Love What You Eat: 250 Recipes to Tempt Your Taste Buds

Also by Norma Borelli

Bake Yourself Happy: Cookie Recipes to Banish the Blues

Breaking Bread: Step by Step to Perfect Muffins,

Biscuits and Loaves

Copyright © 2020 by Norma Borelli

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, transmitted, or distributed in any form or by any means, including by photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN: 978-1-09833-708-7 (print)

ISBN: 978-1-09833-709-4 (ebook)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Cooking for the Fun of It

GETTING READY

What You Can Expect From This Book

EMERGENCY SUBSTITUTIONS

APPETIZERS AND SNACKS

Whatchamacallits

A Multinational Collection

Caraway Runaways

Cheddar and Bacon Crisps

Cheese Patty with Parmesan, Pesto, and

Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Chili-Cheese Crisps

Colorful Salami Cornucopias

Crab Bites

Di Maggio’s Market Crushed Olives

Drunken Dogs

Garlic Crostini (Garlic Toasts)

Italian Flag Appetizer

Liptauer Cheese Spread

Magic Mushrooms

Marinated Garlic Mushrooms

Mexican Bean Dip

Mini Sausage and Pepper Melts

Molded Salmon Mousse

Nacho Grande

Payday Crab Spread

The Pickled Garden

Roca-Olive Cheese Ball

Salmon Spread with Dill and Capers

Sausage Balls in Cheese Pastry

Shrimp and Water Chestnut Spread

Shrimp Bites

Simple Cheese Ball

Smoked Salmon Spread

Thirty Second Appetizer

Tortilla Pinwheels with Olives and Chili Peppers

Tortilla-Prosciutto Pinwheels

Jet Set Harvey Sandwiches

Home-Based Hare Sandwiches

Italian Hero Sandwiches

Upgraded Tuna Melts

SOUPS, SAUCES, AND MARINADES

What’s All This Nonsense About Soups?

Caribbean Black Bean Soup

Carrot and Leek Soup

Down-Home Chicken Broth

Main-Dish Minestrone

Minestrone with Pasta

Minestrone with Meatballs

Vegetarian Minestrone

Neptune’s Chowder

Pasta and Bean Soup (Pasta e Fagioli)

