Cooking for Jack with Tommy Baratta

When Jack Nicholson needed to lose the twenty-five pounds he'd 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 Baratta's popular Greenwich Village restaurant, Marylou's, is the basis for the simple, low-fat, yet soul-satisfying in

Cooking for Jack

The first time he tasted one of Tommy's pasta recipes at an impromptu gathering in Aspen, Jack asked, "Why can't 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 Prizzi's Honor. Tommy's 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 Tommy's 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.

You'll enjoy hearty soups like Herbed Corn and Potato Chowder and Danny DeVito's Escarole and Bean Soup. Of course there are dozens of pasta dishes, from the Tomato-Basil Sauce that first won Jack's 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 Tommy's mom taught Anjelica Huston to make during the filming of Prizzi's Honor.

In addition to wonderful fish and chicken dishes, from Fillet of Salmon with Ginger-Basil Sauce to Lemon 'n' Lime Chicken, Michelle Pfeiffer's favorite meal on the set of Wolf, you'll find glorious, no-guilt meat dishes like Kathleen Turner's 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 Margaret's Caponata-and side dishes like Marylou's Low-fat Home Fries, COOKING FOR JACK makes low-fat eating easy, fast, and fun.