recipe book recommendations please

thriftlady_2

MrsE wrote: »

I like books full of dinners/main courses, I never get a cookbook out to do breakfast or lunch & we don't have a pudding more than once a week. But we do dinners nearly 365 days a year:D

Is it full of "dinners"?

Yes, lots of main meals but also breakfasts, lunch boxes and desserts.

To give you an idea these are the things I've made;

Scotch pancakes for breakfast
chipolata, potato and tomato salad with mustard dressing for lunchboxes
parsley and pumpkin seed pesto which we had with pasta
sticky glazed ribs
tupperware mexican chorizo -made into meatballs to go in a chickpea stew and also fried up with potatoes for a hash
pizza
baked white fish with roast potatoes and pea puree
flatbreads which we ate with curry
prune, fig and apricot cake
gingercake
quince and apple sorbet
lemon steamed sponge

The meat dishes are mainly for cheap cuts like brisket, oxtail, liver, there's a recipe for lamb's hearts and a recipe for curing your own pork chops to make bacon chops, but there are chicken recipes and burgers too.

There are lots of vegetable dishes.

I think if you like Economy Gastronomy then you will like this.

laurel7172

I just received a book I ordered through Price Minister for 2p (£5.02 less £5 introductory discount-thanks to the OP of that tip).

I'm vegetarian, but I can't eat cheese, so I picked out a vegan cookbook: A Vegan Taste of the Middle East by Linda Majzlik. Based on what I've seen, I think her books would be quite good for a beginner: the recipes are mostly quite short and don't contain very long lists of ingredients. And, being vegan, they're mostly quite economical. She has a series of books on food from different parts of the world-India, Mexico, Caribbean, Italy etc and I'll certainly be going back for the Mexican one.

I had the Shirley Goode cookbook back when I was a student, but I found it uninspiring-perhaps it was the wrong stage of my life. Or, more likely, because it was the sort of cooking I didn't appreciate how lucky I was to have learned at home and be able to take for granted.

I'm just chipping this in because, although I'm as addicted to my slow cooker as anyone, OS doesn't have to mean stew. However, it's flippin' freezing, I want to hibernate and I think I'll go start a nice casserole off now...

iamana1ias

*Maya* wrote: »

This any use? Or try the library to have a looksee first.

Fantastic! :T:T:T:T

MrsE_2

thriftlady wrote: »

I think if you like Economy Gastronomy then you will like this.

Had a quick look while in the shop today getting my oven gloves:D

Its really hard to tell taking a sneaky peek in the shop but the meat section was called "thrifty meat".

Well I'm a bit of a coward with meat & I only really like mince, chicken breasts, chops, steaks & joints. I'm not brave enough to tackle "unusual" cuts of meat/bird. Offal & stuff leaves me cold:eek:

Are all his books "unusual" meat cuts, or did I get the wrong impression of the book?

thriftlady_2

MrsE wrote: »

Are all his books "unusual" meat cuts, or did I get the wrong impression of the book?

I wouldn't say they were all unusual cuts. The Meat Book has a lot of offal and game recipes but it also has a lot of recipes for more usual meat too. It is a whopping book and very comprehensive.

A better choice for you might be The River Cottage Family Cookbook. The meat section in that has things like steak, roast chicken, meat pie, burgers, kebabs, chicken curry -things that appeal to kids as well as adults.

Have a borrow of one from the library and see what you think:)

MrsE_2

thriftlady wrote: »

A better choice for you might be The River Cottage Family Cookbook. The meat section in that has things like steak, roast chicken, meat pie, burgers, kebabs, chicken curry -things that appeal to kids as well as adults.

Thats us to a T:beer::T

Woofles

Don't know if this is quite in the spirit of the original post, but I was thinking as I put four cookery books back in the pantry this afternoon, if there was a fire which one of all your cookery books would you save.

Mine would be Delia Smith's One is fun. Its the one I cook more recipes out of than any other, I have about twenty-five. I consult the others but usually go back to Delia, especially if its something I'm trying for the first time.

MrsE_2

Woofles wrote: »

Don't know if this is quite in the spirit of the original post, but I was thinking as I put four cookery books back in the pantry this afternoon, if there was a fire which one of all your cookery books would you save.

Mine would be Delia Smith's One is fun. Its the one I cook more recipes out of than any other, I have about twenty-five. I consult the others but usually go back to Delia, especially if its something I'm trying for the first time.

Minstry of Food & Economy Gastronomy. Need them both:D

MrsE_2

thriftlady wrote: »

A better choice for you might be The River Cottage Family Cookbook. The meat section in that has things like steak, roast chicken, meat pie, burgers, kebabs, chicken curry -things that appeal to kids as well as adults.

Have a borrow of one from the library and see what you think:)

Paid the library a few quid (£1 per book) & reserved some (had them sent to my useless local library).

River Cottage Family is fab & just my type of thing.

I'm going to keep this one till my birthday (4 weeks) & put it on my birthday list:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Got the other RC ones too, but didn't float my boat, too many "interesting! cuts of meat:eek:

Got a couple of River Cafe ones too, but thought they were a bit faffy, not really family at home food IYKWIM.

Anyone got the River Cafe Easy one?
Seems the best, but I don't know if its worth buying

thriftlady_2

MrsE wrote: »

Paid the library a few quid (£1 per book) & reserved some (had them sent to my useless local library).

River Cottage Family is fab & just my type of thing.

I'm going to keep this one till my birthday (4 weeks) & put it on my birthday list:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

I'm so glad you like it:T Have you seen The Pioneer Woman site? It has some great chicken and steak recipes that might be up your alley although a lot of the recipes are [STRIKE]fairly[/STRIKE] very calorific. I'm hoping to get her book for my birthday which is also in four weeks -exactly -Dec 1st. Do we share a birthday Mrs E?

BTW I'd agree with your assessment of River Cafe books -too restauranty.