Recipes for Life (31 page)

½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1 pink grapefruit (I like Ruby Red)

1 large navel orange

1 ripe Hass avocado

6 cups baby spinach (or mixed greens)

1 recipe My Favorite Salad Dressing (page 222)

In a dry skillet over medium-high heat, toss the walnut pieces just until they smell fragrant and toasty, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour into a small bowl and set aside. (If you leave them in the hot skillet, they may scorch.)

Trim the orange and grapefruit into membrane-free segments (chefs call these “suprêmes”) by this method: working with a sharp knife on a cutting board, cut off the top and bottom of the rind, including any of the white pith beneath. Set the fruit level on the board and slice off the rind and pith in sections. Then hold the fruit in your hand and use a paring knife to cut each segment free of the membrane and dropping the fruit into a bowl, turning the membrane over like the pages of a book.

Halve the avocado and cut thin slices into the citrus bowl. Toss very, very gently just to coat the avocado slices with citrus, to keep them from browning.

Divide the greens among four serving plates and top with the citrus and avocado slices. Drizzle the dressing over the tops of the salads and sprinkle with the toasted walnuts. Serve at once.

T
HE FIRST
TIME Yanni came to visit me at Villa Madera, I was still so taken with him, l could hardly breathe every time I looked at him. I wondered how it was possible to feel so much about someone I hardly knew.

Happy at last.

We spent almost all our days on my boat, out on the beautiful private lake behind the villa.

Sunset on my lake.

We talked endlessly and effortlessly about our lives. In the beginning I would plan wonderful meals for us in the evenings, but I ended up throwing the schedules out because this beautiful Greek man I was falling in love with “lived in the moment.” Often the conversation was so compelling, we would stay on the boat until 10 at night. Food wasn’t really important for the longest time in our relationship. We were filled with each other.

S
OME OF THE
greatest times Yanni and I shared were with his family in Kalamata, Greece. Yanni’s mother, Felitsa, was a happy, loving, beautiful soul, who nurtured everyone with her caring nature and her extraordinary cooking. She was the most amazing mom and loving wife I’ve ever met. I also adore Yanni’s dad, Sotiri. A retired banker, Sotiri is incredibly ethical and wise. When we first met, Sortiri was in his seventies and in better shape than me. Yanni’s sister, Anda, and I hit it off immediately, and have remained good friends to this day.

Yanni’s beautiful parents.

It was an incredibly joyous time. During the day, we’d go off in the boat to a nearby cove to have lunch. Sometimes on the way, dolphins would follow us and leap around the boat. Later we’d swim, play backgammon, and drink ouzo.

Family dinners on the terrace overlooking the sea as the sun set were a nightly ritual. Preparing these incredible feasts was also a family affair. Every year Sotiri would select grapes for his family’s “special wine,” which when it was ready, would be delivered in a huge barrel that they stored. Sometimes Yanni’s beloved grandmother, Anna, would also be in the kitchen helping. Sotiri would bake the bread while Felitsa cooked the best Greek meals I have ever tasted. It was so much fun with everyone helping to bring the feast to the table. They even had Kalamata olives from their own trees, which Uncle Yanni makes and still sends me every year.

Someone’s in the kitchen with Felitsa, Yanni’s mom.

It seemed everyone in Yanni’s family had a special talent with food. Each year, during the month Yanni and I would be with the family, we’d easily gain fifteen pounds each. But believe me, it was worth every ounce.

The addition of mint makes these unique—everyone loves them.

1 pound lean ground beef

2 eggs

2 teaspoons minced garlic

¼ cup minced onion

1½ tablespoons minced fresh mint

½ teaspoon dried whole oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

4 small slices whole wheat sandwich bread (crust removed) Vegetable oil for frying

In a large bowl combine the ground beef with the next seven ingredients and blend well.

Put the bread in warm water to soak until soft, then squeeze out excess liquid and squish into a smooth paste. Use your hands to knead the bread with the hamburger mixture, until the bread is incorporated and no longer visible.

Roll mixture into 1-inch balls and fry in a small amount of oil until brown.

Y
ANNI INVITED
JZ to Greece one summer and the family quickly fell in love with her—as do most people when they meet her. She was only there for a short time, but her stay was memorable. That summer I experienced JZ’s generosity and saw how she changed people’s lives.

Yanni’s family had two women that came daily to help clean during the summer. One was a sweet young girl named Roula; the other was an older woman named Voula. JZ and I always looked forward to seeing them and really enjoyed spending time with them.

We learned from Felitsa that every evening Voula worked at her own very small restaurant up in the mountains. One night we all jumped in the car and drove up to surprise her. We dined outside under the stars and, to our delight, the food was fabulous. After dinner JZ asked if we could see the kitchen. We were amazed when we saw that she had only one small room with a table and a single standing burner on top of it.

The next day JZ went into town and bought Voula the largest professional stove and oven available. If Voula could work her magic on that one burner, imagine what she could now accomplish with this new stove!

JZ also had a profound effect on Roula’s life. In the morning, I’d go upstairs to JZ’s bedroom and they’d already be deep in conversation about Roula’s hopes and dreams. JZ wanted to know what she was going to do now that she had graduated from high school. Roula explained that there weren’t many options in the small village where they lived. JZ gave Roula the opportunity of a lifetime: she sent her to America to college. Roula graduated and now works and lives in London. Both these women’s lives were changed that summer.