Cooking Under Cover: One-Pot Wonders - A Treasury of Soups, Stews, Braises & Casseroles

"Cooking Under Cover" offers 175 internationally inspired soups, stews, braises, casseroles and accompaniments, with a 15-page section of color photos by Alan Richardson. The authors ("Onions, Onions, Onions," winner of James Beard Award) prefer fresh, organically grown ingredients (including meat) and suggest wines and accompaniments. Chapters include desserts (Chocolate Pecan Bread Pudding, Maple-braised Plums, Figs and Blackberries) and appetizers (Rustic Terrine, Chinese Pot Stickers) as well as vegetable dishes (Curried with ginger and mint, Creamed Spinach), beans and grains (Red Beans with Spicy Sausage, Polenta with Mascarpone) and breads (Under-Cover Corn Bread). But the heart of the book is meat. How about Chicken Stew with Virginia Ham and Cornmeal Dumplings, or Nana's Chicken Fricasee which includes veal meatballs? Or Veal Shanks with Braised Lentils and Caramelized Onions, Pork Chops in Plum Sauce, or a real four-day Sauerbraten? While none of the dishes are difficult and instructions are straightforward, the authors' loving attention to detail makes the book especially suitable for cooking moods and entertaining.

See review under Garlic, Garlic, Garlic. This one features wonderful one-pot dishes that are the equal to those in their other books. Very fine, indeed!

They sure mean it when they call them one pot wonders. Who would have thought that soups and stews could be so sophisticated. I am someone who often makes various chili dishes, crockpot meals and casseroles because I like to save time, but I needed a new bag of tricks. I like how it is organized by main ingredient which helps when I have meat or vegetables that I don't know what to do with. They also have some great desserts and for novices like me, some help with the basics. This should definitely be a staple in the kitchen