Why is this so earth-shattering? I love grilled cheese, but for some reason dealing with butter is a pain in this instance. I recently read SOMEWHERE (can't remember) that grilled cheese is better made with mayo, which is, after all, nothing more than oil and eggs.
It was great. So easy.
Showing posts with label Frugal Cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Frugal Cooking. Show all posts
Tuesday, 2 June 2015
Tuesday, 26 August 2014
Potato Corn Chowder with a dash of nostalgia
Oh, how I needed some potatoes, my comfort food of choice.
Visiting the dentist is fairly stressful in and of itself. Plus, we have a new dentist, thanks heavens, this time with a decent office staff, but still--no dentist ever says the same thing. Today's visit was something of an emergency (more stress); the new dentist's advice had/has to be weighed with my common sense. I will spare everyone the details.
Visiting the dentist is fairly stressful in and of itself. Plus, we have a new dentist, thanks heavens, this time with a decent office staff, but still--no dentist ever says the same thing. Today's visit was something of an emergency (more stress); the new dentist's advice had/has to be weighed with my common sense. I will spare everyone the details.
I had to park in a grocery parking lot. Time for potatoes, the ultimate comfort food. I wanted to make a soup, but am without stock of any kind. I remembered the first potato/corn chowder I ever ate: at a departmental pot luck at a small school where I used to teach (1987), my genial colleague (who I later discovered wrote me a fairly negative letter of recommendation--thanks GT!) made a delicious soup from the Vegetarian Epicure. The secret, he said, was the nutritional yeast Anna Thomas called for
I couldn't find my old copy, but I found the recipe online. As expected too goopy (flour???) with various things I didn't have.
Here's what I did: threw some frozen caramelized onions (I do this in the crock pot every few months) in the pot with 2 peeled and chopped potatoes. Put in a little of that nutritional yeast. Then covered with water. Simmered for a while. Mashed everything up when done and added salt, some milk, and a can of drained corn. Served with extra sharp cheddar. Oh, and I stirred in a bit of butter, a trick I learned from the great Marcella Hazan.
Soooo good. I hadn't made this vegetarian version in years, having gone over to Ina Garten's with bacon and chicken stock. Hers is even more goopy. I think I am going to return to the simpler vegetarian version. The nutritional yeast has a definite umami effect. We use it on popcorn (a friend calls it hippie dust). You can get it at Whole Foods. Or leave it out, of course.
It's amazing how good a stock potatoes and onions produce. This soup is so cheap to make that it will offset the cost of my dental treatment, at least if I eat it once a week for the next--oh--thirty years.
Is there anyone of a certain age who doesn't have this cookbook somewhere? A mere glance at the cover triggers a wave of nostalgia. Do you still cook anything from it?
Thursday, 7 August 2014
Remember my cookbook?
Back again from our final trip of the summer to the beautiful Berkshires where I reconnected with childhood places and happy memories of my now-gone relatives from Vienna. I continued some of the questioning I began in the Balkans and got more specifics on the dangerous journey undertaken by my grandparents, mother, and others as they escaped Vienna in the late 1930s. Truly, my very existence is a miracle.
I may depart from my blog's original purpose--to spread the gospel of frugality--and turn to more personal matters as I attempt to wrest information from the very few surviving relatives--who themselves remember very little and were greeted with silence about those terrible times.
For the moment though, I am back to frugality. After all, if we weren't frugal we couldn't go to the Balkans to ask questions of Ildi, my mother's cousin's widow. Since I am interested in a return visit, I am once again checking the food ads and making lists of necessary items to search for in thrift stores.
And it is time to make yet another pitch for the cookbook Frugal Son and i put together from Miss Em a few years ago, when she went off with a scholarship that provided a dorm room but not a board card. How to cook with limited resources, no car, a small fridge, and NO STOVE?
Thus was born our little cookbook. I have not really made an effort to market it, but copies sell now and again. And now--after all these years--a review! A good one!
Seriously, get your college student a rice cooker (very cheap), some rice (ditto) and a few other things. This will be a much-appreciated gift. I and my post-college kids (and their friends) use the book all the time. Not just for the stove-free.
I may depart from my blog's original purpose--to spread the gospel of frugality--and turn to more personal matters as I attempt to wrest information from the very few surviving relatives--who themselves remember very little and were greeted with silence about those terrible times.
For the moment though, I am back to frugality. After all, if we weren't frugal we couldn't go to the Balkans to ask questions of Ildi, my mother's cousin's widow. Since I am interested in a return visit, I am once again checking the food ads and making lists of necessary items to search for in thrift stores.
And it is time to make yet another pitch for the cookbook Frugal Son and i put together from Miss Em a few years ago, when she went off with a scholarship that provided a dorm room but not a board card. How to cook with limited resources, no car, a small fridge, and NO STOVE?
