The most ridiculous recipes in Pete Evans’ new cookbook

WE’VE read Pete Evans’ controversial baby paleo cookbook cover to cover, so you don’t have to. Here are the most ridiculous recipes inside.

Chef, Pete Evans at the opening night of his Restaurant in Brisbane, Asana. Pic Mark Calleja

PETE Evans’ controversial baby paleo cookbook, Bubba Yum Yum: The Paleo Way for new mums, babies & toddlers, was released as an e-book today.

Bubba Yum Yum was dropped by publisher Pan Macmillan in March after health experts warned some of the recipes could harm infants. A DIY baby formula made from blended livers, bone broth and oils caused dietitians the most concern.

“In my view, there’s a very real possibility that a baby may die if this book goes ahead,” president of the Public Health Association of Australia, Professor Heather Yeatman, told The Australian Women’s Weekly.

But Evans, along with co-writers blogger Charlotte Carr and “revered” naturopath and nutritionist Helen Padarin, have self-published the book online. Carr and Padarin say they’ve listened to their critics and have reworked the formula recipe, changing its name to ‘Happy Tummy Brew’.

The cookbook is filled with recipes for pâtés, bone marrow purees and fermented vegetables — just the kind of simple foods busy parents love cooking. A recipe for ‘Baby Building Broth’ is included in the foods recommended for babies aged 6-12 months.

There’s also loads of condescending (and scientifically questionable) advice for expectant parents on how to paleo-ify your life in preparation for your new arrival. Evans, Carr and Padarin believe parents-to-be must detox for 6 weeks before conception and prioritise cooking bone broth as an “absolute ‘must-do’ each week”.

We’ve read Bubba Yum Yum cover to cover, so you don’t have to. Here are the eight most ridiculous recipes featured inside.

Blogger Charlotte Carr with her husband Wes Carr (second from right), their baby son Willow and MKR judge Pete Evans. Photo: @bubbayumyum.

1. A good egg

This is literally a recipe for boiled egg yolk. “Preparation time: 2 minutes. Cooking time: 4-5 minutes. Allergens: Egg.”

Evans recommends you discard the egg’s white and toss it in a salad. So far my $9.99 isn’t going very far. But eggs certainly are #paleo #friendly.

2. Onion poultice

This “easy, natural remedy” is great if you’re fed up with just how good modern medicine is at curing aches and pains and want to fix your discomfort with vegetables.

Fry up some onion and ginger with a bit of water, chuck it in a cheesecloth and rub it all over yourself instead.

“This simple old-fashioned recipe works well to ease the pain of earaches, as well as helping to ease chest congestion,” the book reads. “Place over the ear or chest for at least 5 minutes.”

Who knew #cleanliving meant sticking ginger in your ear?

3. Happy Tummy Brew

The book is prefaced with caveats that “breastmilk is best”, along with reassurances that mothers shouldn’t feel ashamed if they can’t breastfeed their baby. The infamous bone broth formula has been renamed and resold with a warning it’s unsuitable for babies under 6 months old.

“Commercial formula is the only food approved for children under 6 months of age, who cannot be breastfed. For those over 6 months of age it is a good idea to supplement formula feeds with other nutrient dense foods, suitable for the age group,” the book states.

According to Evans, the World Health Organisation and the National Health and Medical Research Council “advise liver is a great first food for infants from around 6 months of age. A true super food, it is rich in iron, zinc, choline, Vitamin A and B vitamins.”

But the Dietitians Association of Australia says even the revised broth recipe is dangerous.

“This is just another example of the serious dangers of following the health and medical advice of unqualified people,” a DAA spokeswoman said.

4. Soft boiled eggs with salmon roe

Pete Evans’ daughters Indi and Chilli just adore caviar, so naturally, he believes your children will too.

“This is usually what Pete does for Easter as a treat for his girls. Pete’s girls have been enjoying caviar since they were young, and if you mention the work ‘ikura’ (Japanese word for fish roe) in their house, little feet will come running for a spoonful, or two, or three, or more,” the recipe says. Good luck getting your kid to eat fish eggs, mums and dads.

5. Willow’s Pâté

“You know what my 18 month old baby would love to have for lunch today? Pâté,” said no parent ever.

You can use chicken, beef or lamb liver in this recipe, which is named after Carr’s son Willow.

“Pâté is a superfood for babies — it’s so dense in nutrients and it’s a wonderful first food,” the book reads. “It is safe to include pâté in an infant’s diet from 6 months — just ensure the produce is from organic pasture-raised, hormone and chemical-free animals. You will get the added benefits of high omega 3 as well.”

This recipe might actually come in handy at your next dinner party. For adults.

6. ‘Dirty’ vs. ‘clean’ fruits & vegetables

This isn’t a recipe, but Bubba Yum Yum’s food shaming also extends to fruits and vegetables. The authors advise readers to always buy organic foods. But if that’s not possible, we should choose fruit and veg with the “least pesticide residue”.

“If you can’t afford to go all organic, we recommend at least sourcing organic produce for the items on the Dirty Dozen list, while those on the Clean Fifteen are the safest and least conventional options.

The ‘Clean Fifteen’ includes asparagus, avocadoes, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, frozen sweet peas, grapefruit, kiwis, mangoes, onions, papayas, pineapples, sweet corn, sweet potatoes. Yep, we noticed there’s only 14 listed as well.

But if you’re purchasing anything off the ‘Dirty Dozen’ list - apples, celery, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes, nectarines, peaches, spinach, strawberries, capsicums, imported snap peas or imported potatoes - you’re done for. We’re just as confused as you are.

7. Marrow soldiers

This recipe features beef marrow bones cut into small slices, served with paleo bread.

“Everyone knows that soldiers go really well with eggs, but when they’re served with marrow, you’re stepping things up to a whole new level,” the book says.

“This is one of my favourite recipes because bone marrow is one of my all-time favourie things to eat, and it’s ideal for little growing bodies and brains.”

Thinking of giving your kids Vegemite on toast? Please. That’s so passe.

8. Chicken brawn

Brawn, also affectionately known as meat cheese, is a jellied loaf made from the head and sometimes the feet of a pig or calf. Pete’s spiced his version up and used chicken instead. He’s also thrown in some carrots and celery to up the vege intake.

“Kids just love jellies, so I wanted to include a simple savoury jelly with good-quality protein and some organic vegetables,” he writes.

If any parents make any of these recipes and manage to get their kids to eat them, we want to know about it. Tag us on Twitter @newscomauhq or email [e-mail] with your success story.