(Note; As I finished off my pie and recounted my evening with Gandhi for Ramona, she seemed impressed, like, Wow! Maybe this guy is a lot deeper and more sensitive than he looks. I think she sort of had a little crush on me. My second dinner companion would probably blow her away as well. I was on a roll.)
If dinner with Gandhi was an inspirational journey, wait until you hear who is next on my list.
None other than the Italian Goddess of the screen and the star of many of my boyhood fantasies, Gina Lollobrigida. Her early movie from 1950 titled, “Bread, Love and Dreams”, could very easily been the working title for many of my adolescent dreams.
Beautiful, buxom and vivacious, Ms. Lollobrigida went on to make classics like, “Beat the Devil”, with Humphrey Bogart, “Come September” and “Buona sera, Mrs. Campbell”. But it was her list of erotic cinematic efforts that first caught my attention. Titles such as “Beauties of the Night”, “Go Naked in the World” and “Strange Bedfellows”, which captured my heart. And then there was the blockbuster, “Solomon and Sheba”, and the infamous orgy scene. I’m getting sweaty just writing about her.
I know many of you guys out there court sex symbols like Bardot, Sophia Loren or even Raquel Welch, but Gina stands alone. She is, in a word, “Babelicious”. If she would have been a president, she would have been a Babe-raham Lincoln.
For my evening with Gina Lollobrigida, I light the candles; play a soft Italian opera on the boom box and wear my satin smoking jacket. I might even grow a Clark Gable mustache; Italian chicks dig smoking jackets and a mustache. I would open a bottle of Chianti and prepare her the Italian classic, “Frutti Di Mare”, or as we call it in the old country, Fruits of the Sea”.
Frutti Di Mare
1 Tbs. Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, Sliced
6 Scallions, Chopped
1 Tbs. Crushed Red Pepper
½ Cup Chardonnay
12 Oz. Linguini
12 Littleneck Clams
½ Cup Jarred Marinara Sauce
12 Mussels
12 Shrimp, Peeled and Deveined
½ Cup Bay Scallops
6 Oz. Calamari, Sliced
½ Cup Fresh Italian Parsley, Chopped
Boil water in a large pot and cook linguini al dente. Drain and set aside.
Heat in a large pot and sauté garlic and scallions for one minute, add red pepper and cook for another minute. Add wine and clams, bring to a boil and reduce heat. Add marinara, stir well for one minute then add rest of seafood. Cook until clams and mussels open. Remove from burner and toss in linguini and parsley. Serve in pasta bowls with a side of crusty Italian bread.
Gina Lollobrigida and Frutti Di Mare. Two Italian classics. Buona Sera.
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