European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 10, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Linda and Paul Mccartney Dine in style on one of her vegetarian entrees now being sold As Frozen dinners. Mccartney pushes Veggie dishes not by Bryan Miller the new York times re you a Veggie is 6 usual salutation of Linda Mccartney Cookbook author photographer musician and wife of musician Paul Mccartney. I grew up in a family that loved Good food but i was the one who really liked to Cook she said As she chopped onions carrots and Leeks for a vegetable soup when i was growing up we had a Cook. Maybe because of my insecurity or whatever i used to hang around the Kitchen and watch  Mccartney 52, has retained her interest in cooking while developing a Devotion to meatless cooking. Three years ago she introduced in England a line of Frozen vegetarian entrees lasagna pasta burgers poppies goulash and More. Today the line which bears her name carries 18 items and has More than $40 million dollars in sales annually. Once the initial investment is recouped she said she plans to give the profits to Charity. In the United states Linda Mccartney s Home style cooking _ entrees produced by Fairmont foods outside Minneapolis were recently introduced on both coasts. Single portion entrees Cost about $3 each. Most people Don t know How Good vegetarian food can be. Look Attis vegetable soup she said indicating the concoction she was working on. You know where the flavor comes from ? sauteing the vegetables in a Little of  the Mccartney who raise sheep for Wool and have an organic farm in Berkshire two hours South of London have been vegetarians for More than 20 years. An Abhorrence of animal Slaughter is at the Root of the couple s aversion to meat. It really All started with the animals said husband Paul who popped into the Kitchen to see what was going on we were sitting Home having dinner one Day and there were some lambs running around outside on our farm. They were so cute and we were sitting there eating meat. Before that it never occurred to us that maybe we should look into another way.". He added that for the first year of their meatless lives there was this big Hole in the Middle of the plate you know because we were so used to meals built around  then gradually he continued Linda started filling that Hole by cooking vegetables in interesting  now at the drop of a Scagliori Linda Mccartney cites statistics on animal carnage and on the global economic efficiency of vegetarianism. And she never misses an Opportunity to underscore her beliefs. She refers to meat As flesh or when giving extra emphasis to a Point a slab of  even though three out of the four Mccartney children All of whom were raised As vegetarians and remain so out of Choice Are now on their own the Mccartney describe themselves As somebodies. They say they Don t get out much unless they Are on tour. But the House is always full Linda Mccartney said. The kids come by we have friends  and when they come for dinner they can expect to eat vegetarian. Following is one of her recipes for a main course eggplant and Herb casserole 2va pounds Ripe Plum tomatoes or 1 28-ounce can crushed imported tomatoes 10 Tablespoons Olive Oil 1 Large onion peeled and chopped 2 Tablespoons minced garlic. 1 6-ounce can Tomato paste 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or i Tablespoon dried 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Basil 0/2 Tablespoon 1 Teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or i Teaspoon dried Salt and freshly ground Pepper to Tate a a. Of a 3/4 cup All purpose flour for dredging 2 eggplant about 1 Pound each sliced /4-Inch thick on a slight Bias 8 ounces whole milk Mozzarella thinly sliced 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a baking dish or Gratin dish 14-by-91a Oblong or 1o-by-6 rectangular. If using fresh Plum tomatoes plunge them into a pot of boiling water for 10 seconds  a slotted spoon and remove the skins. Core and cube them to yield 4 cups. Heat 1 Tablespoon of the Olive Oil in a Saucepan and saute the onion and garlic. Cook stirring for 1 minute. Add the Plum tomatoes or canned tomatoes then the Tomato paste. Add the oregano Basil and thyme. Stir Well and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook covered Over Low heat for 30 minutes adding Salt and freshly ground Pepper if necessary. Meanwhile place flour in a bowl. Dredge eggplant slices in the flour. Use rest of Olive Oil Little by Little to saute. The eggplant slices Over medium heat about 2 minutes per Side or until lightly browned. Pour a layer of the Tomato sauce Over Bottom of baking dish and layer some cooked eggplant Over that. Alternate res of sauce and eggplant in  arrange slices of eggplant Over top. Cover with sliced Mozzarella. Bake for 1 hour or until the surface is Golden _ Brown. Makes 8 Servings. Short subject versatile Chestnut is the Ideal health nut  Pittsburgh Post Gazette sing this chestnuts roasting on an open Fidfl " / Iii --., say this Vurtser the spreading Chestnut tree the Village Smithy  then answer this have you Ever eaten one although chestnuts Are familial to americans in song poetry and Street names most of us Are barely familiar with them As food or As a cooking ingredient. And for Good reason. Little More than a Century ago one in four Trees in the Eastern United states were chestnuts. Chestnuts were a valuable crop for our great grand relatives who rationed them Over the Winter eating them alone or combined with Many different ingredients. At the beginning of the 20th Century a virulent fungus All but eradicated the american Chestnut tree. Fortunately the european variety was unaffected by the blight and chestnuts remain readily available in Europe and Are exported to the states. Chestnuts Are an Ideal health food. Nutritionally they Are More like a Grain than a nut they Are Low in fat 3 percent to 5 percent whereas nuts average 70 percent fat. Is Michael Abrams steam surrounds a Chestnut Vendor in Paris. They Are More than 50 percent carbohydrate High in potassium and easily digested they re the Only nut that s treated As a vegetable. Their taste is easy to describe. Chestnuts Are Bland. There s no love at first bite. It takes a few tastes before you Are aware of a Subtle Ness and Mellow flavor with just a hint of sweetness. Like mashed potatoes chestnuts Are a food that soothes satisfies and comforts. Chestnuts can play a role in every course. You can make soup pasta stuffings bread and polenta. Because they re starchy they can be used As a thickener and in Many of the same ways As a potato or even As flour. They have a traditional Affinity for roast Turkey Goose Venison wild Duck and pheasant they also go with pork and with sausages. Some of the richest and most elegant desserts Are based on chestnuts. Whole chestnuts can be steamed boiled or roasted. Combine whole cooked buttered and seasoned chestnuts with vegetables like Brussels sprouts mushrooms red cabbage Broccoli or tiny White onions. Or serve them alone with butter and seasonings. They do have one drawback hot chestnuts Are easier to Peel than cold ones but painful to tender fingertips. And the Tough skin is death to a manicure. Most processed chestnuts sold in jars or cans Are pricey but have been flame roasted or steamed to remove the Husk and membrane. Although it s not As romantic As eating them hot from the flame paying the Price beats bearing the pain. Cripps Howard news service 22 the stars and stripes saturday december 10, 1994