Mediterranean Cookbook Review

Slow Cooking from around the Mediterranean - Carolyn Humphries

Mar 19, 2008 Rachel L. Webb

A slow cooking cook book worthy of a slow perusal. A variety of dishes including deserts abound in this great little book.

Slow cooking is something Mediterranean housewives have practiced for centuries. But for today’s busy cooks, leaving a pan on the open-fire to slow cook the dinner is not only infeasible but largely impossible.

Slow Cooking from around the Mediterranean - Carolyn Humphries

Carolyn Humphries’ slow-cooking series is a delightful education for both the uninitiated in slow-cookers and the more experienced will benefit too. This Mediterranean cookbook collection is an eclectic mix of delicious sounding recipes from around the sun-scorched countries of the Mediterranean Sea.

This book's motto is: "slow cooking is the new fast food! Just come home to eat it!." The idea is you'll spend more time living your life and - with a little advance prep - dinner just cooks itself.

Humphries opens the book with an introduction on Mediterranean food, she then gives some invaluable advice of slow-cooking and some useful advice for the “L” plate user.

The book has sections on looking after your slow cooker, cooking times and notes on recipes, all of which are worthy points and inspire confidence that Humphries really knows her way around a slow cooker. She has obviously done a fair few miles, and much experimenting with one.

The mouth-watering recipe contents of slow-cooked modern Mediterranean Cuisine includes chapters on

  • Soups
  • Starters and Snacks
  • Meat-based Main Meals
  • Poultry-based Main Meals
  • Fish-based Main Meals
  • Vegetarian-based Main Meals
  • Side dishes
  • Desserts.

Desserts include the usual hearty puddings plus an incredible mixture of caramel creams, torte and incredibly – meringues.

A whole three-course meal can be prepared in a slow-cooker? Yes and Humphries shows you how.

How about this for a sample menu from the recipes in the book.?

Starters

  • Spiced sweet potato and pumpkin soup with watercress and lemon pistou
  • Hearty fish soup with red pepper and garlic roulade

Main Courses

  • Chicken stew with artichokes, leeks and potatoes
  • Slow-cooked sardines with basil, onion and tomatoes

Side dishes

  • Creamy Saffron Rice with Parmesan
  • Creamy potatoes with garlic and a herb crumb crust

Desserts

  • Hazelnut meringues with raspberries
  • Chocolate and chestnut torte

Too good to choose eh? Very tempting.

Get a copy of the book and your slow-cooker from the back of the cupboard and spice up those dinners while saving time. Slow cookers are also an environmentally friendly way to cook as they use a fraction of the electricity used by a conventional oven.

Tunisian Sweet Potato, Carrot and Pea Casserole courtesy of Carolyn Humphries and Foulsham Books

The book is nicely presented and one of a growing series of slow-cooking books.

Published by Foulsham Books

ISBN 978-0-572-03323-1

£7.99/$14.95

The copyright of the article Mediterranean Cookbook Review in Mediterranean Cuisine is owned by Rachel L. Webb. Permission to republish Mediterranean Cookbook Review in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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