Cooking for Two - Johna Blinn

$1.95 ,

D279

$2.95 in Canada

40803

U58 99960

A splendid collection of

recipes created especially for intimate dining or an informal meal with a &iend.

DELICIOUS

by Johna Blinn . Edited by Tom Dorsey

Published by Playmore Inc., Publishers and Waldman Publishing Corp., New York, New York

Printed in Canada/Cover Printed in the United States

of

America

Edited by Joshua Hanft Cover Photo: Pat LaCrolx/The Image Bank

Acknowledgments The author Is Indebted to the following for assistance in making this a useful cookbook: Olive Dempsey, A.C.Collins, Bess Roberts, Gretchen Ziesmer, Ruth Lundgren, Anita Flal, Pat Mason, Caryl Saunders, Claire Boast, Lois Westlund, Marjorie Z. Ashby, Yvonne Martin, Anita Mizner, Tuna Research Foundation, Mcilhenny Co., American Dairy Association, American Spice Trade Association, Alaska KingCrab Marketing and Quality Control Board, Campbell SoupCo., Florida Citrus Commission, Angostura International Ltd., California Fresh Market Tomato Advisory Board, National Pork Producers Board, California Turkey Industry Board, National Macaroni Manufacturers Association, Lawry's Foods, Inc., South African Rock Lobster ServiceCorporation, North American Blueberry Council, Standard Brands, Hellman's/Best Foods Real Mayonnaise, United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association, American Mushroom. Institute, California Avocado Commission, MirrorCorporation, Rice Council, Fresh Garlic Association, Stokely-VanCamp, Inc Lea &: Perrlns, and Castle &: Cooke. .•

.1.8.

II] IAIONET I·O·O·K·S

BARONET BOOKS is a trademark of Playmore Inc., Publishers and Waldman Publishing Corp., New York, N.Y.

Copyright© MCMLXXXIX by Johna Blinn. All rights reserved. No part of this cookbook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information or permission write to Waldman Publishing Corp., 18 East 41st Street, New York, N.Y. 10017.

The Author To many of the top movie and television stars, Johna Blinn is a celebrity. For almost 20 years they have welcomed her into their homes, onto sets, just about anywhere to talk about food; entertaining and lifestyles. Her column, "Celebrity Cookbook," is syndicated throughout the world and appears weekly in more than 140 newspapers and periodicals. A collection of hun­ dreds of these conversations and recipes appears in Celebrity Cookbook, published by Waldman Publishing Corporation.· Currently, Johna Blinn is writing a series on Celebrity Food-styles for FAMILY CIRCLE, America's largest supermarket magazine {circulation, 20 million), where she

has already profiled Tom Brokaw, Angela Lansbury, John Madden, Michael Landon, Robert Urich, Raymond Burr, Steve Garvey, Diane Sawyer and others. Blinn is a former assistant food editor of LOOK magazine and is the author of a number of books, including The Shangri:la Cookbook, Fabulous Appetizers, Fabulous Soups, Fabulous Salads, Fabulous Vegetarian Recipes, Fabulous Poultry & Game, Fabulous Meats, Fabulous Fish

& Seafood, Fabulous Desserts, Fabulous Low Calorie Recipes, Fabulous Oriental Recipes, Fabulous Oven & Stovetop Recipes, and Fabulous Italian Recipes, all published by Waldman. Publishing Corporation. In addition, Blinn is a frequent contributor of up close and personal inter. views, profiles and entertainment features to USA TODAY and other American and foreign , newspapers and magazines. A graduate of the State University of Iowa, Blinn took graduate work in Home Economics at the University of Wisconsin and taught home economics in Iowa, Virginia and New York. Now based in Los Angeles, she is married to a nationally known newspaper syndicate editor, writer and management consultant, and they have two grown children.

CONTENTS

Openers Drinks Soups

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Main Course Cheese Eggs

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Seafood Meat

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Poultry Pasta Rice

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Vegetables

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Salads ...

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Desserts

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OPENERS

DRINKS

Orange-Banana Breakfast Drink Serves 2

1 cup milk

6 tablespoons frozen concentrated orange juice, thawed and undiluted 3/4 cup cold water

1f2 medium banana

1 cup corn flakes 1 egg 1 tablespoon sugar

Combine all ingredients in blender container; cover and process at high speed until smooth.

