Hot Elements: Great Food from the Fire Chef's Kitchen

Fire Captain David Veljacic is quite a guy. From fisherman to firefighter, and then to celebrated cook (his barbeque sauce won the 'best in No. America' award and his first cookbook won prizes too). This cookbook is a real surprise. The 'hot elements' referred to in the title are 'spices' or 'flavors' used in easy-to-prepare dishes that can be thrown together (more or less) when coming home from a long day at work. The recipes are truly quite simple to prepare and those I've tried (a couple dozen of the 135 recipes in this book) have come out wonderfully. The 'hot elements' used and a creative hand with the blend of ingredients (like cajun prawns with bananas, or beef filets with nectarines, figs and grapefruit) result in some absolutely marvelous dishes. There's something both 'old country' and 'trendy bistro' about the food that Veljacic makes - perhaps having something to do with his Croatian background (a part of the world where the mix of cultures produced a superb cuisine). The layout of this cookbook makes it easy to work from, and the color illustrations are nice (all cookbooks should have them). I wouldn't want to be without this cookbook, personally -- it takes so little time and effort to produce some tasty dishes that are anything but run-of-the-mill. Several friends who have tasted food made from this cookbook have hurried to buy their own copies. I recommend that you grab a copy too -- it's a real winner.