Washington, Torremolinos, Paris, Milano - What a fabulous life!

Il Duomo de Milano - a gaudy birthday cake of a cathedral.

I’m going to backtrack.  I’ve written about my life in Verona when we moved there in 1974 with 3 children, but Vincent and I had actually lived in Milan for a year and a half after we were married.  Marie-Juliette was born there.  In between these two Italian adventures, we returned to the Chicago area.  I feel blessed with the life I've had, the places I've been and the people I've met.

Vincent and I arrived in Milano after an international wedding in Washington, a honeymoon in Spain and three wedding receptions in Paris. 

Wedding with my parents and Vincent's mother who came over from France.  I made this dress with satin I bought at Sears for $25.  It was trimmed with Belgian lace.  I viewed it as a 1-day costume.

Torremolinos on the Costa del Sol.  We also visited Granada and Madrid.

Paris

These receptions were carefully orchestrated.  I wore the same turquoise dress each night and was introduced to more than a hundred people.   It was like being on stage or maybe Cinderella at the ball.  Each night, there was a wonderful buffet and many coupes de champagne.

The first night the country cousins (les Provençaux) and acquaintances of the lower social strata were invited.  The second night it was the upper class bourgeois and aristocrats.  The third party was for young friends and acquaintances of Vincent and his brothers and sister.  Of course, this one was the most fun. As I remember we danced the night away. 

After each event, the family sat around nibbling on the remains of the buffet and dissecting the guests:  what they wore, what they said and the latest gossip.  There was a lot of clever repartee, searing criticism and much laughter.  I began to get a feel for this Parisian family that I had joined. 

Milano - Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II - The Galleria has an ornate glass roof. Note the marble floors and Ristorante Savini.

Our furnished apartment in Milano had a large living/dining room, a kitchen, a bedroom and bath.  It was on the ground floor and had a balcony.  The complex included three 10 story apartment buildings.  A high wrought-iron fence surrounded the complex with a gatehouse and a portinaia (female doorman) who manned the entrance.  She was a major gossip and shared her personal woes.  I heard about her abortions.  She had a couple and I was appalled that it was so easy to get an abortion in that very Catholic country.  I also learned about my neighbors and their tangled lives.

Two absolutely gorgeous girls lived on one of the top floors.  I would see them walk by in full-length mink coats. They were kept by their sugar daddies.  The portinaia told me that they were allowed to have a social life but they were supposed to be available when their lover needed them.  One guy showed up on Saturday afternoon in a large, chocolate brown Mercedes with children in the back seat.  He would hand them a lollypop and tell them to be good.  Then he would pop upstairs for a quickie.

One couple with a little girl lived on the 4th floor.  The wife’s parents lived on the 5th floor and the husband’s family lived on the 3rd floor.  Every day they would have lunch with one set of in-laws and dinner with the other…lots of togetherness.  There was always much yelling, arguing and laughter when they exited the building.

We moved to Milano, the second week of January.  I was learning to be a house wife, learning how to cook and trying out recipes.  One day I needed some yeast.  I went to the supermarket and looked for a package of active dried yeast.  I couldn’t find anything that looked familiar.  A shop assistant asked me if she could help.  At that point I had practically no Italian.  I gestured and tried to demonstrate rising.  She looked baffled, then smiled and led me to the baking aisle and handed me a package of baking powder.  I smiled but shook my head.  How to explain?  I wanted to say that it was alive…not a powder.  I said “No, sono piccoli animali…vivo. ”  “They’re like little animals…alive.”  The young woman looked at me as though I was nuts.   She went over to the check-out counter and jabbered to another employee.  The two of them wondered what this weird foreign lady wanted.  Then after some more chatter there was an “ah-ha” moment. They both started to laugh.  My helper took me over to the refrigerated section and took out a cake of live yeast. “Ecco, Signora.”  “Here you are, Mam.” We all were laughing by then.  After that I had two friends at the supermarket who greeted me whenever I went in.

Our first evening in Milan, we went out for dinner to a local restaurant.  It was a white tablecloth establishment.  I particularly remember the Saltimbocca alla Romana. Saltimbocca means “jump in the mouth.” It’s a fast, easy and  tasty dish.

Saltimbocca alla Romana

For 4 people you need:

4 slices of tender veal scallopini

4 slices of prosciutto 

4 large sage leaves

4 tooth picks

1/2 cup white wine

Butter and olive oil.

Maybe some flour.

Directions:

1. Between layers of plastic wrap, gently pound the scallopini until they are very thin. Be careful not to make a hole or tear them.
2. Place a slice of prosciutto on top of each scaloppini.
3. Place a sage leaf on top of the prosciutto.
4. Weave a toothpick in and out of the leaf, prosciutto and scaloppini to attach firmly.
5. At this point you can lightly flour the scaloppini on both sides or not.  It’s up to you.  The flour would make a more opaque sauce.
6. In a large skillet melt a  couple of tablespoons of butter and olive oil until fragrant.
7. Sauté the scallopini a couple of minutes on each side.  They will cook quickly.
8. Remove the scallopini to a warm plate.  Add the wine and scrape up the brown bits.  Cook down the sauce. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  You could also add a couple more sage leaves for flavor.
9. Pour the unctuous sauce over the scaloppini.  

Some crispy sautéd potatoes would be nice on the side.