Popeye’s Chowder

Red, White, or Black Bean Soup

Soothing Split Pea Soup

Split Pea and Lentil Soup

Tuscan White Bean and Barley Soup

Zucchini Zoop

As You Like It Pasta Sauce

Basil and Parsley Pesto

Lemon-Caper Sauce for Fish

Magic Marinara Sauce

My Mother’s Barbecue Sauce

Secret Barbecue Sauce for Beef

MARINADES AND BASTING SAUCES

What You Should Know About Marinating

Basic Marinade and Basting Sauce

Herb Marinade and Basting Sauce

Lemon-Dill Marinade and Basting Sauce

Lemon-Thyme Marinade and Basting Sauce

Four Generation Marinade and Basting Sauce for

Chicken or Fish

Marinade or Basting Sauce for Beef

Soy-Sesame Marinade and Basting Sauce

SALADS AND SALAD DRESSINGS

The All-American Salad

Broccoli-Raisin Salad

California Carrot and Raisin Salad

Confetti Rice Salad

Creamy Cranberry Molded Salad

Crunchy Pea and Peanut Salad

Fruity Spinach Salad

Green Salad with Apples, Cranberries, and Seeds

Green Salad with Oranges and Almonds

Green Salad with Pears and Walnuts

Green Salad with Gorgonzola, Apple, and Pecans

Italian Tuna and Bean Salad

Jazzy Potato Salad

Luscious Lime Salad

New-fashioned Pasta Salad

Old King Coleslaw

Tico Taco Salads

Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

Two Bean Salad

Updated Old-Fashioned Macaroni Salad

Basic Oil and Vinegar Dressing

Italian Salad Dressing

Greek Salad Dressing

Piquant Salad Dressing

SEAFOOD

Now Hear This About Fish

Bad Day Calamari Fillets

Baked Squid Steaks

Baked Trout with a Crusty Topping

Breaded Baked White Fish

Fish Fillets Baked with Wine and Herbs

Fish Fillets with Tomatoes and Olives

Fish Under a Dotted White Blanket

Fish with Lemon Sauce and Almonds

Fish Under a Red Blanket

Mixed Seafood Cioppino

Moist and Tasty Halibut

Neptune’s Calamari Rings

Salmon with Lemon and Dill

Savory Salmon Roast

Saucy Seafood and Polenta

Seafood Stew

Shrimp Creole

Shrimp Sauté

Shrimp with Rice

Tilapia Parmesan

POULTRY

POULTRY POINTERS

Cashew Chicken

Chicken and Sausages with Beans

Chicken and Sausages with Polenta and Olives

Chicken Breasts Simmered in Mushroom Sauce

Chicken Breasts with Walnut Stuffing

Chicken Creole

Chicken Deluxe

Chicken Rolls in Mushroom Sauce

Chicken Rolls with Wine Sauce

Chicken with Mushrooms and Herbs

Chicken with Pecans

Chicken with Potatoes and Rosemary

Chicken with Prosciutto and Sage

Herb-Baked Chicken or Game Hens

International Hodgepodge

Italian Breaded Chicken

Lazy Day Chicken

Lemon-Oregano Chicken

Maui Chicken and Rice

Pollo Piccato Presto

Roman Chicken Medley

Sesame Chicken

Transcontinental Chicken with Rice

Topsy-Turvy Turkey

MEATS

Come Back to Meat

Beef Kabobs

Beef Tenderloin with Garlic and Herbs

Beef Stuffed Peppers

Frosted Meat and Potato Cake

Head Start Beef Stew

Homebody’s Beef Stew

Slow-Baked Beef Stew

Homey Meat Loaf with Roasted Root Vegetables

Irish Corned Beef Dinner

One Pot Meatball Dinner

Roman Beef Medley

Super Juicy Smoky Burgers

Mama Mia Meatballs

Lamb Chops Dijon

Bacon Three Ways

Hawaiian Pork Chops

Hawaiian Chicken

Polish Sausage and Cabbage

Polish Sausage with Potatoes

Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Garlic, Fennel, and Herbs

Rolled Pork with Prosciutto and Provolone

Zesty Pork Pinwheels

Luigi’s Veal and Peppers

Osso Buco (Veal Shanks Braised with

Vegetables and Wine)

