Recipes for Life (32 page)

W
INTER IS WONDERFUL
at Villa Madera. One year Yanni came with his entire family: his mother and father; his older brother, Yorgo, with his wife, Linda, and their two sons; and his younger sister, Anda, with her husband, Richard.

It snowed, which I had rarely experienced and hoped would add to the charm of the Pacific Northwest. Nena and I had planned menus of the most amazing meals I have ever made. I loved this family so much I wanted every meal and moment to be perfect. I had cheeses and wines and specialty foods that I knew they would enjoy flown in from New York and Los Angeles.

Quiet before the storm—the living room at Villa Madera awaits.

In the evenings, the fireplace in the living room (so huge you could walk into it) was the favorite gathering place: ideal for appetizers and a glass of wine. The large living room gave Yorgo and Linda’s children lots of room to run and play as we talked by the fire. Yanni’s first piano, which we’d brought up to Villa Madera, was waiting in the corner. Perhaps he would play?

A rare snowstorm came in one night and the electricity went out. No ovens, no refrigerator, no heating. My home was an icebox. Fortunately, Villa had fireplaces in most of the rooms, including the bedrooms. Thank God for all the wood we had stored.

My dear, clever Nena had known how to be prepared for times without electricity. She had grown up in a small town outside of Belize without any of the benefits of modern technology. She had encouraged me to buy a small, free-standing two-burner stove, fueled by oil that we purchased the year before. It sat waiting in the garage, as a lifesaver for us.

Bless the Chrysomallis family and their love of adventure and life. Somehow we fed everyone and kept them warm. This visit wasn’t as much about the dazzling meals as I had hoped. We all joined together to turn our adversity into intimate conversations by candlelight in front of a roaring fire, with children giggling and running through the dark house. Sometimes the simplest meals are remembered the most.

Everyone seems to have their own version of pesto. This one, from Yanni’s brother, Yorgo, is my all-time favorite! It has the special addition of a little softened butter, which smooths and rounds out the flavor.

2 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts

2 cups fresh basil leaves

½ cup olive oil

1 small garlic clove (about 1 teaspoon minced)

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Place the nuts in a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Toast the nuts, shaking constantly, just until they give off their aroma and are light golden in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour them immediately out of the hot skillet and into a dish so they don’t burn. Set aside to cool.

In a blender or food processor, put basil leaves, olive oil, garlic, salt, and the cooled nuts. Blend to the desired consistency; some people like a very smooth paste, others prefer a somewhat chunkier texture. At this point, you can freeze the pesto in a covered container for up to four months.

If you’re using the pesto right away, add the cheeses and butter and blend until combined. Store in the refrigerator for about one week. To keep it fresh and green, pour ¼ inch of olive oil over the surface, and top it up each time you use the pesto. The oil creates an airtight seal to keep the basil green.

Serve over pasta, chicken, salmon, or whatever your heart desires. I love to mix it with fresh pasta and add lightly salted chopped tomatoes or cubed cooked potatoes and green beans.

Note: If you do decide to freeze it, thaw first and then add the cheeses and butter before serving. To thaw you can use a microwave on low. Be sure never to actually heat the pesto or it will separate.

O
NCE IN A
while when Yanni wasn’t on tour, he’d surprise me and fly up to Washington for a few days. I loved these wonderful unscheduled visits. It was such a sweet surprise.

I wanted to prepare a fabulous dinner for him but he insisted we go out. So I drove him down to a charming Italian restaurant in Tacoma that overlooked the Puget Sound. Anytime Yanni could be by the water he was happy. Dinner was great and hearing about all the wonderful things that were happening in his life was so much better in person than on the phone.

As I pulled up to Villa Madera and pushed the button to open the garage, I slammed my foot on the brake and sat frozen in the car. I was driving a black Jeep SUV that I had brought up from California after I started filming
Dynasty
. As I looked into the garage I saw a black Jeep that looked like a mirror image of my car. I was stunned. How could there be a car in my garage in my spot? And it had a big red bow on it. Under the bow was a big sign that said Yanni Loves Linda. I melted.

I knew Yanni was thinking of getting a brand-new car, his first ever. I remembered how excited he was the past few months when he called to share the different models he had to choose from. Well, he had decided and, as a surprise, he ordered the exact same car for me, fully loaded. He had ordered them directly from the factory and my car was one serial number different from his. It was a beautiful moment for both of us.

The next morning, I made Yanni his favorite breakfast. He nicknamed it “Stand-Up Breakfast” because it was so delicious he wanted to eat it right from the skillet.

Yanni surprised me with a brand-new Jeep. Just because.

Adding a little baking soda to the Bisquick and using buttermilk for the liquid makes a light, crispy, easy-to-make pancake. These delicate cakes taste best with Grade A, real Vermont maple syrup, which has a lighter maple flavor than darker Grade B.

1 cup Bisquick

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1½ cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon melted unsalted butter, plus additional for serving

4 egg whites

7 tablespoons vegetable oil

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, clarified (see Note below)

Pure maple syrup, gently warmed, for serving

Blend together Bisquick and baking soda in a mixing bowl, smoothing out lumps with a fork. Add the buttermilk and 1 teaspoon of melted butter and mix on low with an electric mixer.

In another mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks are formed. Take half of the beaten egg whites and fold into the Bisquick mixture, mixing well by hand with a rubber spatula, then fold in the remaining half, again by hand with a spatula.

Put 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of clarified butter in a 10-inch frying pan over medium-low heat. When the oil is heated, pour ¼ cup of the pancake mixture in the frying pan, and cook the pancake until edges are light and crispy brown. Cook only two pancakes in the oil and butter in the pan, then add another 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of clarified butter, and continue cooking. (The amount of oil/butter you will need will change depending on the size of the frying pan and the number of pancakes you cook. You will need enough oil/butter mixture to make them crispy.)

Serve immediately, or they will lose their lightness and crispiness, with a little melted butter and warmed maple syrup on top.

Note: To make clarified butter, melt the butter slowly. Let it sit for a bit to separate. Skim off the foam that rises to the top, and gently pour the butter off the milk solids, which have settled to the bottom.

One stick (8 tablespoons) of butter will produce about 7 tablespoons of clarified butter.

M
Y LIFE WITH
Yanni was a whirlwind. It was at the peak of my career and Yanni’s was taking off like a rocket. Ironically, I had left
Dynasty
because I craved privacy. So what did I do? I fell in love with an up-and-coming star. But I was genuinely thrilled for him because I knew it was his dream and his time.

For nine years, Yanni and I traveled the world together, often for his concerts. From the Forbidden City to the Acropolis, it was a very exciting and romantic time in my life. I’ll never forget being taken on a private tour at sunrise of the Taj Mahal, which was built as one of the greatest monuments to love.

B
ETWEEN TOURING
, Y
ANNI
and I took a little time for ourselves in Italy, staying at the Hotel Cipriani on Giudecca Island, a short boat ride from Piazza San Marco in Venice.