 

La Bella Romana translates to “The Beautiful Romana.” The name of our private label was created by Angelo Caputo as a way to honor his wife and our matriarch, Romana Caputo. The image on our label is Romana herself. The photo was taken by Angelo while they were honeymooning in Venice in the 1950s. 

The brand was created in 1984 and the first product was every Italian household’s staple item, canned tomatoes! The product line began to slowly grow as we imported more products proudly boasting the La Bella Romana name! The private label now includes bakery items, deli meats, catering and prepared foods, grocery products, and more. 

Here are 6 La Bella Romana Must Tries! 

Focaccia

Made in-house by our bakery team and available in different sizes and shapes, our tomato focaccia is one of our favorites! We make our own dough and use our own seasonings! Focaccia is great to eat on its own, as bread for a sandwich, and even as a burger bun!

Taralli

One of our favorite snacks is our La Bella Romana Taralli. They are imported from Italy and come in many different varieties! Rosemary and potatoes, olive oil, paprika, and many more. Taralli are a cracker like snack. They are great with cheese, wine, and more!

Pesto

La Bella Romana pesto is so versatile and authentic! It is great as a sauce, bread dip, and more! It is creamy and bold with flavor!

Giardiniera Relish

A Chicago classic and a great way add a little flavor to our meals with some of our hot or mild pepper mix. If you haven’t tried our giardiniera relish yet, we highly recommend it! This chopped up mix can take your dish to the next level. It is small enough to get a bit of giardiniera in every bite without it being overpowering!

Chocolate Covered Almonds 

Available in our bulk department La Bella Romana chocolate covered almonds are a great snack! You can pick either dark chocolate or milk chocolate.

Frozen Pasta 

Homemade pasta whenever you want it with La Bella Romana frozen pasta selections! All your favorites, whenever you want it! We love to stock up on these and keep them in our freezer for whenever we want an authentic pasta dish. Top with your favorite sauce and you have a quick and delicious meal! Ravioli, tortellini, rotolo, manicotti, and more! 

These and so many more are available in store! What are your favorite La Bella Romana products? Comment down below!

From Our Family To Yours

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Panettone Trifle

If you walk into an Italian house during Christmas, the odds that you’ll see a round, dome shaped bread is pretty high. That bread is panettone!

Panettone is a sweet bread like cake with an airy, soft inside that is usually enjoyed during major holidays like Christmas and Easter. Traditional panettone is made with dried fruits. Now, there are multiple different flavors and varieties of panettone to appeal to everyone- including some with chocolate. 

There are many different stories regarding the origin of panettone, some dating back to the 15th century. One story states that a nobleman fell in love with a baker’s daughter, so he disguised himself as a baker to win her over. When the nobleman was working as a baker, he invented this sweet bread and added citrus and fruit to it.

Another legend states that the chef for the Sforza family burned the bread for the big Christmas Eve feast. A man named Toni offered up some yeast he had been saving for Christmas day. They kneaded the yeast into the bread and added some zest and fruit. The bread was a huge hit and they called it “il pan di Toni.”

Another legend dates back to Milan in the 1500s. Bakers were allowed to bake a wheat bread for their customers as a gift of appreciation during the holidays. 

Just as there are numerous legends about Panettone, there are many ways to enjoy it. Some people toast it and have it with coffee, some make it into a french toast, and some just eat it as it is as a dessert. A new way to eat it created by Rossella Rago of Cooking with Nonna is to make a Panettone Trifle! The recipe is easy to follow and will help you wow your guests with fun twist on this traditional item. 

Here’s what you need: 

  • 1 large Panettone cut into chunks
  • 4 cups of my Easy Custard Cream cooled to room temp (Custard Recipe Below)
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups Marsala wine (you can use more or less depending on how strong you like it)
  • 1 1/2 cups crushed Savoiardi cookies
  • 4 cups raspberries
  • 3/4 cup chopped pistachios

For the full recipe head to Cooking with Nonna https://www.cookingwithnonna.com/italian-cuisine/panettone-trifle.html

From Our Family To Yours

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Giardiniera: How to Pronounce It and More

It can be somewhat entertaining to watch the unfamiliar trying to spell or pronounce the word giardiniera. Fortunately, it’s easier to say than to spell. Don’t look at the spelling of the word, just say it, nice and easy: jar-din-AIR-ah. Some Chicagoans will drop that last syllable, saying something more like jar-din-AIR. It’s the same thing and it’s delicious.