Gremolata

Veal Piccata

Veal Roast Meant to Impress

Veal Scaloppini

VEGETABLES

It’s Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature

Dressing for Hot Vegetables

Asparagus and Mushroom Sauté with Cranberries

Green Bean and Mushroom Sauté with Cranberries

Savory Roasted Asparagus

Broccoli with Garlic and Cheese

Sweet and Sour Brussel Sprouts

Baby Carrots and Onions with Thyme

Do Ahead Vegetables

Take it Easy Eggplant

Green Beans with Basil

Green Beans with Crunchy Water Chestnuts and Bacon

Herbed Mushrooms

Peas with Prosciutto and Onion

Crispy Roasted Potato Bites

Herbed Cheese Potatoes

Lemon-Parsley Potatoes

Mashed Potato Casserole

Oven Fries

Potatoes with Onion, Garlic, and Parsley

Stuffed Potatoes with Bacon and Cheese

Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole

Crunchy-Topped Zucchini

Not Fried Zucchini Sticks

Zucchini with Onion and Tomato

Zucchini Supreme

PASTA, GRAINS, AND BEANS

Pasta Bella

Copycat Ravioli Casserole

Lasagna with Béchamel Sauce

Lasagna with Ricotta

Linguine and Clams

Pasta Puttanesca

Pasta Shells in Clam Sauce

Pasta with Creamy Basil Sauce

Pasta with Garlic Sauce

Pasta with Red Clam Sauce

Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Ricotta

Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Tuna

Rice with Fresh Mushrooms

Risotto Like a Chef Made It

Barley with Fresh Mushrooms

Crunchy Granola

Easy Polenta

Cheese-Topped Broiled Polenta

Polenta with Cheese and Herbs

Pumpkin Polenta with Pepitas and Nuts

California Chili Beans

DESSERTS

SATISFY YOUR ID, KID

THE SCOOP ON PIES

The Perfect Pie Pastry

The Trouble-With-Bragging Pie Pastry

Lemony Pie Pastry

Nutty Pie Pastry

Shortbread-Macadamia Pie Crust

Cosmopolitan Apple Pie

Mile-High Apple Pie

Fancy Fruit Dessert Pizza

Fresh Apricot Pie

Roaring Twenties Lemon Chiffon Pie

Lovers’ Rhubarb Pie

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Rum-Raisin Pie

Berry Berry Nice Strawberry Pie

Strawberries in the Snow Pie

Sumptuous Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Weep-No-More Pineapple Meringue Pie

Cherry-Almond Cobbler

Happy Apple Whatever

It’s a Piece of Cake

Better Than Potpourri Cake

Cinnamon Swirl Applesauce Cake

Down-Home Apple Cake

Jiffy Apple Cake

Jiffy Pear Cake

Lemon-Anise Cake

Maple-Nut Banana Cake

Maple Frosting

Peaches and Wine Cake

Pear and Applesauce Cake

Pistachio Cake

Pumpkin-Pineapple Cake

Rum-Raisin Cake

Speedy Pear Cake

Spicy Raisin Cake

Poppy Seed Cake

Sweet Spiced Applesauce Cake

Triple Chocolate Whammy Cake

Two in One Cake

Whole Wheat Carrot Cake

Baby Cheesecakes

Little Chocolate Cheesecakes

Inimitable Chocolate Cheesecake

Cream Cheese Frosting

Raspberry Glaze or Sauce

Strawberry Glaze or Sauce

Rum-Raisin Glaze or Sauce

Amaretto-Raisin Glaze or Sauce

Introduction

Cooking for the Fun of It

Cooking can be fun. I figured this out when I was still in a playpen in a corner of the kitchen, watching my mom and dad laughing and singing as they stirred and chopped. My parents loved to cook and made a game of it. In fact, so did my brother, my grandparents and most of my twenty-eight aunts and uncles. No wonder I could barely wait to get into the game and started cooking, with supervision, of course, just as soon as I could reach the stove. And, from that moment on, I have been addicted to cooking and cookbooks.

From the start, I loved to putter around the kitchen, experimenting with old recipes and inventing new ones. Sometimes I created spectacular disasters and that gave my brother a chance to playfully heckle me. So, I practiced, practiced, practiced, often spending whole days making one thing over and over. At one point, there were enough pie crusts in the freezer to house a whole generation of blackbirds. But I mastered pie crusts and had fun doing it!

My brother became a restaurateur and I wound up teaching cooking classes. And all around us, people got busier and busier and time got scarcer and scarcer. Nowadays, cooks may need to schedule meal preparation around jobs and kids’ tennis lessons, scout meetings, and ball games. We need shortcuts. We need recipes we can prepare on the slow days and fall back on on the crazy days. Sometimes we don’t even have time to shop, so we need recipes we can put together from scanty pantry staples. And because there’s a bit of artist in us all, we also need a few fussy recipes to satisfy our muses. But most of all, since we plan to go on eating and restaurant and take-out food can get boring, we need to enjoy cooking.

Whether you cook with one eye on the clock or you have all the time in the world, I hope this book helps you produce delicious and healthy meals and you’ll enjoy doing it.

And remember, there is no better aid to digestion than laughter, so celebrate each meal with joy!

