Books for cooks

BARBARA BURKE

"Fast Entrees," By Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison (Ten Speed Press, 2002, softcover, $17.95)

Quick cooking with
touch of Asian flavor

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Each of the 70 recipes in Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison's newest cookbook, "Fast Entrees," packs a powerful flavor punch through the use of bold ingredients such as fresh herbs, Asian sauces, garlic, ginger, chilis, blue cheese, honey mustard, capers, balsamic vinegar and citrus zest.

The authors will tempt your taste buds with dishes such as Roast Salmon with Thai Coconut Sauce, Spicy Wok Chicken with Asparagus and Barbecued Steaks with Balsamic-Soy Glaze.

Colorful photos make the plated entrees practically leap off the page. Helpful pictures of pantry ingredients, kitchen tools and basic cooking techniques make these professional-looking dishes very doable for the home chef.

The authors describe these recipes as "quick work-night" dinners. Well, that's debatable. Consider their recipe for Veal Scaloppine with Shiitakes, in which the meat is pounded to a quarter-inch thickness, sautéed in batches and topped with a cream sauce.

Most of the recipes have 12 to 15 ingredients. You'll need a very well-stocked pantry if you want to avoid frequent trips to the grocery store.

But to their credit, Carpenter and Sandison do provide recipes in which many of the steps can be done in advance. At the very least, this book is full of terrific recipes for entertaining family and friends.

Sea bass, halibut and mahimahi are good choices for the following fish tacos. To save time, use a commercial marinade or salad dressing.

Barbecued Fish Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

4 6-ounce fresh firm fish fillets
1/3 cup white wine
3 tablespoons thin soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 crisp taco shells
2 limes, cut into wedges
>> Salsa:
1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled and cored
2 tablespoons minced green onions
1/4 cup minced cilantro sprigs or fresh basil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce or thin soy sauce
1 teaspoon Asian chili sauce

Advance Preparation: Place the fish in a shallow, nonreactive container. Combine the wine, soy sauce and pepper and mix well.

To prepare the salsa, coarsely chop the pineapple. You should have about 2 cups. Place the pineapple in a bowl and add the green onions, cilantro, orange juice, brown sugar, fish sauce and chili sauce and stir well. (All the ingredients can be covered and refrigerated for up to 8 hours before using).

Last-Minute Cooking: Prepare a medium fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill to medium. Pour the wine mixture over the fish and marinate for 5 to 15 minutes. When the grill is hot, brush the grill rack with oil and place the fish on the rack. Grill, turning once, for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until the flesh flakes with slight pressure from a fork.

Transfer the fish to warmed dinner plates. Serve at once, accompanied by the salsa, taco shells and lime wedges. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional information per serving (3 tacos): 480 calories, 15 g total fat, 2 g sat fat, 60 mg cholesterol, 1,080 mg sodium, 40 g protein, 48 g carbohydrate.

Rating Scale: Best in its class / Highly recommended / Recommended / Not recommended

Barbara Burke is a Hawaii-Pacific University instructor who teaches and writes about food and nutrition. Contact her at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813; or e-mail her at: features@starbulletin.com