Nutritional Breakfast Drink Serves 2 2 envelopes orange-flavored

2 tablespoons brewers' yeast

drinking gelatin 2 tablespoons molasses

2fa cup non-fat dry milk powder

112 cup wheat germ 2 cups cold water

Combine all ingredients in blender container; mix at top speed until smooth. NOTE: If desired, a whole egg can be whipped into the drin k. Healthy and fast!

Papaya-Banana-Honey Shake Serves 2 generously

1 small or medium papaya, peeled, seeded and sliced 1 banana, broken

112 fresh lime, squeezed 1 tablespoon honey 3 eggs 1 cup milk dash pure vanilla extract

Whirl all ingredients in blender; taste for sweetness. (Add more milk if mixture is too thick. )

Trigo Shake Serves 2 2 cups puffed wheat l1/2 cups milk

1 cup crushed ice

4 tablespoons sugar 112 teaspoon pure vanilla extract dash of salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender; cover and blend thoroughly.

OPENERS

SOUPS

Onion �oup Serves 2 •12 cup dry white wine

1 small clove garlic. minced

1 can (lOI/2 ounces) condensed onion soup 112 soup can water

1. Combine wine and garlic in a saucepan; simmer a few minutes to blend flavors. 2. Add soup and water; heat; stirring occasionally.

Avocado-Onion Soup au Gratin Makes 2 hearty dinner servings

1 package dry onion soup mix 1 cup diced ham

1 California avocado. diced 2 to 4 slices French bread 2 to 4 slices Cheddar cheese grated Parmesan cheese

1. 2. 3. 4.

Prepare onion soup as directed on package. Add ham and avocado to soup. Divide soup into bowls; top with bread and slices of cheese. Sprinkle topping with Parmesan cheese and place under broiler until cheese melts. 5. Serve at once.

'NOTE: These same ingredients can ma ke 4 first-course servings.

Hearty Turkey-Vegetable Soup Serves 2 2 cups Turkey Stock 1/4 cup regular pearled barley

salt to taste 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 small onion. chopped

% cup chopped parsley 1/2 cup chopped celery 1f2 cup sliced carrots 112 cup canned whole kernel corn. drained 1 cup cooked cubed turkey

1. Combine stock, barley, salt, pepper, onion and parsley in 3-quart saucepan; bring to a boil. 2. Lower heat, cover and simmer 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more stock if necessary. 3. Add celery and carrots; cook an additional20 minutes, stirring frequently. 4. Add corn and turkey; bring to a boil, and boil2 minutes to heat through. ·

SOUPS

OPENERS

Turkey Stock 1f2 turkey carcass cold water 1/2 medium carrot, sliced 1/2 medium onion, sliced

lf2 garlic clove, peeled 1 teaspoon salt 2 to 3 celery leaves 2 to 3 sprigs parsley 112 bay leaf

1 . Place carcass in large kettle; cover with cold water. 2. Add remaining ingredients; cover and bring to a boil. 3. Reduce heat and simmer 2 h ours. 4. Strain broth. 5. Use at once or store in a closed jar in the refrigerator 1 to 2 days. Store in freezer if not used within 2 days.

Hale & Hearty Cheese Soup Makes 4

cups

1 tablespoon butter 1/4 cup minced celery 1 tablespoon flour 1112 cups milk 1 cup diced cooked potatoes

lf2 package

(10 ounces)

frozen peas

1 can (8 ounces) salmon, drained, boned and flaked % cup shredded C! tzddar cheese

dill weed (optional garnish)

1 . Melt butter in saucepan over low heat; add celery and saute until tender. 2. Stir in flour until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in milk. 3. Heat mixture to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. 4. Stir in potatoes, peas and salmon; heat to serving temperature. 5. Stir in cheese just until melted. 6. Garnish with dill weed if desired.

Oyster Stew Serves 2

1 can (8 ounces) water-packed oysters •12 cup heavy cream or eva�orated milk 1 tablespoon butter or margarine

salt to taste pinch each: white pepper, nutmeg, paprika and oregano 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley (for garnish)

1. Place all ingredients except parsley in saucepan; heat until mixture starts to bubble. Do not let it boil. 2. Pour into soup bowls and garnish with minced parsley.

