I’d spent a long time pondering over whether to buy The Gentle Chef Cookbook, mostly because it’s self-published and I’m a still a bit snobby in that respect. I needn’t have worried though as the book is amazing. It’s beautifully laid out and produced and just as professional as any traditionally published cookbook. There aren’t any photographs but (and this is what swung it for me in the end) you can see plenty of photographs of the recipes on The Gentle Chef website. For even greater flexibility, if you do want the photos and the recipes combined, there’s a pdf version available to purchase.
The 235 pages are split into chapters:
- Seitan, with information on preparing it and recipes for lots of different types, e.g. meatballs, pepperoni, corned beaf, chick’n, bacun, roasts, ribz, etc., along with recipes in which to use them.
- Soy Proteins (tofu, tempeh, TVP),
- Udderly Un-Dairy (vegan butter, cream, cheese, etc.)
- Breakfast and Brunch
- Appetizers, Dips and Spreads
- Salads and Dressings (including vegan mayonnaise and mock tuna salad)
- Soups, Broths and Stews
- Entrees and Accompaniments
- Classic Americana
- British Fare
- South of the Border Cuisine
- Italian Cuisine
- German Fare
- Indian Cuisine
- Thai Cuisine
- Japanese and Pacific Cuisine
- Chinese Cuisine
- Sauces and Gravies
- Sweets and Treats
- Doesn’t this book sound amazing?
The extensive number of seitan recipes was another factor in my decision to buy the book and the day it arrived in the post, I flicked through it and decided to make the pepperoni. Unfortunately, in my eagerness, I forgot about my over-zealous fan oven and slightly overcooked the pepperoni, as the outside was a bit tough and chewy. This hasn’t stopped me snacking on it all morning though, as it’s deliciously warm and spicy, containing chilli flakes, paprika and fennel seeds, along with other herbs and spices. I can’t share the recipe with you here as – quite rightly – Skye Michael Conroy (The Gentle Chef) doesn’t like his recipes being shared and would prefer you to buy the book and find the recipes for yourselves.
At the time of writing, The print version of The Gentle Chef Cookbook is only £10.67 with free delivery on Amazon. Or you can buy the print version or the pdf version direct from The Gentle Chef Website.