Mince!: 100 Fabulously Frugal Recipes [Paperback]

100 recipes in all!

Old favourites, such as Cottage Pie, Cornish Pasties and Spaghetti Bolognese mingle with the lesser well-known, and intriguing, Golabki, Gushtaba and South African Bobotie to present a super book, simply entitled 'Mince!'
It combines Mitzie's own recipes along with those from other chefs and aims to provide a nutritious and, often, reasonably inexpensive priced dish on the table.
Some of the recipes are 'tweaked', i.e. a new spin on an old theme, and like the title ingredient - 'mince' - are comforting in that respect.
The recipes vary in complexity with appeal for both experienced and 'new-to-the-kitchen' cooks.......and .........'cheating' is allowed, e.g. a jar of pasta sauce to quicken things up, on occasion, although the full recipes are given - naturally!
Certainly, whatever culinary skills one possesses it is worth bearing in mind that one can't go too far wrong with mince!

From the back cover:-

'Mince is magic. It's the easiest, quickest meat you can cook with; that unique staple that feeds families and friends, that can be on the table in minutes with the minimum of fuss, that tastes wonderful.....that curious thing that everyone, actually, likes! Lasagnes, chillis, pasta bakes, burgers....and a feast of fresh ideas and magical meals from around the world....'

Strong paperback covers (with extension flaps) open to 160 shiny high quality pages split over 6 main chapters:-

HUNGRY HOARDS
ROLL UP, ROLL UP
HUMBLE PIES
PASSION FOR PASTA
HANDHELD HEAVEN
WONDERS OF THE WORLD

sandwiched between an introduction and a full index, winding up with a 'Measures' page - Weight, Volume and Length (Metric/Imperial).

The introduction includes a guide to buying the various types of mince, e.g. beef & lamb, pork, turkey & chicken, venison & game, along with cooking and freezing.

Each chapter uses a different combination of colours for the main header text and opens with an introduction, followed by the recipes. Each recipe is clearly laid out in the same format:-
The title at the top with a relevant note underneath; the number of servings, prep. & cook times and the list of ingredients on the left. On the right is the method and a note to wind up, e.g. freezing/defrosting guidelines.

Interspersed throughout are some beautiful full-colour photographs, but there are not that many, which may prove slightly negative to those who like to see what they are aiming for on the plate, e.g. Rumbledethumps Pie, but Mitzie does go on to describe:-
'This is a lovely autumnal dish and a great way to get the family to eat more veg. Rumbledethumps is a traditional dish from the Scottish borders - simply potato, swede, cabbage and cheese when served as a side dish, but use it to top minced beef and you have the perfect comforting supper.' (...some would say...'Bubble and Squeak with Mince'.....nevertheless, a good - possibly new - idea, if it is not already part of your 'what to do with the left-overs' repertoire!)

A small taste of the other recipes contained within:-

Meat and Tatties
Phil Vickery's Really easy Mince Hotpot with Mushrooms
Beef in Red Wine with Stilton and Rosemary Scones
Pork and Bacon Pie with Cauliflower Cheese Mash
Chilli con Carne
Asian-spiced Patties with Mango Salsa
Thai Chicken Balls with Noodle Soup
Beef, Guinness and Oyster Mushroom Pie
Cheese Burger
Simple Samosas
Moroccan-spiced Pie with Harissa Yoghurt Dressing
Lasagne
Cypriot Pork Pasta Bake
Korma Kebabs with Cumin Raita
Middle Eastern Nut Pilaf
Beef Enchiladas
Quesadillas
Lamb Tagine
Goulash Soup
American Meatloaf
Thanksgiving Turkey Turnovers
Lamb Moussaka
Keema Curry

along with the cover picture:-

Mozzarella Meatballs and Spaghetti with a Roasted Pepper Sauce

One of the most useful and appealing recipe books I've ever bought. Every recipe I've tried so far, works perfectly. Recipes range from old favourites to the exotic (South African, Greek, Thai). The recipes are well-suited to the current economic climate, too, as mince is so cheap.

When you mention "Mince", people think "boring mince" but not so with this book. As far as I am concerned I thought "fatty mince" (the one you buy) and Bolognese. Don't take me wrong, I love homemade Bolognese but there are only that many things you can do with it. These can be found here plus many more.
I actually don't often buy mince-often too much fat and too little meat- but I make my own either from fresh meat/poultry or from leftovers and this book has really livened up the way I use leftover meat/poultry. My children are very glad as they (seem to) enjoy my cooking but not so much my "leftover cooking"."Not again!" is not a comment I hear too often now and I am given the right to veer from their sacrosanct pasta Bolognese and lasagne, the only leftover dishes they -unlike me- were never tired of.
The book covers all types of mince: beef of course but also pork, lamb, turkey, venison, you name it...and offers a wide selection of mouth-watering recipes, both traditional and international. If your taste is very traditional you might be disappointed as only a quarter of the recipes belong to that category but if you are ready to explore, buy the book, it is really worth it! I actually don't quite understand why it does not seem to be the major success it deserves to be.
I don't know you Mitzie Wilson but congratulations, you did a very good job and if your book was translated into French, I would definitely buy a few more copies for my friends over there, it is that good!