LI doc, sis cook up a book for diabetics

When Joseph D'Amore was growing up in the East New York section of Brooklyn, he learned how to cook from his Hungarian Jewish grandmother and his Neapolitan grandmother - and also how to care for the neighbors who would come by for some stuffed cabbage and a bit of homemade biscotti.

Back then, D'Amore said, he and his sister learned that people want to be tended to with a bowl of matzo ball soup and a side of antipasto. But those weren't their only lessons about food and caregiving.

They were also deeply affected by the medical history of their family, where "diabetes runs in the women of my family and after age 60," he said.

D'Amore, 59, of Huntington, is an allergist and immunologist, and his sister, Lisa D'Amore-Miller of Mastic Beach, is a nutritionist. With their family history, educational backgrounds and love of cooking, the siblings got together to write a cookbook for people with diabetes, "Just What the Doctor Ordered" (American Diabetes Association, $18.95), released last month.

The book features 133 recipes for such dishes as honey lemon chicken, challah French toast with blueberry sauce and meatballs with fettuccini and red sauce. D'Amore, a self-proclaimed chocoholic, even includes directions for a chocolate rum cake.

Which leads to the question: Can dishes with such appeal be healthy for people with diabetes?

D'Amore says they can. Every recipe was evaluated for its basic nutrition, he said, and its value for people with diabetes.

D'Amore, who lives in Huntington, said he was influenced by a doctor from his East New York childhood, a man who would accept chicken soup as payment for a house call. Today, he tries to follow that example through service, such as offering the disabled checkups at the nonprofit Goodwill Industries, coordinating a blood drive in Melville each Thanksgiving weekend and volunteering at the Family Health Center in the Bronx, where he treats patients with asthma.

And his kitchen skills come in handy at Cook for the Cure, a breast cancer fundraiser held in private homes where, with the aid of volunteers, he has prepared fundraising dinners.

"I can cook anything fast and furious with a twist towards spicy," he said. His personal favorites are eggplant Parmigiana, rare pan-seared tuna and seafood over pasta.

He says those early days - when he worked in restaurants as a dishwasher, a busboy and a waiter - helped him learn how to take care of the public's needs.

And he insists that being born on Thanksgiving Day played a role, too.

"As you can see, I picked that day because I knew there would be lots of food around," he said, "and plenty of friends and family to share it with."