Off the Shelf: Cutting in: How women can join the 'Meat Club'

He orders the chicken. She orders the steak. You know what's likely to happen when the waiter comes with the dinners. But does she:

A. Stare forlornly at the pale entree until the waiter leaves.

B. Laugh and swap plates.

C. Say assertively as the waiter makes his false assumption, "The steak is mine!"

If you're a woman who's ready to make red meat your own, let "Meat Club Cookbook : For Gals Who Love Their Meat!" (Chronicle Books, $18.95, 135 pages) be your guide.

Authors Vanessa Dina, Kristina Fuller and Gemma DePalma said they were inspired to start their club after endless lunches of Caesar salad and poached chicken breasts. They realized what they really wanted: meat.

They started collecting recipes and talking to butchers about how best to prepare different cuts of meat. "Meat Club" has the 60 recipes that worked best for them.

This is a good book for beginning cooks: The recipes are short (two pages or less) and so is the equipment list; the marinades have 10 ingredients or less in them; each cut of meat and way to cook is discussed straightforwardly and succinctly.

There's not a lot of anything else in the book, however. So if you love vegetables, crackers or desserts, you'll have to get another book.

The book's pink cover identifies its target gender, and the inside of "Meat Club" is attractive and distinctive, with homey gingham and whimsical retro embroidery enlivening the pages.

If you love to pore over lovely food photographs of each dish, don't fork over your dues yet: "Meat Club" doesn't have any. But if you want a book that's easy to use with lots of ways to fix pork, beef and lamb, join the club.

About the writer:

• The Bee's Lori Korleski Richardson can be reached at (916) 321-1114 or lkorleski@sacbee.com.

Fruit of the (pork) loin

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 42 minutes Serves 4

This dish makes an ideal weekday meal for friends and family. The recipe is from "Meat Club Cookbook" (Chronicle Books, $18.95, 135 pages). Tester's note: A person of the male persuasion complained about the "girlie portions." It's so delicious, you may want to double it or serve it with a hearty side dish.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more if needed

1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch-thick medallions

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

 1/2 cup dry red wine

 1/2 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided use

12 pitted prunes

Instructions

In a large sauté pan or skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Season pork medallions with  1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, turning once, until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Remove and put on a warm plate.

If necessary, add oil pan to make about 2 tablespoons fat. Add onion and a generous  1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, cook for 1 minute longer and add wine. Bring mixture to a boil, scraping bottom of pan to dislodge any browned bits. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until liquid is reduced to approximately  1/4 cup.

Stir in the broth, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of parsley, and any accumulated juices from the meat. Add the prunes. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens and the prunes are soft, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining parsley,  1/8 teaspoon pepper and the medallions. Cook until just heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Place the medallions on a plate and spoon the sauce over top, placing 3 prunes on each plate. Finish the dish by sprinkling with the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley and serve immediately.

Per serving, using lean pork tenderloin: 274 cal.; 26 g pro.; 22 g carb.; 8 g fat (2 sat., 5 monounsat., 1 polyunsat.); 74 mg chol.; 225 mg sod.; 3 g fiber; 13 g sugar; 25 percent calories from fat.