An antipasto of Fortuna dry-cured sausage features, clockwise from top center: Soppresata, all-natural Pepperoni, Abbruze, Baby Genoa Salami, Coppa or Capicola, Soupy and Cacciatorini, topped with hot stuffed cherry peppers.

The Providence Journal / John Freidah

It’s a classic American tale, especially for some in the food world.

Immigrants arrive with their Old World traditions and use them to make a living for their family. That business grows, evolves and modernizes with the next generation. But someone in that third generation grows nostalgic for the old ways and strikes out to create a brave new world that mixes tradition with the demands of modern living.

And so in Rhode Island we have Fortuna Sausage Co.

Filomena and Joseph Marchio arrived in Bridgeport, Conn., from a little town in Calabria, Italy. They opened a meat market, making fresh sausages and dry-cured meats with recipes from home. They hired a sausage maker, Anthony “Pat” Fortuna, who married their daughter, Ida. Together, they opened a chain of Fortuna Delis. Their daughter Patti branched out into Rhode Island after marrying her husband, Paul Stannard, and ran a Fortuna’s Deli in Westerly.

But in 1982, Patti and her husband wanted to bring back the sausage-making tradition of her grandparents.

“We thought we had a great market here,” she said. So they began to re-create the recipes for dry curing sausage. By that time her grandfather had passed away, but her grandmother was alive to see the very beginning of the business. They are the couple pictured on every Fortuna label.

She hates the oft-quoted expression that it’s better not to see sausage made.

“There is nothing bad about it,” she says firmly. “It’s beautiful.

“The way we do it, it’s a fine art,” she said.

Today, dry-cured meats are enjoyed as gourmet items just as cheese and wine are, Stannard observed.

Whether you call it charcuterie or salumi, the meat preservation techniques that came before refrigeration are indeed very much in vogue, with cutting-edge chefs making their own.

With contrasting flavors and textures, Fortuna produces familiar items like salami, pepperoni and soppresata occupy many an antipasto plate with lesser known cacciatorini and the locally beloved product, Soupy. Soupy is a dense, dry sausage much like a soppresata that has local popularity in Westerly and nearby Connecticut. It is meant to be quite spicy, but for local tastes, Fortuna offers a mild version in addition to the extra hot and nuclear hot versions.

The cacciatorini is a dry sausage that comes as a pair, tied together with a string and hung to cure that way. It’s most flavorful and slightly sweet. The two pieces are short but wide and they are also called “Chubbs.” It was a popular hunters’ sausage as it could be easily packed away and eaten, said Stannard.

Traditional sausage-making involves no nitrates or preservatives. It’s a natural process making and mixing meats and then drying or curing. Timing, air circulation and ingredients must all be perfect. When done, the cured sausages require no refrigeration.

Which brings us to the thoroughly modern part of our story. Fortuna Sausage (fortunasausage.com) is largely an Internet company. Most of the items are shipped from orders online. Stannard ships to fans all over the world, including Africa. Soldiers serving in Afghanistan regularly receive Fortuna packages, she said.

There are stores that carry the products (see accompanying story) which include Stannard’s own pasta sauces (marinara, puttanesca and fra diavolo) and handmade pasta. They import cheeses like asiago and provolone and sell olives and hot stuffed cherry peppers and many other sausage accompaniments. They also make fresh Italian sausages that are lean and free of fillers and additives.

Fortuna is now based in Charlestown, but many may remember their days producing in Greenville, where they also had a shop. Stannard set up a seasonal storefront in Wakefield last holiday season, and she may do that again. But in the meantime, she keeps making the sausages the old-fashioned way and selling them over cyberspace.

The old school among you can call the order hotline at (800) 427-6879.

Recipe: Patti Stannard’s Easter Frittata1

PATTI STANNARD’S EASTER FRITTATA

2 dozen large eggs

1 1/2 pounds ricotta cheese

1/2 pound Fortuna’s hot Soupy

1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Dash each of salt and black pepper

In a large bowl, whip eggs with a wire whisk. Blend in ricotta and Romano cheeses, salt and pepper. Whip well, then let stand 10 minutes.

Slice soupy into very thin pieces while letting eggs stand. Layer the bottom of an ungreased 2-inch deep baking pan.

Pour the whipped mixture slowly over the soupy to keep the soupy lining the bottom of the dish.

Bake covered with foil at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes. Frittata should puff up nicely and be firm to the touch.

Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving.

Cut in wedges and serve warm with Italian Toast.

Shops that sell Fortuna products1

If you can’t wait a day for delivery and want to try some Fortuna products, the largest selection is at Town Meats on Main, 396 Main St., Wakefield (across from the Masse auto dealership).

This cute-as-can-be old-fashioned market is owned by Ed and Karen LaPlante. Ed describes it as “a small town butcher shop,” where all the meat is hand cut and the beef is ground at the store. There is a large selection of cuts.

LaPlante makes his own fresh sausage in many international varieties. He makes Italian sausage, korv (Swedish sausage), bangers, bratwurst, knackwurst, garlic and cheese, spiced apple and sage.

There is a deli for sandwiches and a prepared food section that includes all their homemade soups, stews and chilis. The menu changes daily, but expect a quiche and lasagna including his butternut lasagna in season.

“Some of them are made from recipes shared by my customers,” he said.

Desserts include homemade cakes, bread puddings and cheesecake.

The market is open Monday (9-4); Tuesday to Saturday (9-6); and Sunday (11-3).

Sunrise Market, 130 Granite St., Westerly, also carries a varied selection of Fortuna products, including the dry sausages and sauces.

Other spots include: Charlestown Mini Super, 4071 Old Post Rd, Charlestown; Ma & Pa’s Country Store, 1044 Main St., Hope Valley; Belmont Market, 600 Kingstown Rd., Wakefield, carries the pasta sauces; Dave’s Marketplace, all locations, carry Soupy and peppers only; Stop & Shops throughout the state carry Soupy only; and Munroe Dairy offers home delivery of Italian sausages.

Recipe: Patti’s Pasta Casalinga1

PATTI’S PASTA CASALINGA

2 tablespoons olive oil

3-4 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing

1/4 pound Fortuna Soupy, julienne cut

1/4 pound prosciutto, julienne cut

1/4 pound pepperoni, julienne cut

2 scallions, chopped

2 cans (28 ounces) whole plum tomatoes

1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen, drained

1 12-ounce can artichoke hearts in water, drained

1 pound fresh pasta

Grated Romano cheese, to taste

Add olive oil to sauté pan with garlic and sausage. Stir frequently until sausage is just about fully cooked, about five minutes on medium heat. Add other meats and brown a bit more until all the flavors are blended.

Add plum tomatoes and let simmer for 10 minutes to enhance flavors.

Add artichoke hearts, scallions and peas until fully warmed.

Make your pasta according to directions. Put on a platter and ladle fresh sauce on top. Sprinkle grated cheese and serve.

Chef notes: This sauce for pasta tastes even better the next day. It freezes well. Casalinga means home cooking.

Serves 5-6.

gciampa@projo.com