Tucci's "Big Night" sequel — sort of

It’s Sunday lunch in the remote mountain village of Senarica, and chef Danilo Cortellini has invited Stanley Tucci to join his family for a traditional timballo feast. In the kitchen, Cortellini’s mother, Lucia, is at the stove, expertly pouring delicate crepes — or crespelle — into a pan. The dish was born of French influence, tweaked during the Napoleonic invasion with water in place of milk and olive oil instead of butter. But the real reason Lucia’s making them? “His mother, Lucia, doesn’t trust him with today’s lunch,” Tucci deadpans in the voiceover of his new National Geographic series, “Tucci in Italy.”

Which is saying something, given that Cortellini has been a chef for 25 years, including more than a decade as head chef at the Italian Embassy in London.

Tucci watches with equal parts reverence and amusement as Lucia builds the showstopper: layers of crespelle, ragù, tiny meatballs and cheese, each crepe brushed with egg wash so it soufflés ever so slightly in the oven.