I do like a tin of food. There’s something very humble about tinned fruit and vegetables particularly; and I am not one to overlook anything that comes in a can. My favourite canned good of all is the artichoke. That’s how this recipe for Chicken, Olive and Artichoke Stew with Risotto came about. Artichokes are very expensive, covered in oil (normally sunflower rather than nice olive oil) and quite small if you buy them chilled or in a jar; but in a can they can be half the price, bigger and once drained you get more for your money. So I wanted to make something comforting, filling and delicious and make the most of the wonderful artichoke.
Smoked Chicken Fried Rice
I bought some smoked chicken from a local farm shop. I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do with it but it sounded too tasty not to try it. I planned to serve it with some cheese and chutneys but somehow I never got round to it. I certainly wasn’t going to waste it and I thought, rather than serving it alongside something else, why not make it the star of the dish? Smoked chicken fried rice sounded like just the thing for a simple, no hassle budget meal in a flash. Turns out it’s even better than it sounds.
Lentils and Chard
There’s always a pack of lentils in my kitchen cupboards. Sometimes more than one; the quick cooking red variety to throw into soups, the big fat yellow ones for making dahl and the more elegant puy for making a wholesome side dish or salad. The mealy, earthy taste and texture that comes from a lentil is part of its charm; the fact that they are so humble but so versatile and filling is why I always find myself with lentils on my plate at least once a week. This dish of lentils and chard was served alongside some simply griddled chicken but it was so good that I think it’s perfect as a meal on its own.
Yellow Split Pea Dahl
First impressions are terribly important, but then so is not judging a book by its cover. This may look, on first glance, like a bowl of indistinct yellow mush but trust me, don’t judge this bowl of incredible-ness by its ‘rustic’ appearance. When I have a bowl of dahl it has to be three things: comforting, frugal and full of garlic. My Yellow Split Pea Dahl, which I have been trying and testing for some time now, fulfils all of my dahl needs and wants. Absolutely dahl-icious.
Mexican Black Beans
I tried something similar to these Mexican black beans at a restaurant a few weeks ago. They were so tasty and I loved the frugality of them that I really wanted to try and make them at home. Attempt one tasted fine but the texture was all wrong, attempt two was an improvement but the spicing wasn’t quite right. By the third attempt I’d got it; tasty, slightly spicy, cheap and easy to make. Does it get much better?
Ingredients
You will need (for 2):
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed £0.65
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed £0.10
- 1 small chilli, halved £0.15
- 150ml chicken stock (you could use vegetable stock to make these vegetarian or vegan) £0.30
- ½ tsp ground cumin £0.05
- ½ tsp smoked paprika £0.05
- oil for cooking £0.10
- salt and pepper £0.05
- fresh coriander, chopped £0.30
- Rice to serve £0.30
Total for two: £2.05
Method
Heat a little oil in a saucepan on a medium heat and add the garlic. Fry for a minute or so and don’t let the garlic catch. Add the chilli and spices and keep everything moving.
Add the beans, stock, a little salt and pepper then pop a lid on and leave to simmer lightly for 15 minutes.
Take the lid off and continue to cook for another five minutes; lightly mash most of the beans with the back of the spoon until it’s like a very thick soup.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly and thicken up a little more, stir through the fresh coriander and serve.
I had this on the side with my enchiladas recently but the previous versions were served with rice or quinoa (both good choices) and a fresh tomato salad. I left the chilli out of the first batch I made and it still tastes great but adding it does give that lovely fresh chilli flavour to the beans and along with the spices, garlic and coriander this is a very tasty bowl of stuff. And I bet you’ve got most of the ingredients in your cupboards already. I would be tempted to thicken these beans up further, spread them over a wrap, top with some leftover shredded chicken and fresh tomato salsa, roll and enjoy.
Easy White Bean Stew with Purple Sprouting Broccoli
Wholesome food always makes you feel good; it’s made from humble ingredients and is full of good things like beans, vegetables and whole grains. I normally eat slow cooked, what I would describe as wholesome, meals in the autumn and winter but this easy white bean stew with purple sprouting broccoli is the perfect dish for this time of year. It’s quick and easy to make, is full of seasonal vegetables and is absolutely delicious. Using seasonal veg not only makes the best of what’s around but means it’s super cheap to cook up too, feeding four people for around £4.50 (most of what I used was organic too!).
