Showing posts with label Cheap and Cheerful Mains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cheap and Cheerful Mains. Show all posts
With five children, three of them boys, I spent a lot of time cooking. And I had to be economical with my cookery also, as there was not a lot of dosh available to be spent. Food took up a large part of our budget after the rent. Here is a funny (now) story. (It wasn't so funny back then.)
My ex-husband was a Military Police Officer, in the Canadian Military, and at one time we were stationed at the British Army Training Unit Services in Suffield, Alberta. This was the major training area for the British Army in Canada at the time. The Brits would be going out into the "field" on exercises all the time and when they came back in from the "field" all the unused rations would be dumped. (I know what a gross misuse of government money) Some of the boxes would have only a few things missing and some would have not even been opened at all. There would be tins containing stewed meat, cheese, vegetables, chicken, fish, crackers, candy, chocolate, apple pie, fruit, etc.
My ex used to retrieve them from the dump and we would clean and
sterilize them. We had a nice cabinet filled with them down in the
cellar. Somewhat of a surprise as well, as we never knew what was in
what tin until we opened it. It was always a bonus day when it ended up
being a sweet tin! One day a friend was asking me where we did our
grocery shopping and my oldest son piped up, "We get our food at the dump! (He
was about 4 at the time.) Talk about being embarassed. Kids, they'll drop you in it every time!
Anyways, I digress. This tuna casserole was a real favourite that I used to make back in the day, and that my children loved. It uses things I always had in my cupboard, and that were affordable, boxed macaroni and cheese dinner, tuna, tinned soup and tinned tomatoes. OH, and some extra cheese, which, when the kids were growing up was more than likely Velveeta or cheese whiz. Now I use real cheddar, and while I was not afraid to use butter or potato chips to top it back then, I now use crumbled crackers and cooking spray. Even so, this is some good. All you need on the side is a salad and perhaps some bread and butter.
*Mom's Tuna Casserole*
Serves 4
1 (170g) tins flaked tuna in water, drained ( 2-6oz tins)
1 small onion, peeled and finely minced
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Spray a 7 by 11 casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Cook the macaroni from the dinner mix according to package directions. Drain well. Return to pan and stir together with the cheese powder from the box, undiluted soup. tomato pieces, onion, herbs, seasoning, drained tuna and 120g (1 cup) of the cheese. Mix together well and then spread in the prepared casserole dish. Top with the remaining cheese and a handful of crushed cracker crumbs. Spritz a couple of times with cooking spray.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown. Serve hot.
Our Spanish daughter Ariana happened by not too long after we had eaten and happily took home the leftovers to enjoy with her husband Jose. I might be able to get Todd to eat it once, but eating it twice is really pushing it for my pasta hating now- husband. At least I am lucky enough that once in a while I can get it past him at least once! He's a sweetiepie. Bon Appetit!
The Toddster is a real meat and potatoes man. I could serve him meat and potatoes every night of the week and there would be no complaints from him!
He loves a pork chop more than anything else. We aren't real big eaters of red meat, but when it comes right down to it, if he had his choice, he would pick a pork chop over a steak every time!
I, on the other hand, would rather have a steak. With a baked potato and a salad on the side. That is my heaven.
This is a beautiful one dish bake that is perfectly sized for two people.
Layers of cabbage, potato, green beans are put into a baking dish, and then topped with pan browned chops. Apple juice is poured over all . . .
You then cover it tightly and bake it for a time . . . uncover, sprinkle with buttered bread crumbs and bake it for a little while longer to brown the crumbs.
The end result is flavourful, fork tender pork chops . . . succulent. I like to use old fashioned bone in chops . . .
I use frozen whole green beans and this keeps them from over cooking too much. They are just right. I cut my potatoes about 1/4 inch thick. They absorbe the meat juices and the apple juice, and that cabbage at the bottom . . . wow
I adore cabbage and do does Pork. Pork and cabbage are beautiful partners. The whole dish, with everything put together is simply marvelous! Whenever I cook this, Todd is one very happy camper!
*Autumn Pork Chop Dinner*
Serves 2
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/gas mark 4. Have ready an 11-inch by 7-inch by 2-inch deep baking dish.
Heat the oil in a skillet. Dust the chops with salt, black pepper, sage and thyme. Brown on both sides in the skillet.
