I have read a lot  lately about the photographic "value" of brown foods in the blogosphere.  I read a column recently in the Guardian in which Nigella Lawson said the following (In speaking about platforms such as Instagram):

”Of course, Instagram is a visual medium, no less than television, so it’s always going to favour photogenic food, but still, it can make a cook despair. When I post a picture of a stew, I feel I have to remind people – who find the messy brownness unappealing – that 1) stews are brown and 2) brown food tastes the best. It doesn’t really matter to me whether people post pictures of stews on Instagram or Pinterest, but it does worry me if they stop cooking them. Not because it would be a bad thing, but because it would be a sad thing”.








1 TBS tomato ketchup 
 


Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Add the beef, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown nicely.  Add the onions, carrots, celery, parsnip and turnips.  Cook and sweat over medium low heat for about 5 minutes or so, then stir in the garlic.  Cook, stirring until quite fragrant.  Add the beef stock, sliced cabbage, sprigs of thyme, bayleaf, parsley, garlic and onion powders and tomato ketchup.  Bring to the boil, then reduce to a very slow simmer, cover tightly and cook on low for 40 to 45 minutes, at which time the vegetables will all be nicely soft and the beef very tender.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.  Serve hot.


Note - feel free to add a small handful of pearl barley to this if you wish.  Add when you add the stock.  Cook for 45 minutes, until everything is tender.

There is one thing that the British do very well . . . and that is the good old British Banger! (Sausage to you non-Brits! Of course, it is also something that they do really poorly too . . . but we won't talk about those!) You just can't beat a good old fashioned, meaty, top quality, Butcher's thick sausage banger . . . avoid the cheap ones at all costs. They are just plain nasty and filled with fillers and other ucky stuff that you don't want to be eating.

 

I don't know about you, but I find that it's getting harder and harder to stretch my food budget these days.  Food just seems to be costing more and more and sizes are getting smaller.  (Don't get me started on that scam!!) I am always looking for ways to make a little bit go further, but at the same time keeping things to the same standard of deliciousness and nutritiousness that we are used to.

 

Pasta is a great meal stretcher.  I know it's not Todd's favourite thing to eat, but he does like the idea of saving money, and so he tolerates it.  Myself . . . I adore pasta, and so these types of meals are my absolute favourites!



Meals which take a little bit of protein, some vegetable and some pasta, combined in a tasteful way.   Simple recipes which make good use of simple ingredients in a delicious way.



I have no idea why this is called Irish Supper.  I am not even sure if this is actually Irish!  Certainly there would be cabbages and sausages in Ireland, but the pasta noodles?   Well, I am not too sure about that!!



What I know for sure it that it makes a little bit of meat go a very long way and that it is delicious.  Two things that are positives!  I do hope you will try it and that you will enjoy it as much as I do!



You want to use a good quality sausage with this.  Not those cheap and nasty ones that are all filler and fat.  You get what you pay for.  Paying a tiny bit more and using a good quality sausage makes sense as you won't be pouring half of it away and they'll also taste a lot better!  Choose a nicely flavoured one!  I am partial to a peppery Cumberland myself!




Crumble your sausage into a large skillet.  Cook over medium high heat until it is browned.  I use a potato masher to mash it up as it is browning.  This helps to break it up all crumbly like.  Once the sausage is browned add the cabbage.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme leaves.   Cook, stirring until it begins to wilt.  Turn the heat to low and cover with a lid.  Cook for about 5 minutes.

While the cabbage is cooking, cook your noodles according to the package directions in a pot of lightly salted water.   At the end of five minutes remove the lid to skillet and turn up the heat and cook stirring, until the cabbage begins to brown a little.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Turn out the heat and drain the noodles well.  Toss the drained noodles into the skillet along with a knob of butter.   Toss to combine.  Serve immediately without or without cheese as desired to your grateful family which will be sitting at the table drooling in anticipation.

 

Do you think they might approve??  I like to think they would . . . ☺ to be sure, to be sure . . .

My sister made this recipe that she found on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago and put a picture of it on her facebook page. It looked so good that I immediately wanted to try it myself.   We love cabbage and potatoes in this house and the recipe incorporated both of those along with some onions, chicken pieces and bacon!  If it's got bacon you just know it's going to be good!