NOTE: If a vailable, use fresh oysters, heating them in cream until they curl.

CHEESE/EGGS

MAIN COURSE

Midnight Movie Munchie Serves 2 1 flour tortilla (fresh

dash of garlic salt 1 California avocado, peeled, seeded and cut into slices

or frozen) 1 teaspoon butter 3/4 cup Cheddar or American cheese, grated

1 . Butter the tortilla; spread cheese evenly over entire tortilla. 2. Sprinkle tortilla with garlic salt; top with slices of avocado. 3. Broil until cheese is bubbly.

Broccoli Frittata Serves 2 2112 tablespoons minced onion 2 teaspoons butter or margarine 1 package (10 ounces) frozen

2% tablespoons grated Parmesan

or Romano cheese 2 eggs, lightly beaten lJ4 cup milk 1f2 teaspoon salt

chopped broccoli, cooked and drained 112 clove garlic, crushed (optional) 1 cup cooked rice

dash of pepper % cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Saute onion in butter until tender but not brown. 2. Add broccoli, garlic, rice and Parmesan cheese to onion; mix well. 3. Combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper; stir into rice mixtu.re. 4. Tum into a well-buttered, shallow 1 -quart casserole; top with mozzarella cheese. 5. Bake in preheated 350° F. oven 20 to 25 minutes, or until set.

Creamed Eggs Goldenrod Serves 2

4 eggs, hard-cooked and peeled

% teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter or

1/s teaspoon pepper

margarine 2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk Toast Cups

1 . Chop eggs, reserving 1 whole egg yolk for garnish; set aside. Melt butter in saucepan; blend in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually stir in milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in chopped eggs and heat through, keeping warm over low heat if necessary. Spoon mixture into Toast Cups; top with egg yolk that has been pressed through a sieve.

2. 3. 4. 5.

EGGS

MAIN COURSE

Fruit-Flavored Cottage Cheese Crepes with Strawberry Sauce Serves 2

For the Crepes Makes about 12 3 tablespoons butter

% teaspoon salt 3 eggs 1 cup milk

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 . Melt butter in a small skillet; set aside. 2. Combine flour and salt in a bowl; add eggs, milk and melted butter . 3. Beat mixture with rotary beater until smooth. 4. Heat buttered skillet over medium-low heat. 5. For each crepe, pour 2 tablespoons batter into skillet; immediately rotate pan. 6. Cook crepe until light brown; turn and brown other side.' 7. Stack crepes between sheets of waxed paper or paper toweling until ready to use.

NOTE: Crepes may be ma de ahea d, wra pped an d refrigerated overnight or frozen for longer storage. Remove from freezer as needed.·

For the Filling. (For 4 crepes)

112 cup cottage cheese 1/4 cup finely chopped apple or

nutmeg

banana or drained, crushed pineapple

1 . Combine cottage cheese with one of the fruits. (Makes about 3/4 cup.) 2. Divide filling among 4 crepes; sprinkle with nutmeg. 3. Roll crepes; place in buttered shallow baking pan; bake in preheated 350° F. oven 1 5 to 20 minutes, or until heated through . NOTE: Dip apple or banana in lemon juice to a void discoloration . Variation: Fill crepes with plain cottage cheese ; serve 2 crepes per serving with 1/4 cup Strawberry Sauce.

Strawberry Sauce Makes about 1 cup 2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

% cup orange juice 1 teaspoon butter 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

1 . Combine sugar and cornstarch in 1 -quart saucepan; stir in orange juice. 2. Cook mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened; boil 2 minutes longer. 3. Stir in butter; remove from heat. 4. Stir in strawberries.

EGGS

MAIN COURSE

Egg s, Ripe Olives & Avocado Breakfast Single Serving

Two Servings

2 teaspoons butter 2 eggs at room temperature 1 tablespoon milk salt to taste pepper to taste 5 to 8 pitted ripe olives, sliced l/4 teaspoon chopped chives 1 ripe California avocado half-shell, peeled

1 112 tablespoons butter 4 eggs at room temperature 1fs cup milk salt to taste pepper to taste 1/4 cup pitted ripe olives, sliced 112 teaspoon chopped chives 2 ripe