Gobagool - Capicollo

I've written a lot about cool dishes to serve on hot summer nights. Gazpacho, Baba Ghanoush, Melitsanosalata, Steak Tar Tar and Summer Vegetable Terrine are all great ways to make yourself cool at a July or August meal but if you're feeling really lazy and you don't want to actually make anything, you can always rely on a great, cool antipasto plate with "gobagool" and some crusty bread.

In Chicago, an antipasto plate always included green and black olives, marinated vegetables, an array of sliced cheeses and capicollo a.k.a. gobagool. I just love this salume and need to keep only small amounts in the house for fear of consuming a kilo of it in one sitting. Gobagool seems to travel really well since the stuff I get in Chicago is as good as the stuff here in Milan. I suppose the real test of authentic, local gobagool would have to take place in Central or Southern Italy as it comes from Tuscany, Umbria, Calabria, Puglia, Basilicata and Campagna, but not Lombardy where I am. If you want a primer, "Gobagool 101", go here. Otherwise, go down to your neighborhood Italian deli or pork store and get yourself some.