Creating a cookbook of meals made from “A Pinch of This, A Handful of That” meant a lot of research for author Joyce Martino.

But committing more than a hundred of her mother's recipes to the pages was worth the trouble for the Auburn resident.

“She amazed me how she always had a hot meal ready for dad when he came home, whether he was home at 6 or 7 p.m.,” Martino said. “She was like a magician.”

The recipes range from traditional Italian cuisine, such as homemade pasta and beans and greens, to unique dishes like asparagus soup and dandelion salad. Nancy Trinca, Martino's mother, would pick the dandelions herself for the latter dish. The younger plants would be ideal for salad, while larger dandelions could be cooked, like spinach, in abundant water to avoid its bitter taste.

Martino cites her mother's culinary know-how as an inspiration to her and her three sisters. Cooking with fresh ingredients and leaving behind no food are rules of the kitchen for Trinca's daughters.

“She was always thinking how she could get the best out of everything she grew or bought,” Martino said. “We never wasted food in our house.”

With a lifetime of memories as her inspiration, Martino devised her plan to commemorate her mother's cooking with a book about a decade ago. It wasn't until Martino suffered a heart attack in 1999 that she attached a sense of urgency to the project.

“Mom was getting older and I thought I better do it while she can still enjoy it,” Martino said.

As she looked through her mother's notes, Martino realized how many recipes would require translation to new readers. Most ingredients were listed as pinches and handfuls, not teaspoons and cups.

“Almost two-thirds of her recipes didn't list the amounts of ingredients, and it took so long to research them,” Martino said.

That characteristic of Trinca's recipes lent itself perfectly as the title of Martino's cookbook.

Two years after starting her research, Martino had completed the cookbook. She added a prologue reminiscing about the way she was raised by her mother and the meals she and other relatives prepared in their home.

Martino and her sisters showed a rough draft to Trinca during a cruise to celebrate their mother's 90th birthday. Years later, Martino was elated to discover that draft covered with notes and suggestions inside her mother's room.

“It said things like ‘That's one of my favorites' or ‘This needs more salt,'” Martino said. “She used garlic and pepper on everything.”

At first Martino intended the book as a gift to family, but friends' interest convinced her to widen its release. Martino's son, Danny, designed the book cover.

“A Pinch of This” has since found its way into the hands of several Auburnians through Meyer Bookbinding. Owner Jim Meyer - also Martino's neighbor - convinced her to publish the book in a spiral format that will lay flat on a counter as readers prepare recipes.

“It's a hot item for the holidays, a great stocking stuffer,” Meyer said. “We can't keep them in stock here, every time she brings me a few we sell them out.”

As is custom of all local books sold at Meyer Bookbinding, all copies of Martino's cookbook are signed by the author.

“Everybody knows Joyce as a warm and friendly person, and a cook, and it makes a difference when she's signed the book,” Meyer said. “It makes it unique.”

Given the book's success and Martino's enthusiasm for cooking, Meyer expects a sequel to “A Pinch of This, A Handful of That.” Martino hopes the next installment can include all her sisters and their recipes.

“We grew up in a real family-oriented atmosphere and it continues to this day,” Martino said.

Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net

If you read

What: “A Pinch of This, A Handful of That”

Who: Joyce Martino

Publisher: Self-published

Cost: $15