Recipes by Al Martino: Breaded Veal Cutlets; Hearts of Romaine with Anchovy Dressing

Al Martino's Breaded Veal Cutlets

4 slices of veal (cut from round steak or loin cutlet, weighing about 1/4 pound each)
1 beaten egg
Bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil (or 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter)
Lemon slices
Watercress

Pound veal to flatten slightly. Dip in bread crumbs then in beaten egg; let stand a few minutes. Then dip in bread crumbs again. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil until sizzling in large skillet. Brown meat quickly on both sides. Remove to heated platter. Serve with slices of lemon and garnish with watercress.

Thoughts: The flavor and tenderness of the veal entirely depends upon the quality of the veal, For slightly tangy taste, rub veal first with fresh lemon juice before dipping in bread crumbs and beaten egg. After browning veal, deglaze skillet using wine glass of white wine or squeeze juice of half a lemon in pan drippings.

Al Martino's Hearts of Romaine with Anchovy Dressing

8 filets of anchovies (packed in olive oil)
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil (from tin in which anchovies are packed)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
8 to 10 hearts of romaine (use yellow part only), Washed, drained and chilled
2 tablespoons herb-flavored bread crumbs

Place anchovies and olive oil in mixing bowl. Mash fish to paste with wooden spoon. Add vinegar, mix to form smooth paste. Add romaine to large salad bowl. Pour anchovy dressing over greens, toss lightly. Serves 2-3.

Thoughts: If romaine is not available, use well chilled iceberg lettuce. Croutons made by cutting Italian bread into bite-size pieces then frying in olive oil may be substituted for bread crumbs. 

Strother Martin's Seafood Tetrazzini

Strother Martin's Seafood Tetrazzini

2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cups boiling water
8 oz. pkg. thin spaghetti
2 tbsps. butter
2 tbsps. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1 cup of milk
1 1/2 cups dairy sour cream
1 cup cottage cheese
2 to 3 cups cooked seafood (preferably 1 cup each lobster, crab and shrimp)
One 4-oz. can sliced mushrooms
2 tbsps. minced onion
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup grated American cheese

Dissolve bouillon cubes in boiling water; cook spaghetti in bouillon water. Set aside; keep warm. Melt butter, blend in flour and seasonings; add milk, 1 cup sour cream and cottage cheese. Add seafood reserving a few large chunks of lobster (or shrimp) for garnish. Drain canned mushrooms, add to seafood mixture with onion and parsley. Blend well. Cook over low heat, stirring often but do not boil (sour cream will curdle).

Stir in cooked, drained spaghetti. Turn into well-greased casserole. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Spoon remaining sour cream over top; garnish with chunks of lobster (or shrimp). Cover and bake in a preheated 350 degrees F. oven for 30 minutes (or until well-heated and cheese is bubbly). Serve with cooked peas and crisp tossed green salad.

Thoughts: Strother's seafood tetrazzini is really kind of a fancy company dish and yet it has all the advantages of being a casserole. You can prepare it in advance. For a nice touch, spoon mixture into individual well-greased ramekins; top with buttered crumbs, heat as directed (allow shorter heating time).

Dick Martin's Hot-Sour Soup

Dick Martin's Hot-Sour Soup

6 dried Chinese mushrooms, about 1 1/2 inches long
1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots or 1/4 cup water chestnuts
6 ozs. lean boneless pork
2 cakes fresh bean curd
Two 13-oz. cans chicken broth
2 tbsps. soy sauce
3 tbsps. white vinegar
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, more if desired
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp. black bean paste with chili or hot sauce to taste
6 scallions, thinly sliced, including some of the green tops
3 tbsps. cornstarch mixed with 4 tbsps. cold water
1 large egg, beaten

Cover mushrooms with warm water in a small bowl and soak 30 minutes. Drain, reserving mushroom water to add to chicken broth. Remove tough stem ends from mushrooms and discard. Shred mushrooms into thin strips with a very sharp knife or Chinese cleaver.

Rinse bamboo shoots under running water. Drain, shred; put aside. Trim excess fat from pork. Slice meat into very thin strips. Shred bean curd in similar fashion. Place all ingredients within easy reach until you are ready to cook.

Measure chicken broth and mushroom water; add enough additional water so mixture measures 5 cups. Place chicken broth-water solution plus soy sauce into a 4-quart stock pot. Add mushrooms, bamboo shoots or water chestnuts, bean curd and pork.

Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a slow simmer. Cover and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Add vinegar, pepper, salt, black bean paste with chili or Tabasco and half the scallions.

Bring to a boil again. Stir cornstarch-water paste slowly into simmering soup. Stir constantly until soup thickens and clears. Slowly stir in beaten egg, stirring constantly.

Taste to adjust seasonings. For "hotter" flavor, add more bean sauce, hot sauce or black pepper. Serve in a large soup tureen. Sprinkle remaining scallions over soup for garnish. Serve piping hot. Serves 6.

Dean Martin's Burgers and Bourbon

Dean Martin's Burgers and Bourbon

1 pound ground beef
1/4 teaspoon of salt
8 ounces bourbon, chilled

Preheat a heavy frying pan and sprinkle bottom lightly with table salt. Mix meat, handling lightly, just enough to form into four patties. Grill over medium-high heat about 4 minutes on each side. Pour chilled bourbon in chilled glass. Serve meat and bourbon on a TV tray.

Recipes by Marya Mannes: Artichokes; Leg of Lamb Rosemary

Marya Mannes' Artichokes

For the artichokes:
4 large artichokes
1 small clove of garlic
Salt, water
1/2 cut lemon

1. Cut off stalks, cut into base enough to remove 3 large layers of tough outer leaves. Rinse well to remove sand.

2. Trim bases with sharp knife. Stand artichokes in bottom of saucepan (rubbed with garlic). Fill to one-inch depth with salted boiling water. Squeeze lemon into boiling water. Cover, simmer 35-40 minutes (or until leaves pull easily). Add more water as needed.

