Review:
Mark Bittman's New York Times column, "The Minimalist," is a much-consulted source for easy but polished recipes. The Minimalist Cooks at Home features these less-is-more recipes plus others never before published--formulas that require a minimum of technique and/or ingredients. Bittman's dishes draw on the world's cuisines and, taken together, represent what might be called a new kind of home cooking. Anyone seeking delicious everyday food that's quick to put on the table yet satisfies the demands of modern palates should embrace the book. In succinct chapters that cover the major dish categories, salads through desserts, Bittman offers fare like Roast Cod with Tangerine Sauce, Chicken Under a Brick, Real Paella, and 15-Minute Fruit Gratin. These approachable, flexible dishes should enter the repertoire of cooks at all skill levels, as well as please those they feed. Bittman also includes recipes that illustrate a particular cooking technique or sequence; his Creamy Broccoli Soup, for example, presents a formula--three parts liquid, two parts vegetable, one part dairy--that can be applied widely to create new dishes instinctively. Cooking lessons like these, plus shortcuts and multiple suggestions for flavorful variations, make the book particularly useful. With photos that illustrate a number of the techniques, and recipe notes that further explore dish anatomy, the book delivers on its promise to provide strategies for good eating with little fuss. --Arthur Boehm
From the Back Cover:
"Minimalism in cooking is what every cook dreams of but rarely manages to achieve. Mark Bittman has definitely mastered the art of simplicity while keeping food flavorful and appetizing. He has dedicated a great deal of passion and creativity to this process as is demonstrated by his wonderful new book."
--Daniel Boulud, Chef-owner, Daniel and Café Boulud
"With recipes that are simple, innovative, and accessible, this book is perfect for the busy cook who wants to eat well."
--Jacques Pépin, Chef, cookbook author, and public television personality
"Mark Bittman makes great everyday cooking and eating possible in a harried world. He is the master of streamlining good food down to its essence without losing a jot of taste. Unlike a lot of other writers of the 'quick and easy' school, Mark understands and loves exceptional food and enjoys cooking it. Under his tutelage, all of us will too."
--Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of "The Splendid Table" radio show and author of The Italian Country Table
"Some cooks enjoy giving the impression that their work requires esoteric language and complicated skills. Mark Bittman is just the opposite. He is devoted to making it clear that great food can be created with few ingredients and a minimum of effort, a task he accomplished with great verve in this book. This is one that every home cook will want to keep right by the stove."
--John Willoughby and Chris Schlesinger, coauthors of Thrill of the Grill and License to Grill
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