Stylish One-Dish Dinners: Stews, Stir Fry, Family Dinners, and Entertaining Friends

Cook in one pot, serve on one plate. Although it's hardly a new concept, cooks who are short on time but big on entertaining will savor the sophisticated simplicity of this latest entr e from Eckhardt and DeFoyd, winners of a James Beard Award for their previous book, Entertaining 101. Borrowing from one-pot cooking traditions around the world, they offer recipes for dishes as diverse as Chinese-style Braised Bok Choy and Chicken in a Ginger Sauce, Italian-inspired Risotto with Apples and Sausage and even Real Texas Chili. Cooks should keep in mind, however, that cutting down on the cleanup by using only one pot doesn't necessarily reduce the time spent cooking--about half the recipes require more than an hour of preparation and cooking time. Still, there are as many that take less than 30 minutes to make, and the authors offer advice on taking advantage of such time-cutting devices as the pressure cooker and microwave oven. Accompanying each recipe are tips on presenting the dish to make a singularly memorable meal. (Aug.)