The Quick Gourmet

Patricia A. Myers is a historian at the Historic Sites and Archives
Service, Alberta Community Development, and the author of Sky Riders: An
Illustrated History of Aviation in Alberta, 1906–1945.

Dee Hobsbawm-Smith’s latest offering promises delights every bit as
delectable as the pasta and grilled vegetables shown on the cover.

For Hobsbawm-Smith, quick doesn’t have to mean routine. This quick
cooking, defined here as dishes that can be ready in under an hour, is
bright and interesting. You’ll find recipes calling for such things as
rice paper, fenugreek, and dried sour cherries. The recipes are clear
and arranged in categories: appetizers, soups, salads and dressings,
vegetables, poultry, meat, fish and shellfish, pasta, grains and
desserts, and pantry and condiments. There’s a good variety of dishes
too: Fat Rice Noodles with Garlicky Greens, Thai Turkey Toss, and Cherry
Seduction with Lemon-Ginger Yogurt, to name just a few. Useful
information appears throughout in the form of sidebars. The author
discusses everything from the proper way to dredge a fish fillet in
crumbs to how to make the best lamb burger.

The book begins with a helpful-hint section that covers equipment,
efficient kitchen organization, knife skills, methods of cooking, and
other down-to-earth topics. Many of the recipes come with serving
suggestions, tips on other ways to use the ingredients, or advice on
selecting the ingredients.

The Quick Gourmet is an easy-to-read book packed with ideas on putting
meals together fast.