Eating on a budget 2

This time of year makes us want wholesome food and we want to spend wisely. Growing up, my mother would but a ham hock/joint and cook it in water, forming a stew. She would then use the stock for soup (usually lentil) and we would have the meat from the joint as part of our dinner that night. There would often be enough for either another night, or for sandwiches at lunchtime the following day.

As an adult, having had thousands of portions of lentil soup throughout my life, I tend to veer away from it these days. Instead, I would use this ham for pea and ham or potato and leek soup, or even for tomato and butterbean soup, then leave it to rest before covering it in something sweet (maple syrup or jam or even coke) and roasting it in a moderate to high oven for a half hour – 40 minutes.

The great thing is that this can be used for many other meats and poultry, and it can also be used on some sturdier vegetables – cook them off, then roast them. Of course, for veg you need to reduce the time in the oven considerably.

The reason i use ham as my example (apart from it being much cheaper than chicken/beef) is that this was what I got as a child on a regular basis and it really is tasty. It is also approaching Yule/Christmas, and our ancestors often used ham at this celebration prior to turkey being brought over from America. When I roast this meat in the oven, I put all the veg I want at that meal in with the ham, so that they absorb the juices of the meat.

Enjoy!

Thrifty cooking in preparation for the costs of Christmas

At this time of year we scrimp and save so that we can put on the best possible spread for christmas and new year. It is therefore in our best interest to eat as frugally as possible up to this point. How do we beat the rising costs of groceries?

Making as much ourselves as we can is an excellent start. Bread-making is a dying tradition that many within varying communities are trying to revive. Get down to your local library and find books on baking and breadmaking and get started. A simple white bread recipe will suffice as a starting point and tastes so much better than anything shop bought. it costs a fraction of the price as well.

While breadmakers are an excellent option, i would hazard a guess that many money saved in doing it yourself would be lost on the electrical cost of the breadmaker but it is worth trying if you happen to have one.

Making your own shortbread and biscuits is another great place to save the pennies (unless you buy shop value ranges, in which case it possibly the same but will taste better and you'll know exactly what has gone into them).

Soup in cans or cartons is at a ridiculous price in shops - 85p for heinz tomato soup! Over a pound for covent garden soups! Make your own. it goes much further and tastes much better. try something simple like a home-made tomato and butterbean soup:

2 cans chopped tomatoes (or plum if you prefer)
2 pints stock (veg or chicken)
2 cloves garlic
1 med onion
1 tin butter beans
1 tsp paprika
oil

Put a dash of oil in the soup pot and cook onion until transparent.
Add garlic, tinned goods and paprika. Finally, add boiling stock and bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes and leave to stand off heat for 2-3 minutes before liquidising or hand blending. If you have neither, mash with a potato masher. Return to heat for 2-3 mins and serve with homemade bread.

Cheap cuts of meat are the way to go if you eat meat. cook them for as long as you can and they will taste just as good as even the most expensive cuts.

For vegetarians, buying frozen rather than fresh vegetables where possible is a great idea. Some veg do not freeze well - like leaks and peppers - but most are fine, esp peas, broccoli and spinach.

Look out for special offers on cheeses and don't forget that you can shop on the day for foods reduced as they are near their sell by dates. just because food is close to or on this date doesn't mean they are not as good or taste bad, or are in any way unhealthy. Judge by look. Generally all foods within their dates are fine and cost much less than at full cost. The only food I would be wary of doing this with would be fish. With fish, fresher is better.

Remember that you can fish at this time of year. It is very cold but people still go out. Sea bass is in season, as are an array of shellfish.

Finally, buy seasonally. out of season foods always cost more than those currently in season, with the exception of cabbages - which are always cheap.

Good eating :D

What's in Season in December

December may appear at first glance to be a sparce month for flavours but this is completely not the case.

Cabbage, clams, clementine, goose, horseradish, kale, jerusalem artichoke, salsify, mussels, oysters, parsnip, pomegranate, swede, satsuma, truffle, sea bass, venison, wild duck and winkles are all in season at the moment.

You can still get:
Cranberries, apples, partridge, brussel sprouts, pumpkin, scallops, chestnut, celeriac and turkey this coming month.

Celeriac, the root of the celery, is a wonderful root vegetable. I cannot stand celery myself but a celeriac soup sets me up for the day.

