Francesco (Frank) Alioto

A artist's rendering of my great grandfather. The artist took a photo of him and created the backdrop, too. This painting has always been a part of my life.

Another rendering my great grandfather from the same artist. 

Maria Concetta Balestrieri and Francesco Alioto in their wedding photo in 1920. 

Wedding Picture of Maria Concetta Balestrieri and Francesco Alioto in 1920. The woman to the left in the photo is Francesco's sister Annetta Alioto (Lazio) and the man to the left is his brother, Salvatore. 

Maria Concetta Balestrieri on her wedding day. 

The picture above includes my great-grandmother, Maria Concetta Alioto with her children. Stef is in her arms. Standing left to right are Antoinette, Mario, and Anna.  Circa 1928 on Ocean Street in San Francisco. 

This is a photo of Frank and Concetta's children in 1933. From left to right are Antoinette, Mario, and Anna. Sitting in front is Stef. 

This is a photo of Frank and Maria Concetta's children in 1933. From left to right are Stef, Mario, Anna, and Antoinette. 

Another photo of Frank and Maria Concetta's children in 1933. From left to right are Anna, Stef, Mario, Antoinette and Mario. 

THE WHEREABOUTS OF THIS PICTURE IS UNKNOWN. THE PICTURE IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN TAKEN IN 1930. THE THREE CHILDREN STANDING ARE VIRGINIA SANFILIPPO, TOMMY TARANTINO, AND ANNA ALIOTO (FRANK AND CONCETTA'S DAUGHTER). IN THE FRONT ROW ARE TILLIE SANFILIPPO AND STEF ALIOTO (FRANK AND CONCETTA'S DAUGHTER). 

Picture of Antoinette "Ninu" Alioto. Circa 1929 

Picture of Anna Alioto's first communion. Circa 1932. 

THIS IS PICTURE TAKEN AT FORT BRAGG, CALIFORNIA IN EITHER 1931 OR 1932. IN THE BACK ROW ARE TOMMY TARANTINO FROM SAN DIEGO, MY GRANDFATHER (MARIO ALIOTO SR.), ANNA GUMINA, CAMILLE DeLUCCA, AND IRENE DeLUCCA. IN THE FRONT ROW ARE ANNA ALIOTO (CAPURRO), CONCETTA ALIOTO (BALESTRIERI), STEF ALIOTO (SUACCI), ERMINIA BALESTRIERI (RUGGERIO), AND ANNA MARIE BALESTRIERI (BALLARD).

THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN IN 1936. THE TOP FOUR LADIES ARE ERMINIA BALESTRIERI, STEF ALIOTO (FRANK AND CONCETTA'S DAUGHTER), DORE BALESTRIERI, AND ANNA MARIE BALLARD. THE FIVE LADIES IN THE MIDDLE ARE NATALIE SPAMPINATO, ANNA ALIOTO (FRANK AND CONCETTA'S DAUGHTER). NINU ALIOTO (FRANK AND CONCETTA'S DAUGHTER), ELANOR SPAMPINATO, AND CAMELLA SPAMPINATO. THE YOUNG MAN IN THE FRONT IS TOMMY TARANTINO.

This is a picture of Frank Alioto at a very young age. I believe he is around 21 at the time. Circa 1917.

Francesco's WWII draft card in 1941.

This is a photo of Maria Concetta (Balestrieri) Alioto.  This photo was taken circa 1903

This photo was taken at Peter Alioto's wedding in 1908 or 1909 at Fior D' Italia in San Francisco on Broadway and Kearny. My great-grandmother, Maria Concetta (who would marry Francesco "Frank" Alioto), is seated on her father's lap, Francesco Balestrieri. Her father is the 8th adult seated (the man with the moustache). 

This is a picture of Frank after a good day hunting. Circa 1925. 

This is a picture of Frank and Concetta's family. Standing left to right are Stef, Mario and Anna. Sitting left to right are Maria Concetta, Frank and Antoinette. Circa 1944. 

