Last week I suffered a cookbook buying binge.  It was fueled by my recent discovery of  bookbub, a service that alerts one of free or low priced book deals. The good news is that none of the books I bought were over three dollars. The bad news is…. I could get into a book a day habit. So easily. To justify my binge I self-imposed a rule to cook at least one recipe from each book. Last night I tried the Marscapone Cream Sauce from Wolfgang Puck Makes it Easy Cookbook. The hardest part of the recipe was waiting for the pasta to cook. The mascarpone and chicken broth make this creamy alfredo-like sauce unique. Let me see if I can remember the easy process….

1. Melt two tablespoons of olive oil and butter in a pan. BEFORE the butter completely melts

2. Add a 2/3 cup of cream and a half a cup of chicken broth. Bring to boil, keep warm.

3. After the pasta is cooked add to sauce (add pasta water to thin out the sauce as needed).

4. Add grated parmesan (I added about 3/4 cup worth left in my bag), chopped parsley and red chilli flakes, black pepper. Toss pasta. Done!

See….super easy. There are versions of this recipe online or  you can get the book for yourself. It has quite a few other recipes I’d like to try.

This recipe can be easily adapted to add any vegetables or protein….spinach, shrimp, chicken, peas etc. A great basic sauce recipe.

Another recipe I tried was from Vibrant Food that features recipes organized by season. In the spring section, there is a recipe for Roast Chicken with Spring Onions and Salsa Verde.  The images are so colorful and vivid, I almost wish I invested in a hard copy.

The roasted onions gave the dish a sweetness while the green salsa imparted a spring green brightness. Another super easy recipe:

1. Roast chicken legs with salt, pepper, olive oil in a 400-degree oven with onions until roasted [about 45 minutes].

2. Spoon Salsa Verde (parsley, garlic, olive oil and capers processed together) over and enjoy!

This is another recipe that can be easily adapted to add other flavorings like lemons and chili flakes.

Sorry, I don’t have pictures for the dishes. They were consumed as fast as made.

I wonder what cookbooks are offered on bookbub today…….

Wishing you a vibrant and easy week ahead,

Hungryphil