"Anyone can cook," trumpets the new animated movie "Ratatouille" - a morally and culinarily instructive tale about a French rat destined to become a great chef. This seems to be the operative philosophy of Tucker Shaw, author of the new "Gentlemen, Start Your Ovens" (Chronicle Books, 2007).

"... some think that cooking is somehow magical, that you either can or you can't, that you're either born with it or not," Shaw writes. "But the truth is, all it takes to be a great cook is to learn how. Anyone who wants to, can."

Although this cookbook is devoted to, as the subtitle says, "killer recipes for guys," it is actually a good volume for anyone, male or female, from the teen years on up, who thinks food should be a participatory adventure but has heretofore lacked the guts to dive in. Unlike many cookbook authors, Shaw has little formal training, and learned even less from his mother and grandmother. He has learned, as many of us have, from trial and error, and from "tinkering." It is one of his charms that he sings the praises of TV cooking shows and recipe databases on the Internet as sources of sound cooking knowledge.

While Shaw writes about experimenting with sabayon (an Italian dessert), tres leches cake (a milk-soaked cake popular in Latin America) and other exotic, gourmet-type food, the recipes in this book have a distinctly hefty, macho, American bent: steak sandwiches, fried donuts with cream-cheese dip and beer-battered onion rings. "Bold" is the operative word. If it gives neophytes the courage they need, then bring on bold.

I have often preached that folks worried they don't have cooking chops should start with a good kids' cookbook, but a "guy" cookbook runs along the same lines: simple, basic and straightforward recipes. And the good thing is that, with a "man's" cookbook, your food won't turn out shaped like a Teddy bear. Check out other volumes, including "Dude Food" by Karen Brooks and Gideon Bosker (Chronicle Books, 2000), from which one of the recipes below is drawn. Or "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cooking - for Guys" by Tod Dimmick (Alpha, 2004) and "Dad's Own Cookbook" by Bob Sloan (Workman, 1993). For the man with the sweet tooth, there's "Desserts That Have Killed Better Men Than Me" by Jeremy Jackson (William Morrow, 2004).

You can save Shaw's new book for Christmas or Father's Day, but it seems a shame to wait. With school starting soon, it might be a good "get the non-cooks into the kitchen" present for dad or teens, the idea being that mom might catch a break if someone else steps up to the stove.

HOT-FUDGE SALSA

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (or use semisweet chocolate chips)

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 cup dried cherries

4 ounces of your favorite gourmet chocolate bar, frozen and mashed into pieces

handful of Spanish red peanuts

In a saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the cocoa powder and sugar, stirring until dissolved. Add the condensed milk and whisk until smooth. Simmer for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and whisk in the semisweet chocolate until smooth.

Pour into a bowl to cool slightly. Add the chili powder, cherries, frozen chocolate-bar pieces and peanuts. Stir, then spoon over ice cream. Serve with "chips" - crispy butter cookies.

Yield: 2 cups, or enough for about 4 sundaes

Recipe from "Gentlemen, Start Your Ovens" by Tucker Shaw (Chronicle Books, 2007)

PASTA WITH SHRIMP AND BACON

salt

1 pound raw medium shrimp

1/2 pound slab bacon, diced, or 4 thick slices bacon, snipped into pieces with scissors

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1/2 pound dried linguine or spaghetti

1/4 cup dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio

2 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled and chopped

hot red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

a couple handfuls of arugula leaves (2 to 3 ounces), chopped

zest and juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Fill your largest pot with water and set it on high. Throw in a handful of salt, more than you think you need. (Salted water helps pasta keep its shape and brings out flavor.) Cover and bring to a boil.

Prepare the shrimp: Peel and de-vein the shrimp by slicing straight down the back with your pairing knife and scraping out the black intestine. (You don't have to do this, because it won't kill you to eat it.) Set the shrimp aside in a small bowl with a few cubes of ice on top.

Put the bacon in a large saute pan set over medium-high heat. Drizzle with a little olive oil, and saute until most of the fat has been rendered and the bacon becomes crispy. Remove from the heat.

When the water boils, put your pasta in and cook until it is done but still firm to the teeth ("al dente") according to package directions. As soon as you've put the pasta into the boiling water, return the saute pan to medium-high heat and add the 2 tablespoons olive oil, the wine, garlic and red pepper flakes (if using). Add the shrimp in a single layer. Saute for 2 minutes, then turn the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes more. Reduce the heat to low. Lay the arugula over the top of the shrimp.

Drain the pasta, then add it to the surface of the saute pan, covering the arugula. Mix thoroughly, coating all the pasta and adding more olive oil, if necessary. Add the lemon zest and juice and mix. Add the Parmesan. Remove from the heat and serve immediately, with one last drizzle of olive oil.

Yield: 4 servings

Recipe from "Gentlemen, Start Your Ovens" by Tucker Shaw (Chronicle Books, 2007)

BIG-LEAGUE LAMB CHILI

3 tablespoons oil

1-1/2 cups diced yellow onions

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1-1/2 pounds ground lamb

2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, with juice

2 tablespoons chili powder

1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 heaping teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

salt to taste

1 cup red wine

1 cup water

3 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

for serving:

chopped onions, fresh cilantro, grated cheddar

Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and saute until the onions begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the lamb, break up the chunks, and brown the meat, about 10 minutes.

Drain the lamb mixture and return it to the pot. Stir in the tomatoes, chili powder, oregano, cumin, allspice, coriander, sugar, hot sauce, salt, wine and 1/2 cup of the water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook 1 hour.

Add the beans and remaining 1/2 cup water to the pot. Cover and simmer 30 minutes, adding more water, if needed. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve hot with bowls of garnish on the side.

Yield: 9 cups, or about 6 servings

Recipe from "Dude Food" by Karen Brooks and Gideon Bosker (Chronicle Books, 2000)

Marialisa Calta is the author of "Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family" (Perigee, 2005). For more information, go to www.marialisacalta.com.