Thus was born our little cookbook. I have not really made an effort to market it, but copies sell now and again. And now--after all these years--a review! A good one!
Seriously, get your college student a rice cooker (very cheap), some rice (ditto) and a few other things. This will be a much-appreciated gift. I and my post-college kids (and their friends) use the book all the time. Not just for the stove-free.
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Wednesday, 18 June 2014
A Recipe to Use Your Cheese Rinds: Minestra di Pasta e Cicoria
That sounds better than pasta and greens, doesn't it? I was leafing (Freud1an slip--oops) through a favorite cookbook that has been languishing unused. There I came upon a recipe that is both simple, frugal, uses both my garden greens and the parmesan rinds I brought back from Chicago.
The book is Verdura, by Viana La Place. It features very simple recipes. Like this one. I am too lazy to do the recipe exactly, but I'm sure Viana would agree, since this kind of cooking does not require precision.
--Wash and coarsely chop some greens (recipe calls for 1 large head endive or escarole. I call for kale and chard.)
--Saute 3 cloves garlic and pinch red pepper flakes in 3 TBS olive oil. Do this in soup pot.
--Add 4 cups of water and a little salt and bring to boil.
--Add greens. Stir. Cover.
--A bit later, throw in 1 cup tubetti pasta. (I use whatever I have.)
--Add 2 ounces pecorino romano ends, cut into small chunks. (Needless to say, I'm using my parmesan rinds).
Cook till pasta is done. Serve with grated romano.
The book is Verdura, by Viana La Place. It features very simple recipes. Like this one. I am too lazy to do the recipe exactly, but I'm sure Viana would agree, since this kind of cooking does not require precision.
--Wash and coarsely chop some greens (recipe calls for 1 large head endive or escarole. I call for kale and chard.)
--Saute 3 cloves garlic and pinch red pepper flakes in 3 TBS olive oil. Do this in soup pot.
--Add 4 cups of water and a little salt and bring to boil.
--Add greens. Stir. Cover.
--A bit later, throw in 1 cup tubetti pasta. (I use whatever I have.)
--Add 2 ounces pecorino romano ends, cut into small chunks. (Needless to say, I'm using my parmesan rinds).
Cook till pasta is done. Serve with grated romano.
Wednesday, 4 June 2014
Decluttering the Freezer: Chicken with Preserved Lemons
Another gourmet dish emerges from my almost-no-grocery shopping vow. We have a lemon tree, which last year produced perhaps 200 lb of Meyer lemons. Needless to say, we were very popular with colleagues and neighbors. I FINALLY made preserved lemons, which I've been meaning to do for years. Nabbed this Claudia Roden (LOVE HER BOOKS) recipe from the NPR website.
No lemons next year. Our poor tree almost died in the terrible freeze. The little bit that is left (it looks like one of those hairy dogs after a major haircut, only the "hair" in this case was living matter) got some buds, but they did not set.
We're going to have this on couscous.
Have you ever had preserved lemons?
Claudia Roden's recipe from Arabesque (Knopf, 2005) is my choice for its sheer clarity and sure-footedness.
i
T. Susan Chang for NPR
Makes 4 servings
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, grated or very finely chopped
2 to 3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon crushed saffron threads or saffron powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 chicken, cut up in 8 or 10 pieces
Salt and black pepper
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Peel of 1 large or 2 small preserved lemons
12 to 16 green olives
In a wide casserole or heavy-bottomed pan that can hold all the chicken pieces in one layer, heat the oil and put in the onions. Saute, stirring over low heat, until they soften, then stir in the garlic, saffron and ginger.
Put in the chicken pieces, season with salt and pepper, and pour in about 1 cup water. Simmer, covered, turning the pieces over a few times and adding a little more water if it becomes too dry. Lift out the breasts after about 15 minutes and put them to one side. Continue to cook the remaining pieces for another 25 minutes or so, after which time return the breasts to the pan.
Stir into the sauce the lemon juice, the chopped coriander and parsley, the preserved lemon peel cut into quarters or strips, and the olives. Simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, until the reduced sauce is thick and unctuous. If there is too much liquid, lift out the chicken pieces and set aside while you reduce the sauce further, then return the chicken to the pan and heat through.
Present the chicken on a serving dish with the olives andlemon peel on top of the meat.
No lemons next year. Our poor tree almost died in the terrible freeze. The little bit that is left (it looks like one of those hairy dogs after a major haircut, only the "hair" in this case was living matter) got some buds, but they did not set.
We're going to have this on couscous.
Have you ever had preserved lemons?
Claudia Roden's recipe from Arabesque (Knopf, 2005) is my choice for its sheer clarity and sure-footedness.
iT. Susan Chang for NPR
Makes 4 servings
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, grated or very finely chopped
2 to 3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon crushed saffron threads or saffron powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 chicken, cut up in 8 or 10 pieces
Salt and black pepper
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Peel of 1 large or 2 small preserved lemons
12 to 16 green olives
In a wide casserole or heavy-bottomed pan that can hold all the chicken pieces in one layer, heat the oil and put in the onions. Saute, stirring over low heat, until they soften, then stir in the garlic, saffron and ginger.
