BAJIRAO MASTANI

This Indian (subtitled) film is a grand epic that sweeps across the screen in every color of the cinematographer’s rainbow. Perhaps its soap operat plot is not for the most critical filmgoers, but the scenic splendor, the costumes, dance routines and even the occasionally poetic dialogue should wow most audiences. It takes place in the early 18th century, is basically a historical, fictionalized star-crossed lovers tale and grossed 52 million dollars at the box office, (more than any other Indian film) and is reason enough to go see it.

SOPHIA LOREN FOR PASSPORT

Perhaps it’s hard to imagine Sophia Loren in an apron in the kitchen. The world’s favorite actress-goddess is better pictured with steam rising between her and Cary Grant /Charlton Heston/Marcello Mastroianni/ and other assorted hunks, than from a pot on the stove. Nevertheless, she should also still be remembered for her fabulous–and often simple–Italian dishes.
These days, a widow with her (one and only) husband Carlo Ponzi gone, her children off with their own families, occasions for basting and roasting are rare. Some years ago, she sold her vacation place in Thousand Oaks, a lush exurb thirty-five miles from Los Angeles, and moved full time to Geneva, Switzerland. This shift from country to city involved a radical change; she now lives in an apartment with her long-time assistant, who has become a virtual part of her family. Nowadays she also travels extensively.
Her place is on a hill in a historic part of town. Picture high ceilings and large windows with city views, walls hung with antique tapestries. Somewhat baronial, altogether cozy, here are overstuffed couches that create a warm, welcoming, intimate feeling. Everywhere you look are silver frames filled with images of her with her favorite celebrity friends and co-stars, along with pictures of her family. “I’m in love with my grandchildren,” she says these days. When the apartment above hers became available, she bought it and had it renovated to accommodate visits from her two sons and their families.
Her kitchen is not of the new open style so popular here. She had it renovated when she moved into this apartment and “it’s comfortable, not the latest, not ultra modern.” From the kitchen window there is a view of the gardens behind the building.
More than sixty sexy movie-star years later and even now very much in the public eye, she’s still acting, but cooking less. Recently she made a movie, “La Voce Umana” (The Human Eye) in Rome with her director son, Edoardo. (Carlo Junior is an orchestral conductor.) When in Rome, she lives with her sister, Anna Maria, with whom she is very close.
Despite her struggles with jet lag, Sophia is often off to China or Russia or to the Czech Republic to make public appearances and promote her latest project. Sometimes it’s back to Italy to visit old acquaintances, or for a fitting to her good friend Giorgio Armani’s atelier. She may be off to be photographed in her knockout signature eyeglass frames or flying to the Adriatic to be a guest on a friend’s yacht.
She might even be happy to be back in her kitchen, surrounded by grandchildren, checking the oven, or stirring what was once her mother’s recipe, bubbling on the stove. As always, she prefers middle of the day as time for the main meal. Dinner is an afterthought. As far as television goes, she hardly has the time and hardly ever watches cooking shows.

Here, two classic Sophia Loren recipes:

One of the most well-liked of Sophia’s pasta dishes is an adaptation of a Genovese recipe. Sophia uses a mortar and pestle to combine the ingredients but a food processor is probably the way to go these days. Easy to prepare and a family favorite, it’s time-honored and traditional. Sophia’s footnote warns that it’s not to be served with cheese:

LINGUINE CON SALSA SOPHIA
2 cups Italian parsley
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/4 cup of pignoli nuts
4 anchovy fillets in salt, rinsed well
10 black olives, chopped
2 tbsp. capers, drained
1 small onion, minced
1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound of linguine
Freshly ground pepper or paprika

In a food processor or in a mortar, grind together the parsley, garlic, pignoli, anchovies, olives, capers and onion until the ingredients are combined. Don’t overblend; the sauce should be smooth, with some texture. Gradually add the oil, until the paste becomes a thick sauce. Set aside.
Cook the pasta until al dente. Toss the drained pasta into a lightly oiled pan. Over medium heat cook the pasta until it dries completely and starts to brown. Combine the pasta in a serving bowl and dust with pepper or paprika.

A favorite dessert in Italy and just about everywhere else, Tiramisu, from the Italian tirami sù, actually means “pick me up.” Sophia claims that it will “lighten your spirits” and gives credit for the recipe to her Los Angeles secretary, Ines Bruscia. Her children’s top favorite:

TIRAMISU
3 eggs, separated
5 tablespoons sugar
6 ounces mascarpone cheese
36 ladyfingers, more or less
1 cup orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier
1 cup espresso coffee
2 ounces bitter chocolate, grated
Scant 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder or 2 ounces grated bittersweet chocolate

Combine the egg yolks and sugar in a medium-sized bowl and beat them together well. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. In a third larger bowl, combine the egg yolk mixture with the mascarpone, then fold in the egg whites.
Line a 9 by 12 serving dish with a layer of ladyfingers. Drizzle about half the liqueur and half the espresso over the ladyfingers. Cover the ladyfingers with mescapone mixture and the grated chocolate and dust with a little more than half the cocoa. Cover the filling with a second layer of ladyfingers and drizzle with the remaining lequeur and espresso. Place the dish in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. The tiramisu can be made 24 hours in advance. Top with the remaining cocoa before serving.
Buon appetito!