(Photo courtesy of Robyn Bruton)
By
Thanksgiving dinner is a serious matter for my Italian-American family. Not only do we celebrate with the traditional turkey and ham, but we also add pasta to our table.
This feast requires intense mental preparation, an empty stomach and stretchy pants. For the past century, the women in my family have gathered annually before Thanksgiving to hand-make this special pasta.
The recipe dates back to my great-great-grandmother and it has been passed down to all the daughters in my family since. My Nanny taught me how to make this dish and someday I plan on teaching my grandchildren. This pasta, which we call Cavadidis (pronounced cuh-va-dee-dees) resembles gnocchi, except instead of potatoes, we use flour.
Cooking the pasta takes all day because we have to increase the recipe six times to make enough for the entire extended family. This means we need to use 12 pounds of flour to make the dough.
Altogether there are about 50 family members who come to my Nanny's every Thanksgiving to have second or even third helpings of the Cavadidis. Luckily, there is enough pasta to have leftovers the next day. This year I plan on making Cavadidis for my friends so they can experience the delight of pasta for Thanksgiving.
-Robyn Bruton, senior