3. Turn artichokes upside down to dry. Serve hot or cold with faux Hollandaise. Serves 4.

For the faux Hollandaise:
3 egg yolks
1 cup sour cream
Scant 3 tbsps. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. paprika

1. In top of double boiler, mix beaten egg yolks with sour cream, lemon juice, salt, pepper and paprika. Cook over simmering water until yolks begin to thicken, stirring constantly. Do not boil. Remove from water. Serve. Makes about 1 cup.

Marya Mannes' Leg of Lamb Rosemary

4-lb. boned, rolled leg of lamb
1/2 cut lemon
Handful fresh chopped (or dried) rosemary
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Trim off extra fat, but leave fell (outer filament) intact. Rub outside with lemon. Sprinkle rosemary generously over the entire surface. Season well with salt and pepper. Place roast on rack in roasting pan.

2. Insert meat thermometer in fleshiest part of the meat. Roast in preheated 300 degrees oven about 2 hours (or until meat thermometer registers 145 degrees for rare).

3. Allow roast to firm up a few minutes before carving. The inside meat should be pink in appearance. Garnish with parsley and sliced lemon. Serve with mint sauce if desired. Serves 8.

Recipes by Henry Mancini: Ten-Minute Tomato Sauce; Vermicelli with Garlic-Olive Oil Sauce

Henry Mancini's Ten-Minute Tomato Sauce

3 tbsps. olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced chopped yellow onions
1/2 tsp. minced carrot (or 1/2 tsp. sugar)
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms
8 ripe plum Italian tomatoes, peeled and chapped (or one no. 3 can Italian plum tomatoes flavored with basil)
2 tbsps. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. dried basil
Half of a small bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Minced parsley
Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

1. Heat olive oil until hot; cook over low heat until onions are lightly browned. Add garlic, cook over low heat about 30 seconds.

2. Add tomatoes (if canned tomatoes are used, drain well before using), tomato paste, basil, bay leaf, seasonings to taste. Cook over high heat about 8 minutes, stirring often. Remove bay leaf; spoon sauce over hot cooked paste in serving dish. Garnish with minced parsley, toss lightly with Parmesan cheese. Serves 4.

Variations: For a heartier version, saute 1/2 lb lean, top-quality ground sirloin with onions until crumbly and lightly browned. Or pour the tomato over 1 1/2 lbs. cleaned, filleted flounder; poach filets in sauce until tender (about 8 minutes). Delete cheese. Serves 3-4.

Henry Mancini's Vermicelli with Garlic-Olive Oil Sauce

For the pasta:
1 tsp. coarse salt
3 qts. water
8 ozs. vermicelli
1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil (corn or olive)

1. Add salt to rapidly boiling water; bring to rolling boil.

2. Add vermicelli to boiling water; cook uncovered until barely tender (about 6 mins.) Do not overcook. Add vegetable oil to pot during last two mins. of cooking time to prevent vermicelli from sticking together when drained.

3. Drain in colander; turn onto heated serving platter.

For the sauce:

1/2 cup top quality olive oil
2 or 3 peeled, minced cloves of garlic
1/3 cup minced fresh Italian parsley
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan (or Romano) cheese

1.Heat, but do not boil olive oil; turn off heat. Add minced garlic, cook lightly about 1 min. Add parsley, season to taste.

2. Stir sauce into hot vermicelli. Serve at once with ample sprinklings of grated Parmesan (or Romano) cheese.

Henry Mancini advises, "All pasta should be cooked al dente. Remove vermicelli from its boiling water while it's still semi-solid in feel to avoid a stewed, soft-textured pudding."

Recipes by George Maharis: Plaki; Sliced Tomatoes

George Maharis' Plaki

3 yellow onions, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons salad oil
About 1/3 cup dry white wine (or clam juice)
About 1/3 cup water
2 pounds fresh fish fillets: red snapper, sole or flounder
3-4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons minced parsley
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Saute onions in salad oil until golden; add wine (or clam juice) and water. Heat to boiling point; lower heat. Add fillets to skillet with wine-onion mixture. Top each fillet with chopped tomatoes, parsley, bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste. Add more liquid (wine or water) if needed. Cover and let simmer 15 minutes (or until fish begins to flake). Serve at once with Greek salad (made with lettuce, tomato, onion, green pepper, cucumber, feta cheese and vinegar-oil dressing, garnish with anchovy fillets or herring). Serves 6-8.

George Maharis' Sliced Tomatoes

6 medium-sized ripe tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
A little sugar
2 yellow onions, peeled and finely chopped
About 4 tablespoons salad oil
1 cup rice (uncooked)
1 tablespoon currants
1 tablespoon pine nuts, chopped
2 tablespoons minced mint (or 1/2 tsp. dried mint)
2 tablespoons minced parsley
Bread crumbs

Wash tomatoes; cut thin slice from end opposite stem (use later as cap after stuffing tomatoes). Scoop out seeds and most of pulp. Sprinkle inside each tomato with salt, pepper and a little sugar; set aside (preferably overturned to drain). Saute onions in salad oil until golden. Chop tomato pulp, add to onions in skillet, with washed rice and remaining ingredients. Cook 5 minutes. Taste to correct seasonings. Stuff each tomato shell, sprinkle with bread crumbs; cover each with cap. Arrange stuffed tomatoes in baking dish. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F. oven about 20 minutes (or until rice is cooked). Serve cold as appetizer or hot as accompaniment to lamb.