PHOTOS OF TWO OF THE CRATES FROM MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER'S FISH BUSINESS IN SAN FRANCISCO AT 440 JEFFERSON STREET. 

IT WAS CREATED  ON AUGUST 6, 1941

 THIS IS A PICTURE OF "BIG PAPA" FRANK WITH HIS GRANDSON, FRANK ALIOTO, IN EARLY 1946. THE PICTURE WAS TAKEN AT BODEGA BAY.  LITTLE FRANK IS THE SON OF MARIO AND NORMA.

THIS IS FRANCESCO "BIG PAPA" WITH HIS GRANDSON, FRANK ALIOTO, IN EARLY 1946. THE PICTURE WAS TAKEN AT BODEGA BAY. 

THIS IS A PICTURE OF PETER TARANTINO AND FRANK. THE DATE OF THE PICTURE IS UNKNOWN. PETER'S GRANDMOTHER WAS ANTONINA BALESTRIERI PASSANTINO, ROSE PASSANTINO'S MOTHER. ANTONINA CAME TO AMERICA IN 1890 AS MY GREAT-GREAT GRANDFATHER'S (GIUSEPPE) "WIFE".

This is a family portrait at Bimbo's 365 Club in San Francisco celebrating the 30th Wedding Anniversary of Frank and Maria Concetta in 1950. From let to right are:  Stephanie Suacci, Armond Suacci, Anna Capurro, Louis Capurro, Antoinette (Ninu) Canepa, John Canepa, Norma Alioto, Mario Alioto, Maria Concetta (Nana) Alioto, and Frank (Big Papa) Alioto. 

THIS IS A PICTURE TAKEN AT ALIOTO'S IN SAN FRANCISCO, YEAR UNKNOWN.  SEATED LEFT TO RIGHT ARE:

FRANK NUNZIO ALIOTO (SON OF NUNZIO AND ROSE), ARMOND SUACCI, STEPHANIE SUACCI (DAUGHTER OF FRANK AND MARIA CONCETTA), 

AND MARIO JOSEPH ALIOTO (SON OF NUNZIO AND ROSE). I BELIEVE JOSEPH "PEP" COLLA, FRANK'S BROTHER-IN-LAW, IS STANDING IN THE BACKGROUND

THIS IS A PICTURE TAKEN AT BIMBO'S 365 CLUB IN SAN FRANCISCO. MY GREAT-GRANDMOTHER, CONCETTA IS SEATED TO THE FAR LEFT AND MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER, FRANCESCO, IS SEATED TO THE FAR RIGHT. THE OLDER GENTLEMAN IN THE MIDDLE IS BARTOLO TORRENTE. 

AN UNDATED PHOTO OF MY GREAT GRANDPARENTS. SITTING FROM LEFT TO RIGHT ARE FRANCESCO "FRANK" ALIOTO, MARIA CONCETTA (BALESTRIERI) ALIOTO, NINA LAZIO (1904-1989), GIOVANNI "JOHN" ALIOTO (1901-1947), STEFANA (LAZIO) CINCOTTA (1928-2019), VINCENZA (TARANTINO) ALIOTO (1888-1951), GIUSEPPE "JOSEPH" ALIOTO (1872-1948), STEPHANIE (ALIOTO) McGILL (1928 -2023), STEPHANIE (ALIOTO) SUACCI (1927 - present). THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN AROUND 1940

THIS IS A PICTURE OF FRANK (OUR "BIG PAPA"), ANTOINETTE CANEPA, AND CONCETTA (NANA) CIRCA  1953 

THIS IS MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER, FRANK ALIOTO, SON OF GIUSEPPE AND STEFANA ALIOTO.

THIS WAS MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER'S MEMBERSHIP IN THE BUTCHER'S UNION - DATED JUNE 1963. SADLY, MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER PASSED AWAY WITHIN 11 MONTHS OF THIS DATE, ON MAY 29, 1964. 

