I dream of dinner (so you don't have to) Low-effort, high-reward recipes

Inspired by her mother and nonna, who "cook quickly but thoughtfully," recipe developer Slagle serves up a collection of tasty dishes that can be whipped up in 45 minutes or less. Ingredients (which put to work "pantry lurkers" such as grains and canned beans) are presented via a shopping list to the left of directions that repeat them in boldface with measurements and prep; it's an unusual yet effective style that can be read with a brisk scan (a necessity when dinnertime looms). Slagle amps up eggs, scrambling them with harissa, chopped dates, and pita chips that soften like migas in a browned-butter mix. Beans and legumes become deeply flavored in short order, thanks to boosters such as pickled peppers and their brine in Sloppy Joe'd red lentils, and anchovies in Slagle's olive oil--braised chickpeas. Beyond the dishes that spotlight chicken and seafood are tempting meatless pairings, such as fennel and radicchio with macerated apricots, as well as innovative ways to treat tempeh, including crisped in a salad with kimchi. Meanwhile, cooking tips (like patting raw chicken dry before browning) open chapters with sure-footed nuggets of wisdom for "off-road" and "recover if there's a screw-up." This makes the task of cooking feel like a celebration. (Apr.)

Many books purport to offer easy weeknight meals but disguise cooking time with hidden prep and other complications--not Slagle's. She hits it out of the park with her first cookbook, collecting recipes that take 45 minutes or less and use 10 or fewer ingredients. Even easier, the recipes are organized by key ingredients, making it easy to start with whatever's already in the pantry or the slowly wilting produce in the vegetable crisper. In fact, Slagle strongly encourages (and suggests) ingredient substitutions for using up what she calls "pantry lurkers and produce on its last leg." Recipes are quick but do not skimp on flavor or creativity. This book makes it apparent that its author is a pro recipe developer, food stylist, and New York Times contributor, but cooks won't feel judged in the kitchen. Quite the opposite: the recipes, tone, photography, and layout are accessible and encouraging. There's plenty for both vegetarians and meat eaters and also for feeding picky eaters on a weeknight. VERDICT A must-purchase resource to answer the inevitable question: What's for dinner? --Sarah Tansley

Introduction Some count sheep--I dream up dinner. My favorite cooks are people who "make food." Their skills and taste buds are honed by real life, by making do with what they have, and by sticking their fingers into lots of hot pots. They cook quickly but thoughtfully, feed extremely hungry people night after night--and then do the dishes whether they want to or not. That includes my mom and nonna, and not just because I love them so much. Their cooking is soulful, scrappy, confident, and completely delicious. They make dinner with ten ingredients and in 45 minutes, probably, but who's counting? They don't have patience for time-sucks and finicky recipes, but they also won't sacrifice an ounce of joy or flavor along the way. Take my mom's chili, which is made from cans, jars, and ketchup. It's not real-deal chili but it's so good, people joke it'll be celebrated on her gravestone (it's the Shortcut Chicken Chili on page 286). And when you ask my nonna for her biscotti recipe, what you get is on the next page--good luck! She cooks outside the lines, clearly. I thankfully inherited their resourcefulness and love for cooking. When I go on walks or zone out on the train, I'm playing Dinner Tetris in my head. I'm imagining the moves I'll make to efficiently, enjoyably use the ingredients I have to make what I want. The results of these daydreams (and actual dreams) become meals for me and recipes for you--I dream of dinner so you don't have to! The 150 recipes in this book meet you wherever you are: hungry, hurried, happy. In need of calm and comfort or fire and fun. On yet another Wednesday. At 6 p.m., realizing oh right, dinner. My promise is that the effort-to-reward ratio is engineered in your favor. The recipes won't use more than 45 minutes, ten ingredients (though usually just five to eight), and your indispensables (meet them on page 16). They approach pantry lurkers and produce on its last leg as enthusiastically as farmers' market celebrities, and are flexible enough to modify wildly. No need to go to the store for one ingredient unless you also need ice cream. Instead of hiding work in an ingredient list--did you know "½ cup toasted, chopped, skin-off hazelnuts" takes half an hour?--there's a grocery list to scan. When you're ready to cook, bring the ingredients to the counter and follow along: All the prep happens in the recipe itself. You can cling to the recipes for dear life or you may never follow any precisely--cooking is a wild thing that really can't (and shouldn't) be contained within precise steps and amounts. This book provides just enough structure to get you to excellent meals, in your kitchen, your way. The recipes are organized by the basic processes that turn their main ingredient into dinner. Seeing recipes as templates creates routine, which is practical but rarely boring because it provides avenues for improvisation (a fact of life). Each section starts with quick tricks for each process so that you can off-road and recover if there's a screw-up (another fact of life). This fast and loose way of cooking will make the mediocre days better and the good days great. It will maximize your time, minimize your waste, spark inspiration, and nourish with food that feels good to make and eat. Just remember: Do more with less. Don't overthink it. And also: It's only dinner. Excerpted from I Dream of Dinner (so You Don't Have To): Low-Effort, High-Reward Recipes: a Cookbook by Ali Slagle All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.