A Good Age: Weymouth woman, 94, holds on to her Italian heritage at Thanksgiving

WEYMOUTH − Lucia Hotton is among the many people and experiences I am thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Hotton, who is 94 and lives in Weymouth, snail mailed to the newsroom a short story titled "The Absent Turkey," inspired by the Thanksgivings of yesteryear. An editor sent it my way.

Every November, I like to come up with a Thanksgiving column with themes of family, gratitude, good deeds and a touch of nostalgia. This year, Hotton has saved me that task, which is actually often a pleasure. Her story became this column.

"This piece is a light-hearted reminiscence of past Thanksgivings at my mother's Sicilian-American table," she wrote. "The lack of turkey was made up for by an abundance of food that reflected our heritage, which did notinclude cranberry sauce and yams. Those long-ago days are fun to recall and now, at 94, I find they haven't faded."

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Staying true to her Italian roots

Born Lucia Bonaiuto in New Britain, Connecticut, on Feb. 9, 1928, Hotton was named after her paternal grandmother. Both of her parents came to the United States from Italy.

"My mother was a fantastic cook, as her mother was before her," she said.

She graduated from New Britain High School, then Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, and went to work as a proofreader at the New Britain Herald. There, she met her husband Peter Hotton, The Boston Globe's very popular, longtime handyman-on-call and editor.

They married in 1956 and were together just short of 60 years when he died in 2015, at age 87. They raised two children. Their son, David, died of a brain tumor in 2006 at age 46. Their daughter, Gina Hotton, is a sign language interpreter and an artist with the Sandwich Arts Alliance who lives in Mashpee.

Lucia has always loved words, reading and writing. The young couple began doing crossword puzzles and were so devoted to the Sunday newspaper crosswords that she made copies so each could solve the puzzles separately.

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She is also a longtime volunteer with the Friends of the Weymouth Libraries, and still helps out in the library book shop every month. Hotton also worked in the antiques business and specialized in lace, linen and vintage clothing.

'The Absent Turkey'

And now, Lucia Hotton's story."If my mother had been in charge, the Pilgrims would have served lasagna at the first Thanksgiving.

"Her Sicilian roots had no connection with turkey day. No such thing in Italy. On that November holiday, as well asChristmas, Easter, family celebrations and probably Garibaldi's birthday, we were served a bountiful choice of mouth-watering, delicious, calorie-laden edibles. As we tucked into the feast, you could hear the sounds of the Food Pyramid crumbling.

"While every family in the neighborhood was seated around a Norman Rockwell table with turkey and all its accompanying delights, the menu at our house ran something like this, give or take a course:stuffed artichokes, soup and lasagna followed by a fat capon. The hormonally altered bird was my mother's concession to the traditional American fowl."There was wine, of course. My father provided a gallon of red liquid made from grapes that had surely been stomped on too long. Much more economical, he maintained, than those expensive skinny bottles. Wedrank it with fortitude and respect for our elders."After the plates were cleared, a time-out was declared, during which belts were loosened and sounds from the kitchen heralded the approach of dessert. We waddled back to the table where we were faced with any or all of the following: ricotta pie, biscotti, cannoli, Italian cookies and a tower of fruit. Several of these were donations from the attending guests, just in case things ran out.

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"After dessert came the mandatory anisette and, of course, expresso. For the epilogue, there was the familiar blue bottle found in every Italian household: Brioschi Italian Alka-Seltzer.

"It was wise to have fasted a day or so before facing the horn-of-too-plenty at our table. My mother's largesse was instilled by many generations of family cooks. Aunts, cousins and grandmothers with the same mantra:'Eat, you'll feel better.' Dante would have inscribed "Abandon All Hunger" above the front door."Guests at our table were not always aware that the first courses were not the entire meal.

"One Thanksgiving, our brother-in-law and family joined us at my parents' house for dinner. After artichokes and soup, the lasagna arrived and nephew, Bert, put away a sizable square or two. 'That was a wonderful dinner,' he pronounced.

"Then Mom walked in with the capon."

On Thursday, Lucia Hotton will happily spend Thanksgiving at home with her daughter Gina and two good friends. The dinner will include both roast turkey and her mother's 200-year-old recipe for stuffed artichokes, one of Lucia's trademarks.

Thank you, Lucia, for this extra column course!

Reach Sue Scheible at sscheible@patriotledger.com.

Lucia Hotton's recipe for Italian stuffed artichokes from her Sicilian grandmother

4 artichokes1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese2 garlic cloves, fine chop or use garlic press1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped1 tsp black pepperOlive oil (as directed)

Mix all the ingredients, except oil, in a bowl. Remove the stems. Lay each artichoke on its side. Cut about 2 inches off the top with a sharp knife or electric knife. Turn the artichokes upside down and press back and forth with your palm to loosen the leaves. Set the artichoke upright in a bowl, scoop up crumbs and fill the leaves, opening them as you go along.

Give the choke a few taps to settle the crumbs. (Doing this right in the bowl keeps from wasting the crumbs.)

Place a rack in a large pot, big enough for 4, and pour 1 or 2 inches of water under it. Put the artichokes in the pot, close together. Make sure they don't touch the water.

Very slowly and sparingly, dribble a fine stream of oil into the leaves, just enough to moisten the crumbs.

Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then lower and simmer for about an hour.Check the water often and add as needed to keep the level the same.

Artichokes are done when you can pull a leaf out easily. The stems can be eaten and have a pleasant taste. My mother peeled and cut them into 1-inch pieces and pressed them into the top. It's optional!

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Weymouth's Lucia Hotton 94, holds on to Italian heritage at Thanksgiving