A Regional Cookie Tour of Italy

Spending time in Sicily means eating caponata, the antipasto in which eggplant is the star. In 2012, I wrote about an insane caponata experience I had on the island of Pantelleria, which is 77 miles southwest of Sicily and 85 miles east of the coast of Tunisia.

In six days, we had twelve caponate, each one different from the other. They were served warm or at room temperature, swimming in oil and misted with just enough. The eggplant had been peeled or the peel left on. It was cut into large chunks and cut into small dice. Celery was used abundantly or hardly at all. Olives were added as a food group or a tiny condiment. Maybe there were roasted or fried sweet peppers, or maybe not. The saltiness of the whole varied from get the blood pressure cuff to perfectly balanced. Capers were always there, but could be small, medium, or huge in size. One variation wasn't sweet at all, and there was an argument at the table if it could even be called caponata without sweet to balance the signature sour. All were topped by toasted breadcrumbs or almonds.

In Sicily, we tasted four in a week, ranging from one topped with fish and almonds to one made with the lightest but largest fried eggplant chunks bathed in a sweet-sour tomato sauce that had the wisp of a barbecue sauce, but in a good way.

I'm glad to be home to watch my backyard tomatoes get bigger by the day.

—Evan

THE GOOD FOOD TEAM'S DINING HIGHLIGHTS

Evan: At some point in every trip to Italy, I stay a few days at Elizabeth and Domenico Minchilli's country house in Umbria. Usually, the first meal is built around what we buy at the truck stop in Orte, where they have a superlative mozzarella connection. There is something so place-centered about all the foods that end up on the table. Salad from the garden, the aforementioned mozzarella and, in this case, ricotta, olives, bresaola, and good bread. The little jar has preserved onion scapes. It's all held together with some tomatoes and great olive oil, and I feel like I am home.

Gillian: The phrase "hidden gem" reminds me of a Zagat review from the early aughts, but it's an apt description of Pontu, a new Peruvian spot serving pollo ala brasa out of a tiny window on Ocean Park Blvd. The menu is small but perfect for take-out, or to grab a quick lunch on the patio behind the restaurant. The website teases an evening concept coming soon, which I am very much looking forward to.

Laryl: Opting to let the fanfare die down, I'm late to the party at Wilde's, the British pub-style restaurant in Los Feliz. That didn't stop me from ordering their greatest hits, including the smoky Welsh rarebit, the battered skate with mint chutney and a side of thickly cut fries (their version of fish and chips), and the off-menu meat pie. It was chicken last Friday and ticked the comfort food box. The only thing that would have made it feel cozier would have been the drumbeat of rain on the pavement.

Elina: Spaghetti is the most iconic (read: obvious) dish at an Italian restaurant. Making a passable version is easy. Making a great one is not. I particularly like the spaghetti and meatballs at Little Dom's in Los Feliz. To lighten our lunch, my friend and I also shared their tuna salad, but I could've easily eaten all the pasta on my own.

WHAT I'M CONSUMING

WEEKLY RECIPE: While in Sicily with Via Rosa a couple of weeks ago, I visited a cow-to-cheese cheesemaker deep in the countryside. He made us generously sized cannoli with ricotta he had made that morning. Italian ricotta is another product entirely from the industrial, grainy stuff we get in the United States. And to have it that fresh was sublime. I asked about the shell, and he said there were two shell specialists in the area, so he used theirs.

Eating cannoli in Sicily occasionally means waiting until the shell is filled with the lightly sweetened ricotta mixture. When the pastry is handed to you, the shell is still crisp and oh so good. Achieving the perfect shell is a bit fiddly, so my solution is to make them "nacho style" AKA Deconstructed Cannoli. I cut the dough into squares and serve the filling in a bowl on the side, which allows guests to do the schmear as they wish. My filling is simple. Bellwether Ricotta, a little sugar, a touch of cinnamon, and your favorite bittersweet chocolate, chopped up. To be honest, sometimes I just make the filling and eat it without the shell. I'll even freeze it and eat it like ice cream. GET THE RECIPE

TASTY THINGS TO DO

The Long Beach BBQ Fest returns May 23rd–24th. Expect dozens of vendors, including Axiom Smoked Meats & BBQ, El Guero y La Flaca, Magillas BBQ, Big J's SoCal BBQ, Bootsy's BBQ, Shourai BBQ, and Vinegar and Smoke. $26-287.
Smorgasburg LA will be open as usual in DTLA this Sunday, but it's also hosting a three-day BBQ Invitational at Santa Anita Park. Taking place in the infield during live horse racing, six BBQ pop-ups will showcase regional styles including Texas, Filipino, Japanese, Cambodian, and Cuban. Expect carnival rides and games. May 23rd–25th. Infield admission is $5. Ticket bundles cost $38-221.
LA Taco hosts the Taquero Super Torneo, an all-day celebration of fútbol and food where teams rep iconic LA taqueros. Head to Midcity Mercado in West Adams on Saturday, May 23rd, 10 AM–4 PM. There will be food, drinks, art workshops, vendors, and music.
Chef Eloy Aluri flies in from Hermosillo for an Outdoor Asada where he'll cook his famous carne asada alongside Noah Galuten, who's promoting his cookbook, Grill Time! It happens at Bludso's BBQ in Van Nuys on Tuesday, May 26, 7–9:30 PM. Sips by Scribe Winery, Coronado Brewing, and Spindrift. $85 (includes food, drinks, and a signed cookbook).

TASTY THINGS TO READ

Watsonville in Santa Cruz County is the heart of California's $3 billion strawberry industry. It's where Driscoll's, the world's largest seller of fresh berries, is headquartered. Unfortunately, the strawberry capital of the world has the second-highest childhood cancer rate of any county in California. It also happens to be one of the most heavily pesticide-affected counties in California.
On Wednesday night’s penultimate episode of CBS’s The Late Show, host Stephen Colbert donated the money he raised during his months-long memorabilia auction — almost $2.5 million — would go to World Central Kitchen, which provides meals in response to emergencies and humanitarian crises. Chef José Andrés was there to accept the check.
Beer demand across the US is plummeting, probably because the Iran war has caused gas prices to skyrocket. Sales of beer, malt beverages, and cider fell 6.3% in April. But here in California, where gas prices are through the roof, beer sales dropped by a whopping 16%.

AWWW

A baby aardwolf looks like a tiny striped wolf, but it’s actually a member of the hyena family. Aardwolves are crucial for insect control. They're also incredibly cute.

To see more of what I'm consuming, including recipes, events, and other stories, check out my Substack!

—Evan