In Sicilian families who emigrated to New York, the week is frugal and Sunday is sumptuous. The meal opens with sott'aceti and antipasto, followed by the primo (pasta or pasta soup), then the secondo (meats simmered in 'gravy'), and closes with a dolce or refreshing granita. Everything revolves around a large pot of tomato sauce that perfumes the apartment from dawn.

The signature of this cuisine is the long-simmered tomato sauce, cooked for hours with several meats — called 'gravy' by Italian-Americans — and the generous grating of salty pecorino romano that crowns every plate of pasta.