'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Monday 19 July 2010

Review: Top 100 Pasta Dishes



Title: Top 100 Pasta Dishes

Author: Annabel Karmel

Publisher: Random House, $29.95 RRP

Format: Hardback

ISBN: 9781741663723

For ages: Adult

Type: Cookbook

About: If you’ve ever wondered what to cook for dinner, keep reading. Those who have been confused about what they can feed their baby or toddler at each age or stage, please, read on. Anyone who wants their family to eat food that is healthy but not too time-consuming, you’re in the right place.

It can be difficult enough to know what to cook each night for your family, and add a baby or toddler with confusing eating requirements (can she have dairy yet? or, is it okay to try him on seafood?), and meal times can be tough.

I’ll confess, pasta is one of my great loves in life. I love to make my own fresh pasta, but I also enjoy the simplicity of throwing a packet into a pot of bowling water and knowing all I have to do is make a quick sauce. It’s the perfect fall-back meal on those hectic, busy nights.

Karmel covers all bases in this book.

Focusing on meals that babies and toddlers can eat, and that are also great for the whole family, this recipe book is beautifully laid out and simple to follow. Each recipe is accompanied with a quick summary, including the age it is suitable for, how many portions it makes, how long it takes to prepare and cook, and whether it is suitable for freezing.

Despite the subject of the recipes being babies and toddlers, don’t expect a book full of mashed up vegetables and a lack of flavour. And thank goodness for that, because it’s so wonderful for the youngest members of our families to experience different foods and flavours.

From meats to seafood such as salmon and mussels, as well as a great use of vegetables, each recipe is healthy without being boring. With a variety of flavours – Italian, Asian, home style, and more – this book covers it all. There are no ingredients so exotic that you won’t understand them, and there are no tricky techniques to leave you turning to beans on toast for dinner.

A straightforward, easy to follow and delicious collection of recipes, Top 100 Pasta Dishes is a great resource for any family.

This is the first Annabel Karmel title added to my recipe book collection, but it won’t be the last.

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