Cooking for Jack with Tommy Baratta

When Jack Nicholson needed to lose the twenty-five pounds hed gained to portray the lead character in the film "Hoffa" in order to star in "Wolf," he called on his longtime pal, chef Tommy Baratta. the "Jack Nicholson Diet," now on the menu of Barattas popular Greenwich Village restaurant, Marylous, is the basis for the simple, low-fat, yet soul-satisfying in Cooking for Jack The first time he tasted one of Tommys pasta recipes at an impromptu gathering in Aspen, Jack asked, "Why cant I eat this way all the time?" Several dinners later, Jack recommended Brooklyn-born-and-bred Tommy as a background consultant and cook to director John Huston while filming "Prizzis Honor." Tommys been cooking for Jack ever since-whenever the actor is on location, and for several months each year at his Beverly Hills home. To help Jack slim down, Tommy drew on the philosophy that fine Italian food means fresh ingredients, simply prepared, and he created a powerhouse repertoire of quick, full-flavored dishes that are low in fat and calories. Eating Tommys way, Jack dropped those extra pounds-and so did Tommy COOKING FOR JACK includes more than one hundred of the recipes that keep Jack lean and energized, from breakfasts such as "Basic Frittata" and "No Problem French Toast" to his favorite dessert, a luscious but light "Rice Pudding" with rum-soaked raisins. Youll enjoy hearty soups like " Herbed Corn and Potato Chowder" and "Danny DeVitos Escarole and Bean Soup." Of course there are dozens of pasta dishes, from the "Tomato-Basil Sauce" that first won Jacks heart to "Cavatelli with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage, Fusilli with Red Bell Pepper Sauce, " the dramatic-looking "Shrimp with Tomato Sauce and Black Fettucine," and the "Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs" that Tommys mom taught Anjelica Huston to make during the filming of "Prizzis Honor." In addition to wonderful fish and chicken dishes, from "Fillet of Salmon with Ginger-Basil Sauce" to "Lemon n Lime Chicken," Michelle Pfeiffers favorite meal on the set of "Wolf," youll find glorious, no-guilt meat dishes like "Kathleen Turners Sicilian Steak Giardiniera," for love of which Kathleen dubbed Tommy a "Sicilian diet guru." Complete with festive snacks and appetizers-watch for the secret ingredient in "Aunt Margarets Caponata"-and side dishes like "Marylous Low-fat Home Fries," COOKING FOR JACK makes low-fat eating easy, fast, and fun.