THIS IS MARIA CONCETTA'S FATHER, FRANCESCO BALESTRIERI (1857 - 1921)

PHOTOS OF MY GREAT-GREAT GRANDMOTHER, ANNA (MACHI) BALESTRIERI (1858-1949) AND HER YOUNGER SISTER, ANTONINA MACHI (1866-1960). THE ONE ON THE RIGHT HAS ANTONINA ON THE LEFT AND ANNA ON THE RIGHT. I BELIEVE THE PHOTO ON THE LEFT WAS TAKEN IN 1948 AND THE ONE ON THE RIGHT WAS IN 1931

THIS IS MY GREAT-GREAT UNCLE, GAETANO "TOM" BALESTRIERI, BROTHER-IN-LAW OF  FRANK

THE DATE OF THE PHOTO IS UNKNOWN

THIS IS MY GREAT-GREAT UNCLE, MARIO FRANK "LEGS" BALESTRIERI, BROTHER-IN-LAW OF  FRANK

THE DATE OF THE PHOTO IS UNKNOWN

THIS IS THE WEDDING PHOTO OF IGNAZTIO "IGNATIUS" BALESTRIERI AND DORA ALIOTO, DATED OCTOBER 5, 1929 IN SAN FRANCISCO. IGNAZIO WAS THE BROTHER-IN-LAW OF FRANK. LEFT TO RIGHT (BACK ROW): FRANK TARANTINO, ANNA DELUCCA, IGNAZIO BALESTRIERI, DORA ALIOTO, JOSEPHINE ALIOTO, TONY TARANTINO, VICKI ?, SALVATORE BALESTRIERI. THE TWO CHILDREN ARE ANNA ALIOTO (FRANK ALIOTO'S DAUGHTER) AND PETER ALIOTO (SON OF CALOGERO AND VINCENZA ALIOTO)

ABOVE IS A PICTURE TAKEN AT CONCETTA'S MOTHER'S 90TH BIRTHDAY PARTY IN 1948. THESE ARE THE "SIX ANNAS". LEFT TO RIGHT IN THE PICTURE ARE:  ANNA MARIE BALLARD, ANNA ALIOTO (CAPURRO),  ANNA MACHI (BALESTRIERI), ANNA GUMINA, AND ANNA BALESTRIERI (TOM'S DAUGHTER). IN FRONT IS ANNA "COOKIE" BALESTRIERI.

THIS IS ANOTHER PICTURE TAKEN AT THE BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR ANNA MACHI. PICTURED LEFT TO RIGHT ARE MARIA CONCETTA ALIOTO, GAETANO (TOM) BALESTRIERI, ANNA MACHI BALESTRIERI, MARIO BALESTRIERI, ANTONINO (NINI) BALESTRIERI AND JENNY BALESTRIERI TARANTINO. 

THIS IS ANOTHER PICTURE TAKEN AT THE BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR ANNA MACHI. SITTING ON THE LEFT ARE FRANCESCO "FRANK" ALIOTO (1896-1964), DOROTEA "DORA" (ALIOTO) BALESTRIERI (1906-1992) - WIFE OF IGNAZIO, AND CARMELA (MACHI) MACHI (1885-1978). 

STANDING IN THE BACK ARE JOSEPH "JOE" MACCHI, ANNA MACCHI, MARIO BALESTRIERI (1904-1998), NINA MACCHI, IGNAZIO BALESTRIERI (1902-1965), GAETANO "TOM" BALESTRIERI (1900-1986), STEFANA (D'AMATO) DELUCCA, MARIA CONCETTA (BALESTRIERI) ALIOTO (1899-1993), MARIA ?, AND THE SMALL CHILD IS TOMMY GUMINA (1939-2003).

