Daily Record from Morristown, New Jersey • 27

Daily Record, Morris County, N.J., Wednesday, November 26, 1997 C3 Food A 1 ap opera stars book il A A its tnree magic otiiions Robin Mattson's recipes are low-fat, appetizing, easy Too often, cookbooks by stars are fluff, written to trade on the name. But Mattson's is a well-written collection of appealing recipes. JV r- v. I I 4 t' A si At 1 'i'W "That's going to heat up there might even be a soap-opera wedding," hints Mattson's manager and beau, Henry Neuman (they met five years ago on a blind date). When Barbara Walters and Meredith Vieira were chatting with Mattson on "The View" recently, Mattson was asked if she has any real-life wedding plans.

Mattson replied that commitment to each other is what counts, and steered the talk back to cooking. Although her cookbook emphasizes lean cooking, Mattson believes that you need a little fat in your food, for flavor. If she has to do a fast slim-down, she sticks to grapefruit, nonfat yogurt, skim milk, soup and salad with a little lean protein, plus time at the gym. Cappuccino angel food Her book offers recipes such as cappuccino angel food cake, stuffed artichokes, vegetable paella, jam-balaya, white pizza with broccoli and roasted garlic, Susan Lucci's ziti with broccoli, lobster salad with lemongrass vinaigrette, an appetizer of zucchini pancakes with cumin yogurt sauce and Walt Willey's (Jack on kale-potato stew. Here is a sample recipe from the book.

These shrimp can be an appetizer or a quick entree. They go well with salad and saffron rice pilaf. GARLIC SHRIMP 1 lb. large shrimp (16 to 20 per lb.) 1 T. extra-virgin olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 4 cup dry white wine 1 T.

fresh lemon juice T. chopped fresh parsley Salt, freshly ground black pepper Shell and devein shrimp, leaving shell on tail. Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Add oil and garlic; cook for 1 to V2 minutes, until garlic is softened and fragrant but not brown. Quickly add shrimp to the skillet and cook, tossing and turning them, until they are pink, loosely curled and just "SOAP OPERA CAFE: THE SKINNY ON FOOD FROM A DAYTIME STAR" by Robin Mattson Warner Books, $20 By Donna Lee Knight-Ridder Tribune News Soap opera fans know Robin Mattson as Janet Green on "All My Children," the lady you wouldn't want as an enemy.

In real life, she's a talented cook who was trained as a professional chef at a culinary school in California, during a hiatus between roles on "Santa Barbara" (now popular in Russia) and "All My Children." She has just published a very good cookbook, "Soap Opera Cafe: The Skinny on Food from a Daytime Star." Hosted a series She loves to visit restaurant kitchens and learn from chefs; George Germon and Johanne Killeen of Al Forno in Providence, R.I., were on "The Main Ingredient," a cooking series which Mattson hosted on Lifetime cable. She also writes a weekly cooking column for Soap Opera News. The book includes many photos and anecdotes from Mattson and friends a melange that ranges from TV stars such as Susan Lucci and Rosie O'Donnell to culinary greats like Daniel Boulud of Restaurant Daniel in New York. Too often, cookbooks by stars are fluff, written to trade on the name. But Mattson's is a well-written collection of appealing recipes.

They're reduced-fat, appetizing and easy the three magic buttons for today's cooks On "All My Children," Janet Green has a long-term record of nasty behavior from throwing her sister down a well to kidnapping Harold the dog. More recently, Janet has turned sweet, and is having a slow-building romance with Trevor, her former enemy. opaque throughout 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine, lemon juice and parsley. Cook-stir 1 minute more.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Serves 4 to 6) BOB Mattson created this with chef Aref Sayegh of the Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia. SAFFRON RICE PILAF 1 tsp. olive oil 2 Vidalia or other sweet onioiv finely chopped 1 cup long-grain white rice (not converted) 2 cups chicken stock 2 tsp. saffron 1 tsp.

salt 1 medium red bell pepper, cut Into Vi-lnch dice 10 ozs. fresh spinach leaves, rinsed thoroughly and coarsely shredded Heat olive oil in medium nonstick' saucepan. Add onion and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until pnion begins to soften, 2 to 3 Add rice and cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the stock, crumble in the saffron, and add the salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, coat a large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Add the bell pepper and cook until softened but bright red, about 3 minutes. Add spinach and cook, stirring often, until spinach wilts. Remove from heat and set aside. When rice is done, gently stir in pepper and spinach mixture.

Fluff and serve. (Serves 6 to 8) Kikkoman Kitchens Quick-cooking Tuscan Chicken White Bean Soup is a hearty meal-in-a-bowl. Tuscan soup perfect for cold nights TUSCAN CHICKEN WHITE BEAN SOUP 6 chicken thighs (about 2 boned 1 bunch Italian parsley, divided 3 Ts. naturally brewed soy sauce 1 cup chopped onion 2 cup diced celery 2 cup diced carrot Vj tsp. dried marjoram, crumbled 1 can (15 02s.) cannellini, navy or great Northern beans 1 T.

vinegar Place chicken and V2 parsley bunch in Dutch oven or large saucepan; pour in 3 cups water and soy sauce. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes. Remove chicken and discard parsley. Stir in onion, celery, carrot and marjoram.

Simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Meanwhile, discard skin from chicken. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces and chop remaining parsley leaves; set aside. Stir beans and vinegar into pan; bring to boil. Add chicken pieces; simmer 2 minutes, or until heated through.