Ingredients
You will need (for two hearty bowls):
- 1 large leek, sliced £0.40
- 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced £0.10
- Olive oil for cooking £0.10
- 2 carrots, diced £0.10
- 2 bay leaves £0.05
- 2 cans cannellini beans, drained £1.30
- 500ml vegetable stock £0.30
- Handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped £0.20
- Purple sprouting broccoli, woody ends removed (4-5 stems each) £1.75
- 1 lemon £0.30
- Salt and pepper £0.05
Total price £4.65
Method
Get a casserole pan on a medium heat and add a little oil. Stir the garlic in and stir briefly before adding the carrots, leek and bay leaves. Add a dash of water (2-3 tbsp is all) then leave everything to soften for around 10 minutes.
Add the beans and stock and then simmer everything for 10-15 minutes with a lid half on.
Fill a pan with a steamer with a little water then get it on to boil.
Check the stew, it should be like a thick soup, you can add a little water if you need to thin it out then season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and keep warm. Stir through the parsley.
When the water is boiling steam the broccoli for 2 minutes then remove and squeeze over the juice from the lemon and a good grinding of black pepper.
Serve with nice crusty bread.
This is one of my favourite dishes and one that I can see myself returning to again and again. It’s also vegan, which I realised afterwards so if you’re looking to expand your vegan cooking repertoire then I can recommend this as an excellent place to start! It’s lovely to have the seasonal purple sprouting broccoli as the star of the dish and the acidity the lemon brings cuts through the comfort of the bean stew. I also normally have some sort of white bean in my cupboards and I think it would work with any of them. If you make double the amount it’s also very tasty served as a soup the next day. I would advise serving this with crusty bread so you have something to mop up the juices from the stew.
Spicy Tomato Fusilli with Garlic Pangrattato
The next pasta recipe up my sleeves is a super quick one; ideal for a midweek meal you need in a hurry but still want it to be tasty too. My Spicy Tomato Fusilli with Garlic Pangrattato takes less than thirty minutes from fridge to plate, is super cheap and great at using up odds and ends you may already have in the fridge and cupboards.
You will need (for two):
- 175g pasta (I used fusilli)
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 chilli, diced (I used a jalapeño but use whatever you have)
- Oil for cooking
- Salt and pepper
- 1 slice stale white bread
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
Heat a little oil in a saucepan on a medium heat and add the onion. Fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the onion cooks blend the bread in a food processor until you have breadcrumbs.
Add the tomatoes and chilli to the onion with a little seasoning and simmer for 15 minutes until thickened.
While the tomatoes simmer cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling water. At the same time put a small frying pan on a medium/high heat and add the olive oil and breadcrumbs. Fry, stirring frequently, for five minutes before adding the garlic and continue to stir until the garlic is very lightly brown and the crumbs are toasted.
Drain the pasta when cooked then mix the spicy tomato sauce into the pasta. Serve up and top with the garlic pangratatto.
Frying the onion gently is key to giving this dish a little sweetness to complement the slightly acidic tomatoes and the heat from the chilli. I love the crunch and crispness that the pangrattato gives, along with a good hit of garlic. It’s a great recipe to use up a bit of old bread, a tin of tomatoes and other bits and bobs to leave you with a nice cleared out fridge. If only it worked out that well every week!
Smoky Cowboy Beans
I knew what I wanted these smoky cowboy beans to taste like before I made them. The thing I had to do was to work out which ingredients it was that I needed to mix together to make something that tasted like I wanted it to. After a few attempts, a bit of this, less of that and more of the other I have cracked it. Wonderfully smoky, sweet and sticky with a few spices and plenty of beans to make something substantial from ingredients you probably already have in your cupboards and fridge. Weeknight cooking at its best.
You will need (for two big bowls):
- 1 can borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- Oil for cooking
- 4 rashers smoked streaky bacon, sliced
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 450ml hot water
- 1 1/2 tbsp treacle
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- Salt and pepper
Heat a little oil in a large saucepan and add the bacon. Fry until the bacon starts to brown then add in the onion and garlic and continue cooking for around five minutes.
In a bowl mix together the tomato paste, hot water, treacle, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Add this to the pan along with the beans. (If you measure out the treacle first then pour over the hot water over the spoon it’s a really good way to get all the treacle off!).
