The doorbell rang the other day, and it was none other than Irina, the young lady from Pulte Homes who was our main point of contact for the last several months. (BTW, I have to say that the Pulte people are terrific. We got a lot of personal attention from them through the whole construction process. If I ever buy another new home, Pulte will be at the top of my list.)

Anyway, there stood Irina with a housewarming gift: a copy of Patsy’s Cookbook published by Patsy’s Restaurant in New York. This is not just a cookbook filled with great recipes for making wonderful Italian dishes from a few simple ingredients. It is chocked full of stories. Frank Sinatra frequently ate at Patsy’s the book is sprinkled with stories about him. The same is true for Sammy Davis Jr,Bennett Cerf, Dinah Shore, and many others.

Some cookbooks that full of great stories are also filled with mediocre recipes. Not this one. I prepared Fillet of Sole Arreganata and Sauteed Mushrooms with Cognac and Cabernet Sauvignon, both from Patsy’s Cookbook.

Both were simple, inexpensive, and tasted great. Neither my photography nor my presentation do these dishes justice.