Book reviews - 100+ Tasty $10 Meals by Sophie Gray

100+ Tasty $10 Meals by
Sophie Gray

I love to cook as much as the next foodie, especially for friends and family – but there are certainly times when coming home after a long day at work and thinking what to cook for one person is a chore.  This is especially true now that the season has changed and it’s cold, wet and miserable by the time I arrive home.  This is the time I’m most tempted to ring for a takeaway - until I stumbled across Sophie Gray’s 100+ Tasty $10 Meals.

This book is part of her ‘dg’ – destitute gourmet – series of cookery books.  There are more than 100 recipes in this particular book, and each of them, Sophie says, will cost less than $10 to make.  That’s cheaper than your average takeaway pizza, excluding delivery…no more excuses!

Flicking through this little gem cancels out the common misconception that cooking meals for the family on less money will often result in a boring and bland result.  Quite the contrary in-fact. 

At the beginning of the book, Sophie walks you through the ‘Destitute Gourmet Principles’ – how to shop smart, eat healthily, in season and becoming a master at making a little something luxurious go a long way.  I’m very keen to read more on how I can make that block of chocolate go that little bit further … however I digress… 

Flick to the last few pages and you’ll learn how to make your own fresh pasta – and without a fancy-pants pasta machine too – something I am absolutely going to try for myself. I’ve always longed for a gorgeous, shiny pasta machine – and now it appears I won’t have to fork out the cash for one.  This book also explains how to make your own short crust pastry, homemade ricotta, and a few other delicious stables.

I’ve tried several of the recipes so far; One Pot Lamb Biryani, Pork and Peanut Noodles, Pad Thai, Risotto with Spicy Sausage, Capsicum with Golden Rice & Chilli Bean and Potato Bake – in fact, I’ve cooked more than one of the recipes in each chapter.  I’m flicking through the pages as we speak to plan what I am going to whisk up next - and I’ve found it – the recipes being as they are, I have all the ingredients in the pantry already.  The beauty of this book for me is that all the recipes serve 4-6 people – so I am able to freeze the leftovers and make my dollar stretch even further. 

All the recipes in her book are made with every day ingredients, easily found in your local supermarket.  

A highly recommended addition to any kitchen and at only $29.99 it’s a steal!

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