This is the go-to condiment for Chicagoland lovers of Italian beef, Italian sausage, and meatball sandwiches, to say nothing of Italian submarine sandwiches, pizza and more.  Loosely translated the word means “from the garden” in Italian. You will find giardiniera in stores all over Italy, but it won’t be the same thing you find here. According to a Chicago Tribune article, what they call giardiniera consists of larger chunks of pickled vegetables, usually packed in vinegar and better suited to serving on a platter than on a sandwich. The Chicago variety, by comparison, is intended to be used as a condiment or relish. And while the veggies are indeed pickled, they are most often packed in oil.

What kind of veggies?  The recipe can vary greatly from one brand to another, but frequently includes hot and/or mild peppers, celery, carrots, pitted green olives, and other vegetables (cauliflower, pimento, etc.) mixed with a spice blend and covered in a stable salad oil. Most hot versions include sliced or chopped “sport” peppers, a variety of small, medium-hot chiles that are often found whole on a Chicago-style hot dog—but that’s a story for another time. Most times when we order an Italian beef sandwich with “hot peppers,” at least around here, the sandwich is served with hot giardiniera.

Here’s a quick tip: If you are applying hot giardiniera to your own sandwich, you can somewhat control the heat by regulating how much oil you allow to go on your food. The oil captures the oil-like compound capsaicin from the hot peppers. You want a little more heat? Let the oil go on your sandwich along with the veggies. Less heat? Let the oil run off before putting the veggies on your food. It’s all relative, though. Don’t expect miracles.

Outside of Chicagoland, you might not find many choices of giardiniera from which to choose. We don’t have that dilemma here. Quite the opposite, in fact,. As evidence we invite you to step into the giardiniera aisle at any of our Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets locations. There you will find an array of brands and varieties broad enough to satisfy any giardiniera lover’s appetite and quite possibly overwhelm the faint of heart.

We’ll make it easy for you, though. Try our very own La Bella Romana brand of hot or mild giardiniera. Packed exclusively for us and available only from Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets, our giardiniera is very flavorful and also provides a crunchier texture than do many other shelf brands, which tend to be a little soft from processing. Whether you’re new to giardiniera or a seasoned pro, give La Bella Romana a try. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

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2018 Neighborhood Pioneer Award Presented to Angelo Caputo

Local entrepreneur and promoter Ron Onesti took some time out of his often-manic schedule last Saturday to recognize our own Angelo Caputo at Onesti’s Little Italy Fest-West in Addison, a four-day festival devoted to Chicagoland’s Italian-American culture and heritage. After bringing Angelo and his family up on stage, Ron presented the festival’s first-ever Neighborhood Pioneer Award in recognition of Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets‘ 60th year in business.

“When you define family business, this is definitely the epitome of family business,” Onesti proclaimed to the crowd gathered around the entertainment stage. “You walk into corporate headquarters, you’re greeted by granddaughters and grandsons, sons-in-law and it’s just a great family thing. It’s the essence of being Italian.” An assistant brought out the award, which Ron then presented to Angelo and his family amid cheers from the audience.

Ron Onesti has a long record as a staunch supporter of keeping the Italian-American culture strong.  Born on Taylor Street in Chicago’s Little Italy, he has spent many years supporting and representing numerous Italian-American causes and organizations. Through his company,  Onesti Entertainment Corporation, Ron has personally established multiple Italian-American festivals across the Chicago area.

When asked about the significance of this award, Ron responded, “This award has been established to recognize an individual who has come “from the neighborhood”, and that could be any neighborhood, and has risen to become a significant part of the economic fabric of the community. It is someone who has lived the American dream and has given back a hundredfold. The Angelo Caputo family epitomizes the very essence of what this award stands for.”

