cover image Contemporary One Dish Meals: Modern Interpretations of Classic One-Pot Cookery

Contemporary One Dish Meals: Modern Interpretations of Classic One-Pot Cookery

Mara Reid Rogers. Lake Isle Press, $21.95 (199pp) ISBN 978-0-9627403-0-5

``One-dish meals have never gone out of style,'' notes Rogers ( The Fish Grill Book ) in her well-researched collection of more than 100 new turns on one-dish standards. Spanning country and culinary memory, the recipes move from regional favorites like Kentucky Burgoo (a savory stew) to childhood mainstays like tuna-noodle casserole, with such contemporary dishes as chicken-tortellini soup represented as well. Instructions for advance preparation and microwave cooking are provided, and ingredients are adapted somewhat for health-conscious palates. Background on preparation is extensive, including the correct size and depth for microwave cookware and a chart on how spices and herbs increase and decrease in intensity when cooked. The book seems to have everything going for it, yet neither Rogers's prose nor her recipes compel continued reading, much less inspire experimentation: a personal touch is lacking. This inaugural title in the Lake Isle's New Country Fare series is wide-ranging, aptly organized and replete with pertinent information, but like a dip missing a secret ingredient, it is curiously unsatisfying. Photos. 25,000 first printing; Better Homes & Gardens Cook Booksic Club main selection . (Jan.)