Cookbook: Cooking from the Hip

the appetizer:

Cooking from the Hip by Cat Cora includes quick and easy recipes like Celery Root and Asian Pear Salad, Salmon-Topped Hash, and Cherry Clafouti.

Cooking from the Hip
Fast, Easy, Phenomenal Meals

by Cat Cora

Click to Buy Cooking from the Hip

The Food Network's first and only female Iron Chef, Cat Cora, knows how to wow a crowd with her culinary prowess and unruffled, composed style.

Cat is the epitome of grace under pressure, working with speed and precision, delivering outstanding creations under the stress of a time clock, a panel of judges, an eager competitor and a live studio audience. Now Cat elevates at-home cooking with a few tricks of the trade and her signature approach to food, which she calls "cooking from the hip." What started as a catch phrase led to a newspaper column and now a cookbook for today's busy lifestyles.

Cooking from the Hip: Fast, Easy, Phenomenal Meals applies Cat's "go-with-what-you've-got" philosophy to create easy, yet sensational meals. Cat takes readers through four categories of cooking: FAST (thirty minutes or less), EASY (interruption-proof), FUN (to prepare with friends), and PHENOMENAL (truly special dishes). Cooks can turn to whichever section suits their needs, whether it's dinner in twenty minutes or a fantastic recipe for a Friday night get- together. "Each chapter eases the reader into gourmet cooking, often using basic pantry items," explains Cat. "By the time they're ready for the 'phenomenal' dishes, they'll be heroes with their family and friends."

The heart of Cooking from the Hip are the recipes that Cat makes at home—many of them fast and often suggesting ideas for pulling in leftovers. This book is also a great way to get your kids to start eating better foods. And if your kids like sushi, Cat will get you rolling up all your favorite foods (not just fish) but also chicken and fruit. Grilled Skirt Steak with Shiitake Mushroom Salsa is inexpensive, super-tasty and cooks in no time (all you need to do is marinate it overnight), and the salsa also makes a great topping for bruschetta. Parmesan, Proscuitto, and Arugula Sandwich can be made faster than it takes to have pizza delivered. Goat Cheese Fondue is a way to entertain and get everyone involved. And when life gives you lemons, Cat gives you Lemonade Cookies—quick, easy and so good.

About the Author

As a Mississippi native with a Greek heritage, Cat grew up immersed in two different and equally flavorful cultures. Cat was trained at the Culinary Institute of America and worked with such celebrated chefs as Larry Forgione and the three-star Michelin French chefs George Blanc and Roger Verge.