The mansion's kitchen was the size of Ellis's house; that's what she concluded when she entered the white room with marble everywhere imaginable and unimaginable. The brunette's surprised look didn't go unnoticed by the matriarch of the Amorielle family, who rolled her eyes while thinking about the kind of classless and poorly dressed person her son was going to marry.
"Come, dear, let's go to the countertop," Antonietta asked as she walked towards the central island of her kitchen. "My chef went to fetch the lamb meat, in the meantime, we'll do the Mise en place of the ingredients."
"Mise, what?" Ellis raised an eyebrow and asked.
"Mise en place, dear," Antonietta repeated, restraining herself from rolling her eyes at Ellis's ignorance. She placed her hands on the countertop and began to explain. "It's pronounced 'miz on plas.' We're going to organize the ingredients for Zuppa all'omertà, which I'm going to teach you, just as my mother-in-law taught me and her mother-in-law taught her, passing down to all of us until it reached you. And for it to be successful, you need to understand that this step is essential. Imagine if, in the middle of a recipe that takes hours, you forget something? All the time spent on that dish would be wasted."
"Ah, I understand. So we're going to separate the ingredients just like those recipe videos, where all the ingredients are chopped, ground... Got it," Ellis said excitedly. She walked to the countertop and grabbed an apron, putting it on.
"Ellis, do you understand what kind of family you're becoming a part of?" Antonietta asked.
"Yes, a mafia family," Ellis replied seriously. She turned to the countertop, pointing at everything on it as she said, "And probably everything here has a meaning."
"Yes, my dear, cooking and organizing crimes have always gone hand in hand, at least with the Mafia - since its foundation, in Sicily itself. Around the table, eating and drinking, the 'family' bosses imposed omertà, the law of silence, made their laws, and planned vendettas, revenge. Do you know what these terms mean?" Antonietta asked.
"Nothing, but I'll do everything to learn," Ellis assured her.
"Ellis, meals for our people are almost like a liturgy. The bread..." Antonietta began as she held the bread. "It symbolizes unity, the salt courage... The wine represents blood, and the garlic represents silence. All of them together on a table exercise what we call diritto di morte, a way of sentencing those they wanted."
"By sentencing, you mean...?" Ellis asked, fearful of the question lingering in her throat.
"Killing," Antonietta completed, nodding her head in affirmation. She took the bread and garlic and continued, "Don Marco, my husband, when he ordered Dottore Grecco to end the Lucchese family boss, Liggio Lucchese. My husband broke the bread into six pieces and rubbed them on the garlic, offering one piece to Dottore, another piece to Giuseppe Denaro, and the remaining three to his other associates, keeping one for himself. All at the same time, they dipped the bread into a plate full of salt. And the next day, Liggio's sentence was carried out, and that was the end of the Lucchese family."
"Wow," Ellis exclaimed, shocked by the story and even more so by how calmly Antonietta had told it.
"But don't worry. Food is also a form of expressing love," Antoniet
ta continued, trying to lighten the atmosphere in her kitchen. "If a Don enters the kitchen to prepare a dish, especially for you, know that it means he loves you. Although they learn and become excellent chefs, the Bosses don't have much time for their actual families, let alone their wives. So cherish whatever little they offer you; it means they're entering the kitchen for you."
"Noted," Ellis replied. She bit her lip and then decided to ask, "Did Vittorio's father cook for you?"
"He cooked for me twice in thirty years," Antonietta replied, serious. "On our honeymoon and when Vittorio was born. So don't be surprised when Vittorio doesn't have time for you; he is a Don, and you will never be a priority for him. You will learn to sacrifice your life for your family."
Ellis stared at the woman in front of her. Without a doubt, she must have sacrificed a lot for that family, much more than the young woman could imagine. However, Antonietta's words only confirmed Barker's certainty that this was not her place.
"Well, let's start organizing the ingredients because every minute counts in this dish," Antonietta said, breaking the silence between them. "I hope you know how to chop vegetables. This dish requires many Sicilian vegetables: capers, artichokes, broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and fava beans. They need to be prepared very well."
"Oh, don't worry about that," Ellis said with a smile. "When you grow up without a mother and with a younger brother, you become a mother yourself. And if there's one thing I've learned well, it's how to chop things... And I can even relate a little to what you said."
"Really?" Antonietta asked, surprised.
"Yes, my father worked and didn't have time to cook, and my brother needed to go to school, so all the chores always fell on me," Ellis replied honestly. "So I gave up some dreams and opportunities for them. And I still do it for my brother. So yes, I know very well what it means to sacrifice something for the family."
"Very well, Barker. Know that you've gained some points with me," Antonietta said, trying to hide her admiration for the young woman. She handed the knife to Ellis and said, "We'll see how much you've learned so far."