1 celeriac
1 large leek
1 med potato
2 pints stock (veg or chicken, or 1 of each)
2-3 larges cloves garlic

Fry off veg in a drop of oil before adding sock, bring to boil then simmer until all veg soft (about 15-20 mins). Stand for a minute or two to cool off enough to blitz in liquidiser or with hand blender, return to heat for a min and serve. This lovely soup is silky smooth and doesn't require cream, so it's very healthy too. Enjoy!

One pot wonders

Beat the cold and keep spendage down with these fantastic one pot wonder ideas!

At this time of year, we want to keep as much money aside for christmas as possible. Spending money on food is a necessity but we can keep costs down by stewing/casseroling. This versatile type of cooking is packed with flavour, easy to do and saves money.

Rather than typing out a whole load of recipes, I thought it would be in everyone's interest to give links to websites with great one pot wonders instead! Some include slow cooker recipes. Please have a look at earlier posts, as some contain casseroles/stews :D

Good cooking!
Chicken and butternyt squash stew
Pot roast beef with red cabbage
Healthy one pot stew
Fife Miners stew
Garam Masala Chickpea stew

End October with Rabbit

Rabbit is rapidly falling back into favour with people as more and more chefs choose this delicate meat over chicken and pork. It is a sustainable meat and while we may feel a bit bad eating thumper, this is one meat that is far more ethically sound than almost any other form. As part of the 'game' group, it is currently in season.

Thankfully not available in supermarkets, this is one meat you want a good butcher to look at. Miximatosis almost wiped out UK populations in the 1980’s and this is when rabbit fell out of favour. A horrific disease, rabbit cannot be eaten if it is tainted with this killer. For this reason, a qualified butcher must look at the rabbit, especially at it’s liver, to make sure there are no signs of the disease. They can then prepare the healthy meat for selling.

This is also a meat that is not taken to an abattoir, and is killed in the most humane way possible – by the hunter upon being caught. A swift and clean kill. For this reason, rabbits will and should never be sold by the supermarket.

How to cook
One of the best ways to cook rabbit is to casserole – or a one pot meal if you like.

1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 leek, 12 prunes, knob butter, 1 pint chicken stock, 1 glass white wine, bouquet garni.
Bouquet garni can be any 3-4 herbs, usually tied together with string or placed in a muslin bag. For this particular dish, a sprig of thyme, sage and a bay leaf would work.

Brown off rabbit in butter in your casserole pot/dish. Add leek, onion, carrot, wine, stock and bouquet garni, cook for a ½ hour. Add the prunes. Cook for a further hour. Serve with potatoes.

For more recipes, check out the BBC Food page

Sage, pumpkin and sausage casserole!

As the nights draw in and the temperatures start to plummet, we start to think of winter warmers that won't involve too much preparation. Casseroles fill this role. Easy to prepare and you barely need to keep an eye on them, they are perfect for autumn and winter.

Pumpkin is now in season and a herb many people shy from can go really well with this autumnal veg is sage. Add in some sausages and you have a hearty, tasty meal. You can, of course, substitue the sausage for other vegetables if you are vegetarian.

Click on the link here for Matt Tebbutts wonderful recipe!

On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scoltand about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback:

The Island of the Mist is book 2

The Stone in the Sword is book 1

The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats:

The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

October

Firstly, I must apologise for the delay in putting something up. It has been one of those years – death, car accidents, weddings etc. A real roller coaster. Sincere apologies for not taking some time to write a few items for my blog.

Onwards and upwards…

October is a festive month for many and a real feast for seasonal foods. It is the month of game and root vegetables, as well as beer :D
The seasonal foods include:

Celeriac
Pumpkin
Wild Mushrooms
Apples
Truffles
Swede
Cabbage
Medlars
Kale
Grouse (and other poultry such as pheasant, partridge)
Venison
Scallops (also oysters, mussels, winkles)
Sea Bass
Berries are still in season (particularly sloe but you may be lucky enough to get raspberries too)
Swiss Chard
Leeks
Sweet Potatoes

Butternut squash is heading out of season, as are:

Figs
Pears
Globe Artichokes
Mackerel
Plums etc.

There are a few other squashes that hang around – you’ll see them on market stalls and in supermarkets/greengrocers. As this year has been a very odd one, with hot and cold patches where they shouldn’t be, meteorologically speaking :D, some fruit/veg has lasted better than others, and some haven’t yet shown their heads. In Scotland, tomatoes have had a really bad year, some plants yielding few, if any.

A few orange varieties have started to appear again, so you know Hallowe’en is nearby.

As the wheat and barley is cut in mid Sept, I often think of October as the month for baking more than any other month. Why not try baking some fresh bread for yourself, no cheating with a bread-maker :D