AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S WEEKLY: The Clever Kids’ Cookbook
Publisher: ACP Books
Price: R99
Review by: Janice Lupini
Yet another good ol’ Australian Women’s Weekly classic. This cookbook is aimed at children between the ages of seven and 11, encouraging them to learn to cook well with healthy and wholesome recipes.
Teaching kids to cook not only gives them the basis for a really important life skill, but also boosts their confidence and provides them with the knowledge about the food they eat. Kids are more likely to eat and try different foods if they’ve prepared it themselves.
The Clever Kids’ Cookbook has simple dishes, with easy-to-follow instructions, that are suitable for kids to cook for the whole family. Each recipe has step-by-step instructions with pictures and there’s even a section on how to plate food like a chef. Some recipes will need parental guidance. This is a fun cookbook suitable for the whole family.
I helped my daughter, nearly seven, who chose the potato and zucchini bake. It was delicious!
POTATO, ZUCCHINI AND PESTO BAKE
Great to have as a main meal with a salad or as a side dish with a braai.
180ml milk
180ml cream
30ml basil pesto
salt and pepper
2 large zucchini / baby marrow
4 medium potatoes
100ml finely grated Parmesan
15ml pine nuts
Preheat oven to 200ºC.
Grease the base and sides of an ovenproof dish with a brush dipped in some softened butter.
Put the milk, cream and pesto in a large jug, whisk with a fork until combined. Season to taste.
If you have a mandolin, place the guard on one zucchini and slice thinly lengthwise. Repeat with remaining zucchini.
If you do not have a mandolin, use a vegetable peeler to slice the zucchini as thinly as possible.
Peel potatoes and slice them thinly too. Cut the potato slices in half lengthways so they are roughly the same size as the zucchini slices.
Arrange alternate slices of potato and zucchini in the dish so they are standing up on their sides.
Pour the pesto mixture over the vegetables. Sprinkle over the )armesan.
Cover with greased foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle over the pine nuts and bake for a further 15 minutes or until the top is golden and vegetables are tender. - Angela Day kitchen, The Star