SITTING IN THE BACK ARE MARIANO "POPS" MACHI (1891-1981), ANNA (MACHI) BALESTRIERI (1958-1949), NINA MACHI, GIOVANNA "JENNIE" (BALESTRIERI) TARANTINO (1888-1971) , AND GAETANO "KAISER" TARANTINO (1882-1978)

SITTING ON THE RIGHT STARTING IN THE BACK ARE NINU LABARBERA, UNKNOWN MALE, UNKNOWN FEMALE, UNKNOWN FEMALE, UNKNOWN FEMALE

ANOTHER PHOTO AT ANNA MACHI'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION. STANDING IN THE BACK LEFT TO RIGHT ARE JOHN CANEPA, NORMA (TOGNOLI) ALIOTO, MARIO ALIOTO, NINA (MACCHI) TARANTINO (1929-2010), TOM TARANTINO (1927-1980)

SITTING ON THE LEFT ARE UNKNOWN MALE, UNKNOWN FEMALE, STEPHANIE (ALIOTO) SUACCI (1927 - present), ARMOND SUACCI (1922-2015)

ON THE RIGHT ARE ANNA (BALESTRIERI) BALLARD (1929 - present), ANTOINETTE "NINU" (ALIOTO) CANEPA (1921-2021), ERMINIA (RUGGERIO) BALESTRIERI (1905-1997), LOU CAPURRO (1922-1974), ANNA (ALIOTO) CAPURRO (1924-2017)

ANOTHER PHOTO AT ANNA MACHI'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION. STANDING IN THE BACK LEFT TO RIGHT ARE (ADULTS) PETER TARANTINO (1916-1996), VERONICA (KRAMER) TARANTINO (1911-1999), ANTONIO "TONY" TARANTINO (1912-1997), VICTOR D'ACQUISTO (1915-2014), TILLIE (TARANTINO) D'ACQUISTO (1916-2013), ANNA (TARANTINO) GUMINA (1913-1993), SALVATORE GUMINA (1908-1995), FRANK "HANK" TARANTINO (1914-1970) AND ELEANOR (CANEPA) TARANTINO (1915-2004)

THE CHILDREN LEFT TO RIGHT ARE DIANE TARANTINO, ANNA "COOKIE" BALESTRIERI, GAYTON TARANTINO, SAL "TORRE" D'ACQUISTO, GAETON "TOMMY" GUMINA (1939-2003), JOANNE TARANTINO, BOBBY TARANTINO (1939-2018), FRANK "SKIPPY' TARANTINO

THIS IS A PHOTO OF MY GREAT-GRANDMOTHER MARIA CONCETTA'S NIECE'S WEDDING. ANNA MARIE TARANTINO (1913-1993), THE DAUGHTER OF MARIA'S SISTER GIOVANNA (BALESTRIERI) TARANTINO, MARRIED SALVATORE GUMINA (1908-1995) AROUND 1938. STANDING LEFT TO RIGHT ARE ANNA BALESTRIERI, SALVATORE GUMINA, ANNA MARIE TARANTINO, TILLIE (TARANTINO) D'ACQUISTO (1916-2013), AND PETER TARANTINO (1916-1996)

THIS IS FRANK AND MARIA'S FAMILY TAKEN AT LAURENCE LAZIO'S GRADUATION IN 1961.

STANDING LEFT TO RIGHT ARE: JOHN CANEPA, ANNA (ALIOTO) CAPURRO, LOU CAPURRO, STEPHANIE (ALIOTO) SUACCI, ARMOND SUACCI, AND NORMA (TOGNOLI) ALIOTO. SITTING ARE ANTOINETTE "NINU" (ALIOTO) CANEPA, FRANK ALIOTO, MARIA CONCETTA (BALESTRIERI) ALIOTO AND MARIO ALIOTO SR. IN FRONT IS ANTOINETTE "TONI" CANEPA

This photo was taken in 1972 at Maria Concetta's son Mario's 50th birthday celebration. This photo shows "Nana" with her 13 grandchildren and some of their spouses.  Back row: Grandsons John Canepa, Frank Capurro, Grandson-in-law Ed Sarraille, Grandsons Frank Canepa, Charles Canepa, Stephen Suacci, Paul Capurro, Ed Suacci, soon-to-be Grandson-in-law Angelo Gounarides, Grandsons Mario Alioto Jr. and Frank Alioto. 2nd Row (standing) Spouses of Grandsons: Kim (Hoffman) Canepa, Alyson (Loeffler) Canepa, Janice (Rege) Capurro, Margaret (Graf) Alioto. 3rd row: Granddaughter Maria Alioto, Daughter-in-Law Norma (Tognoli) Alioto, Son Mario Alioto Sr, self Maria Concetta, and Daughter-in-Law Joan Totaro. Front row: Granddaughters Denise Capurro, Antoinette "Toni" (Canepa) Sarraille, and Janet Capurro