CHAPTER 1

GETTING READY

What You Can Expect From This Book

There are many Italian recipes since I am of Italian ancestry. Several recipes are eclectic, mixing ideas from more than one nation. Some recipes require time and close attention for the days when you feel like fussing, and some can be slapped together quickly on the days that you don’t. But every recipe is delicious and can be served with confidence.

Each recipe tells you how much time you need to prepare it. Several recipes also give you do-ahead directions and many recipes offer a choice of preparation methods.

I don’t buy all this talk about good fats and bad fats. To paraphrase Gertrude Stein, I contend, A fat is a fat is a fat. Even good fats will latch on to your thighs if you eat too many of them. So, I’ve treated all fats, especially animal fats, like bad guys and tossed out as many from my recipes as I could without sacrificing taste.

I use a good quality extra-virgin olive oil for most cooking, not only because it is monounsaturated and is supposed to help break down cholesterol but because of its wonderful flavor.

If you are looking for recipes for deep-fried foods, try another book. I consider deep frying a crime against food and waistlines.

By now, you have probably picked up on the fact that I am health conscious and diligent about fat and calories. But sometimes I relax my vigilance when it comes to party foods. My rationale is that, if we eat on the lean side on most days, an occasional treat won’t do a healthy body harm.

Most of the recipes tell you to use salt and pepper to taste. Where that isn’t feasible, I lean toward too little rather than too much. Anyone who wants more can add it at the table.

I use a lot of grated Parmesan and Romano cheeses. Since the taste of Parmesan is rather unassuming and Romano is a bit too assertive, I usually mix them half-and-half. I prefer Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano and imported Pecorino Romano but feel free to substitute whatever aged cheese you like. To pick your favorites, go to a friendly Italian delicatessen or cheese specialty shop and ask to taste different cheeses. You may decide you prefer an aged Monterey Jack, asiago, or provolone. That’s okay, but whatever you choose, promise me you’ll never buy cheese that is already grated, especially if it comes in a shaker-top container. You can only be sure of the quality of grated cheese if you grate it yourself. Besides, it is not only cheaper to buy cheese by the chunk, but it tastes much better when it is grated as needed.

Since you might not have an herb garden and it is seldom practical to buy a whole bunch of a fresh herbs when you only need a smidgen, I tested the recipes in this book with dried herbs, except in a few instances where dried herbs just wouldn’t do. However, if you have fresh herbs at hand, use them. (Please see About Herbs in this chapter for directions on how to substitute fresh herbs for dried.)

The quality of the ingredients used in cooking will greatly affect the finished product, so use the freshest and the best ingredients available.

It’s Good To Know These Things

About Asparagus

The ends of asparagus are tough and woody and need to be discarded. To ascertain how much of the spear should be tossed out, hold a spear by both ends. Gently bend the spear until it snaps. It will naturally break at the point where the spear starts to get woody. Line up the broken spear with the remaining spears. Use the broken spear as a guide and cut off the ends of the remaining spears even with it.

Soak asparagus in cold water for 5 to 10 minutes to loosen sand, then rinse the asparagus well under cold running water.

The trick to cooking asparagus to perfection is to boil the tougher stalks while steaming the tender tips. Special asparagus pots are available to accomplish this, but a tall coffeepot will work too. Stuff a wad of aluminum foil in the spout to keep the steam in. Or submerge the stalks in water in a large pot and keep the tips out of the water by propping them up on wads of crumpled aluminum foil.

About Broth Mix or Bouillon

For added flavor, use an envelope of broth mix or a bouillon cube in place of a teaspoon of salt when cooking vegetables, rice, soups, sauces or stews.

About Butter

I always use pure butter, never margarine. It was once thought that margarine was healthier than butter, but new findings show that the trans fats in margarine are more damaging to your health than the fats they are meant to replace. Tub margarines have less trans fats than stick margarines and some have no trans fats at all, but tub margarines contain more water than stick margarines or butter and they will not give you the same results.

