An Italian family lunch: four generations share a traditional rustic menu at their annual celebration - Holiday Entertaining

Sunset, Nov, 2003 by Charity Ferreira

The Tavella family had always made its own sausage. But when Ernest Tavella married Mary Formento, whose family came from a small town near Turin, Italy, he preferred her mother Lucy's sausage recipe to his own, or so goes family lore. Four generations later, multiple branches of the Tavella family gather at Ernest Tavella's home in Stockton, California, every year on the day after Thanksgiving to eat, drink, and make 100 pounds of pork sausage from Nonna Lucy's recipe.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Early in the morning, the men of the family take turns mixing ground pork shoulder from a local butcher shop with spices and the family's homemade wine as the kids who are too young to help look on. "Making the sausage is definitely a rite of passage," says Christina Tavella Hall, a San Francisco attorney and Ernest Tavella's granddaughter. "Taking your place in the process is a part of growing up."

When the morning's work is done, the family sits down to a hearty lunch that starts with antipasto and bubbling bagna cauda. The centerpiece of the meal is the grilled sausage, served with lentil soup (page 122) and crusty Italian bread. The adults linger over coffee while the kids play, then the sausage is divided among the family members to take home and freeze for lasagna, pastas, and soups in the coming year.

The Tavella family's tradition adapts perfectly to smaller gatherings. Our version of their menu will generously serve 8 to 10 people, with plenty of leftover sausage to enjoy after the party.

Tavella Family's Sausage

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 1/2 hours

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

NOTES: The Tavellas make traditional sausage links, but shaping the mixture into patties is an easy option. Leftover uncooked patties can be wrapped tightly and frozen for up to 3 months.

MAKES: 5 pounds sausage; 24 patties

1/4 cup dry red wine
2 teaspoons pickling spice
5 pounds ground pork butt (shoulder)
2 tablespoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. In a 1-to 2-quart pan over high heat, bring wine and pickling spice to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes. Pour through a strainer into a large bowl; discard solids.

2. Add ground pork, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg to bowl. Mix very thoroughly with your hands to distribute spices evenly.

3. Shape about 1/3 cup (about 3 oz.) pork mixture into an oval-shaped patty about 1/2 inch thick. Place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat to shape remaining mixture into patties, stacking them in layers separated by sheets of waxed paper.

4. Lay patties on a grill over medium-hot coals or medium-high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 4 to 5 seconds); close lid on gas grill. Cook patties, turning once, until browned on both sides and no longer pink in the center (cut to test), about 8 minutes total. (Alternatively, fry patties in a 10-to 12-inch frying pan over medium heat, turning as needed, until browned on both sides and no longer pink in the center, 10 to 15 minutes total.) Pile on a platter and serve.

Per patty: 226 cal., 72% (162 cal.) from fat; 15 g protein; 18 g fat (6.4 g sat.); 0.4 g carbo (0.1 g fiber); 629 mg sodium; 66 mg chol.

Bagna Cauda

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 30 minutes

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

NOTES: Bagna cauda is a buttery dip redolent of garlic and anchovies. The Tavellas make it in an electric skillet right at the table.

MAKES: 8 to 12 servings

1 1/2 cups olive oil
1/2 cup butter
2 cans (2 oz.each) anchovies, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
12 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with the flat side of a large knife
2 heads radicchio (1 1/4 lb. total), rinsed, cored, and sliced
lengthwise 1/2 inch thick
4 heads red or white Belgian endive (12 oz. total), rinsed, ends
trimmed, separated into leaves
3 red or yellow bell peppers (1 1/2 lb. total), rinsed, stemmed, seeded,
and sliced lengthwise
12 green onions, rinsed, root ends and green tips trimmed
8 ounces portabella mushrooms, rinsed, stemmed, and sliced
Sliced crusty Italian bread

1. In a 2- to 3-quart pan or an electric skillet over medium heat, stir olive oil, butter, anchovies, and garlic, breaking up anchovies and garlic slightly with the back of a fork, until butter is melted and mixture is bubbling, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand at least 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, arrange the radicchio, endive, peppers, green onions, and mushrooms on a serving platter. Reheat butter mixture gently over low heat, then pour into a bowl or ramekin. Alternatively, pour into a 1 1/2- to 2-cup ceramic fondue pan or metal chafing dish in a water-bath jacket. Set over a votive candle or an ignited alcohol or canned solid-fuel flame. Adjust heat to lowest setting under fondue pan, to medium under chafing dish. Pass platter of vegetables and bread for guests to dip in warm bagna cauda.

Per serving: 361 cal., 90% (324 cal.) from fat; 4.3 g protein; 36 g fat (8.6 g sat.); 8.4 g carbo (2.3 g fiber); 368 mg sodium; 25 mg chol.