I discovered Capone Foods by accident one day while running errands in Union Square. The simple script on the outside of the windowless storefront drew me in with the promise of Italian specialties.

Walking in, I was amazed with the selection of olive oils and jars of artichoke hearts, buckets of fresh olives and shelves of cheeses and meats from around the world, and most especially the large sign behind the counter that spelled out the many delicious flavors of homemade fresh pasta that can be purchased.

        In wonderment at finding such a treasure trove of this Somerville Gourmand’s favorite items, I asked the nice man behind the counter how long they had been there. “Twenty years,” he said. Well, I guess I wasn’t the first to discover this Old World food playground – amazingly still at Old World prices, too.

Spinach, red wine, saffron, and wild mushroom flavored pasta – as well as nineteen more flavors – can be purchased by the pound ($2.95) and cut into the desired thickness – from the thin vermicelli to the thicker-than-fettuccine pappardelle – or bought as sheets for lasagna. And I haven’t even gotten to the seventeen kinds of ravioli and fine selections of tortellini and ricotta cheese gnocchi that are made fresh on the premises and can be found prepackaged in the freezer ($3.75/ pound and up).

Sensing that I was overwhelmed, Al Capone, who I soon came to learn is the patriarch of this family owned business, handed me a handy cheat sheet matching every flavor of pasta with it’s most delicious pairings of one of their eighteen homemade sauces (from $2.95 for six ounces.)

I left that night with a delicious gourmet meal for two for around fifteen dollars, and have returned many times since. A pound of fresh pasta or a package of ravioli, gnocchi or tortellini will serve two (with leftovers) or three as a main dish paired with a six ounce container of sauce. (That first night I went home with delicately flavored lemon fettuccine and basil pesto, marked with a black diamond on Capone’s grid indicating “Really Good.”)

Choose a small wedge of cheese – like Auricchio Italian Provolone, stronger and more flavorful than its distant cousin you know from the grocery store deli counter – and a few slices of Genoa salami or Italian Speck, a prosciutto-like cured meat that has been smoked, rather than cooked. Slice them both up with a selection of olives and a jar of roasted red peppers and you have a deceptively easy homemade anti-pasti platter. If you have room, Capone’s offers a selection of gourmet chocolates, cookies, cheesecake, and even their own homemade bread pudding for dessert.

Italian Antipasto Bread

Nearly all ingredients for this fantastically easy appetizer are available at Capone Foods.

1 "pop" tube of dinner roll dough (like Pillsbury’s crescent rolls), found at any major supermarket
6 oz. Crespin or Roland black olive spread
1 – 2 tblsp Olive Oil, choose any kind from Capone’s fantastic selection
1/8 lb Parma prosciutto (about six slices)
1/4 lb Fresh Mozzarella

Carefully unroll the dough and press together the seams so that it is as uniform as possible. Pre-heat the oven as stated on the package. Spread the olive "pesto" evenly on the unrolled dough. Next lay a single layer of cheese and then a layer of meat over the olive spread. Carefully roll up the dough to make a jelly roll-like log. Watch those seams! Follow the directions on the dough package for cooking (you can use regular bread dough if you prefer), but you will likely have to keep it in a few minutes longer to make sure the inside is cooked through, watching to make sure the outside becomes a nice golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes, slice and serve.