Toss the cabbage together with the brown sugar and parsley. Spread out in the bottom of the baking dish. Season with a bit of salt and black pepper. Top with the potato slices. Season with a bit of salt and black pepper. Scatter the green beans over top and then lay the pork chops on top of everything. Pour the apple juice over all. Cover tightly and then bake in the oven for 45 minutes until the pork chops and vegetables are tender. Uncover. Mix together the bread crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle over top. Return the baking dish to the oven and roast for a further 15 minutes until golden brown.
Quantities can very easily be doubled or tripled to feed more. I think you are really going to love this if you make it. In fact, if you like pork chops and cabbage, you are going to adore this! Bon Appetit and Happy Autumn!
Todd was wanting a bit of a treat the other day and I had some chicken legs which needed using so I decided to make him a nice chicken fricassee. A fricassee falls somewhere between a saute and a stew, relying on simple ingredients and a single cooking utensil. Fricassee to me spells home sweet home and comfort.
This is a really simple recipe. I like to use bone in, skin on chicken for the most flavour. This time I used a mix of drumsticks and thighs. These are the hardest working parts of the chicken and have the most flavour. They also tend to be a lot tougher than the breast, but a long slow cooking takes care of that beautifully.
That reminds me of the time I cooked rubber chicken. I had not been married for very long and I got what I thought was a real bargain at the shops for whole chicken. We were poor as church mice and I liked to take advantage of every bargain I could get.
This was out in Calgary when we were living there. I think these birds were only about 50 cents or some such. I decided to buy a couple and freeze one for later and use one for something special. I chose to exercise my culinary skills and make chicken cacciatore from my Fanny Farmer cookbook.
I carefully cut it up and followed the recipe exactly . . . what should have been deliciously delectable ended up being as appealing as chewing on rubber bands. I had no idea off what I had done wrong. I was finally informed by someone who knew a lot better that I had bought stewing hens . . . and the only thing that you could do with them was to braise them for hours and hours . . . not the requisite 35 to 40 minutes required by my recipe.
Oh we do learn as we go along in life don't we? I cringe at some of the things that I thought were quite sophisticated way back in the day. I have come a long way baby! (as they say!)
Back to Chicken Fricassee . . . who doesn't love chicken in gravy! Tender delicious pieces of chicken, in a gravy flavoured with sage, parsley, and onions. Chicken flavoured with nutmeg, salt, pepper and paprika. I choose to remove my chicken from the bones once it is cooked because I am not overly fond of having bones in a dish like this, but you can do whatever you want to do with yours. I just find it eats easier with the bones and skin removed. The broth will have taken all the flavour from them anyways, and they aren't really needed.
I also like to mince my onion really fine because I don't like big lumps of onion in my gravy . . . but again, that is me and a texture thing. I also think it look a lot more elegant with a smoother gravy and then just the pieces of chicken and mushrooms . . .
Rice goes beautifully with this. I use brown rice, but that's because it is healthier. If you prefer you can use white rice, or even noodles or potatoes! Altogether this is a beautiful dish that your family is going to love. Rich and delicious. Mmm . . . mmm . . . good!
*Chicken Fricasee*
Serves 4
Mix together the salt, nutmeg, black pepper and paprika. Sprinkle this all over the chicken, rubbing it into the skin. Heat the oil in a medium deep flame proof casserole dish with a lid, or a deep skillet with a lid. Add the chicken pieces a few at a time and brown on all sides, removing to a dish as they are browned and adding more, until they are all browned. Add the flour to the pan drippings and cook, stirring constantly until golden brown. Whisk in the water and white wine until smooth. Add the chicken pieces back to the pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a low simmer, cover and cook for about 45 to 50 minutes until very tender.
Remove the chicken pieces to a bowl and set aside. Strain the juices from the pan into a large glass beaker. Clean out your cooking dish. Return to the stove and melt the butter in it until it begins to foam. Add the onion and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally over medium heat, until they have softened nicely without browning too much. Stir in the strained pan juices and the milk and cream, combining well. Heat through on low heat. Remove any chicken meat from the bones, discarding the skin and bones. Add the meat to the gravy and heat through.
Serve hot spooned over rice or potatoes.
If you don't want to use white wine, feel free to use all water instead. I like the flavour the wine gives and you can buy some really great non-alcoholic wines now that give you a lovely flavour without any of the alcohol! You can also double this recipe very easily. The cook times will remain the same but you may want a larger pot, perhaps a Dutch oven! I like to serve this in large shallow bowls for a really pretty presentation. Bon Appetit!