About Clams and Mussels

Sand will be easier to remove if you soak clams and mussels in cold water for at least 20 minutes before scrubbing them with a stiff brush.

About Corn

For juicy sweet corn and to make the kernels easy to remove, add 2 tablespoons each of sugar and vinegar to the cooking water. To prevent toughness, add salt toward the end of the cooking time.

Add corn to rapidly boiling water, then bring the water back to a full boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove the pot from the heat and cover it. Let the corn stand in the cooking water for 10 minutes or up to an hour before serving.

About Crumbs

The best way to make dry crumbs is to zap about a cupful at a time of cereal, crackers, cookies, or dried bread in a blender or a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Or put whatever you are crumbing in a baking sheet with sides and roll over it a few times with a rolling pin or a can. (The sides of the pan will help keep the crumbs from flying all over your counter and will facilitate pouring the crumbs out.)

About Cutting Boards

The trouble with wooden cutting boards is that they can’t be sterilized easily. I prefer to keep several dishwasher-safe polyethylene boards on hand. After using one for cutting raw meat or poultry, which may contain salmonella bacteria, I immediately tuck the board in the dishwasher to be sterilized.

Put a rubber mat or a damp cloth under a polyethylene board to keep it from sliding on the counter as you chop.

About Eggs

To reduce cholesterol and fat in your recipes, use ¼ cup egg substitute or two large egg whites in place of one whole large egg.

The best way to hard cook eggs is to steam them. Put the eggs in a steamer basket and steam them over simmering water for 15 minutes. Immediately immerse the cooked eggs in ice water. Leave them in the water for about a minute before peeling them. The eggs should be very easy to peel when cooked this way.

If you prefer to boil the eggs, rub the shells with a cut lemon or put a jigger of vinegar in the cooking water. (Red vinegar will stain the shells, but it won’t affect the egg inside.) Or make one or two small pricks in the shells with a pin or needle before cooking. If you do one of these things and don’t let the eggs boil too hard, the eggs shouldn’t crack, but if you still feel insecure, add some salt to the cooking water to help seal any cracks that may occur. The salt will also make the cooked eggs easier to peel. Plunge the cooked eggs into ice water for about a minute before peeling them.

About Freezer Containers

Save empty milk cartons and cottage cheese, yogurt, and sour cream containers to freeze food in, especially tomato sauces that may stain plastic. When you must thaw food quickly, the throwaway containers can be cut away from the food so it can be thawed in a pot.

To help prevent staining, spray nonstick cooking spray on your plastic containers before storing tomato sauces. Ordinarily, tomato sauces won’t stain plastic containers if the sauce is cool when the containers are filled.

About freezing broths and sauces

If you sometimes need only small amounts of broth or sauce, freeze them in ice cube trays, then transfer the cubes to freezer bags. That way, you can take out only as much as you need for one meal. Besides, cubes thaw faster than large masses.

About Fruit

Fruit will ripen faster if you put it in a plastic bag in which you have poked a few holes. Or wrap green bananas and tomatoes in a wet dishtowel and put them in a paper bag.

Cut-up fruit, such as apples or bananas, won’t darken if you give it a quick dip in cold water spiked with a little lemon juice or cider vinegar.

About Garlic

Remove the skins from garlic cloves easily by smashing the cloves slightly with the smooth side of a meat mallet or the flat side of a knife.

Don’t sauté garlic beyond the golden point or it may get bitter.

About Ginger

Wrap unpeeled gingerroot tightly with aluminum foil and keep it handy in your freezer. When you need just a bit, peel a section of the frozen root with a vegetable peeler, shred or grate off as much ginger as you need, and return the root to the freezer. In a pinch, substitute ¾ teaspoon ground ginger for 1 tablespoon fresh.

About handling hot turkeys or roasts

Wear a clean pair of rubber gloves to lift or turn a hot turkey or roast by hand. The gloves will ensure a good grip and will protect your hands.

