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With a side order of sass (the section dedicated to soups is aptly named “Spoon Me”, the chapter on Fish is entitled “Catch Me” and the book concludes with “Fork Me: Desserts for a Happy Ending”), the recipes in Bite Me do not require an army of sous-chefs, a pantry of guava paste, or blowtorch to turn a bag of groceries into a satisfying meal for a weeknight meal, casual dinner party, or formal holiday gathering. Both authors are busy working mothers with three kids each — they both understand the importance of making cooking and entertaining fun and stress-free.
Piquant Pasta Puttanesca (page 111 in Bite Me)
Quick and easy, spicy and fragrant, robust and satisfying, it’s no wonder this Napolitano dish is also known as “whore’s spaghetti.” Myth has it that prostitutes would use this aromatic sauce to lure men into their bordellos, so, unless you’re looking for unexpected visitors, keep your windows closed.
- 1) For the sauce, heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook 3-4 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add olives, capers, oregano, salt, crushed red pepper flakes and continue to saute for 2 minutes. Add diced tomatoes and red wine, bringing to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- 2) For the pasta, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook until tender. Drain well and return to pot. Toss hot pasta with puttanesca sauce and Parmesan cheese. Top each serving with fresh parsley.
Quick and easy, spicy and fragrant, robust and satisfying, it’s no wonder this Napolitano dish is also known as “whore’s spaghetti.” Myth has it that prostitutes would use this aromatic sauce to lure men into their bordellos, so, unless you’re looking for unexpected visitors, keep your windows closed.
Bite Me Cookbook Review by Larry Garascia
I have been cooking for more than 40-years. I also love collecting and reading cookbooks and have a collection approaching 200. And today, the market is crowded with cookbooks and everybody seems to be writing new ones, so having a catchy title is certainly a good thing. But writing a good cookbook is difficult because so many recipes have been published over the years. I mean, how man recipes can you have for Chicken Fettuccine? And the other thing about a cookbook is the illustrations: really good cookbooks don’t have many and the ones they include are technical pictures of a technique, in say how to bone a whole chicken.
‘Bite me’ try’s to be too cutesy with its illustrations. The cover features coconut shrimp pinned to a clothesline with old fashioned clothespins. And deeper inside there’s a catchy picture of miniature, red plastic firemen playing with a bowl of pasta. Further back is a picture of two women sitting in a booth and the waiter has his head buried inside the blouse of one of the women. But pictures, no matter how catchy or titillating, do not make a cookbook, the recipes do and having great experience in cooking all things Italian I turned to the rice and pasta section. The two authors, billing themselves as ’the not so sweet, tiny and salty sisters’, Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat, start by making fun of the classic Fettuccine Alfredo, a dish that has stood the test of time for a thousand years! Then they turn around and in ‘Lustful Creamy Chicken Fettuccine’, they duplicate the very basic pasta sauce but add Italian tomatoes and red pepper flakes. The result is tasty and excellent, but it’s just a different rendition of the classic dish. Then they have a recipe for three-cheese polenta lasagna, a dish I have been cooking and eating for over 40-years. And a recipe which you will find in just about any decent Italian cookbook.
So here’s the bottom line: ‘Bite me’ is an OK cookbook. The recipes are well laid out and easy to prepare, but they are simple revisions of existing recipes found in thousands of other cookbooks.
Stay Connected:
- Bite Me Blog — a blog of dishful thinking!
- Bite Me Recipes — (including the recipe for the Chunky White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies!)
The H-crusted beef tenderloin, it is sure to impress.
I’d love to make the Frosted Apple Cake… num! 🙂
I want to try THE TOTALLY TUBULAR BURGER 🙂
The H-crusted beef tenderloin, because cooking a tenderloin intimidates me!
YUMMY FROSTED APPLE CAKE
I would like the chewy chocolate chip cookies.
The Frozen Chocolate-Banana-PB Pie sounds wonderful 🙂
I’d like to try Mom’s Lemon Chicken – it looks great.
I think that the Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons look yummy
I want to try the meatloaf.
Would love to try Mom’s lemon chicken
strezo@sbcglobal.net
i love my burgers so the THE TOTALLY TUBULAR BURGER..looks awesome
I would love to try MAGNIFIQUE MEATLOAF WITH MUSHROOM GRAVY
I’m a sucker for yummy tomato soup and grilled cheese but that Balsamic Vegetable Stack looks pretty enticing.
I want to try Mom’s Lemon Chicken! Yummy!
H-Crusted Beef Tenderloin
(page 186 in Bite Me)
I like this one.
I like the sound of Mom’s Lemon Chicken, and the picture for the Pasta Puttanesca is absolutely hysterical!
I’d like to make Mom’s Lemon chicken.
The Frosted Apple Cake sounds delicious!
I want to try the BALSAMIC GRILLED VEGETABLE STACKS!
nancymeyer1 at gmail dot com
I would love to try to make the chunky white chocolate cranberry cookies.
I would like to try Mom’s Lemon Chicken
Chewy chocolate chip cookies
frozen chocolate banana pb pie!!!
I would like to try THE TOTALLY TUBULAR BURGER
samf36 (at) gmail.com
Both of the cookie recipes look so yummy! Thanks
Frosted apple cake. Yum.
Cecily
nursereyro at yahoo dot com
I would try the Totally Tubular Burger.
Would love to try the lemon chix. looks good
I want to try Mom’s Lemon Chicken. I love lemon chicken!
I like the TOMATO SOUP WITH GRILLED CHEESE CROUTONS recipe
atlmuzikfanzinc at gmail dot com
I would make the TGTBT Salad Rolls
I would love to try the Mom’s Lemon Chicken
love TOMATO SOUP WITH GRILLED CHEESE CROUTONS
i’d love to try mom’s chicken
H-crusted beef tenderloin
I would love to try Magnifique Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy!
I’d like to try Mom’s Lemon Chicken.
I would love to make the CHUNKY WHITE CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY COOKIES! These recipes look delish!
Thank you!
Mom’s lemon chicken sounds scrumptious.
I’d like the tomato soup and crouton recipe. Thanks – this would be a great prize for my mom!
I’d like to try the FROZEN CHOCOLATE-BANANA-PB PIE
I would like to try the TGTBT salad roll
Thank you for the chance
like to try the frosted apple cake
carole
gram122@comcast.net
I really would love to try the Mom’s Lemon Chicken
I like the Mom lemon chicken
The Mom’s Lemon Chicken
I would love to try Mom’s Lemon Chicken
susitravl(at)gmail(dot)com
One order of the Balsamic Grilled Veggie Stacks for me, please!
I’d love to make the FROSTED APPLE CAKE. It sounds great!
They all look good, but I’d most like to try the Frozen Chocolate Banana PB Pie as I know my family would love it.
Thanks for the chance to win!
Hugs,
Barb
I would like to try Mom’s lemon chicken!
The Totally Tubular Burger is my recipe of choice!
I love the Frosted Apple Cake.
i like to try the THE TOTALLY TUBULAR BURGER
I’d like to try the MAGNIFIQUE MEATLOAF WITH MUSHROOM GRAVY.
Gotta try the Frozen Chocolate Banana PB pie for sure!
I like to try the frosted apple cake
i would love to try the TGTBT SALAD ROLLS
I’d love to make the Frosted Apple Cake
id love to make the MAGNIFIQUE MEATLOAF WITH MUSHROOM GRAVY
MAGNIFIQUE MEATLOAF WITH MUSHROOM GRAVY.
Totally want to try the CHUNKY WHITE CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY COOKIES!