"Dinner: Changing the Game" by Melissa Clark--takes familiar foods and gives them freshness and added appeal--there is something here for everyone

Dinner: Changing the Game by

Melissa Clark

More than 200 all-new, never-before-published recipes for dishes that are "familiar but fresh, approachable but exciting." (Yotam Ottolenghi)

Each recipe in New York Times columnist Melissa Clark's Dinner is meant to be dinner--one fantastic dish that is so satisfying and flavor-forward it can stand alone--or be paired with a simple salad or fresh bread on the side. This is what Melissa Clark means by changing the game.

Organized by main ingredient--chicken, meat, fish and seafood, eggs, pasta and noodles, tofu, vegetable dinners, grains, pizza, soups, and salads that mean it--Dinner covers an astonishing breadth of recipes. There is something for every mood, season, and the amount of time you have: sheet pan chicken laced with spicy harissa, burgers amped with chorizo, curried lentils with poached eggs, to name just a few dishes in this indispensable collection. Here, too, are easy flourishes that make dinner exceptional: stir charred lemon into pasta, toss creamy Caesar-like dressing on a grain bowl.  


MY REVIEW:  “Dinner: Changing the Game”, from Melissa Clark, is a big, colorful cookbook filled with more than 200 recipes, and it takes familiar foods and gives them freshness and added appeal. There is something here for everyone, from vegetarians to omnivores and those who fall somewhere in between. A section on ingredients to keep on hand includes basics and exotics and explains how and why to use them. The chapters are each based on one main ingredient which is featured in a variety of enticing dishes. These are savory, satisfying foods which appease the palate and appeal to all the senses. There are special sections giving an expanded look at Roasted Chicken; How to Cook Eggs; Using Beans—Both Canned and Dried; and How to Cook Grains for Yields of 4. Since the book focuses on the main dish, with a few sides and other additions, there are no desserts. However, you will be more than gratified with such tempting dishes as these: “Salt & Pepper Roasted Chicken”; “Sesame Chicken with Cashews and Dates”; Jalapeño Steak with Honey and Lime”; “Pork Scallopini with Sage, Black Pepper, and Apples’; “Sweet Peppers & Sausages with Ricotta and Fresh Oregano”; “Shrimp Banh Mi”; “Fish Tacos with Red Cabbage, Jalapeño, and Lime Slaw”; “Asparagus Frittata with Ricotta and Chives”; “Herbed Parmesan Dutch Baby”; “Penne & Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Pecorino”; “Shrimp Pad Thai with Sugar Snap Peas and Basil”; “Pole Bean Salad with Tomatoes, Almonds, and Pepitas”; “Spicy Thai Fried Rice with Sausage and Greens”; “Quick Southern Ham & Navy Bean Soup with Spicy Cornbread Croutons”; “Rustic Shrimp Bisque with Fennel”; “Summer Vegetable Salad with Tapenade and New Potatoes”; “Cheddar Fondue with Irish Whiskey”; and “Tomato Salad with Herbs, Shallots, and Lime”. The question of “What’s for dinner?” will now be asked and answered with real interest, and the results will please the chef as well as the company.

Book Copy Gratis Clarkson Potter Publishers via Blogging for Books


Melissa Clark



Melissa Clark is a food writer and author. She is a food columnist for The New York Times, and has written for Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Every Day with Rachael Ray and Martha Stewart. She is the author of Dinner in an Instant, Cook This Now, In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite and 32 other cookbooks.

https://www.melissaclark.net/