From Amazon.com
Sure, you can cook up pasta in no time and whip up an omelet in a flash, but Sam Gugino insists you can also make sophisticated dishes, such as Duck Breast on Baby Vegetables, spending only 15 minutes in the kitchen to prepare them. Besides 60 recipes, he offers a strategy to help you quickly produce original, satisfying meals from scratch--and he doesn't mean a quick stir-fry! To prove his point, he offers recipes for a jambalaya studded with shrimp and hot sausage; a chicken curry with coconut milk; and Steak Diane, elegantly sauced with flambéed cognac and melted butter. Flavor, organization, focus, and creativity make this possible. For flavor, you need a pantry and freezer stocked with such staples as aromatic basmati rice and intense, sweet-tasting balsamic vinegar. Organization requires the right equipment, starting with a 12-inch, nonstick skillet. Focus means no radio or TV. Creativity means the ability to make substitutions--to save on a trip to the store.
Frankly, the idea of a 15-minute chili or cassoulet sounds more like a gimmick than good food. Better to use the time to prepare delicious San Diego Fish Tacos and make the cassoulet on a Sunday afternoon, when it can simmer long and slow. But a Tuesday-night dinner of mustard-sparked turkey cutlets served with creamy garlic mashed potatoes, or lamb chops smothered in orzo with olives and rosemary, sounds promising. Chances are high that they'll taste as good as they look in the handsome color photos. --Dana Jacobi
From Publishers Weekly
The title is an attention grabber but unless they have trained as short-order cooks, most readers will have a tough time turning out these recipes in a quarter of an hour. They could do them in under 30 minutes, though, and not collapse into their seats at the dining room table. The few extra minutes are worth it. Gugino, a chef, cooking instructor and food columnist, offers 60 tasty and imaginative dishes that can be put together in about the time it takes to get a pizza delivered. These inspired one-pot or one-platter meals draw on a variety of cuisines including Mediterranean, French, Mexican and Asian. There's Chili with Beans, Smothered Lamb Chops with Orzo, Quick Cassoulet featuring turkey kielbasa, Chicken Fajitas with Mango Salsa, Asian-Spiced Salmon with Braised Bok Choy and a startling 15-Minute Thanksgiving Dinner. There are also soups, such as cumin-scented Moroccan Chicken and?the harried cook's best friend?pasta dishes, including Spaghetti Carbonara. While the focus is on casual family meals, there are dishes fit for company as well (15-Minute Bouillabaisse and Chicken Saltimbocca with Arugula and Tomato Salad, among others). In addition to recipes, the book recommends labor-saving techniques and creative substitutions. Gugino's style is terse and on the bossy side, but cooks in a hurry won't mind.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