Put in the chicken pieces, season with salt and pepper, and pour in about 1 cup water. Simmer, covered, turning the pieces over a few times and adding a little more water if it becomes too dry. Lift out the breasts after about 15 minutes and put them to one side. Continue to cook the remaining pieces for another 25 minutes or so, after which time return the breasts to the pan.
Stir into the sauce the lemon juice, the chopped coriander and parsley, the preserved lemon peel cut into quarters or strips, and the olives. Simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, until the reduced sauce is thick and unctuous. If there is too much liquid, lift out the chicken pieces and set aside while you reduce the sauce further, then return the chicken to the pan and heat through.
Present the chicken on a serving dish with the olives andlemon peel on top of the meat.
Thursday, 29 May 2014
Decluttering the Freezer with Diana Kennedy
Still cleaning out the freezer. It's not empty by any means, but we can kind of move stuff around to see what is in there. What a concept.
Our meals have been quite luxe. Here's a sampling of what we've had since I last reported on my progress. Moroccan chicken and vegetable stew on couscous. Artichoke and mushroom sauce on pasta. Pierogi with sour cream and caramelized onions with red cabbage slaw on the side. Marcella's standby minestrone with those great parmesan rinds we got in Chicago, best souvenir EVER.
And last night, I finally made something that's been on my to-try list for a long time. The mushrooms, onion, and peppers (real poblano--love) were all roasted and in freezer bags. Instead of creme fraiche, I mixed yogurt and ricotta. Cilantro from the garden. I made beans and rice in the rice cooker for a side dish.
The only thing I bought: mix of yellow squash and zucchini, which were (yay!) on sale this week.
All I can say: Diana Kennedy is right.
Our meals have been quite luxe. Here's a sampling of what we've had since I last reported on my progress. Moroccan chicken and vegetable stew on couscous. Artichoke and mushroom sauce on pasta. Pierogi with sour cream and caramelized onions with red cabbage slaw on the side. Marcella's standby minestrone with those great parmesan rinds we got in Chicago, best souvenir EVER.
And last night, I finally made something that's been on my to-try list for a long time. The mushrooms, onion, and peppers (real poblano--love) were all roasted and in freezer bags. Instead of creme fraiche, I mixed yogurt and ricotta. Cilantro from the garden. I made beans and rice in the rice cooker for a side dish.
The only thing I bought: mix of yellow squash and zucchini, which were (yay!) on sale this week.
All I can say: Diana Kennedy is right.
This is my all out favorite dish. Even without the cream and cheese it makes a delicious vegetable side dish and with all the rich things, served in individual gratin dishes, makes a wonderful first course or main vegetarian course. I have modified the cooking method given to me. By cooking the mushrooms separately, the flavor is intensified. The small tender clavitos (Leophyllum decastes) literally "little nails" known as Fried Chicken mushrooms in the U.S., are my preferred mushroom for this recipe, but any small, juicy mushroom may be substituted.
1 pound (450 gms) zucchini or green squash
3 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 heaped tablespoons finely chopped white onion
1 large poblano chile, charred, peeled, cleaned and cut into narrow strips
salt to taste
1/2 pound (225 gms) mushrooms (see note above) rinsed and shaken dry
1/2 cup (125 ml) loosely packed, coarsely chopped cilantro
4 ounces (115 gms) queso fresco or domestic Muenster cut into thin slices
1/2 to 3/4 cup (125-188 ml) crème fraîche
3 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 heaped tablespoons finely chopped white onion
1 large poblano chile, charred, peeled, cleaned and cut into narrow strips
salt to taste
1/2 pound (225 gms) mushrooms (see note above) rinsed and shaken dry
1/2 cup (125 ml) loosely packed, coarsely chopped cilantro
4 ounces (115 gms) queso fresco or domestic Muenster cut into thin slices
1/2 to 3/4 cup (125-188 ml) crème fraîche
Rinse, trim and cut squash into 1/4-inch (3/4 cm) cubes. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil, add the onion and chile strips with a sprinkle of salt and cook without browning for about 1 minute. Add the squash, cover the pan and cook over a medium heat, shaking the pan from time to time to avoid sticking, until the squash is almost tender -about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the mushrooms in the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil, sprinkle with salt and stir fry for about 5 minutes or until the juice that exudes has become almost gelatinous. Add to the squash. Sprinkle the top of the vegetables with the cilantro, cover with cheese and cream. Cover the pan and cook over a gentle heat for about 5 minutes until the cheese has melted.
