Did 'Italia' About These Delicious Delis?

It may be hard to believe, but Italian food was once considered exotic to Americans.

The Andy Griffith Show dedicated an entire show to spaghetti dinners, featuring that exciting, mysterious new spice called oregano. (Not to mention all those romantic date nights eating pounded steak at Morellis. Barney's head would explode from the astounding variety of Italian restaurants to choose from on Main Street alone.)

Even now that pasta has been become commonplace and sauce now comes readily available in jars, I was surprised to find that Chicago-area grocery stores carry a far greater number of pasta and sauce choices than some other American cities.

When my husband's job temporarily took us to Austin, TX, for a few months in 2009, I was shocked to see only spaghetti and elbow macaroni available for purchase on the grocery store shelves, with only two or three brands of marinara appearing next to them. (Of course, the salsa selection was a different story.)

While we have an embarrassment of Italian food riches on our regular supermarket shelves, Downers Grove has an even wider, more diverse selection of items both imported and domestic available at not one, but two Italian food marts nearby. , 2230 Maple Ave., and Amici’s Italian Market, 1149 Fairview Ave., sell items both familiar and uncommon.

In addition to finding everything from tiny acini di pepe to giant conchiglioni and just about every every thickness of long pasta available, you’ll find balsamic vinegars and olive oils and canned tomatoes of every kind. There are also jars upon jars of peppers and assorted pickled items not found on 99 percent of grocery store shelves. Truthfully, I can’t identify many of them, and the labels are of no use to me. Amazingly, these gourmet items are often found at very un-snobby prices.

If you are pressed for time or not in the mood to cook, you can choose from a dizzying array of pre-made sauces or deli items. You’ll find some of these items to give you the biggest bang for your buck, especially when compared to supermarket prices. Again, you’ll also discover your options are far greater as well.

One example is homemade sausage. I’m saving this discussion for another day, however. Today, I want to talk about cheese—specifically, fresh mozzarella. Creamy, mild, floating in cloudy milkiness of their own making, these versatile, velvety balls of protein goodness can be found in different sizes suited for different uses. At this time of year, you’d be hard pressed to find a more perfect use for them than Caprese salad.

This sublime combination of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil with a sprinkling of balsamic vinegar has become a classic, and with good reason. It’s easy to throw together, all necessary ingredients are readily available at this time of year, and they seem made for each other.

As sacreligious as it may sound, I believe I may have improved on the traditional Caprese salad. Not necessarily in the flavor category, which is probably impossible, but I've made it both more easily portable for picnics or potlucks. Plus my creation could be used as either a side or a main dish. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Caprese Pasta Salad.

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried pasta shapes (I like farfalle) 
• 2 pounds (around 6 medium) tomatoes, diced (quartered if you use cherry or grape tomatoes)
• 1 pound fresh, water-packed mozzarella (if you use the small balls, cut them in half. Otherwise, dice)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• At least 1 but no more than 3 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press
• 1 teaspoon mayonnaise (not for taste, really, but it holds the oil and vinegar together)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste) 
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 packed cup basil leaves, washed, dried and cut into ribbons. (Usually, the styrofoam trays sold at either store hold exactly this much)

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it heavily (it should taste like seawater), then add the pasta and cook to the “al dente” time on the box.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, garlic, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Prepare the tomatoes and cheese and put them in the bowl.
3. Drain the hot pasta and shake it dry (don't rinse it), then add it to the bowl with the cheese and tomatoes and stir with a rubber spatula to combine.
4. Fold in the basil
5. If you can, cover it and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to  an hour or so to let the flavors blend and to let the pasta absorb some of the juice that will come out of the tomatoes (Don't refrigerate it, or the pasta may get tough and the tomatoes may get spongy. Taste just before serving and re-season as necessary.)