It’s understandable—Phyllis has had a lot of practice. At age 18, she came to America from Naples and met Aldo, also from Italy, just a few years later. She cooked and baked extensively before leaving her home country and carried her skills into her life here. Now their extended family around Boston, nearly 60 people strong, shares in the deliciousness that comes from her kitchen. The cookies are a staple, of course, along with many other varieties of sweets. Homemade gravy (red sauce), meatballs every Sunday, from-scratch bread, polenta, Italian wedding soup and more have been on the family table daily since the days when Phyllis’ own children were small.
“We call our childhood house ‘the house that built us,’” says Lena. And the meals were memorable. “Everything was made from scratch.”
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Baking the cookies for the first time with Phyllis gives her daughters even greater appreciation for how they were raised and the commitment their parents had to putting fresh, homemade food on the table. They put up 200 to 250 jars of tomatoes every August, a longtime family tradition, so Phyllis can make her famous gravy and share it with everyone and have plenty left over for freezing. And when the family comes together for meals these days, the tradition extends to the next generation. Phyllis (“Nonni” to the grandchildren) and Aldo light up when the grandkids are around.
“Growing up dinner was on the table every night,” daughter Julie says. “Now our kids ask, ‘Where’s Sunday dinner?’ Food and family are everything to us. We love being together.”
Phyllis encourages all members of her family to cook as much as they can and offers wisdom that only comes from years at the kitchen counter. “The best chef is your fingers,” Phyllis says. “I do everything by hand. Grab. Dig in. That’s the beauty of a kitchen.”
She admits it’s work, but she never minded it—not for one minute.
“I love being in the kitchen, cooking for my family.” Phyllis gestures to Aldo with a smile. “I’ve got him and the kids. That’s all I want.”
Find more old-world Italian recipes here.
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