Pretoria - It’s about inspiration and family meals that are different from the ones you are preparing time and time again.
It’s not only their boredom, but also yours.
That’s what publishers Lapa had in mind when they came up with this latest series of topics, each individually covered in a recipe book that’s focused on the family and daily meals. Each book costs R49.95.
These aren’t fine dining cookbooks, but they do hone in on fast and tasty. From mouthwatering stews which stretch from lamb neck stew to oxtail potjiie, and from beef in red wine to Irish stew, you know exactly what each book will give you.
It’s basic, but they’ve also tried to add joy to the dinner table that has become stale because imagination is running out.
Some of the titles:
* Meat Dishes is broad enough title to allow for dishes like bobotie, braai ribs in marinade, meatballs in caper sauce and leg of lamb with anchovy herb sauce to sit side-by-side;
* Braai Recipes, a must in this country of course and possibly a book for the man of the house, with pap, paptert, lamb souvlaki with beetroot tzatsiki all introduced to spice up that side of life;
* Pies includes chicken and mushroom pie or if you want to go smart, chicken and porcini autumn pie, breakfast pies, corn pie, game pie and even a sausage pie.
On to something on the healthy spectrum and the place to start is Salads which includes everything from a watermelon salad, chicken and strawberry salad which is a meal in one bowl, a pretty spring salad to bacon and strawberry salad which sounds delicious.
From there, Vegetarian dishes is the next option, with pancake bake ratatouille, ravioli with mushrooms and tomatoes, onion tart with goat’s milk cheese and spinach and cheese pies with sour cream the selection on offer.
Going a bit more broadly but an adjunct to this previous book, Side Dishes can also be adapted to reach much wider than the name might imply. From grated potato bake with salami and white wine, courgette and rosemary rice cakes, Aunt Anna’s potato vetkoek or stewed sweet potatoes, all of these can be served on their own or as part of a larger meal, which the title implies.
Good fat is a Low GI option by cookery writer Hilda Lategan and this covers the full table from potato soup, creole fish, chicken bobotie, pork with pineapple and green pepper sauce to stew with prunes, glazed meatloaf and pasta salad with broccoli. It’s as varied as you can wish for and they promise that it will mean a healthier lifestyle to boot.
The time for Hearty Soups has just passed, but it will come round again and then Mexican pumpkin soup, potato sweet pepper soup, fresh tomato and barley soup, lentil soup with spices and easy fish soup with corn kernels will all sound like the perfect dish to put on the table. It’s great for those chilly nights and probably the easiest thing to put together and be creative about.
Diabetes and Pasta Dishes don’t go hand-in-hand, but they do look at different appetites in the family. Diabetes obviously is one of the scourges of the 21st century and not planning to change any time soon.
The good news, though, is that the best way to control it is by good eating habits. This is a good start and again Hilda Lategan is in charge with her good suggestions and lifestyle choices to help those who don’t have any idea how to go about managing their health.
Oven baked crumbed chicken sounds as familiar as one can achieve in these circumstances and who would have thought that hamburger patties could also be an option? From beef Stroganoff to spinach parcels with cheese, they’re all on the menu.
Then we move to Pasta Dishes, one of the easiest family options to go for. This is also the one that will allow you most frequently to come up with your own new ideas and to start a family search for personal favourites.
They have opted for pasta with meatballs, tuna and pasta rice salad, bacon and egg pasta, sweet and sour fish with noodles and deliciously rich pasta, to give insight into their selection.
Is there anybody who doesn’t have a secret desire for chocolate? Chocolate Recipes thinks not and they’ve gone all out to make it as tough as possible for you to turn away, while Baked Desserts is something that every family needs on the shelf. It’s sinful to take all sweetness from your life.
Pretoria News