Date I made this
recipe: February 24, 2013 (Academy Award
night)
The Sinatra Celebrity Cookbook – Barbara, Frank
& Friends by The Affiliates
Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center at Eisenhower Medical Center Rancho Mirage,
CA
Published by: The Affiliates Barbara Sinatra Children’s
Center at Eisenhower Medical Center Rancho Mirage, CA
© 1996
Recipe: Tova
and Ernie Borgnine’s Pevronatta a la Borgnine (Pasta with Peppers) – p. 166
Tonight is Oscar night and
if you’ll forgive me, I just have to sing the “Oscar Song” from TV’s The Odd Couple. Ready?
“Once there was a man named Oscar. Oscar, Oscar, Oscar. And he turned on his best friend. Oscar,
Oscar, Oscar. Oscar. Oscar. Aw-ah-ah-ah!” Thanks, folks, I’m here all week…. (For those of you who are TV buffs, this is a
song sung by Felix Unger, the biggest neat-freak on the planet, played actor by
Tony Randall, to the biggest slob on the planet, Oscar Madison, played by Jack
Klugman. Both actors also stared in many
films; Jack is best known for his role as a juror in 12 Angry Men.)
At any rate, I couldn’t
resist an opportunity to sing that “song” and if you want to relive the
hilarious moment, you can find it on YouTube
under “Oscar Song Odd Couple” or under “Felix the Calypso Singer.” Priceless.
So this, of course, put me
in the mood to pull out a cookbook by another singer, one possibly just a tich
more famous than Felix Unger – Frank Sinatra.
(But by the by, actor Tony Randall was also a very good singer.) Frank and his wife, Barbara, filled this book
with recipes from their celebrity friends – actors, singers, songwriters and
even politicians.
Many of you may not know
that in addition to being one of the most famous and memorable singers in
history, “Ol Blue Eyes”/”Chairman of the Board” also acted and won the Oscar
for Best Supporting Actor in the film, From
Here to Eternity, starring Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr (The King and I), Donna Reed and
countless others. Set in Hawaii during WWII, this
story showcases of all things, boxing and an Army company’s boxing
tournament. Naturally, there has to be
some sex and women thrown in for good measure and so enter Deborah Kerr and
Donna Reed! Deborah ends up having an
affair with Burt Lancaster and the movie’s sexy scene involving the two of them
kissing on a beach in the surf in Hawaii (and yes, there is a real “From Here
to Eternity” beach and I’ve been there) set people’s hair on fire when the
movie came out (1953) and from that point on, I don’t think people cared a fig
about the boxing portion of our program.
Honestly – people were shocked to see Deborah Kerr in that hussy role
and weren’t too thrilled about wholesome Donna Reed’s It’s a Wonderful Life’s role as a prostitute, either. Now of course, everything is far game and a
scene like the beach one gets a “yawn” – maybe. (By the by, in the movie,
Deborah Kerr was married to Captain Dana Holmes played by actor Phil Ober. In real life, Phil Ober was married to
actress Vivian Vance who played Ethel Mertz opposite Lucille Ball’s Lucy
Ricardo on I Love Lucy.)
Frank’s role was that of
Angelo Maggio, a company boxer. Frank was nominated for and won Best Supporting
Actor for this movie and Donna Reed won Best Supporting Actress for her role as
Alma, the prostitute. Hollywood does indeed love its down-and-out
characters.
Frank’s other film roles
ran the gamut from tense (Manchurian
Candidate) to twinkle toes (Guys and
Dolls in which Marlon Brandon co-stared in a singing role. Yes, singing role). And between his acting, singing and Viva Los
Vegas, Baby lounge acts, he managed to meet just about everybody including
fellow actor, Ernest (Ernie) Borgnine, who just passed away this year. While many of you may remember him from McHale’s Navy, the Poseidon Adventure and yes, he was even in From Here to Eternity, I fell in love with him in the movie, Marty.
Ernie won the Academy Award for that role, beating out his friend, Frank
Sinatra, who was nominated for his role in the movie, The Man With the Golden Arm.
It’s kind of scary, isn’t it, how all these roles and actors connect?
When I looked through this
book, I was looking for someone who, if they hadn’t won an Oscar, was a movie
actor. Many qualified (some, like
politicians, didn’t) but Ernie and his wife Tova, beat out the other contenders
because I liked him and because I liked this recipe.
Ernie – born Ermes Effron
Borgnino – used a slightly different variation on the Italian word, perperonata
for this recipe but the dish’s result is the same: it’s a dish of sautéed peppers, onions and in
this case, sweet Italian sausage and ground sirloin. It is very rich and hearty and good. But be warned, the full recipe, serving 4-6,
calls for 10 green peppers. I made half
the recipe and used only a little green pepper (not my favorite) and had a lot
left over.
I got this dish done just
in time for the Oscars telecast and that was a good thing because I didn’t want
to miss out on seeing who took the golden guy home this year. I am sadly behind on viewing new movies but
pride myself on having a decent DVD library of the old classics starting our
friends Frank and Ernie and more!
Pevronatta a la Borginine
(Pasta with Peppers) – serves 4 to 6 (Note, I made half the recipe)
4 cloves garlic
Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
10 green bell peppers,
diced
1 pound sweet Italian
sausage, casing removed
1 to 1 ½ pounds ground
sirloin
Chopped parsley or parsley
flakes to taste
½ pound mushroom, sliced
1 (16 ounce) jar
Italian-seasoned tomato sauce
1 cup red wine
1 (16 ounce) package pasta
(Ann’s Note: choose a pasta like
Rigatoni or Penne that can hold up to a heavier sauce)
Sauté garlic in oil in
skillet. Add onion and cook until
lightly browned. Stir in bell pepper and
cook, turning frequently, until softened.
In separate skillet, sauté sausage and beef, stirring to crumble, until
cooked and no longer red in center. Combine meat mixture with sautéed
vegetables. Add parsley, mushrooms and
tomato sauce to meat mixture. Stir in
red wine. Simmer for 20 minutes.
While sauce is cooking,
prepare pasta according to package directions.
Drain well. Serve sauce over
pasta. Serves 4 to 6.
Chicken wings or
drummettes can be substituted for sausage and beef.
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