Off The Shelf: Cooking From the Pantry [Paperback]

Donna Hay, Australia's bestselling cookbook author, understands our pain. The pain, that is, of producing delicious meals when time is tight and we really can't shop--again. Off the Shelf: Cooking from the Pantry presents a blueprint for from-scratch good eating that relies on a thoughtfully stocked larder, a few fresh ingredients, and truly streamlined recipes. The idea isn't new, of course, but Hay finds a better way with it, presenting recipes like Pasta with Pancetta and Peas; Lime, Beef, and Noodle Salad; and Green Olive and Baked Chicken that are truly quick and easy to do. First published in Australia, Off the Shelf arrives here in an edition meant to work for American cooks; if ingredient names, quantities, and some operations aren't always completely "translated" (one recipe calls for English spinach leaves) or given conventional American form, willing readers will still be able use it most productively.

Organized by ingredients and topics, the book offers buying advice throughout, regular recipes, and Short Order sections that distill formulas, such as those for Lemon and Basil Pilaf and Marinated Chickpea Salad, into get-the-drill-quickly paragraphs. Among the fuller-dress recipes, readers will surely want to try Beef and Caramelized Onion Couscous Salad, Crispy Spiced Thai Chicken, and Seared Salmon on Coconut Spinach, among others. Sweets, including Burnt Vanilla Creams and Chocolate Honey Snaps, are also delicious and easily accomplished. With truly useful tips (cut overlong cooked noodles to make them more manageable is one why-didn't-I-think-of-that example), an oversize bravura design, and color photos throughout, the book shows and tells how to cook with the greatest ease. --Arthur Boehm

“No need to spend hours at the store. Find gastronomic bliss with no fuss, no muss, no bother.” (New York Times )

In Off the Shelf, Australia's bestselling food writer Donna Hay shows you how to fill your pantry with convenient and basic ingredients. Save time with these easy to put together recipes -- for everyday meals or special occasions, and especially when unexpected guests arrive.

Off the Shelf is packed with the information and inspiration to create a great meal at short notice --anything from a simple pasta dish or the slippery slurp of Asian-inspired noodles to a tempting berry tart. All you need is a well-stocked pantry and a handful of fresh ingredients.

An essential handbook for everyone who loves to cook and to eat.

When most other girls were playing with their Barbie dolls or out climbing trees and getting their knees dirty, Donna Hay was in the kitchen, armed with a cookie cutter and ready to set upon every ingredient with a bottle of food colouring and a generous sprinkling of hundreds and thousands. It was experimental cooking at its best.

Over the years, Donna's interest in food and cooking grew and after some formal training, she began a career as a freelance food writer and stylist when she was 19. Donna was appointed food editor of leading Australian magazine Marie Claire and Marie Claire Lifestyle at the age of 25. While at Marie Claire, Donna wrote and styled four internationally bestselling books -- Cooking, Dining, Flavours and Food Fast. The books received a number of the world's most prestigious food awards.

In 2001, Donna joined HarperCollins and released Off the Shelf: Cooking from the Pantry. Like all of Donna's other cookbooks it was a great success and can be found in hundreds of thousands of kitchens around Australia and the world.

Donna's recipes are renowned for their fresh modern flavours, stylish presentation, ease of preparation and readily available ingredients. Her relaxed approach to cooking inspire cooks of all levels of experience and her fresh, modern style has become a benchmark for contemporary cookbooks and recipe writing.

Donna's recipes and ideas can also be found in her magazine, Donna Hay, and in the Sunday editions of News Limited newspapers around Australia and in New Zealand.