Munson provides an eclectic compilation of easily prepared dinnertime dishes that are easy on the home meal maker. Many of these fast-to-fix main courses are traditional favorites or old standbys such as Beef Stew or Easy Manhattan Clam Chowder. Others may be less known, such as Pigeon Pea Chowder with Spanish Onions and a Lamb and Turnip Stew with Cilantro. Dividing her attention for main-ingredient dishes equally among vegetables, poultry, seafood, legumes and meat, Munson assembles ingredients in some unusual combinations, as in Ditalini Pasta with White Beans and Collards or Lentil Chili with Bacon and Beer, while Thai-spiced Carrots and Chicken is flavored with peanut sauce, fresh ginger and sesame oil. Turkey Sancoche is a Latin American medley of meats, fish, vegetables and seasonings, topped with toasted cashews. The traditional affinity of this kind of food for dumplings and similar accompaniments is recognized with such recipes as Caraway Wheat Dumplings, Spicy Cheddar Dumplings and Crusty Cornbread. An appendix describes such ingredients as adzuki beans and tomatillos. Exhaustive in neither range of recipes nor level of instruction, this is an everyday cookbook meant to help out the home cook in a hurry. Rodale Book Club and BOMC selections. (Sept.)
