Dec 01, 2017

The One-Dish Cookbook

By MaryAnn Miano

For the budget conscious and for the home chef interested in quick and easy options, The One-Dish Cookbook is all you’re looking for. Written by Robert Ackart and available for checkout at the Colts Neck Library, the book is part of the Catherine Henning Cookbook Collection. The author gathered more than 250 recipes for delicious main dish meals using the less expensive cuts of meat and fish. He shows how to create varied and exciting feasts for family and guests from economical cuts such as stew meat, shanks, sausages, ground beef, pork chops, spareribs, and variety meats.

The recipes in this exceptional book are easy to prepare, yet interesting and festive enough for guests. Each entrée is designed to serve six people, and many of the recipes can successfully be doubled and prepared ahead of time for a large party. As a bonus to the busy cook, the preparation, cooking, and serving of these entrees can frequently be done in the same pot.

Recipes for elegant yet economical meals include: Pot Roast with Dried Fruit, Beef with Sour Cream, Lamb Shanks with Yogurt, Spareribs with Fruits Sauce, Pork with Eggplant, Frankfurter and Corn Chowder, Ground Beef with Squash, Chicken Gumbo, Fish Filets with Orange, and many more. In addition to the basic recipes, the author provides delightful variations and encourages readers to experiment.           Suggested recipes are also given for side dishes of vegetables, salads, potatoes and rice, breads, pasta and dumplings, and special sauces. Preparation time and cooking time are given for each entrée, and each recipe indicates whether the dish can be refrigerated or frozen. A glossary of special cooking terms is included.

Mr. Ackart finds cooking to be a personal, highly creative experience, and for this reason, he takes pleasure in sharing his comments on the various main dishes, including the dishes’ country of origin and particular national flavor. The recipes are adapted to the themes of economy and ease of preparation and will prove attractive to your budget, taste, and eye.

CHICKEN WITH PAPRIKA (Austria)

2 tablespoons margarine

2 tablespoons oil

Serving pieces of chicken for 6 people

Salt

Pepper

3 onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons paprika

3 tablespoons flour

1 cup hot water, in which 1 chicken bouillon cube has been dissolved

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

2 cups sour cream

½ pound mushrooms, sliced (optional)

In a flameproof baking dish, heat the margarine and oil and brown the chicken; season it. Remove and reserve it.

In the remaining fat, cook the onion and garlic until translucent. Stir in the paprika and then the flour.

Add bouillon and tomato sauce and, over moderate heat, cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth.

Add the sour cream, stirring to blend the sauce well. Stir in the mushrooms, if desired. Replace the chicken. Bake the chicken, covered, at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour or until it is tender.

Serve the dish with boiled rice or noodles.

Recipe from: The One Dish Cookbook,” page 244, by Robert Ackart. Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap. 1975.