Excerpted from My Mexico by Diana Kennedy Copyright© 1998 by Diana Kennedy. Excerpted by permission of Clarkson Potter
Tuesday, 21 January 2014
For oatmeal and oat groat eaters: a good deal that ENDS TODAY
Yesterday, I was having one of those "What's it all about?" days common on big birthdays. I was talking to Frugal Son about it. I said that in some ways, it doesn't matter that much if I'm frugal anymore. I'm pretty close to retirement, after all, and just chugging along en route to a frugal one as far as I can tell.
Frugal Son said, "Well, I know how to be frugal and so does Miss Em. Now you need to tell the millions." Haha. I certainly don't reach the millions--or even the thousands--but, in keeping with my belief that a zillion little frugalities over a lifetime ADD UP, here's a little one.
Everywhere you go, you read about the virtues of oats. Mr FS and I eat oat groats almost every day. We get them from Honeyville in 50 lb sacks. We still have a lot left, so we can't take advantage of this. But YOU CAN. 15% off with code FRESH (it's right on the website, so don't worry). $4.49 to ship. They have all sorts of stuff, but the only thing we buy is the steel-cut oats. With the discount, they end up being about $1/lb. We don't have a good source here for bulk foods, so we were happy to find this place.
We cook a potful up every few days, refrigerate, and reheat for breakfast before heading off to work.
A frugal, healthy, timesaving breakfast from Honeyville: the jackpot!
Frugal Son said, "Well, I know how to be frugal and so does Miss Em. Now you need to tell the millions." Haha. I certainly don't reach the millions--or even the thousands--but, in keeping with my belief that a zillion little frugalities over a lifetime ADD UP, here's a little one.
Everywhere you go, you read about the virtues of oats. Mr FS and I eat oat groats almost every day. We get them from Honeyville in 50 lb sacks. We still have a lot left, so we can't take advantage of this. But YOU CAN. 15% off with code FRESH (it's right on the website, so don't worry). $4.49 to ship. They have all sorts of stuff, but the only thing we buy is the steel-cut oats. With the discount, they end up being about $1/lb. We don't have a good source here for bulk foods, so we were happy to find this place.
We cook a potful up every few days, refrigerate, and reheat for breakfast before heading off to work.
A frugal, healthy, timesaving breakfast from Honeyville: the jackpot!
Sunday, 19 January 2014
Dental Decision and A Silly (Frugal!) Recipe
Thanks for all for comments on my dentist distress. Perhaps because of unacknowledged anger on my part, I made the dentist seem awful. In fact, ours was a cordial discussion and at the end the dentist promised that the collection issue would not recur. I feel kind of sorry for the dentist: hers is a small practice and she is a brainy and conscientious woman. She is not surrounded by people of her caliber, however. She probably can't--or isn't willing to--pay for a receptionist/manager with better skills.
Why do I want to continue to see this dentist? She was one of two recommended by my oral surgeon, who has been enriched considerably by the errors, incompetence, and negligence of my previous dentist and her crony, the endodontist. The oral surgeon was loathe to recommend anyone at first ("We work well with all dentists") but relented when I started crying (from constant pain and frustration) in his office!
Some readers recommend I consult Yelp and Angie's List. Interestingly, both my current and former dentists have all positive reviews. The former dentist is noted for her wonderful attitude and beautiful smile. UGH.
Thanks again to all.
As a break from expensive dentistry, I present a weird recipe, which I may try tomorrow. I took the visiting Mr C to Big Lots, where I got stuff for me (with my $15 off $45 coupon!) and a few things for his harried student kitchen. Right by the entrance, I spied a cart filled with bags of potato chips marked down to 10 cents! I don't think I have ever bought potato chips (though I do buy corn chips on occasion), but how could I resist?
When I got home, I did some searching and found this recipe. I have GOT to try it. Would you dare make a frittata with potato chips?
Why do I want to continue to see this dentist? She was one of two recommended by my oral surgeon, who has been enriched considerably by the errors, incompetence, and negligence of my previous dentist and her crony, the endodontist. The oral surgeon was loathe to recommend anyone at first ("We work well with all dentists") but relented when I started crying (from constant pain and frustration) in his office!
Some readers recommend I consult Yelp and Angie's List. Interestingly, both my current and former dentists have all positive reviews. The former dentist is noted for her wonderful attitude and beautiful smile. UGH.
Thanks again to all.
As a break from expensive dentistry, I present a weird recipe, which I may try tomorrow. I took the visiting Mr C to Big Lots, where I got stuff for me (with my $15 off $45 coupon!) and a few things for his harried student kitchen. Right by the entrance, I spied a cart filled with bags of potato chips marked down to 10 cents! I don't think I have ever bought potato chips (though I do buy corn chips on occasion), but how could I resist?
When I got home, I did some searching and found this recipe. I have GOT to try it. Would you dare make a frittata with potato chips?
