{"id":11822,"date":"2023-08-31T12:00:51","date_gmt":"2023-08-31T19:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/?p=11822"},"modified":"2023-08-31T12:21:29","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T19:21:29","slug":"eat-in-san-pedro-mostaccioli-pt-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/08\/31\/eat-in-san-pedro-mostaccioli-pt-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Eat in San Pedro: Mostaccioli, Pt. I"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first time I saw mostaccioli on the Dalmatian-American Club\u2019s buffet menu, I assumed it was the Southern Italian cacao and spices-based Christmas cookie because of my Italian upbringing.<\/strong><\/span> Imagine my perplexity when it turned out to be pasta with meat sauce.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t think much about it or wonder how an Italian-sounding dish found its way on a Croatian buffet until my editor suggested I write about mostaccioli. This left me more perplexed than the scenario above because, at the time, I questioned the relevance of writing about penne pasta served with meat sauce.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Mostaccioli from the Croatian American Club. (photo: Sanam Lamborn)<\/p><\/div>\n

Although I started talking to folks about mostaccioli and tasting the various options around town months ago, I postponed writing this article because it remained directionless. However, everything changed after a conversation with Michelle Petrich, whose daughter Marina Petrich noticed the absence of mostaccioli on menus during a recent visit to Croatia. This piece of information sparked extensive research encompassing articles, online forums, consulting Croatian cookbooks and the Around the World, Around Our Town<\/i> series available at our San Pedro library, and surveying people around town \u2014 which allowed me to understand why mostaccioli is so beloved.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I discovered that some people simply call the shape of the pasta \u2014 smooth, long pointy tubes \u2014 mostaccioli. Others call the whole dish \u2014 pasta and meat sauce \u2014 mostaccioli. Nevertheless, mostaccioli-shaped pasta is only served with meat sauce. What I knew going in is that a type of pasta named mostaccioli does not exist in Italy. However, in the U.S., Barilla and a few other companies sell a version of the smooth pasta. Penne pasta has always been a convenient substitute.<\/p>\n

I began with one hypothesis: Mostaccioli is a Croatian-American dish. This turned out to be true \u2014 to a certain extent. A commonality among the Croatian residents I surveyed for this article was that they grew up eating mostaccioli every Sunday and holidays. The Sunday family meal was a popular tradition amongst the first generation of immigrants but seems to have lost its way for subsequent generations (late baby boomers and beyond) who, at best, make mostaccioli once a month. Still, it remains a staple for holiday meals. Nevertheless, mostaccioli is a cherished dish in the Croatian-American community, one that is often associated with large bubbling pots on the stove, nostalgic memories of a nonna<\/i> or baka<\/i> (\u201cgrandmother,\u201d depending on regionality) lovingly cooking while the aroma filled the home.<\/p>\n

None of the cookbooks I consulted include the word, much less a recipe for, mostaccioli; the closest is a pot roast and spaghetti sauce recipe submitted by Dolores Lisica in the 1986 edition of Around the World, Around Our Town<\/i>. Nonetheless, mostaccioli is made by simmering onions, garlic, tomato sauce, and the cook\u2019s preferred meat. Some add wine for a richer flavor. Some only use ground beef, while others add beef chunks or short ribs that, once cooked, are shredded and added back into the sauce. Depending on the cook\u2019s preferences, veal, pork, and lamb are options. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Zeb’s Kitchen’s mostaccioli. (photos: Sanam Lamborn)<\/p><\/div>\n

The first homemade mostaccioli dishes I tried were made by Zeb\u2019s Kitchen<\/strong>\u2019s professional chef Josetta Spychaj and Mrs. Spicy Cro. Spychaj\u2019s recipe is passed down from her nonna, who owned the Fishermen\u2019s Cove in Terminal Island, which many cannery workers frequented. Her recipe is made with 80\/20 ground beef or brisket on special occasions. Mrs. Spicy Cro only uses ground lean top sirloin from South Shores Meat Shop. She adds butter at the end for added moisture and flavor and a good amount of parmesan cheese.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bridget Mirkovich-Smith believes the sauce should have \u201ca rich, salty meat flavor base, rather than a sweet tomato flavor.\u201d Maryann Berkovich says, \u201cWhat makes a good sauce is a lot of onions, parsley, basil, and a little red wine.\u201d Kathy Creighton tells me mostaccioli, also referred to as gravy, is \u201cbrown and actually has very little tomato sauce.\u201d Additionally, her nonna used to cut the acidity of the tomatoes with a bit of cinnamon.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

San Pedro Caf\u00e9’s mostaccioli. (photo: Sanam Lamborn)<\/p><\/div>\n

Most Croatian Americans prefer homemade mostaccioli because it tastes better. If they venture out, it\u2019s during events at the Croatian American Club<\/strong> (631 W. 9th St.) or the Dalmatian-American Club<\/strong> (1639 S. Palos Verdes St.). San Pedro Caf\u00e9<\/strong> (605 S. Pacific Ave.) is the only Croatian-owned restaurant in town that has mostaccioli permanently on the menu. The Croatian American Club\u2019s version is deep brown with a generous amount of ground beef, and you can tell it has had a long simmer. It\u2019s the greasiest I have had, but it\u2019s all good flavor. San Pedro Caf\u00e9\u2019s has a deep red color and shredded spare ribs, which add a welcome depth of flavor. It\u2019s then finished off with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Does mostaccioli exist in Croatia? I have received mixed responses. It gets better. In my research, I came across two plot twists that require a part two to this article: Italian Americans also have mostaccioli; so do Midwesterners, but their version is baked, while the Croatian American and Italian American versions are not. Stay tuned! spt<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first time I saw mostaccioli on the Dalmatian-American Club\u2019s buffet menu, I assumed it was the Southern Italian cacao and spices-based Christmas cookie because of my Italian upbringing. 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