When the opportunity arose to review Laura Santtini's new cookery book, Flash Cooking, I jumped at the chance because I'd really enjoyed discovering her first creation, Easy Tasty Italian, which I reviewed here. As I explained in that review, the author describes herself as "half Italian, a quarter Persian, a pinch of Sephardic and the rest is English-Irish, the genetic equivalent of a Molotov cocktail" so you're always guaranteed to find some highly original and exotic recipes in her books ! I loved her down-to-earth approach to cookery and her use of what she calls "flavour bombs" in her culinary creations, so I was keen to see if Flash Cooking would be equally appealing.
Well, just have a look at this video that presents some of the recipes from the book and I think you'll have your answer !
I think we can safely say she's done it again ! She takes the simplest of dishes, adds one of her totally unexpected flavour bombs, and comes up with something amazing. Her sense of humour and totally unpretentious attitude are evident in recipe titles such as "Classic Pesto Recipe For Those Who Can Be Bothered", "The Thighs The Limit with Coriander and Fennel Seeds", "The Dog's Bolognese" and "Tortured Sole".
The subtitle of this book - "Fit Fast Flavours for Busy People" - sets this out as a book full of healthy recipes, often low-fat and heavy on vegetables, for people who want to make sensible food choices but I think it would also make a great family cookbook. Making visually appealing "Swiss rolls" of fish and courgette slices or serving International Jerk Prawn in a pineapple yacht would definitely convince most kids to taste ingredients that they would probably otherwise turn their noses up. Eat your heart out, Annabel Karmel ! The speedy recipes are also perfect for busy mums who need to rustle up something healthy but tasty in double-quick time and, once again, it is heartwarming to see that Laura is certainly no food snob, happy to use shop-bought pre-cooked turkey slices or canned chickpeas in her recipes.
She gives you the basic knowledge you need to get in the kitchen and create your own no-fuss culinary masterpieces, using her recipes for "rubinades", sauces and dressings as inspiration to be as inventive as you dare. This is as much a lifestyle guide as a recipe book, showing you how to create food that promotes well-being and quite possibly weightloss, in a simple way that is easy to adopt on a day-to-day basis.
I can't wait to work my way through the whole book, even trying out dishes that I normally wouldn't find very appealing because when it comes to Laura Santtini, you never know where there's an unexpected flavour bomb waiting to ambush your taste buds !
star rating : 5/5
RRP : £20
for more information :
http://www.quadrille.co.uk/books/food-and-wine/book/1844009955/flash-cooking
RRP : £20
for more information :
http://www.quadrille.co.uk/books/food-and-wine/book/1844009955/flash-cooking
Other reviews you may be interested in :
A 5/5 score, I will probably try then! perhaps I will put it on my X mas wish list...
ReplyDelete@Dorothee77
I love the recipe titles, sounds like a great book
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