The award is now on display at Caputo’s corporate headquarters, where a number of Angelo’s family members work, just as Ron had described Saturday. Since Angelo’s retirement from full-time work, his daughter Antonella and son-in-law Robertino oversee the company, assisted by their sons and daughters in various capacities. As large as it has grown, Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets very much continues to be a family business and we, along with many others, gladly do not see that changing anytime soon.

The Angelo Caputo Family is grateful to Ron Onesti and his organization for this very special gesture of recognition.

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Percoca!


As we continue to enjoy the summer season here in Chicagoland, it’s time to talk about the annual arrival of a delightful summer fruit grown exclusively for Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets by an Italian family farm in California. Percoca peaches are an Italian specialty variety of clingstone peach prized for their flavor and aroma. Like most cling peaches, the Percoca’s flavor and consistency make it ideal for canning, processing, and cooking but are also quite delicious when eaten fresh. For over 30 years, we have been doing business with the family-owned DePalma Farms, who grows Percoca peaches exclusively for Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets.

These peaches have a flavorful yellow flesh which can be enjoyed in many ways, after removing the stone. One such way, popular in many parts of Italy, is to place chunks or slices of Percoca peaches into a container and cover them with white or red wine. After allowing this combination to mingle and chill for a while, it is customary to sip the wine and eat the wine-drenched peaches. There are entire festivals in Italy dedicated to this simple yet delicious treat.

Our Percoca peaches are only available for a limited time each year. Please stop in soon to get yours!

 

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Like Nonna Used to Make: Amaretti

So much of traditional Italian family life seems to revolve around the family table. Meals are more than just opportunities to take sustenance. They are family gatherings, opportunities to share news, knowledge, emotions and more. These gatherings—and the food served there—have long been an integral part of the Italian family experience.

The more momentous the gathering, the more interesting the food one might expect to see. This is not to say that the coffee and biscotti put out for family visitors on a Sunday afternoon won’t be great, but food offerings are often tailored to fit the occasion, from an ordinary weekday meal to a major holiday feast.

Desserts also tend to become more memorable for bigger occasions. After all the other courses have been consumed, as the coffee comes out, so do the sweets. And just when you think you couldn’t eat another bite, those tempting sights and aromas convince you otherwise.

Romana Caputo was known for her amaretti, delicious Italian almond cookies that come in several shapes and varieties. Straight from the oven, they have a crisp exterior and a chewy inside that becomes crunchy over time. For any significant family event—baptisms, first communions, special occasions, holidays, etc.—Nonna Romana would make her amaretti, which everybody looked forward to eating.

Were Romana’s cookies that good? Over the years, many friends and family members would come to her, asking her to help them make cookies for their special occasions. Romana Caputo did in fact help them, sometimes making hundreds of pounds of cookies in her small home kitchen.

The amaretti—along with biscotti and fig, lemon, and chocolate spice cookies, to name a few—that we bake from scratch and sell under the La Bella Romana label at Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets are still the same cookies that Romana Caputo used to prepare with so much love and pride. That’s why we do not hesitate to put her name on them. Please try some and see for yourself.

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A Perfected Family Tradition

You may be expecting us to say that the recipe for our famous homemade Italian sausage has gone unchanged for hundreds of years, but that would only be partially true. As has been the case in many Italian families, the original family recipes did not exist in written form but were handed down from one generation to the next in the kitchen. Young people learned the craft by observing and helping their parents, grandparents, and other relatives. This is why there are subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) variations between the same dishes as prepared by different members of the same family.

Of course when it comes to making Angelo’s Signature Italian Sausage for our customers, some of whom drive quite a few miles to get theirs, consistency becomes rather important. We couldn’t simply hope that the unwritten traditions handed down through the generations would translate to the same great tasting product day after day. Rather, we felt compelled to make it even better!

We begin with our old-world tradition of using hand-trimmed lean pork and mix in our private blend of aromatic spices and seasonings, developed expressly for this purpose. It has taken years of continually refining our art to reach this point and the result is a consistent sausage that’s bursting with flavor and will simply amaze your palate! We are confident you’ll enjoy our homemade Italian Sausage from the first bite! Get some on your grill today!