Potato Chip Omelet
2 SERVINGS
2 SERVINGS
Courtesy of Ferran Adrià originally published in The Family Meal: Home Cooking With Ferran AdriÃ
6 eggs
2¾ oz. salted potato chips
1½ Tbsp. olive oil
2¾ oz. salted potato chips
1½ Tbsp. olive oil
• Break the eggs into a bowl and beat with a balloon whisk until very frothy.
• Add the chips, being careful not to break them, then let soak in the egg for 1 minute.
• Place a 10-inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat, then add 2 teaspoons of oil.
• Pour the mixture into the pan and stir gently with a rubber spatula.
• Use the spatula to loosen the omelet from the edge of the pan.
• After 40 seconds, when the bottom of the omelet has set, cover the omelet with a plate. Hold onto the pan with one hand, then carefully turn the pan over, so that the omelet slides onto the plate.
• Remove the pan and return it to the heat. Add another 2 teaspoons oil.
• Slide the omelet from the plate and into the pan, so that the uncooked side is in contact with the heat. Cook for another 20 seconds.
• Serve the omelet on a plate.
• Add the chips, being careful not to break them, then let soak in the egg for 1 minute.
• Place a 10-inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat, then add 2 teaspoons of oil.
• Pour the mixture into the pan and stir gently with a rubber spatula.
• Use the spatula to loosen the omelet from the edge of the pan.
• After 40 seconds, when the bottom of the omelet has set, cover the omelet with a plate. Hold onto the pan with one hand, then carefully turn the pan over, so that the omelet slides onto the plate.
• Remove the pan and return it to the heat. Add another 2 teaspoons oil.
• Slide the omelet from the plate and into the pan, so that the uncooked side is in contact with the heat. Cook for another 20 seconds.
• Serve the omelet on a plate.
Reprinted with permission from Phaidon Press
Friday, 22 November 2013
I Will Not Be Buying A Bargain Turkey, Or Any Turkey, this Year
Announcement: I will not be buying a turkey this year. This statement is a shocker, no doubt, not only because it is positively un-American to say NO to turkey, but also because the Thanksgiving turkey is the frugalista's friend, providing tons of food for weeks to come at a ridiculous sale price. Why then, why?
First of all, Miss Em is in Serbia. Second, Frugal Son wangled an invite to a friend's house, where he will feast on deep-fried turkey. So Mr FS and I will be solo. This is not an occasion for despair; we communicate with our kids all the time. We used to invite people over, but stopped about five years ago. Guess what? No one EVER invited us over. I'm cool with that.
OK. So why no turkey? Our freezer is stuffed with stuff. Our pantries are full. One store we frequent changed its store brand and had ridiculous sales on the items marked Best Yet, which have now been replaced by Best Choice. We really need to use our stockpile. We don't want to be like our colleague (one we used to invite each year for Thanksgiving): he bought a turkey a year on sale. After Katrina, with no electricity, he donated SEVEN TURKEYS to the Food Bank. I guess that's ok, but I prefer a more gradual approach!
And besides: the best part of Thanksgiving is leftovers. I already have all the fixings for the best of the best leftover choice: gumbo. On Thanksgiving, Mr FS and I will be having turkey and sausage gumbo. When that's gone, I'll make my second favorite leftover meal: pot pie.
I'm hoping that by next year, we will have enough room in the freezer to justify a turkey and its attendant leftovers. Right now, I feel a big burden lifted off my shoulders: the burden of the bargain-priced turkey.
First of all, Miss Em is in Serbia. Second, Frugal Son wangled an invite to a friend's house, where he will feast on deep-fried turkey. So Mr FS and I will be solo. This is not an occasion for despair; we communicate with our kids all the time. We used to invite people over, but stopped about five years ago. Guess what? No one EVER invited us over. I'm cool with that.
OK. So why no turkey? Our freezer is stuffed with stuff. Our pantries are full. One store we frequent changed its store brand and had ridiculous sales on the items marked Best Yet, which have now been replaced by Best Choice. We really need to use our stockpile. We don't want to be like our colleague (one we used to invite each year for Thanksgiving): he bought a turkey a year on sale. After Katrina, with no electricity, he donated SEVEN TURKEYS to the Food Bank. I guess that's ok, but I prefer a more gradual approach!
And besides: the best part of Thanksgiving is leftovers. I already have all the fixings for the best of the best leftover choice: gumbo. On Thanksgiving, Mr FS and I will be having turkey and sausage gumbo. When that's gone, I'll make my second favorite leftover meal: pot pie.
I'm hoping that by next year, we will have enough room in the freezer to justify a turkey and its attendant leftovers. Right now, I feel a big burden lifted off my shoulders: the burden of the bargain-priced turkey.
Monday, 21 October 2013
Stretch Cooking: Tortilla Soup
An obvious stretch from Ina Garten's chicken chili (see previous post).
Tortilla Soup
a few blobs of chicken chili
some stock made from the rotisserie carcass
another small can of tomatoes
some of the kidney beans I made by accident
Voila: soup!
