Being Prepared

A quick - much belated- review of two more library books. First up, Keda Black's "Batch Cooking - Prep and cook your weeknight dinners in less than 2 hours".

This one is beautifully photographed - lots of clever food stylists involved. And very well thought out.

The plan;

1. You do a big grocery shop on a Saturday [or maybe Sunday morning]
2. You spend up to two hours on Sunday chopping, assembling, precooking, etc
3. Each weeknight, your dinner will be ready in next to no time "20 minutes, including 5 minutes prep" etc. 

The book begins with a clear explanation, and a list of containers and utensils needed, and also a chart of seasonal produce. Then you get 13 sections in this format

1. A menu for 5 days dinners plus one 'treat' - this page tells you how long Sunday's prep time is, gives some substitutions [inc vegetarian ideas] and which containers you need
2. A picture of your labelled containers to go in the fridge [as per book cover]
3. A full shopping list of fresh and frozen proteinsm fruit and veg - plus general groceries and store cupboard ingredients
4. A timetable for Sunday's activities with careful storage instructions
5. Mon -Fri daily plan - each page has clear picture of the dish, timings and what to do [inc any prep for next day e.g. 'take Friday's soup out of the freezer to defrost'] Plus the treat item [usually a cake, pudding or cookies which can be eaten throughout the week]

It is all very clever, and delightful to look at. I think it would be really useful for someone who works full time and doesn't want to swap hours on the laptop for more at the stovetop once they get in the door at night. The carefully calculated quantities mean there is little food waste, and you are always eating fresh stuff. Recipes are for 4 adults- but there are notes on altering quantities.

It is all very attractive to look at- and full of good ideas. The 13 sections go through the seasons - heavier casserole type meals in cold weather, lighter salad options in summer etc. And if you follow it, I think it would work well. It would be a good primer for anyone not used to meal planning.

It reminded me of Shirley Conran's "Superwoman" where she advocates a fourteen day meal plan [lunch and dinner] ...day 15 you start again!

An interesting book to borrow, but not to own ****

The Whole Vegetable" by Sophie Gordon is quite different. Subtitled 'sustainable recipes for a happier planet' the author divides the year into six seasons- spring, early summer, height of summer, autumn, winter begins, depths of winter. She believes this makes it easier to eat seasonally. In less than 400 pages, she has 130 recipes. I was well into the book before I realised the recipes are all vegan. No eggs, butter, milk, or cream but plenty of coconut oil, plant-based 'milk' , nutritional yeast, and nut based 'cheeses'. I'd need to buy in some different store cupboard ingredients as these things aren't on my regular shopping list.

Lots of interesting salads, and use of many different less common grains [freekeh, quinoa, fregola and more] plus tips to avoid waste. 

It was a fun read - but I do not think I would make many of the recipes.  They are basically just a few techniques -cut up the veg for a salad, make a dressing. Or roast the fruit, add a vegan 'cream' with spices. Or put it all in one pan with herbs and spices, and bake. Good photographs, clear instructions - but a poor index. 

Yes I know I'm a bit fussy about indices - but this one is hard to navigate. So just ***