Leo Buscaglia wears his touchy-feely nicknames like his heart on his sleeve. He’s been known at various times as Dr. Love, Mr. Love, the Pavarotti of Positive Thinking, the Hug Doctor, Leo the Love Man and the Love Merchant. Now he’s looking to add a new title to his resume. Leo the Love Cook, perhaps?
This dynamic bundle of sympathetic smiles and hugs currently is preaching one of the simplest of his many bumper-sticker bromides-food is love. His vehicle: “Leo Buscaglia’s Love Cookbook,” co-authored by Biba Caggiano (Slack Inc., $29.50).
Buscaglia (Boo-SKAL-ya) is the author of 14 previous books, many of them best-selling pop-psychology volumes. “Because I Am Human,” “Living, Loving and Learning,” “Bus 9 to Paradise” and “Born to Love” are among them. Now, 30-some years into his career, he’s written a cookbook.
“I find that the happiest moments focus on food and the kitchen,” Buscaglia said during a recent stop at the Tribune. “Talking to hundreds of couples who are happy, I heard the same thing.”
The addition of food to his lineup isn’t a big leap for the love man. Buscaglia often has used food as metaphor and he often refers to the nurturing role food played in his upbringing. In a 1982 interview, he credited his Italian parents with teaching him that meals were prime time for love and sharing.
Buscaglia sits at a full table when he makes a connection between eros and eating; almost since the beginning of time, this partnership has been recognized as a potent one. Food, security and love are the holy trinity of human needs and they often are intertwined.
“When we sit at the table, there is more going on than satisfying hunger,” he writes in the introduction to the book. “It is sad to think of those who eat simply to satisfy their hunger and who do not permit themselves to linger under the many spells offered by a good meal-the satisfaction of our hearts, our minds and our spirits.”
Endlessly enthusiastic about food and easily given to rhapsodic musings about it, Buscaglia nevertheless is only a dabbler in the culinary arts.
“But I love to cook,” he said. “It’s fun, a meditative function. I focus on the zucchini and everything else falls away. There’s the aroma, the textures, the visuals. Cooking is a Zen experience, a release for all the tension.”
In “Love Cookbook,” Buscaglia’s role as the feel-good philosopher is practically augmented by co-author Caggiano. She provided the recipes, which are offered in three categories: loving dinners for two, loving dinners for friends and loving dinners for family.
The owner of BIBA Restaurant in Sacramento, Caggiano has written three other cookbooks, the most recent of which is “Trattoria Cooking.” The nurturing, loving role that food plays in Buscaglia’s philosophy mirrors her approach to the table.
Caggiano, originally from Bologna, Italy, said most Italians grow up in the kitchen, learning the history, rituals and traditions of food.
“Food and eating is for more than filling your belly. At the table, we talk, we scream, we argue, we discuss,” she said. But in the end, it always is a peaceful, loving and enriching experience.
Buscaglia and Caggiano fall into easy agreement when they insist that food cures all and readies the psyche for greater things-ideally, they say, for love.
Here are three recipes, adapted from “Leo Buscaglia’s Love Cookbook.”
ROASTED PORK LOIN WITH ONIONS AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 3/4 hours
Yield: 8 servings
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/3 cup olive oil
1 boneless, center-cut loin pork roast, about 4 pounds
Salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup dry white wine
3 onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Have ready a heavy, flameproof roasting pan.
2. Combine garlic, rosemary and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a small dish. Make small slits in roast with the tip of a pointed knife; insert some of the garlic mixture into each slit. Season meat with salt and pepper.
3. Heat the remaining oil in the roasting pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the meat and brown well on all sides. Spoon off and discard half of the fat. Increase to high heat and add the wine; boil until it is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
4. Transfer to oven and bake, uncovered, basting meat several times with pan juices, for 1 hour. Add the onions and half of the vinegar; stir well so onions are coated with pan juices. Continue baking until the internal temperature of the meat is 155 degrees, 30 to 40 minutes longer.
5. Transfer meat to a plate. Tilt the pan slightly and push onions off to one side, letting juices gather. Spoon off excess fat. Place the casserole over high heat and add the remaining vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and return the meat to the roaster. Cover and let stand 15 to 20 minutes. Internal temperature of meat will reach 160 to 165 degrees.
6. Slice the roast and serve with onions and pan juices.
PASTA SALAD WITH SHRIMP, BROCCOLI AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
1 bunch broccoli, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds
Salt
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
4 flat anchovies, chopped
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 pound pasta shapes, such as rigatoni, penne or medium shells, cooked according to package
2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
8-10 fresh basil leaves, minced
Freshly ground pepper
1. Cut broccoli florets from stems. Peel stems with a vegetable peeler and slice into rounds. Cook florets and stems in a pot of rapidly boiling, salted water just until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
2. Heat 1/3 cup of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, tomatoes and anchovies. Cook and stir 1 minute. Add the shrimp; cook just until it turns pink. Transfer contents of skillet to the mixing bowl.
3. Combine remaining oil, vinegar, basil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add to mixing bowl and toss lightly. (Salad can be made several hours in advance; add the dressing just before serving.)
BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH RED PEPPERS AND SMOKED HAM
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed
3 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 small red bell peppers, cut in short strips
1/3 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
1/4 pound prosciutto or smoked ham, very finely diced
Salt, freshly ground pepper
1. Heat a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add Brussels sprouts and cook just until they are tender, 6 to 9 minutes, depending on their size. Drain and hold under cold water until sprouts are completely cool. Drain well, shaking them to remove as much water as possible.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers and broth. Cook until almost all of the broth has evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the prosciutto, Brussels sprouts, salt and pepper. Cook until heated through. Serve at once.