I also added a can of hominy (or try corn), some crumbled chips.
Top with cheddar
Hot sauce to taste
Time: 5 minutes????
I got another idea after I made this. Luckily, I had a bit of chicken chili left. Can you think of something else?
Tortilla Soup
a few blobs of chicken chili
some stock made from the rotisserie carcass
another small can of tomatoes
some of the kidney beans I made by accident
Voila: soup!
I also added a can of hominy (or try corn), some crumbled chips.
Top with cheddar
Hot sauce to taste
Time: 5 minutes????
I got another idea after I made this. Luckily, I had a bit of chicken chili left. Can you think of something else?
Sunday, 20 October 2013
Stretching Your Food: Chicken Chili
I am convinced that getting your food budget under control is the key to financial well-being. Everyone has to eat. I pointed out to Miss Em's friend that he $1500 plane ticket to Serbia (soooo expensive for someone in med school) can be "paid for" by spending $30/week less on food than his classmates. To that end, I email him the good deals from Publix every week.
Another way to save money on food is to stretch it: turn something into something else. This is not a dreary endeavor, based in necessity. It's actually fun and saves a ton of time.
To wit: I had a rotisserie chicken that I ate with the couscous recipe I posted a few days ago. There was a ton of chicken left. So I made Ina Garten's chicken chili.
Chicken Chili
Recipe courtesy Barefoot Contessa Parties!, 2001, All Rights Reserved
Prep Time:15 minInactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time:1 hr 45 min
Level:
Easy
Serves:
6 servings
Ingredients
4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)
1/8 cup good olive oil, plus extra for chicken
1/8 cup minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
2 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for chicken
2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled plum tomatoes in puree, undrained
1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves
4 split chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
Freshly ground black pepper
For serving:
Chopped onions, corn chips, grated cheddar, sour cream
Directions
Cook the onions in the oil over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and salt. Cook for 1 minute. Crush the tomatoes by hand or in batches in a food processor fitted with a steel blade (pulse 6 to 8 times). Add to the pot with the basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked. Let cool slightly. Separate the meat from the bones and skin and cut it into 3/4-inch chunks. Add to the chili and simmer, uncovered, for another 20 minutes. Serve with the toppings, or refrigerate and reheat gently before serving.
Well, of course, mine was easier. Not only did I have the chicken all set, but I threw in chunks of those frozen caramelized onions and bell peppers I'm always haranguing you about. So all I had to do was open canned tomatoes, throw in frozen chunks, add a few spices (omitted basil), and throw in some meat. 10 minutes?
I forgot that this chili was meatless, so I cooked a pound of kidney beans. Oops! Well, there was my side dish.
We've had this twice and there's a fair amount left over. What would you do with it?
P.S. I can't believe how cheap this book is if you buy it used.
Another way to save money on food is to stretch it: turn something into something else. This is not a dreary endeavor, based in necessity. It's actually fun and saves a ton of time.
To wit: I had a rotisserie chicken that I ate with the couscous recipe I posted a few days ago. There was a ton of chicken left. So I made Ina Garten's chicken chili.
Chicken Chili
Recipe courtesy Barefoot Contessa Parties!, 2001, All Rights Reserved
Prep Time:15 minInactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time:1 hr 45 min
Level:
Easy
Serves:
6 servings
Ingredients
4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)
1/8 cup good olive oil, plus extra for chicken
1/8 cup minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
2 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for chicken
2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled plum tomatoes in puree, undrained
1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves
4 split chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
Freshly ground black pepper
For serving:
Chopped onions, corn chips, grated cheddar, sour cream
Directions
Cook the onions in the oil over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and salt. Cook for 1 minute. Crush the tomatoes by hand or in batches in a food processor fitted with a steel blade (pulse 6 to 8 times). Add to the pot with the basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked. Let cool slightly. Separate the meat from the bones and skin and cut it into 3/4-inch chunks. Add to the chili and simmer, uncovered, for another 20 minutes. Serve with the toppings, or refrigerate and reheat gently before serving.
Well, of course, mine was easier. Not only did I have the chicken all set, but I threw in chunks of those frozen caramelized onions and bell peppers I'm always haranguing you about. So all I had to do was open canned tomatoes, throw in frozen chunks, add a few spices (omitted basil), and throw in some meat. 10 minutes?
I forgot that this chili was meatless, so I cooked a pound of kidney beans. Oops! Well, there was my side dish.
We've had this twice and there's a fair amount left over. What would you do with it?
P.S. I can't believe how cheap this book is if you buy it used.
Wednesday, 16 October 2013
Vegetable Couscous: Easy, Fast, Frugal
A friend of Miss Em's who started med school this fall asked what recipes he should have. I said, Forget the recipes. Start by buying 10 cans of beans, 10 cans of tomatoes, and some grains. He listened too!
