A rich source of cooking advice

"How to Cook Without a Book"

By Pam Anderson (Broadway Books, $25, 290 pages)

An experienced cook can be like an accomplished pianist, spending a lifetime faithfully rendering other people's compositions. But one day, inspiration may strike: Move over Mozart, it's time to play jazz.

Nothing allows a cook's individual creative style to develop like the freedom, and the confidence, to improvise. "How to Cook Without a Book" can help.

Pam Anderson, the former executive editor of Cook's Illustrated magazine, brings a lifetime of kitchen experience to this book. She remembers the great Southern cooks of her family who never consulted a recipe. She updates their approach by incorporating contemporary ingredients and developing easy-to-memorize formulas for stylish dishes such as stir-fries, pastas and sautes.

Best of all, this cookbook is designed to be used after work, during those evenings when everybody's hungry, but nobody has much time to cook. The dishes go together quickly, but never call for chemical-laden, processed food.

One caveat: The author believes in cooking with butter and cream, and more tablespoons of olive oil than you might imagine. The food tastes accordingly rich. But if you're worried about the calories, feel free to creatively reduce the fat content of these recipes.

No matter which fresh vegetables and herbs are in season, the Pasta with Tender Vegetables formula should work just fine. My favorite was the mushroom, rosemary and garlic variation. To improvise even further, I recommend starting with portobello mushrooms and adding 1/3 cup white wine and 1/2 cup goat cheese, cut in chunks, at the end.

Pasta with Tender Vegetables

1 to 1-1/4 pounds tender vegetables (such as bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, eggplant, onions, leeks or fennel)

1 tablespoon salt

1 package (1 pound) pasta

4 tablespoons fat (olive oil, butter or bacon fat)

Aromatic:

3 garlic cloves and/or an onion

Ground black pepper

Optional flavorings and/or dried/fresh herbs (see variation below)

Parmesan cheese to taste

1. Prepare selected vegetable.

2. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large kettle. Add salt and pasta to the boiling water. Using package cooking times as a guide, cook the pasta, partially covered and stirring frequently, until al dente.

3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat fat and garlic over medium- high heat until the garlic just starts to sizzle. If using onion, heat the fat, add the onion and saute until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the prepared vegetable to the pan, sprinkling generously with salt and pepper; saute until tender, 5 to 7 minutes longer. Stir in optional flavorings and dried herbs; cook to blend flavors, about 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and set aside, uncovered, until the pasta is done.

4. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Return pasta to the pot; add the contents of the skillet, pasta cooking liquid, optional fresh herbs and a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese; toss to coat. Taste, adjust seasonings, including pepper to taste. Serve, with additional cheese passed separately.

Pasta With Mushrooms, Rosemary and Garlic

Vegetable:

1 pound mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin

Fat:

4 tablespoons olive oil

Aromatic:

3 medium garlic cloves

Herbs:

1-1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary or 1-1/2 teaspoons dried

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Follow the Pasta With Tender Vegetables recipe, adding rosemary to the sauteing mushrooms and parsley when tossing the pasta.

Copyright 2000 Cowles Publishing Company
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.