THE WOMAN'S DAY THIN ITALIAN COOKBOOK

by Carol Truax ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 7, 1978

Thin Italian? Yes, using carefully selected substitutions. Truax provides a sizable number of lunch and dinner menus and maintains that suitable ingredient replacements (none artificial) can change calorie counts without encroaching on flavor: tomatoes can help cut down on olive oil, low-fat ricotta can stand in for richer cheeses, fresh herbs and spices assure zest. For example, savory pesto, traditionally prepared, weighs in at a whopping 480 calories per serving; her variation, using less olive oil, parmesan, and pine nuts, lowers the damage to 125. Others call for bearably smaller quantites of key ingredients or depend on less caloric base ingredients--eggs and fish, lean meats, prime vegetables. Purists may dismiss the dilutions and even casual cooks will blink at her endorsement of American chickens (""tender, meaty, delicate, yet flavorful"") but the dishes do retain some integrity. Calorie counters, however, should note: the many dishes served with cheese garnishes, etc., don't indicate those calories.

Pub Date: June 7, 1978

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1978

Categories: NONFICTION