So I would similarly say to Pseu, seeking a more vegcentric diet, Lucky you in SoCal. Get to Trader Joe's and buy the above. In particular, you can get some canned chickpeas and some couscous. (Not having a TJ's, Miss Em's friend got his from Amazon.)
And this is what you can make. Being lazy I copied this from another blog. She in turn copied it from Jeanne Lemlin's book. The blogger eliminated the little bit of sauteeing oil Lemlin recommends. It adds so much flavor! I say, saute in oil.
Vegetable Couscous
Serves 3 to 4
If couscous is not available, this easy dish can be served over whole grains, such as millet, quinoa, or brown rice.
2 Tbs. water
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 medium Onion, diced
2 tsp. Ground Cumin
½ tsp. Turmeric
1 tsp. Paprika
1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
2 medium Zucchini, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 15-oz. can Chick-peas, rinsed and drained
1 16-oz can Tomatoes, finely chopped, with their juice
½ cup Raisins
1 ½ cups Vegetable stock (or water, with broth powder added after it boils)
½ tsp Salt
1 cup Couscous
Heat the 2 tbsp. water in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the cumin, turmeric, paprika, and cayenne and cook 2 minutes more, stirring often.
Stir in the zucchini, chick-peas, tomatoes, and raisins. Cover the pan and lower the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is tender, about 15 minutes. Add salt to taste.
While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the couscous. Bring the vegetable stock or water to a boil and stir in the salt and the couscous. Cover, remove from heat, and let sit 5 minutes, or for up to 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
Serve the couscous with the vegetable mixture mounded in the center.
Adapted from Quick Vegetarian Pleasures: More than 175 Fast, Delicious, and Healthy Meatless Recipesby Jeanne Lemlin.
If you have some meat eaters, buy a rotisserie chicken for them. DONE!
So I would similarly say to Pseu, seeking a more vegcentric diet, Lucky you in SoCal. Get to Trader Joe's and buy the above. In particular, you can get some canned chickpeas and some couscous. (Not having a TJ's, Miss Em's friend got his from Amazon.)
And this is what you can make. Being lazy I copied this from another blog. She in turn copied it from Jeanne Lemlin's book. The blogger eliminated the little bit of sauteeing oil Lemlin recommends. It adds so much flavor! I say, saute in oil.
Vegetable Couscous
Serves 3 to 4
If couscous is not available, this easy dish can be served over whole grains, such as millet, quinoa, or brown rice.
2 Tbs. water
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 medium Onion, diced
2 tsp. Ground Cumin
½ tsp. Turmeric
1 tsp. Paprika
1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
2 medium Zucchini, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 15-oz. can Chick-peas, rinsed and drained
1 16-oz can Tomatoes, finely chopped, with their juice
½ cup Raisins
1 ½ cups Vegetable stock (or water, with broth powder added after it boils)
½ tsp Salt
1 cup Couscous
Heat the 2 tbsp. water in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the cumin, turmeric, paprika, and cayenne and cook 2 minutes more, stirring often.
Stir in the zucchini, chick-peas, tomatoes, and raisins. Cover the pan and lower the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is tender, about 15 minutes. Add salt to taste.
While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the couscous. Bring the vegetable stock or water to a boil and stir in the salt and the couscous. Cover, remove from heat, and let sit 5 minutes, or for up to 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
Serve the couscous with the vegetable mixture mounded in the center.
Adapted from Quick Vegetarian Pleasures: More than 175 Fast, Delicious, and Healthy Meatless Recipesby Jeanne Lemlin.
If you have some meat eaters, buy a rotisserie chicken for them. DONE!
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Pork and Potato Hash and Some Snippets from Serbia
I want to write about some easy veggie-centric recipes for the busy Pseu, but I MUST GET RID OF THIS PORK. I am sick of it. Here's what I'm having, from another favorite cookbook: Jacque Pepin's Cuisine Economique. Isn't that a great title? This is copied from an appearance in the New York Times.
TOTAL TIME50 minutes
COOK TIME 30 minutes PREP TIME 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 pounds all-purpose potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch slices and washed in cold water
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 pound onions (about 2 medium-size onions), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
A few tablespoons of juice left over from the pork roast, if any remains (see recipe)
3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed and chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
1/3 cup minced scallion (3 to 4 scallions)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
10 to 12 ounces leftover pork roast (see recipe), cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 fried egg, for garnish (optional)
PREPARATION
1.
In a 12-inch nonstick skillet (or 2 smaller nonstick skillets), place the sliced potatoes with the water, onion and juice from the pork roast. Bring to a boil, cover and boil over medium heat for 10 minutes. Then add the garlic, scallion, olive oil, Tabasco, salt, Worcestershire sauce and the leftover pork roast. Mix well and cook, uncovered, stirring over high heat for about 5 minutes.
2.
