Vegetarian Step-by-step - Book Review

I've mentioned before that I'm trying to find crafts that I can involve my son in at the tender age of 2.5yrs. We have recently started growing our own veg, and planting seeds but on a drizzly day we do love to cook (and eat) so when Parragon Books offered to send me Vegetarian Step-by-Step recipe book to review I replied "yes, please".

In fact when I saw the book I said "yes, yes, yes, finally!"

This was no ordinary recipe book

It's the best child cook along recipe book I've ever seen (and no Parragon haven't asked me to say this!) and its actually not a children's recipe book.

So what's so special?

The layout of Vegetarian Step-by-step is heavily pictorial. Whilst the steps are written out like a normal recipe book there is a photo of each stage as well. This was pure genius for cooking with little ones as you can discuss the pictures together and follow them.

The recipes aren't particularly simple, but the pictures meant that me and my 2.5yr old helper made the asparagus and egg pastries with no trauma, and he was confident to get involved as we could just look at the picture together to complete the next step

• There was no need for me to practically memorise the recipe before we started so I knew exactly what was coming next - because I could quickly look at the pictures
• There was no concern as to whether we were doing the stage correctly - because we could look at the recipe in pictures
• There was no reading the same instructions 3 times because you've lost your place in the recipe - because we knew which picture we are working on

Checking against the picture we've got all the ingredients ready

Pricking the pastry

Snapping the asparagus - tough work

Ready for the oven

I was left thinking

why aren't all recipe books like this?

The food was really tasty too, all enjoyed the delicious homemade lunch

The target market for Vegetarian Step-by-step is most definitely adults, but if your child loves to cook with you this is a great option. A quick amazon search tells me there are more in the series including Tapas, Cocktails and Beginners might have put one of these on my list for Santa

I was sent Vegetarian Step-by-step by Parragon to review, no money exchanged hands. All the words in this post are my own

Luscious lemon curd recipe

Hubby loves lemon curd. He loves it on toast, he loves it in sandwiches and he loves it in cakes, I have to admit I do rather like a lashing of lemon curd on toast myself. A little while ago I decided it was time to attempt to make my own jar of lemony goodness, it went quite well and I've been making jars every couple of months ever since.

It's ever so simple, it takes about 40minutes from walking into the kitchen to putting it in the fridge, so here is my lemon curd recipe shared for you to enjoy, have ago, let me know how yours turns out.

 

You need

4 lemons

100g unsalted butter

200g caster sugar

3 eggs + 1 additional egg yoke

Makes about 500g of lemon curd - have appropriate jar/jars ready and sterilised

 

1. Remove the zest and juice from your lemons

2. Cut the butter into little cubes and place this and the sugar in a heat-proof bowl over a pan of boiling water.

 

Ensure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl and add the lemon zest and juice

 

Stir over the heat until the butter has melted

 

3. Lightly whisk the eggs and add these to the butter, lemon and sugar mix. Whisk together.

Keep over the heat and stir occasionally. The eggs will cook and your mixture will gradually thicken. Takes 12ish minutes.

 

4. When the mixture is glossy, thick and coats the back of your spoon remove from the heat and cool.

Stir occasionally

5. When cool spoon into your jar and keep in the fridge

6. Enjoy the fruits of your labour

Simply divine...

 

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Pistachio Cake Recipe

I think I am something of an anomaly; I enjoy my commute to work. When I was on maternity leave recently I remember talking to my husband and friends about the things I missed from pre-baby days, they were generally shocked when I put my commute above lie-ins and the ability to read the Sunday papers.

My commute is nothing special, and it is longer than most of my colleagues. Door-to-door its about 1hour 15 minutes and consists foot, train and tube, and it's one of my favourite parts of the day. Not many people really understand but I enjoy my commute so much because it is MY time to do with as I will, how many people have the luxury of 2hours a day to indulge ?? Sometimes I read, other times I choose to work, occasionally there is crochet and regularly there is music or podcasts. But my commute home on a Tuesday is reserved for reading Stylist.

Stylist is one of the free magazines given out in London each week. It covers the classic girly articles on fashion and makeup but mixes in some intelligent articles on topical issues which I can regularly relate to. If you aren't lucky enough to live in a city where it is distributed you can read online for free here.

Well one of the pages I'm always keen to read is "Gourmet on the Go" which regularly features scrummy looking food that doesn't require hours of preparation. A few weeks ago this is where I spotted the rather yummy pistachio cake. As promised here is the recipe

Ingredients

200g ground pistachios

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

150g unsalted butter

225g self-raising flour

185g caster sugar

3 eggs

125ml thick yoghurt

Method

- preheat oven to 180 degrees C / gas mark 6

- line 20cm cake tin with baking paper

1. Blend ground pistachios, cardamom, butter, flour and sugar in a food mixer

2. Combine above with the eggs and yoghurt in a mixing bowl

3. Pour mixture into a cake tin and bake in the oven for 1 hour. Cover the cake with foil halfway through cooking then allow to cool on a rack.

Let me know if you make this.

Enjoy

x