This photo was taken at Maria Concetta's 75th birthday celebration in 1974. Standing from left to right are Norma Alioto, Lou Capurro, Anna Capurro, Mario Alioto, Maria Concetta Alioto, Antonina Canepa, John Canepa, Stef Suacci and Armond Suacci. 

MARIA CONCETTA WITH ALL THIRTEEN GRANDCHILDREN AT THE TIME. (THE LAST TWO WOULDN'T BE BORN UNTIL THE 1980s). THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN IN 1974. MARIA CONCETTA PASSED AWAY IN 1993. FRANK ALIOTO, MY DAD'S BROTHER,  LOCATED ON THE FAR RIGHT, DIED IN JULY OF 2019.

MARIA CONCETTA "NANA" AND 9 OF HER GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN. THIS PHOTO MOST LIKELY IS DATED IN 1976. 

THIS IS A PICTURE OF FOUR GENERATIONS FROM SAN FRANCISCO. YES, THAT IS ME, THE FIRST PERSON ON THE LEFT. MY GREAT-GRANDMOTHER, MARIA CONCETTA IS SEATED NEXT TO ME. HER SON, MY GRANDFATHER, MARIO ALIOTO SR. IS SITTING TO THE RIGHT OF HER. MY FATHER, MARIO ALIOTO JR. IS SITTING TO THE FAR RIGHT. THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN IN JUNE OF 1990 AT MY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION PARTY.

This is a photo of Maria Concetta Alioto in 1989, for her 90th brithday. 

This is a photo of Frank and Concetta's daughter, Anna on her wedding day on April 10, 1948. She married Louis Dominic Capurro in San Francisco.

This is a picture of Lou Capurro, who married Frank and Concetta's daughter Anna.

Packaging of Dungeness Crabmeat from F. Alioto Fish Company

This photo was taken on my wedding day in Sonoma, California on June 30, 2001. Standing are Armond Suacci, Steph Suacci, and Anna Capurro. Sitting are Mario Alioto Sr., Antoinette (Ninu) Canepa, and John Canepa.

This photo was taken December 2015. In the front row are Frank's daughters: Antoinette "Ninu" Canepa, Anna Capurro and Stef Suacci. In the back row are Frank's granddaughters, Denise and Toni.

The three sister making uccidati ! December 2015

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The following article was written on sfgate.com about my great-grandmother's (Concetta) ravioli.  Enjoy! 

"Make 1,000 ravioli? It must be the holiday season"

Tara Duggan, Special to The Chronicle

Inside the North Beach Victorian she has lived in on and off since she was born, Anna Ballard was fussing with the coffee maker.

"I never use this thing now that I live alone," she said. But this was ravioli day, a 100-year-old holiday tradition, which meant she'd be having company.

Ballard and relatives, under the guidance of her cousin, Anna Capurro - part of San Francisco's Alioto family and the clan's master ravioli maker - were arriving to make more than 1,000 tiny ravioli for Christmas dinner.

Ballard had buzzed me in to her flat on the top floor of an early 20th century building hidden from the street. When I walked up to her refurbished kitchen with a view stretching from Fisherman's Wharf to the Golden Gate Bridge, I felt as if I had reached an inner sanctum.

I had been invited by my second cousin Trish, Ballard's daughter-in-law. I've loved Italy since living there in the mid-1990s, and was thrilled to find I was related, however distantly, to one of the city's storied Italian-American families.

Soon the other Anna - Anna Capurro - arrived. They grew up like sisters in the building adjacent to where Ballard lives today. Capurro's mother, Conchetta Alioto, did most of the cooking. The men in the family were in the fishing industry, and the families shared most meals. Capurro's relatives still own restaurants on the wharf, while Ballard's late husband and sons became firefighters and police officers.

