Celebrating 25 Years of a Sweet Tradition By Connie Marlowe
Left to right, Frank, Jim, & Tom Leto with Frances Leto Manali frying the dough.
On the first Saturday in December, the Leto family will celebrate 25 years of a time honored tradition. About 20 family members will gather at Pauline Leto Baird's Riverview home to make an ethnic pastry called Pignolata, also called Struffoli, which is an old fashioned Italian dessert. Mary Scourtes, former food editor for the Tribune, wrote a piece about this family's custom, which appeared in the food section on December 20, 2000. She was actually there to witness the whole procedure. But that was nine years ago, and here we are in 2009 and this tradition is still going strong. It all started in 1984, when Frances Manali's grandmother (Nana), Maria Rizzo Pardo, who had made the Pignolata in her home for years, wasn't able to do it because of advancing age and memory loss. Frances was determined to keep the tradition going, so she asked Nana to show her how to make Pignolata from the beginning, one last time, so she could watch and learn. Now, don't go imagining a group of women making a variety of Christmas cookies, as in a cookie exchange. No, no, no. Making Pignolata is not for the faint of heart (or hands, for that matter). It's a multi-step process that takes an entire day's work to complete and involves around 20 members of the Leto family ranging in age form 26 to 97. The coordination of this event rivals that found in the some of the best run businesses. The Leto clan produces more than 1,000 clusters of the sweet treat each year, which is divided among nine families. They in turn either keep or share with their friends and other family members. And that's what it is really all about- communication among family. No mater what else is going on in a world that is saturated with so many forms of electronic communication such as cell phones, email, texting, Twitter, blogs and the like, the Letos know the best communication takes place face to face, over the kitchen table, among family and friends. So, when Pauline and I got together to talk about doing this 42
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article, she shared with me her version of this wonderful family tradition. As she begins, her enthusiasm grows, along with her nostalgia for how it used to be. “At first there were only six of us, but now there are 20,” says Pauline. “And even though it is an old tradition, some younger members definitely want to keep doing it and teach it to their children. Just think how amazing it is that the older generation is still doing this. Aunt Nina is 97, Madeline Fraterrigo is 90, Josephine Maggio is 89 and Margaret Valenti is 87,” she said. “We used to do it at my mother's house, but when she passed away in 2003, they started coming to my house,” said Pauline. Here's how it all comes together, according to Pauline: Everyone arrives around 8 a.m. for coffee, doughnuts and bagels before we start. In the old days, my father, Philip Sr., made some type of pasta, salad and Cuban bread ahead of time for the lunch break, but now, we have Cuban sandwiches and Spanish bean soup. Lunch doesn't happen until all the nuggets are cut, rolled and fried. After the nuggets are coated, we take a coffee break before cleaning up. In a huge bowl, my brother Philip Jr. mixes up several pounds of flour and dozens of eggs into dough by hand. The dough has to 'rest' before it can be rolled and cut. Then, the rollers, Madeline Fraterrigo, Antonia (Aunt Nina) Leto, Margaret Valenti, Inez and Nancy Leto, Elsie and Josephine Maggio, roll the dough into thin 6-7 inch logs, which are then cut into little 'nuggets'. The cutters are Karla Leto Shepherd, Vivian, Louisa, Allison and Meghan Leto, and me. While the women are rolling and cutting, the men, and Frances Manali, the outside supervisor, are setting up the propane fryers in my garage. The nuggets are deep fried in batches. There are four fryers: my husband, and Laurie, Thomas, Frank, and Jimmy Leto.