cover image Prep and Rally: An Hour of Prep, a Week of Delicious Meals

Prep and Rally: An Hour of Prep, a Week of Delicious Meals

Dini Klein. Harvest, $30 (320p) ISBN 978-0-358-64556-6

Chef Klein promises to “de-stress dinner” in her hefty debut, offering a program in which one day of the week is used to cook “staple recipes” that will be repurposed into weeknight dinners. For instance, after purchasing the meat, produce, and spices on the “Turnip the Heat” grocery list, readers prep the base dishes—roasted turnips, poached chicken breast, hot pot broth—which are swapped around later in the week in menus like DIY hot pots, a cheesy cabbage bake, or chicken flautas with salsa roja, guacamole, cilantro-lime rice, and turnips. The weekly meal plans feature time-saving tips (mincing garlic in advance or simply buying it already minced) and ingredient substitutions (cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles can replace sushi rice). However, the claim that the one-day base recipes only require one hour will prove to be daunting for even efficient home cooks—with the warning to “grab the wine,” Klein sets out roasting a chicken while chopping and roasting copious vegetables, making a lentil soup, creating a homemade sauce, and cooking up a pot of quinoa. A bonus section could prove the most thumbed: helpful ideas for making leftovers shine, such as by turning veggies into a galette or tossing extra salmon into a lemony pasta dish. Some readers may click with it as a panacea, while others will prefer a more accessible starter resource. Agent: Alison Fargis, Stonesong. (Sept.)