To Get The Juices Running
They set the table in the alcove: We were served and ate with great gusto -- we really were meant to be together. While M.M. taught C.C. to make punch, I took joy in contemplating the latter's increasing beauty.
"Your breasts, I said -- in the space of nine months they'll be perfect."
"They're like mine," M.M. said. "Would you like to judge?"
As I did not say no, she went to work unlacing her friend, who didn't resist in the slightest, then turned her attention to herself, and in less then it takes to tell I found myself contemplating four rivals vying for the scepter like the three Immortals, and whom the handsome Paris himself would have been hard-pressed to judge honestly(1). Need I say what fire this delightful sight set circulating in my veins? I immediately laid l'Académie des Dames on the table, inviting M.M. to take a position. They understood my desires: "Would you like, my dears, to play out this scene al naturale?"
C.C. replied with a nod; she wasn't yet as forthright as her teacher. While I grinned with glee, my two beauties prepared, and soon we were all a-bed, as Nature had made us.
At first a spectator of the battle my companions fought, I enjoyed their struggles and the contrast in their forms, one red-headed and the other chestnut, but soon the voluptuous fires kindled in my breast and I slipped between them, bringing one, and then the other, to the joyous peak of love...
Casanova, from his Memoirs.
And to think that it began at table! The incident is quoted in a delightful book entitled A Tavola per Amare, (To the Table to Love) by Livio Cerini del Castegnate (Idea Libri, 2000), who notes that mutual attraction, careful attention to detail, lively discourse, long tablecloths that allow for… (ahem), and proximity to a bedroom where one can continue one's dalliance are the ingredients essential to the success of aphrodisiacs. He doesn't put much store in love philters, and says that if the atmosphere fails to click, the finest caviar, lobsters, and truffles washed down with the best Champagne won't do the trick. So the secret for a successful Amatory Dinner is to plan with care and give that special someone an experience he or she won't soon forget, and then… se son rose fioriranno (if they're roses they will blossom). Something we all knew, but sometimes loose sight of.
Exactly what does he suggest, for the menu? All sorts of things, some obvious and others much less so. For example:
Ostriche
Oysters, the
ultimate aphrodisiac!
Zuppa di Cozze o Vongole al Pomodoro
Clams or mussels cooked with tomato sauce. Fine finger food, and laso makes an
excellent pasta sauce (recipe from another source, but on target).
Spaghetti al Curry
Curry isn't what
one normally associates with Italian cooking, but it does add zing to a
dish!
Spaghetti con Conchiglie, Cozze e… Tanto
Zafferano
Unusual spaghetti with clams, mussels, and...
Saffron.
Risotto agli Asparagi
Asparagus are
perfect for a spring risotto. (recipe from another source, but on target).
Risotto alla Milanese
One of the
symbols of Milan: a sinnfully tasty risotto made with saffron (recipe from
another source, but on target).
Frittata con le Cipolle
A delicate
oniony frittata (recipe from another source, but on target).
Messicani
Nutmeg-laced veal
involtini, which are perfect with polenta or risotto alla milanese.
Mantecato alla Veneziana
A
sensuous stockfish (or baccalà) paté will set the stage very
nicely!
Filetto alla Bismarck
Beef filet,
with an egg cracked over it. A fantastic combination!
Pollo alla Cacciatora
Everybody has a
recipe for Chicken Cacciatore, and they're all different. Here are two, one
simple and the other more elaborate.
Vitello Tonnato
A classic, and very
sensual summer dish (recipe from another source, but on target).
Cinghiale in Salsa Agrodolce
An
ancient recipe for wild boar in a rich sweet-and-pungent sauce.
Omelettes Fourrées Flambées
Omelets, filled with jam (or not, as you prefer), and flamed.
Sensual.
Mr. Cerini del Castegnate touches lightly on cheese, but with the exception of the above omelet, doesn't say much about dessert -- Primarily fresh fruit, and nothing elaborate. Presumably by the time we reach this course the juices are flowing and the passions boiling thanks to what has come before, and it will be the farthest thing from our mind.
A Presto,
Kyle
Phillips
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1) Paris, Prince of Troy, found himself in the uncomfortable position of being asked to say whether Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite was most beautiful. He chose Aphrodite because she offered the most interesting bribe -- the most beautiful woman in the world -- and received Helen, wife of the Spartan King Menaleus, who fought the Trojan War to bring her home. Back Up.
