"Tapas: The Little Dishes of Spain" by Penelope Casas (Knopf, $30)

Whether it's cooking — or just plain eating — how many of us have time these days for multicourse meals? A quarter of a course grabbed on the run is usually more like it.

Twenty years ago when Penelope Casas, acclaimed author of Spanish cookbooks, was the first to introduce tapas to the American public, she probably never dreamed that the centuries'-old Mediterranean tradition of little plates would be a lifesaver in time-crunched days to come. But the updated edition of her classic "Tapas" is just that.

First and foremost for today's busy cooks, these recipes (including 50 new ones and new color photographs) are quick and easy. You are making small batches fast. Therefore, like tapas chefs in Spain, you could turn out multiple treats at once, and, like the trend in many modern tapas bars, create an easy meal from a bunch of appetizers.

Casas, also the author of wealth-of-knowledge tomes like: "The Foods and Wines of Spain," "Delicioso! The Regional Cooking of Spain" and "La Cocina de Mama: The Great Home Cooking of Spain," organizes the book for your convenience — you can pick and choose between varied tapas, like hot and cold ones, those in sauce and others that are prepared with bread or pastry.

A meal might mean starting with a cold plate of Endives Filled with Salmon, prepared in just moments, then festively flavored tuna on toast fried in olive oil, and finally a hot plate of Veal Meatballs in Spicy Chorizo Sauce.

Traditional tapas preparation is really a crash course through Spanish cooking. You will be incredibly well-versed in mixing and matching Mediterranean ingredients, such as olives, olive oil, chorizo, Manchego cheese, piquillo peppers, anchovies, mussels, pomegranates and lemons.

Casas lets you know what knowledge you will be picking up along the way, too: Traditional Spanish garlic sauce in a terrific miniature pork rib plate, or the practice of stuffing pork loin in a luscious example that mixes egg, carrot, peppers and chorizo, or the easy payoff of marinating recipes with choices like fresh anchovies, trout, tuna, olives and mushrooms. And don't even get Casas started on pates. She dishes up many lovely lessons, including a chicken liver one with sherry glaze and a version with duck and Serrano ham.

You will undoubtedly feel as though you have visited the country as well, with Casas' many tales of the restaurants and home kitchens she visited there. She leads you over many miles and through history. And she comfortably teaches you to dish up Ernest Hemingway's choices from his favorite Pamplona caf? — where he ate and drank before participating in the famed Running of the Bulls — to the modern gourmet treats that are the hallmark of the "nueva cocina vasca," which were introduced by famed chef Juan Mari Arzak as a response and a fiercely competitive challenge to France's dominant nouvelle cuisine.

However, unlike many vacations, the best part of Casas' tour might leave you lighter rather than heavier, due to the miniature size of the meals and the outstanding health report card of virtually every Mediterranean ingredient and cooking technique.

THYME-SCENTED GREEN OLIVES

(Aceitunas al Tomillo)

1 (7-ounce) jar large green Spanish olives

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed and peeled

6 tablespoons fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried

Yields about 8 servings.

Crush the olives lightly — hit them with the flat side of a broad knife.

Combine all ingredients in a glass jar. Cover tightly and shake to mix. Refrigerate for at least a few days. The olives will keep for at least a few weeks. Bring to room temperature to serve.

PORK RIBS IN GARLIC SAUCE

(Costillas al Ajillo)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 3/4 pounds pork spare ribs, smallest available; cut into individual ribs and each rib cut crosswise into 1 1/2- to 2-inch pieces

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 large clove garlic, peeled

1 tablespoon minced parsley

Kosher or sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Yields 4 servings.

Heat the olive oil in a deep casserole and brown the ribs well. Add the broth and bay leaf, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

Uncover and boil away most of the broth. Carefully skim off part of the fat, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the sauce.

In a mortar, mash together the garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir into the ribs, cover and let sit for a minute before serving. You can prepare the ribs in advance and then refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before reheating; then only add the mortar mixture at the last minute.

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including "Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook" and "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." She also writes the Creators News Service "After Work Gourmet" column. To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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