Even at 62, Cheryl Tiegs still boasts the curvy, athletic body and All-American good looks that three times landed her the cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition. That we all should look half as good at half that age.

What's especially nice about this picture is that the Minnesota native hasn't starved her body into submission. Rather, she makes a point of exercising - hiking, yoga and backpacking are three favorite activities - as well as paying careful attention to what she puts in her mouth. It's been decades, for instance, since she's over-indulged with sugar, and the super-model-turned-environmentalist also forgoes "anything white," such as bread and pasta.

Not that she's a saint. Far from it.

"My downfall is salty things," she says. "Put a bowl of potato chips in front of me and there's no stopping me."

What we in Food & Flavor really like about Ms. Tiegs, who'll be at the Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show tomorrow to promote Cambria quartz surfaces, is that she doesn't just eat but also cooks. In her own Bel Air kitchen.

"I really do, even if I'm home alone," she insists, laughing. "I'm a homebody, and if I never ordered from another waiter, I'd be happy."

You see, Ms. Tiegs has done so much traveling throughout her career that any chance she gets to knock around in her kitchen in a pair of sweats (yes, sweats), she says, is an opportunity taken. She's especially fond of cooking for her friends, who just happen to include actor/environmentalist Ed Begley, Jr. It's California, after all, where the lovely weather makes entertaining at home "very easy."

Dishes tend toward simple basics such as roast chicken, short ribs and salad, and she also does a lot of grilling. She loves roast rack of lamb and vegetables fresh from the garden - though whether that's a by-product of spending the first five years of her life on a farm or part of the model mindset is tough to say. She's especially fond of the spuds she grows in her back yard along with a variety of herbs.

"You pop those little potatoes in your mouth, and it's like, hmm, mmm. A little bit of cream."

Little surprise, then, when asked if she'd be willing to share a favorite recipe, Ms. Tiegs dashed off instructions for roasted pork shoulder by fax within 10 minutes. It goes, she notes, especially well with basmati rice.

Cheryl Tiegs will talk about kitchens, cooking and keeping fit at the Pittsburgh Magazine Cooking Center at 3 p.m. tomorrow. She'll sign autographs afterward at the Cambria booth, No. 2737 (Level 2, in the Kitchen & Cooking section).

Roast Pork Shoulder and Rice Dinner

The versatile pork shoulder, also known as a Boston blade roast, can be pot-roasted whole, braised, stewed or barbecued. However you cook the meat, it becomes meltingly tender and flavorful. This is one of Cheryl Tiegs' favorite dinner-party recipes. She likes to serve it with basmati rice. "You're gonna love it," she writes.

• 4- to 6-pound bone-in pork shoulder or rump roast
• Olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 tablespoons flour, divided
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup par-cooked potatoes
• 3 to 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms

Brush pork with olive oil, salt and pepper, and sear meat in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat or in the oven at 475 degrees. It will take about 15 to 20 minutes per side to brown. Remove pot from oven, remove meat and set aside. Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees.

In Dutch oven, heat 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and add onions and 2 tablespoons flour. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine, tomato sauce, potatoes and stock. Stir until well blended. Return meat to pan. Liquid should go about half the way up the meat.

Roast, uncovered, in a moderately low oven, 325 degrees, until the meat thermometer registers 160 degrees for medium. It should take about 3 hours or 45 minutes per pound. Baste with the sauce several times during roasting so the meat doesn't dry out. Alternatively, place the ingredients in a slow cooker, set it on high and cook for 4 hours. Set the cooker on low and cook until the meat is very tender, at least another 2 hours (6 hours total).

Let meat rest at room temperature about 10 minutes; strain the juices through a fine-mesh strainer. Reserve.

Make gravy by whisking remaining 2 tablespoons of flour in roasting pan with 2 to 3 tablespoons chicken stock or milk. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat, until milk-chocolate-colored roux is formed. Add mushrooms and saute 1 to 2 minutes. Stir strained juices into the gravy and enough water, milk or stock to make 2 cups, and simmer until heated through and thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve over the carved roast with basmati rice.

Serves 10 to 12.

- Cheryl Tiegs

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