Once more, Richard and Nives spend New Year's Eve and Day together, this time in the company of their friends from the Isle of Elba, Raffaella and Jerry, and RIchard's parents too, Margaret and John Armitage. Romance and romanticism galore!
WARNING:...
In the morning, after breakfast, Raffaella searched the internet for an Italian deli to purchase the ingredients she needed for her best dish, that is, spaghetti with clams. She found a shop of the Lina Store franchise in Vauxhall, some ten minutes drive from their residence, which had a seafood department. Nives went with her to purchase the ingredients for the dish she had chosen, tortiglioni pasta with chicken strips in béchamel sauce.
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They hailed a taxi – this time, a classic black one – and they headed for the shop. They found it very well stocked with the best Italian brands. Raffaella picked Vermentino, a fruity Tuscan white wine, to go with her spaghetti, while Nives opted for another white wine, Gargànega of the Berici Hills, produced not far from where she lived.
To Nives greatest delight, they found even pandoro of her favourite brand, the famous confectionery company Melegatti from Verona, so she bought it: she would have her parents-in-law-to-be tasting it. At this point, she looked for a sweet spumante and, as she didn't find her favourite, Fiordarancio of the Euganei Hills, she chose Gancia from Piedmont.
Another taxi drove them home, where Raffaella started cooking at once. Jerry insisted on being her assistant chef, as he humorously called himself; meantime, Nives and Richard set the table and then, waiting for the food to be readied, she prepared a non-alcoholic aperitif using Irn-Bru – the Scottish soft drink similar to the Italian ginger – and pineapple juice, which she served with olives stuffed with peppers she had picked at the deli.
"Many use chilli", Raffaella commented as, in the sitting room, they were chatting drinking their aperitif, talking about the dish she was cooking, "but I think it's completely wrong, because the spiciness of it covers the flavour of the clams, which is quite delicate. Sometimes I use just a little pepper."
"There's an ingredient that makes your coking the absolute best, compared to even the best cooks", declared Jerry. "That is, cooked by your sweet little hands", he concluded, grabbing her hands and bringing them to his lips.
"Ugh... you're so sugary that I feel my teeth decaying!" Richard teased them jokingly.
Jerry turned and pretended to throw daggers at him. "What about you? You keep looking at Nives with googly eyes!"
Nives and Raffaella burst into laughter and the men joined them at once.
"You're hilarious, when you play surly!" Nives cried, wiping away her tears of mirth.
The kitchen timer rang, announcing that the food was ready; as Raffaella headed for the kitchen to drain the pasta, Nives took care of the wine, uncorking the bottle.
Soon enough, they were all seated around the table; Raffaella waited for their reaction, which was not long in coming.
"Absolutely delicious", said Nives.
"I agree", confirmed Richard.
"Excellent, as usual", Jerry completed the chorus of compliments.
"Thank you, you're nice", Raffaella answered with a satisfied beam.