Bring the pan to the boil then reduce to a simmer and leave for 15-20 minutes or until thickened.
I have to say that I prefer a 100% haricot bean version rather than the borlotti and black bean version here; I think it gives a slightly nicer texture but this is still very tasty. I have tried these cowboy beans with warm crusty bread, baked potatoes and rice and it works with all of them. I think this would be amazing in a burrito with some pulled pork too, I think I’ll need to try that. For something that takes hardly any time at all, is really filling and super tasty I don’t think dinners come much better than this.
Sticky Chilli Pork and Noodles
I’m not sure quite what’s happened but all of a sudden I find myself spending over £50 a week on food shopping. I know, it’s not a shocking amount and it’s certainly less than I know other people spend but it’s twice as much as I used to spend. I didn’t really notice it creeping up over time and I haven’t really changed what I eat (less meat if anything) but it irritates me nonetheless. There’s only so many beans and lentils one person can eat in a week so thrifty meals are essential to give plenty of variation. My sticky chilli pork is quick, tasty and feeds four people for less than £6.
You will need:
- Oil for cooking £0.02
- 2 pork chops £2.00
- Salt and pepper £0.02
- 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce £0.25
- 4 noodle nests £1.00
- 2-3 spring onions, sliced £0.10
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds £0.07
- 1 small pepper, sliced £0.60
For the dressing:
- 2 tsp soy sauce £0.07
- Juice 1/2 lime £0.15
- 1 garlic clove, crushed £0.02
- 1 small piece ginger, peeled and grated £0.05
Total cost: £4.35
Cut any fat off the pork chops and slice into strips. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a frying pan or wok and add a little oil. Add the pork strips and fry until golden.
While the pork is cooking cook the noodles according to packet instructions.
Mix the ingredients for the dressing together.
When the pork is cooked through, add the sweet chilli sauce and continue to cook until the pork is coated and glossy. The sauce will thicken a bit.
Drain the noodles and stir the dressing through to stop them sticking.
Serve the noodles with the pepper, spring onion and sesame seeds and top with the sticky chilli pork.
I think this is a pretty well balanced meal; veg, carbs, protein and a little bit of naughty sweet chilli sauce on the side. For something to enjoy in the week when I want something quick and simple this is the kind of thing I cook. It is also delicious with chicken and I’m yet to try it with tofu. I’ve got a few other budget meals to see here and I’m trying to grow these recipes more and more. If you’ve got anything you’d like to see thrifty, let me know!
Garlic and Honey Mushrooms
I went to Madrid last year in search of tapas, paella and Rioja and I was not disappointed. I think I ate more often each day I was there than anywhere else I can remember. If memory serves the meals were thus: breakfast, snack at lunch, late lunch, tapas then dinner. Amazing. It took some adjusting on the return home to get used to a mere three meals a day I can tell you. One of the most remarkable meals I had while there was at a roadside restaurant; the sun was going down, it was wonderfully warm and I was complemented on my excellent Spanish. I mean, I can’t be 100% sure the waiter said it was good but I like to think he did. The starter was translated on the menu as garlic and honey mushrooms and I thought I’d have a go at recreating it.
You will need (for two):
- 250g mushrooms, quartered
- Olive oil
- Drizzle runny honey
- 10g butter
- 10g plain flour
- 200ml milk
- 2 cloves garlic
- Salt and pepper
Fry the mushrooms in a little oil on a medium heat until softened and lightly golden.
Put the mushrooms into an oven proof dish and drizzle a little honey over the top. You want to just lightly coat them, about a teaspoon should do it.
Melt the butter in a saucepan then add the flour. Cook for a minute before slowly stirring in the milk to make a thick sauce. Crush in the garlic cloves and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook until the sauce has bubbled and is thick.
Top the mushrooms with the garlic sauce then place under a hot grill to brown the top.
This starter really was unforgettable and as much as mine wasn’t exactly the same; I ate it inside, in February, in England for a start I think it was a very close second. The earthiness of the mushrooms works so well with just a small amount of honey for sweetness. The sauce on the mushrooms in Madrid was wonderfully creamy but very thick too and there was so much garlic it almost burnt your mouth. My sauce was a little less creamy but just as garlic laden. I really enjoy trying to recreate food I have had while on holiday but there is one problem: it makes me want to jump straight on a plane and go back again.
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