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 |  LET'S visit the Sinatras, to see "what gives" in the line of fun and food now that Frank and Nancy have moved West—bag and baggage and babies—and are comfortably established in their new home.There, despite Frank's phenomenal success, you'd still find them to be as unpretentious a pair as ever, and as hospitable a couple as one could hope to meet anywhere. True, it's considerably grander than their Hasbrouck Heights home in New Jersey—this new place of theirs in the fashionable Toluca Lake section of the movie colony. Definitely Spanish in style, the house has pink outer walls, a red tile roof and an outdoor patio—like an old mission courtyard, with tropical plants and a fish pool in the center. The front looks out on the famous Lakeview Golf Course. (Doggone it, we forgot to ask Nancy if Frank swings a golf club as well as he does a tune!) From the back windows there's a lovely view of the lake and the surrounding homes of other stars. The garden and the rolling lawn are the special responsibilities of "the lord of the manor" whom you'll next be seeing in sailor garb in M-G-M's Anchors Aweigh. But suppose we step into his home and, with Nancy as our guide, take a quick look around on our way to the kitchen where the conductor of this particular column belongs. |
| You'd immediately be impressed by the size of the living-room—twenty-five by thirty-five feet, no less! Frank would want you to see his music room, where he keeps his outstanding collection of classical records. He's particularly proud of the construction of this room's special loud speaker which he installed himself. He'd also like you to admire his rumpus room where are held some of the hottest gin-rummy sessions in all Hollywood. Among those taking part in these games are contestants who are almost as well known to Frankie's loyal legion of fans as is this Singing Sensation himself—Axel Stordahl, his orchestra leader, George Evans, his publicity manager, and Hank Semicola [sic], his oldest friend. Frankie's loyalty to his friends is proverbial. Likes nothing better than to have them drop in, unannounced; while Nancy invariably contributes her share toward making them feel welcome by urging them to stay for dinner. The meals that come out of the modern kitchen of which she is so inordinately proud are family meals—strictly of the simple, hearty type. Featured, of course, are those Italian style dishes which guests join Frank in praising and enjoying. Fork deep in spaghetti, they set to with a will as they gather around the hospitable board in that colorful and comfortable dining-room which we so much admired—to Nancy's obvious gratification. And now, thanks to the fact that she provided us with her very recipes—you, too, can enjoy these self-same Sinatra specialties. Here they are! |
| SPAGHETTI DINNER ALLA SINATRA | ||||||||||||||||||||||
MEAT BALLS (for 6)
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TOMATO SAUCE
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| SPAGHETTI Add 2 teaspoons salt to 2 quarts boiling water, in large saucepan. Hold spaghetti by one end, place other end in boiling water, then—as the spaghetti softens—coil it into the pan, without breaking. (Allow 3/4 pound spaghetti for 6 servings.) Cook until tender (15-20 minutes). Drain thoroughly. Place in heated serving dish or on large platter. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Top with generous amount of Tomato Sauce. Arrange meat balls over the top, cover with more sauce and sprinkle with additional cheese. Serve immediately. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| LASAGNE CON LA RICOTTA | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lasagne, itself, is a wide, flat member of the extensive Macaroni family. Except for the fact that you must add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the cooking water, Lasagne is cooked just like spaghetti or noodles . . . in fact wide noodles may be used for this dish "although it won't be quite as good" according to Nancy Sinatra. Lasagne can be purchased in all food stores which carry Italian-style foods. And since, for this specialty of Nancy's, you should also have the soft, bland Italian cheese called mutzarella, you might as well go out of your way a bit to find both these items so as to produce a dish that is traditionally correct—and exactly like Frankie likes Allow half a pound of lasagne, cooked and drained, to one pound of pot cheese, one small mutzarella cheese and some grated Parmesan. Make the Sinatra Tomato Sauce with the Meat Balls, as described above. Cover bottom of medium-size baking dish with some of the Tomato Sauce. Add a layer of cooked lasagne. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan, and pot cheese. Top with thin slices of mutzarella. Sreak up a couple of Meat Balls and scatter over the cheese. Cover with more Tomato Sauce. Repeat in this way until all ingredients have been used, with Tomato Sauce as top layer. Bake one half hour in moderate oven (350°F.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||