Off the Shelf by Donna Hay

I decided to change up my book reviews a little and do a cookbook every now and then. Today, I am doing Off The Shelf: Cooking From the Pantry by Donna Hay. I chose this because I did a few recipes from it this week, and it happened to still be sitting on my couch. But don't let my laziness deceive you, this is one of my favorites!

Regular readers of my blog know that I love Donna Hay. Her recipes are always simple with clean, fresh flavors. Like me, she leans towards Mediterranean and Asian recipes, unlike me, she can create recipes. Since I can't, she is always ready and waiting with something for me to try.

This book is divided into the following chapters: pasta, rice, noodles, grains and lentils, mediterranean, asian, pastes, bake, and sweet. Each chapter begins pictures of the basics. For example in the pasta chapter there are pictures and definitions of wide pastas - fettuccine, pappardelle, and ziti; thin pastas - spaghetti, linguine, and angel hair; short pastas - maccheroni and orecchiette; and round pastas - penne and rigatoni. Then there is a section on tricks and tips and then the recipes. I've very visual, and so I love that there is an absolutely gorgeous picture of each and every recipe. Just look at these pasta recipes:

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sage Brown Butter
Pasta with Pancetta and Peas
Spaghetti with Garlic Clams
Pasta with Tomato, Basil and Olives
Lemon Chicken Pasta
Pasta with Chilli, Tomato and Mozzarella
Pasta with Mushrooms
Spinach and Ricotta Baked Pasta
Spaghetti with Asparagus and Lemon Cream
Pasta with Simmered Veal Shanks
Pasta and Broad Bean Minestrone
Pasta with Buttered Broccoli
Spaghetti with Lemon-marinated Salmon
Penne with Wilted Rocket and Salami

Following that is a section called short order, these are extra quick and simple recipes (and they also have a picture):

Pasta with Pine Nut Brown Butter
Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes
Simple Zuchinni Pasta
Zesty Pasta
Toasted Crumb
Baked Carbonara
Summer Pasta
Tuna and Lemon Pasta
Rocket and Ricotta Pasta


And that my dear friends, is only the pasta chapter! Each chapter is designed the same way: basics, tips and techniques, recipes, and short order. Some of my favorites from this book are: Green Olive Baked Chicken, Tuna and Grilled Vegetable Salad, Chili Salted Green Beans, Thai Carmelised Pork Salad, Warm Potato and Tuna Salad, Pork Noodle Salad, Garlic Chickpeas with Cumin Fried Fish, Lime Beef Noodle Salad, and Seared Salmon with Coconut Spinach.

Green Olive Baked Chicken, Photo by Con Poulos. Recipe can be found at Green Olive Baked Chicken. See, this is how beautiful each and every photo is. It's that perfect combination, gorgeous photos and easy doable recipes!