The ravioli recipe came from Conchetta's mother, Anna Balestrieri, who learned it from a Genovese neighbor after arriving in the United States.

"Sicilians are not ravioli people," Capurro said, explaining that fresh pasta is not typical to southern Italy, where her ancestors are from. Still, the ravioli stayed in the family.

Trish, Nancy, another daughter-in-law, and Nancy's daughter, Sarah, arrived with Prosecco and pastries.

"It's ravioli day, ravioli day!" said Sarah, 28. Because she is the pastry chef at Wood Tavern in Oakland, Sarah appears to be the one who will take the ravioli to the next generation.

As a little girl, Sarah was only allowed to cut the ravioli; now Sarah and Trish are in charge of the pasta. They spread a neatly pressed bed sheet over the table, place a large board on top and begin mixing the dough, splitting a 5-pound sack of flour.

Nancy helps push the browned meat, onions, greens and soaked bread through a meat grinder into a large pot for the filling. Capurro oversees the addition of eggs - 14 in all - Parmesan cheese and spices. As we tasted spoonfuls, she adjusted the amount of allspice, nutmeg and salt.

"The ravioli come out differently each year. We never quite remember what we do," Sarah said. With Capurro's help, they can make everything without consulting the family cookbook. But one year when she didn't join them, they had to call her.

"We said, 'Auntie Anna, we can't make the dough,' " said Sarah. "And she said, 'Whaddya mean? It's the easiest thing.' "

The day had started out cloudy. As the sun came out, a flock of the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill landed in a nearby tree, a flash of green and red against the whitening sky.

The dough had rested, and the filling had cooled. With a rolling pin and a dowel about 3 feet across, Sarah and Trish each began rolling a piece of the dough into larger and larger circles on the floured board, while Capurro coached.

"Stretch it, stretch it!" Capurro urged. "Remember, you have to see the grain of wood through the dough."

Once that was accomplished, they pulled the dough halfway off of the board. They spread the filling evenly over the top, then folded the other half on top. They used the family's ancient ravioli rolling pin to press the filled dough into ravioli shapes, then a serrated ravioli cutter to separate them.

Halfway through rolling, we stopped for lunch. In a serious break from tradition, they cooked up a batch of ravioli so I could try them. They were delicate in every way, with a lightly spiced filling and a thin and tender pasta.

"More salt in the filling next time," everyone agreed.

The ravioli went onto cookie trays and into Ballard's deep freezer. Once firm, they go into bags. But first Ballard counts them. She will make the gravy on a separate day, and on Christmas, around 25 family members will head to Sarah's brother's home in Novato. The menu will include oysters, marinated crab, the ravioli and then a roast.

Anna Capurro's side of the family - up to 150 people - will meet at Capurro's, her son's restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf. He plans to make thousands of ravioli by hand for the party. (The ravioli are also on the menu at the restaurant.)

Around 3 p.m., the women stopped to consider their work. There were 1,200 ravioli, and they had turned out particularly well this year.

"They don't always look pretty," Capurro admitted, "but they always taste good."

Nana's Ravioli

Serves 8 to 10

This is adapted from a family recipe from the late Conchetta Alioto, known as Nana, and her mother, Anna Balestrieri. Served with gravy, these ravioli make a hearty meal on their own, or can be a part of a multicourse holiday menu. You can find a ravioli rolling pin, which shapes the filled dough into ravioli, at some North Beach stores, at Sur la Table and some other kitchenware shops. You can also use a pasta machine to roll the dough, and then a ravioli attachment or ravioli mold to fill the pasta. If you have leftover pasta ends, you can roll the scraps into a ball, roll it back out, then cut into rough shapes called malfatti to serve with gravy.

