Cooking for Jack

Book excerpt: When Jack Nicholson needed to lose the twenty-five pounds he'd gained to portray the lead character in the film Hoffa in order to star in Wolf, he called on his longtime pal, chef Tommy Baratta. The "Jack Nicholson Diet", now on the menu of Baratta's popular Greenwich Village restaurant, Marylou's, is the basis for the simple, low-fat, yet soul-satisfying recipes in Cooking for Jack. To help Jack slim down, Tommy drew on the philosophy that fine Italian food means fresh ingredients, simply prepared, and he created a powerhouse repertoire of quick, full-flavored dishes that are low in fat and calories. Eating Tommy's way, Jack dropped those extra pounds - and so did Tommy! Cooking for Jack includes more that one hundred of the recipes that keep Jack lean and energized, from breakfasts such as Basic Frittata and No Problem French Toast to his favorite dessert, a luscious but light Rice Pudding with rum-soaked raisins.