Everybody, Everyday

Bloomsbury, 2012. Inscription in pen on front endpaper, a few minor signs of secondhand wear to cover.

Alex Mackay believes that cooking is an adventure and that good food should be for everyone. He knows that most of us shop in the supermarket, work long hours, and are often stuck for inspiration in the kitchen. The trick, he has discovered, is to know a few basic recipes inside-out and to reinvent them so they never grow tired. In Everybody, Everyday he shows how to cook six basic ingredients, six sauces and six slow-cooked meals, and then offers a kaleidoscope of variations for each. So, once you know how to bake salmon fillets, it's a short step to paprika salmon with fennel and balsamic tomato dressing or one of five other options. Homemade basil pesto can become pesto meatballs with tomatoes and garlic or again, one of five other options. Imagine what can be done with roast aubergine, burgers, tomato compote, roast chicken and the rest of the heroes...With 126 adaptable recipes, this really is a book for everybody who wants to cook delicious food everyday - be they young, old, single, part of a large family, new to cooking or an old hand. Let the adventure begin!