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• 4 large eggs

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1/2 cup water, or as needed

• -- Meat Filling (see recipe)

• -- Nana's Gravy for Pasta (see recipe)

• -- Grated Parmesan cheese to serve

Instructions: Place the flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the eggs, oil and a small amount of water to start. Begin mixing until the ingredients are incorporated into the flour, then add more water. The amount of water will vary; add as much as you need to make a firm dough that holds together. Remove to a lightly floured board.

Knead until the dough is shiny, about 5 minutes; don't overwork. Cover the dough with the bowl and let rest for at least 1 hour.

Place the dough on a large, generously floured board or other clean work surface. Shape the dough into a slightly flattened square. Use a large rolling pin or dowel to roll out dough into a large rectangle or oblong circle that is 1/8 -inch thick.

Position the dough with its short side facing you and partly hanging off the work surface, then bring the end closest to you over the rest of the pasta to gently fold the sheet in half. Press at the crease to mark the half-way point, then bring the top layer back down.

Spread an even layer of filling about 1/8 - to 1/4-inch thick onto the bottom half of the dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the four edges. Fold over the top layer to cover. Use a ravioli rolling pin to form the ravioli, pressing down very firmly as you roll it over the filled dough. Cut the dough at the indentations with a serrated ravioli cutter (pictured) to make the ravioli. Make sure all of the openings are sealed.

The ravioli can be frozen at this point: Freeze in a single layer on baking sheets, then place in resealable bags when firm.

To cook, bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Add ravioli, 1 to 2 dozen at a time, and cook until they float to the top and the water comes back to a rolling boil, about 5 minutes. Drain and toss with the gravy. Serve right away, topped with plenty of Parmesan.

Due to the general nature of the recipes, there is no analysis.

Meat Filling for Ravioli

Despite its meat content, this filling comes out pretty green, and has a lightly spiced taste from the nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. While Anna Capurro and Anna Ballard always use a meat grinder to process the filling into a fine paste, a food processor works if you don't have one. If you have leftover filling, you can freeze it and use it later in cannelloni or manicotti.

• 1/4 to 1/3 pound day-old French bread, roughly chopped

• 1 small bunch spinach or Swiss chard, thick stems and ribs removed

• 2 teaspoons olive oil + more as needed

• 1 small onion, roughly chopped

• 8 ounces ground pork

• 8 ounces ground beef

• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• -- Salt and pepper to taste

• 4 large eggs

• 1 cup grated Romano and/or Parmesan cheese

Instructions: Place the bread in a bowl and add enough water to moisten. Let soak until saturated, then gently squeeze to remove the excess liquid.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the spinach or chard leaves until just tender, about 1 minute. Quickly remove from the pot, and place in a colander in the sink or over a bowl, then squeeze gently when cool to remove as much water as possible.

In a large frying pan over medium heat, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the onions and cook until well browned, about 12 minutes. Remove the onions from the pan, add more oil and cook the ground meats in batches until well-browned, about 10 minutes per batch. Let cool.

Process the meat, onions, bread, cooked greens, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and salt and pepper through a meat grinder, or pulse in a food processor until very finely chopped. Place in a large bowl and stir in the eggs and cheese. Add more salt, pepper or other spices to taste.

Nana's Gravy for Pasta

This recipe was adapted by Anna Ballard from a family recipe. It can be made several days ahead.

• 1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 1/2 to 3/4 pound ground beef and/or pork (optional)

• 1/2 teaspoon ground marjoram

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh marjoram, rosemary and/or parsley

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, pureed with their liquid

• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

• -- Salt and pepper

Instructions: Soak the mushrooms in boiling water until softened, about 20 minutes. Coarsely chop the mushrooms and reserve the soaking liquid.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat the oil and saute the onion until well browned, stirring often, add a small amount of water (or some of the soaking water, leaving the grit behind) to keep the onions from burning. Add the meat, if using, and the ground marjoram, and cook until the meat is browned, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, fresh herbs and Italian seasoning, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. When all ingredients are nicely browned, add the pureed tomatoes, tomato sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer, then turn heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 2 hours.

Tara Duggan is The Chronicle's Working Cook columnist. E-mail her at food@sfchronicle.com.