To serve, sprinkle chopped parsley over each serving. (Serves 4) NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS PER SERVING: 299 calories; 11 gs. fat; 78 mgs. cholesterol; 1,015 mgs. sodium; 22 gs.

carbohydrates; 28 gs. protein. The culturally rich area of Tuscany, where dining is a fine art, provides the inspiration for this well-stocked soup. And while many soups take a long time to cook, this Italian masterpiece can be made in less than an hour. In Tuscan Chicken White Bean Soup, the home economists at the Kikkoman Kitchens have created an economical meal-in-a-bowl ideally suited for cool weather dining.

Featuring tender chicken and a host of fresh vegetables, this richly flavored soup uses canned beans either cannellini, navy or great Northern and naturally brewed soy sauce to drastically reduce cooking time. It's the brewed soy sauce that gives the stock an added richness that couldn't otherwise be achieved with such a short cooking time. In addition, the complex, flavor-enhancing characteristics of brewed soy sauce, which are developed through aging, have the ability to unite the other seasonings and ingredients to produce a well-balanced and savory soup. AU that's needed to complete this easy Italian-style dinner is a sheet of deli-purchased focaccia bread. Sf letters to Exploring vodka in an age of mixology BY William rice Knight-Ridder Tribune News 1 I A A 4 ice cubes In a cocktail shaker, combine the tomato juice, clam juice and vodka.

Add lemon juice, Worcestershire, black pepper and hot pepper sauce to taste. Add ice cubes and shake. Taste, adjust seasoning if desired and pour into a low-ball glass. Float an endive leaf holding a baby clam atop the drink. (Serves 1) SCORPION IVj ozs.

dark rum ot. light rum 3i oz. brandy oz. Triple Sec IV2 ozs. orange Juice Juice of V2 lemon or lime Maraschino cherry In a cocktail shaker, mix rums, brandy, Triple Sec, orange juice and lemon juice with crushed ice.

Strain into a highball glass half-filled with crushed ice. Drop in the cherry. (Serves 1) THE GO-HOME-TO-YOUR-WIFE MARTINI No parts gin No parts vermouth 8 ozs. water Pour water into iced glass. Serve with a twist of lemon, then dash.

(Serves 1) 8 ice cubes, shake to the rhythm of a waltz and pour through a strainer into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a twist of lime rind or a black currant berry, in 'the unlikely event one is available. (Serves 1 or 2) COSMOPOLITAN 13 cup lemon-flavored vodka such as Absolut Citron 2 Ts. orange liqueur such as Triple Sec or Cointreau 1 T. cranberry juice, or to taste Orange slices for garnish In a cocktail shaker, combine vodka, orange liqueur, cranberryjuice and 6 ice cubes.

Stir until chilled and strain into 1 or 2 cocktail glasses. Garnish with orange slices. (One or two cocktails) DALE DEGROFF OVER-TH E-R AIN BOW BLOODY MARY 13 cup tomato juice 13 cup clam juice 1 jigger (IV2 ozs.) vodka Lemon juice to taste Worcestershire sauce to taste Freshly ground black pepper to taste Hot pepper sauce to taste A A A A the aily 'Record mil publish your child's letter to Santa! Send letters to: SANTA CLAUS do Daily Record 800 Jefferson Road Parsippany, NJ 07054 DEADLINE: Friday, 'December 5th It is difficult to wax sentimental about a beverage that, by law, is meant to be "without distinctive character, aroma, taste or color." But this lack of character and personality doesn't prevent vodka from being elected America's best-selling spirit, year after year. The talk in connoisseur sipping circles these days is all about single malt whiskeys from Scotland, single batch bourbons from Kentucky and which cognacs pair well with cigars. But while aficionados of these spirits are talking, clever vodka promoters have been busy wooing generations and by creating vodka-based cocktails with a rainbow of colors and tastes.

I'm certain the tang of gin and vermouth won't make a cocktail purist wince nearly as much as the taste of chocolate in a drink with the name "martini." I leave it to you to search out these insipid liquid desserts; but in the interest of documenting evolving tradition, I offer here a pleasantly palatable pair of bittersweet creations from the new school of martini mixology the Spring-In-Your-Step Martini and the Cosmopolitan. Next, Dale DeGroff of New York City's Rainbow Room adds a taste of the sea to the traditional Bloody Mary and I turn back to the Trader Vic school of exotic cocktails to dust off the Scorpion. Finally, the Go-Home-To-Your-Wife martini, the drink that should be your last during an evening sprinkled with alcohol. SPRING-IN-YOUR-STEP MARTINI 3 ozs. vodka 2 Ts.

freshly squeezed lime juice 1 T. creme de cassis Combine vodka, lime juice and creme de cassis in a cocktail shaker. Add 6 to A WlIEN SHOPPING AT THE MALL, WHERE DO YOU GO TO FIND A FULL-SERVICE RESTAURANT FOR FULL-COURSE MEALS AND A FULL-SERVICE BAR? A A If your child would like to design next year's "letters to Santa" section cover, please have them mail their (10" entry to the address ahove. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place and the first place winner will appear on our section cover next year. Letters should be typed and double-spaced if possible.

Due to space constraints, all letters may not be published. Letters will be published on a first-come, first-served basis, so please, get them in early! re5tauranf arj(J A ciince iviy A MORRIS COUNTY'S NEWSPAPER The fiicn(U 'iest full service restaurant in RodavnyTovnsqu.ire Mill. 1-S00-MAGGIES JC Penney WING, Lower Level Open 11:30 a.m. 'til Midnight (Monday-Saturday), Noon 'til 8 p.m. (Sundays).