About Herbs

Although most herbs do well with long cooking, the flavor of basil and thyme deteriorates when the herbs are cooked too long, so add these herbs toward the end of the cooking time in long-cooked dishes.

Mediterranean oregano, usually found in food specialty stores, is mellower than the Mexican variety found in most markets.

If you don’t have space or time for an outdoor herb garden, do consider buying some potted herb plants to keep in a sunny spot of your kitchen. A small herb plant costs about the same as a bunch of cut herbs and most will keep fresh herbs at your fingertips year-round. Although they grow slowly in the winter, basil, chervil, chives, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, summer savory, sweet marjoram, tarragon, and thyme all do well indoors.

To substitute fresh herbs for dried, use three times more chopped fresh herb than dried herb, except when using thyme or sage. Use a little less fresh thyme and a little more sage to allow for varying intensities.

To keep fresh herbs (like parsley, basil, chives, dill, and mint) fresh for several days, wash them, pat them dry with paper towels and store them in screw top jars in the refrigerator. Or, stick the stems of bunches of fresh herbs in water, cover them with a plastic bag and store them in the refrigerator.

To freeze fresh herbs, wash them under cold running water and pat them dry with paper towels. To make the leaves easy to separate when frozen, arrange the leaves in a single layer on a plate or a baking sheet. Put the herbs in the freezer until frozen solid, then put them in plastic freezer containers and return them to the freezer. Or put recipe-sized amounts of washed and dried herbs in small plastic bags and put the bags in plastic freezer containers. Herbs can be chopped or simply crumbled while still frozen; no thawing is necessary. Although they will be too limp to use raw, they will have the same seasoning strength as fresh herbs when used for cooking.

Crumbling dried herbs releases their flavor. I usually put the herbs in the palm of one hand and crush them with the thumb of my other hand. Measure dried herbs before crumbling them.

About Lemons

Zap a lemon in the microwave for 15 seconds and it will give you more juice. Rolling it between your palm and the counter also helps.

A squirt or two of lemon juice in your guacamole will help prevent it from darkening. It will also keep cauliflower white and artichokes green when added to the cooking water.

About Mushrooms

Mushrooms will keep longer if they are stored on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator in a paper bag. Never store mushrooms in a plastic bag.

If you wet mushrooms too much while cleaning them, the little darlings will slurp up the water and then spit it out when they hit the pan. All mushrooms need is a gentle wipe with a damp paper towel or a quick brush-off with a mushroom brush. You can also clean them with a cut lemon. This will also help keep them white. But if you simply must wash the little guys, wash them fast and dry them even faster. Never peel mushrooms because most of the flavor is in the skin.

To help prevent drawing juices, cook mushrooms over high heat. To keep them light, sprinkle them with lemon juice or white wine before or during cooking.

About Nuts

Because the oil in nuts is susceptible to going rancid quickly at room temperature, store nuts in the refrigerator or freezer. Double bag them in tightly sealed freezer bags or store them in tightly sealed hard plastic or glass containers, as light, heat, moisture, and proximity to metal conspire to spoil nuts. Nuts will keep up to 8 months in the freezer and up to 4 months in the refrigerator.

Lightly toasting nuts enhances their flavor and crunchiness. You can toast a variety of nuts and store them in the refrigerator so they’ll be handy when you’re in a nutty mood or toast them as you go when the recipe calls for it. To toast chopped or whole shelled nuts in the oven, spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake them in a preheated 325 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or just until they are lightly browned and aromatic, shaking the pan once or twice during baking. To toast nuts on the stovetop, use a dry skillet over medium-low heat and toast them for 3 to 5 minutes or just until the nuts are lightly colored, stirring constantly. To toast nuts in the microwave, spread them on a plate and heat on high for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Be aware that they will continue to cook for about a minute after removal. A note about toasting pine nuts: Watch them carefully. They go from lightly browned to scorched in a blink.

About Onions

You’ll save tears if you sprinkle a little vinegar on the