Culture & heritage · 7 picks · Updated
Is it sauce or gravy? Doesn't matter, because Nonna's is better than yours and she will tell you so, lovingly, while making a second pot. This list is for the Sunday-dinner traditionalists, the Feast of the Seven Fishes planners and anyone who keeps a butter cookie tin full of sewing supplies. Gifts that respect the recipes (and survive the critique).
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The made-in-Italy pasta machine that makes Sunday dinner a two-hour family affair, as intended.
Real-life use: Fresh lasagna sheets, fettuccine and tagliolini from scratch.
Check price on AmazonThe octagonal pot your grandparents had, and your grandkids will too.
Real-life use: Stovetop espresso after Sunday dinner, with or without a splash of anisette.
Check price on AmazonRidges, so the sauce (sorry, gravy) has something to hold onto.
Real-life use: Gnocchi and cavatelli with the classic ridges, made at the kitchen table.
Check price on AmazonFor whoever gets assigned ravioli duty on Christmas Eve. Every year. Forever.
Real-life use: Stamp and seal ravioli in four shapes; the wheel trims the edges.
Check price on AmazonA case of tomatoes, for the person who judges a household by its pantry.
Real-life use: Sunday gravy, Saturday pizza sauce and a big pot of minestrone.
Check price on AmazonTable-side cheese grating, because “say when” should be a negotiation.
Real-life use: Fresh parm at the table; also shreds nuts and chocolate.
Check price on AmazonRegulation bocce, plus a measuring rope to settle arguments. (Arguments will not be settled.)
Real-life use: Backyard games at summer parties, beach days and family reunions.
Check price on AmazonPairs well with
Tomatoes, cheese and the coffee to finish.
Pairs well with
The machine, the board, the stamps.
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