We love fish in this house, and while it is not made with fresh fish, this delicious Tuna Loaf is one of our favourite meals. Its a recipe which I have been making for year and years. You make it with either cooked tuna or salmon.
Sometimes I will serve it with a cream sauce, or creamed peas, but today I served it with a delicious fresh Mustard Cream Sauce.
This sauce is so simple make also. You just whisk together some fresh lemon juice, heavy cream, a good Dijon mustard, and a bit of sugar and salt.
The lemon juice thickens the cream like magic and you have a beautifully flavoured sauce which is great with fish, but also equally at home with vegetables.
Its really lovely with asparagus, or broccoli . . . and new potatoes really take it well!
You could use leftover cooked fish for this easy loaf, or you can use tinned fish, which is what I normally do.
I always have tins of tuna and salmon in the cupboard, so it makes for a great store cupboard meal as well, something I can throw together at the last minute if I need to!
Today I served it with some boiled new potatoes. Jersey royals. They are in season right now. I love them. They have a sweet and nutty flavour.
I added a healthy mix of peas, green beans and carrots for a bit of colour and to help us get some of our five a day!
*Salmon or Tuna Loaf*
with a mustard cream
1 TBS Dijon mustard (optional)
2 large free range eggs, beaten lightly
For the sauce:
1 1/2 TBS minced fresh parsleythe juice of 1 lemon
1 TBS Dijon mustard
240ml double cream (1 cup heavy cream)
pinch cayenne pepper
salt and sugar to taste
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 1 pound loaf tin really well. Set aside.
Flake the fish into a bowl and mash it well with a fork. Add the bread crumbs and toss together with the melted butter, onions, green pepper and parsley. Whisk the eggs, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco. Mix into the fish mixture, combining well. Press into the prepared loaf tin. Bake for 35 minutes until set and golden brown.
While the loaf is baking make the sauce by whisking together all of the ingredients, adjusting the flavour as necessary with sugar or salt.
Serve the hot loat cut into slices along with the sauce for spooning on top.
Note - This sauce also goes well with steamed new potatoes and asparagus. You can also serve any leftover loaf cold with a salad on the side for a light lunch the next day.
This recipe today is one of those economical dishes that is not only quick and easy to make but which are real family pleasers. The original recipe comes from a cookery book that I have had since I was seventeen years old and since I am now sixty-one, that is a very long time! This is truly a recipe which has stood the test of time!
My last year in High School there was an offer in a magazine to purchase the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook library. You would get one book a month, which would arrive via the post, which you could then pay for at a fair price by return post. I collected all of the volumes.
This one comes from the volume entitled, "Good Food on a Budget." I have adapted it a bit through the years by adding some oregano and onions to the sauce, and the way I layer it together. I like to have the cheese on the top. In the original recipe they have the sauce on the top.
I have also cut down the servings of the recipe because there are only two of us now in this house and one of us is not a real pasta lover. SO instead of serving 6 to 8, it now serves 3 to 4.
Other than that it is basically the same recipe as the original. It is quick and simple to make and goes together in a flash. It is also a dish which most people love. With its hearty meat sauce and simple cheese filling/topping it is a real pleaser! All you need on the side is a salad and some garlic bread if desired.
You will want to use a sausage in this that has plenty of flavour! Over here I favour Cumberland Sausage because it is nice and peppery, but you can use whichever sausage meat you like. A sweet italian would go very well.
*Mock Lasagne Casserole*
Serves 3 to 4
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
225ml tomato passatta (1 cup, tomato sauce)
60ml water (1/4 cup)
1/2 tsp each dried basil, dried oregano, onion powder, garlic granules
salt and black pepper to taste
100g dry macaroni (Uncooked, 1 cup)
Because the passata/tomato sauce for this is such an integral part of the recipe, you will want to use one which has nice flavours. I use Cirio and I know you must be tired of me saying this, but it is a well favoured Passata made with only the finest fresh Italian Tomatoes,ensuring that your dishes will have a full bodied and rich Italian flavour! It also comes in a new PET bottle which means you can use as little or as much of it as you like, simply popping the lid back onto the bottle and refrigerating the rest for another day, which works well for this recipe which basically only uses 225ml/1 cup of passata/tomato sauce. The PET bottles are also recyclable and unbreakable. I used the Passata Classica for this recipe.
I really hope you will give this a go and that if you do your family really enjoys it. Bon Appetit!
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