Giuliano Hazan’s new cookbook, 
"Thirty Minute Pasta: 100 Quick and Easy Recipe," gives
new meaning to the term No-Brainer.
On one hand, I’m wondering why I should shell out 27 bucks for a book that includes a recipe for spaghetti tossed with tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and basil. Duh.
Then I realize that that recipe is exactly why I should be shelling out those bucks. Spaghettini with Fresh Tomato, Olive Oil and Basil is a vivid reminder that it’s just as easy to whip up a fresh, healthful pasta dish myself as it is to open a jar of prepared pasta sauce. OK. So maybe the jarred stuff takes 5 or 10 minutes off the operation. That’s about the amount of time it takes to read the mail and feed the dog.
Hazan’s newest book is all about inspiration. It doesn’t offer the trendy dishes of the day; no real ah-ha moments here. Instead, its real value is in prompting us to cook fresh and fast every day and to save money and enjoy a sense of satisfaction in the process.
I admit. My pantry is crammed with Lucini, Rao’s, and Trader Joe's pasta sauces. But having whipped up TWO pasta dishes one night this week in exactly 32 minutes, I’m hooked on Hazan.
Fusilli with Zucchini and Mint (right) was delicious, its “sauce” of
perfumed olive oil and a couple tablespoons of pasta water amazingly creamy. So
was the Fusilli with Butternut Squash that is quintessential autumn comfort
food. (I added grilled chicken to the leftovers, topped it all with shredded
mozzarella and toasted pinenuts and baked it 15 minutes for another fast and
easy dinner.)
There are 100 recipes in all, each concise, user-friendly and neatly contained on one page.
Yeah, some of them are laughably basic. I mean, really, is there anyone out there who can’t figure out how to toss a little butter and grated Parmesan into a pot of noodles? (Shells with Butter and Cheese is on page 95.)
But many other recipes offer a creative touch or a new way of doing things. Consider penne with sauteed radicchio and pancetta; farfalle with peas and lettuce; penne with fresh seared tuna and saffron cream sauce. They’ll all be on my dinner table in the coming weeks.
The book costs $27.50; $18.15 at Amazon.com. It’s an ideal holiday gift for beginner cooks, newlyweds, college kids, and young professionals. And, for anyone else you know who spends time in the pasta sauce aisle of the supermarket.
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