Jeanne Besser - The 5:30 Challenge. 5 Ingredients, 30 Minutes, Dinner on the Table

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Copyright 2005 by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

First Simon & Schuster paperback edition 2005

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Designed by Laura Lindgren

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN-13: 978-0-7432-6638-3

ISBN-10: 0-7432-6638-2

eISBN 13: 978-1-439-12837-4

For the readers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Food & Drink section, who keep us on our toes weekly by sharing their opinions, suggestions, and recipes, including many that appear in the pages that follow.

We had often discussed the possibility of organizing our favorite 5:30 Challenge recipes in a cookbook, not only because so many of our readers have asked for such a thing, but also because we wanted a handy reference for ourselves. When Sydny Miner from Simon & Schuster approached us with that very idea, we were ready to spring into action. We are grateful for her guidance in helping us hone our vision into a user-friendly volume designed to outlast newsprint. We are also grateful to Sarah Hochman for all of her support and assistance. Thanks also to copy editor Virginia McRae. Wed also like to thank senior production editor Lisa Healy and designer Laura Lindgren.

Fortunately, we already had a head start, thanks to the creative efforts of numerous people along the way. Food writers Marcia Langhenry and Reagan Walker, along with designer Sheri Taylor-Emery, helped brainstorm the 5:30 Challenge newspaper feature. In its early days, food stylist Mary Ann Clayton not only prepared many of the dishes for photography, but also came up with some of the most creative ways wed seen for streamlining recipes without sacrificing taste. William Berry and other staff photographers brought the dishes to life. Eagle-eyed editors Frank Rizzo, Betty Gordon, and Lisa Axelberg, along with editorial assistant Julia McBee, have helped to ensure our recipes were clean and confusion free. Betsy Mann conscientiously provided the nutritional analyses.

The project could have never happened without the enthusiastic support of Atlanta Journal-Constitution features editor Mike Lupo. Stacy Lynch, director of innovations for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, served as liaison between the newspaper and publisher, taking care of business matters so that we could concentrate on cooking.

Jeanne would also like to thank her three guys, Rich, Alex, and Jack and her personal fab five, Sa, Lo, Jojo, Rosie, and Linda. Susan is particularly indebted to her mother, Nancy Puckett, for making countless schleps to the supermarket, helping with the recipe testing, andmost of allkeeping the dishwasher loaded and running. She also thanks food writer Deborah Geering, who loaned her kitchen and her creativity to the mission.

Were particularly grateful to the home cooks who have taken our 5:30 Challenge, helping us prove to the other time-starved readers who follow our column that it is possible to sit down to a fresh, delicious meal on even the busiest weeknight.

INTRODUCTION
The 5:30 Challenge and How It Works

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
The most essential tools and appliances you need for speedy cooking
How to stock your kitchen with staples while avoiding clutter
Our favorite quality convenience foods

Flashes in the Pan
SAUTS, STIR-FRIES, AND SKILLET DINNERS

Grilled to Order
OUTDOOR COOKING AT ITS SPEEDIEST

Hot from the Oven
PIZZAS, FRITTATAS, CASSEROLES, AND ANYTHING BAKED, BROILED, OR ROASTED

One-Pot Wonders
SOUPS, STEWS, CHILIS, AND CHOWDERS

From Pasta Pot to Plate
NOODLES-TOPPED, TOSSED, AND READY TO SERVE

Salad Nights
FORGET THE RABBIT FOOD

Zap Happy
MICROWAVE MEALS WITHOUT THE PLASTIC CONTAINERS

Short and Sweet
PERFECT ENDINGS

THE 5:30 Challenge

The 5:30 Challenge and How It Works

Its 5:30. Do you know whats for dinner?

If you havent got a clue, join the club. Recent surveys show that nearly three-fourths of all cooks dont know what theyre going to prepare for dinner on any given day. And more than one-third dont decide until right before.

The Food & Drink staff at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution thinks about this a lot. How do we help our readers get a home-cooked meal on the table when we often feel stymied by the same obstacles they face? We too work long, erratic hours followed by horrendous commutes. Some of us shuttle kids back and forth to extracurricular activities on top of that. And those of us who only have to worry about ourselves dread dealing with the leftover ingredients we know are destined for the garbage disposal.

While many of the so-called quick recipes we see in magazines and cookbooks tease us with short cooking times, just look at those lists of ingredients! What many of these recipes dont take into account is the time it takes to check your shelves and make a grocery list, decide on the side dishes, shop, put groceries away, take them back out, measure, chop, process, whip, dirty up a mountain of dishes, load up the dishwasher, put groceries away again No wonder so many of us just throw up our hands and say, Lets order in, or Lets eat out! Or else settle for that sad pre-fab dinner lurking in the back of the freezer.

Several years ago, we came up with a better idea: simplify our favorite recipes. Declutter the ingredient lists. Minimize kitchen tools. Streamline shopping trips. Reduce recipe steps. Conserve as much energy and time as possible in the executionwithout sacrificing our standards of good taste and nutrition.

We decided to limit the ingredient lists to five ingredients, allowing for a few freebies: salt, pepper, water, and a neutral oil used only to prevent sticking or drying out; if a specific amount or type of oil was essential to the recipe then it would have to count as an ingredient.

These recipes would require no advance planning, (which rules out extended marination, chilling, and slow-cooking) or complicated side dishes to make a meal. The ingredients had to be available at the local supermarket. Our goal was to make it possible for the person sitting in 5:30 rush hour traffic to make a quick run through the express lane and still have dinner on the table within 30 minutes of arriving home.