Synopses & Reviews
Busy professionals and harried parents don't have time after a long day to spend an hour preparing dinner, but no one wants to settle for cold pizza or cheese sandwiches everyday either. How does Provencal Mushroom Ragout over Polenta sound? Or Pork Medallions with Cider and Mashed Sweet Potatoes? In 15 minutes? Including the time it takes to chop the vegetables! James Beard Award-winning food journalist Sam Gugino has devised a host of secret strategies for getting organized so cooking dinner is quick and painless. He approaches the overall kitchen scene with four key principles in mind: flavor, organization, focus, and creativity. To this he adds clever time-saving techniques that drastically cut the preparation time for a meal-sized entrZe serving two or four. In all, Cooking to Beat the Clock offers an entirely new way of thinking about any recipe, and just may change the way you cook. It's amazing but truea delicious dinner can be ready in 15 minutes, start to finish!
Review
Reviews from: POV
ATLANTA CONSTITUTION
Eat the Clock: Ask most on-the-go guys why they don't cook and they'll probably say because it takes too long. "If you have fifteen minutes, you can put a delicious meal on the table," counters Sam Gugino, author of the new Cooking to Beat the Clock. Doubtful? "It sounds too good to be true because a lot of people are put off by the notion of quick food," Gugino says. "They worry about sacrificing taste." No need: Gugino's recipes are simple, straightforward (you won't find directions for soaking beans overnight) and, for the most part, use fresh ingredients (with a few exceptions, like roasted peppers from a jar). As for cooking time, the clock starts ticking the moment you have everything assembled on your countertop, and the buzzer goes off the moment you're ready to serve. Gugino, a former restaurateur, created all 60 recipes, most of which are cooked on top of the stove (the oven takes too long to warm up) and sometimes employ the bachelor's best friend, the microwave. "I guarantee that anyone can cook these recipes in fifteen minutes," Gugino says. "But you certainly don't have to eat them that fast."
How to put together in a hurry a meal that's easy to prepare, and delicious and nutritious as well? It's all laid out with workable precision in his Cooking to Beat the Clock; Delicious Inspired Meals in 15 Minutes.
About the Author
Sam Gugino is a columnist for Wine Spectator and a frequent contributor to the New York Times. He lives in New York city. Visit Sam's Web site at: www.samcooks.com.
Dawn Smith is an avid cookbook collector and a still life photographer who specializes in food. She lives in New York City.