Lighten up

The recent decision to ban soft drinks in school cafeterias is a sound victory for Philadelphia’s children. The growing obesity rate among youths and adults has become alarming.

Lack of exercise is a major culprit. Kids choose to sit in front of the computer or television rather than take part in sports or other exercise programs. The winter months are the most difficult for outdoor play. As such, the City of Philadelphia should mount an expansive public-relations campaign urging kids to go to school gymnasiums and local community centers.

It has been said that everything in America is done on a grand scale. We have the "Big Gulp," the "Big Mac," the big muffin, the big bagel. When I was a girl, bagels were half the size they are now. They were made with flour and water, boiled in water and baked in the oven. It has become more difficult to find real bagels.

I recently read the ingredient label on a package of bagels and was horrified to find they contained sugar, molasses and high-fructose corn syrup. No baker worth his yeast would add these empty-calorie ingredients to a bagel. The reason may be our love for sweets.

The debate between fats and carbohydrates continues. The Food Pyramid Guide, which was first published a number of years ago, is being reorganized. It had recommended a high amount of carbohydrates and urged America to use fats sparingly. Now it appears the Pyramid may be reversed.

Americans love pasta. But we eat too much spaghetti, penne, rigatoni and other macaroni or fresh pasta at one seating. Nearly 20 years ago, I had the good fortune to interview Sophia Loren. She was 50 years old at the time and the most beautiful woman I had ever met. She told me she owed her good health to eating pasta. "I enjoy about 3 to 4 ounces a day," she said. I know men and women, a number of whom are vegetarian or partially vegetarian, who consume a half-pound of pasta for lunch or dinner and wonder why they are overweight.

Although our markets are filled with every conceivable type of fresh fruit and vegetables, American families eat far less produce than their European or Asian counterparts. It takes little effort to fill a pretty bowl with apples, pears, oranges and grapefruit, or steam some fresh asparagus or saut� fresh spinach with a bit of olive oil and minced garlic. There’s nothing wrong with frozen vegetables, either. Top-quality frozen vegetables, many of which are organic, can be found in Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Market and specialty stores.

The best advice I can give you is to read the labels on every packaged, frozen or canned product you buy. I rely on top-quality jarred spaghetti sauce but the majority contains sugar and high-fructose corn syrup. Classico and Trader Joe’s organic tomato and basil pasta sauces contain no sweeteners.

Regular readers of this column know Marcella Hazan is my favorite Italian cookbook author. I have all her books in my home library and rely on them for weeknight suppers and times when my husband and I entertain. Her first book, The Classic Italian Cookbook, was published in 1973 and is still in print. Hazan gives menu suggestions and explains the balanced progression of a tasty, nutritious meal.

"There is no main course to an Italian meal," wrote Hazan. "With some very rare exceptions, such as osso buco with risotto, the concept of a single dominant course is entirely foreign to the Italian way of eating. There are, at a minimum, two principal courses, which are never, never brought to the table at the same time."

Here are healthy recipes from The Classic Italian Cookbook by Marcella Hazan.

Baby Shrimp with Oil and Lemon
Gamberetti all’olio e limone

Ingredients:

1 stalk celery
1 carrot, peeled
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt
1-1/2 pounds small fresh shrimp, the tiniest you can find
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Put the celery, carrot, vinegar and 1 tablespoon of salt in a saucepan with 2 to 3 quarts of water and bring to a rapid boil. Add the shrimp and cook for two to three minutes.

Drain the shrimp, peel and devein. Put them in a shallow bowl and add the oil, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper while the shrimp are still warm. Mix well and let them steep in the seasonings at room temperature for one hour to 90 minutes before serving.

Serves six.

Note from Phyllis: If you can find tiny gulf shrimp, use them in this recipe. They will cook in barely a minute.

Spinach Soup
Minestrina di spinaci

Ingredients:

2 pounds fresh baby spinach leaves, stems removed
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups homemade beef broth or 1 cup canned chicken broth, mixed with 1 cup water
2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
5 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Salt, if necessary

Directions:

Rinse the spinach leaves in cold water. Cook with just the water that clings to the leaves in a covered pan with 1/2 teaspoon of salt over medium-low heat for a few minutes or until tender.

Put the spinach and butter in a stockpot. Saut� the spinach over medium heat for two to three minutes.

Add the broth, milk and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Add the Parmesan and cook for one minute, stirring two to three times. Taste for salt.

Serves five to six.

Note from Phyllis: This recipe is 31 years old and back then, bags of baby spinach leaves were not available. You can substitute 2 (10-ounce) packages of frozen chopped spinach, thawed, water squeezed out, for the fresh.

Roast Pork with Bay Leaves
Arrosto di maiale all’alloro

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless pork loin
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
3 medium bay leaves
1/2 cup red wine vinegar

Directions:

Heat the butter and oil together at medium-high heat in a heavy pot. When the butter foam begins to subside, put in the meat and brown it well on all sides.

Salt the meat and add the peppercorns, bay leaves and vinegar. Turn up the heat and scrape the brown bits up from the bottom of the pot. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pot and cook slowly for at least two hours, until a fork easily pierces the meat. Check from time to time to ensure the liquid has not completely dried up. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water if needed.

Slice the meat and arrange on a platter. Tip the pot, removing most but not all of the fat with a spoon. Remove the bay leaves. Place the pot over high heat and add a few tablespoons of water or dry white wine, scraping up all the brown bits. Pour the sauce over the pork.

Serves six.

Note from Phyllis: Hazan says saut�ed fennel goes well with the pork.