Most of the moisture will have evaporated by now and the mixture should start to sizzle. Since the hash will begin to stick at this point, use a flat wooden spatula to scrape up the crusty bits sticking in the bottom of the pan and stir them into the uncooked mixture. Continue to cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring every 3 or 4 minutes. The mixture will brown faster in the last 10 minutes of cooking and should then be stirred every 2 or 3 minutes.
3.
At the end of the cooking time, the mixture will stop sticking to the pan. Press on the mixture to make it hold together and fold the solid mass into an oval omelet shape. Invert onto a large platter. Serve immediately as is or with one fried egg on top.
YIELD 6 servings
The book is neat: Pepin explains that his classical French training has been jazzed up by the influence of his Puerto-Rican born wife. Yay Gloria! Love the hot sauce. Another book that can be had for a penny plus shipping.
In the doting mom department: take a look at Miss Em's snippets from Serbia. I think they are charming, but then, I'm biased.
TOTAL TIME50 minutes
COOK TIME 30 minutes PREP TIME 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 pounds all-purpose potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch slices and washed in cold water
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 pound onions (about 2 medium-size onions), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
A few tablespoons of juice left over from the pork roast, if any remains (see recipe)
3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed and chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
1/3 cup minced scallion (3 to 4 scallions)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
10 to 12 ounces leftover pork roast (see recipe), cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 fried egg, for garnish (optional)
PREPARATION
1.
In a 12-inch nonstick skillet (or 2 smaller nonstick skillets), place the sliced potatoes with the water, onion and juice from the pork roast. Bring to a boil, cover and boil over medium heat for 10 minutes. Then add the garlic, scallion, olive oil, Tabasco, salt, Worcestershire sauce and the leftover pork roast. Mix well and cook, uncovered, stirring over high heat for about 5 minutes.
2.
Most of the moisture will have evaporated by now and the mixture should start to sizzle. Since the hash will begin to stick at this point, use a flat wooden spatula to scrape up the crusty bits sticking in the bottom of the pan and stir them into the uncooked mixture. Continue to cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring every 3 or 4 minutes. The mixture will brown faster in the last 10 minutes of cooking and should then be stirred every 2 or 3 minutes.
3.
At the end of the cooking time, the mixture will stop sticking to the pan. Press on the mixture to make it hold together and fold the solid mass into an oval omelet shape. Invert onto a large platter. Serve immediately as is or with one fried egg on top.
YIELD 6 servings
The book is neat: Pepin explains that his classical French training has been jazzed up by the influence of his Puerto-Rican born wife. Yay Gloria! Love the hot sauce. Another book that can be had for a penny plus shipping.
In the doting mom department: take a look at Miss Em's snippets from Serbia. I think they are charming, but then, I'm biased.
Monday, 14 October 2013
Mr FS's Onion Hack: No Tears!
One of Frugal Son's pals from high school is now in medical school. We seldom see him because he's so busy. He graced us with his presence last year. He told me that he learned a lot from me. I said What's the main thing?
Answer: If it's on sale, buy a lot.
In the 80/20 Pareto Principle of food frugality, that's probably most of the 80% right there.
I recently bought 12 pounds of onions for $4.00. I've already written about my main onion hack. (Now that I've used the word hack for the first time, it is probably no longer au courant. Oh well.) My hack: cook the onions with a little oil in your slow cooker, creating a facsimile of caramelized onions, which you freeze and use--in broken-off pieces--in many recipes. What a time saver! P.S. We slow cook onions on our front porch because they SMELL terrible.
Now Mr FS has a hack of his own. On a recent walk, Mr FS picked up a box fan. He said: I bet I can chop the onions on the porch and set the fan to blow AWAY from me, thereby minimizing tears. Reader: it worked. He chopped SIX POUNDS with nary a tear!
Now the onions are cooking away outside and I probably won't have to chop an onion for a month--maybe more.
Do you have an onion hack?
Answer: If it's on sale, buy a lot.
In the 80/20 Pareto Principle of food frugality, that's probably most of the 80% right there.
I recently bought 12 pounds of onions for $4.00. I've already written about my main onion hack. (Now that I've used the word hack for the first time, it is probably no longer au courant. Oh well.) My hack: cook the onions with a little oil in your slow cooker, creating a facsimile of caramelized onions, which you freeze and use--in broken-off pieces--in many recipes. What a time saver! P.S. We slow cook onions on our front porch because they SMELL terrible.
Now Mr FS has a hack of his own. On a recent walk, Mr FS picked up a box fan. He said: I bet I can chop the onions on the porch and set the fan to blow AWAY from me, thereby minimizing tears. Reader: it worked. He chopped SIX POUNDS with nary a tear!
Now the onions are cooking away outside and I probably won't have to chop an onion for a month--maybe more.
Do you have an onion hack?
Sunday, 13 October 2013
Quick Vegetarian Pleasures: Fast, Easy, Good, FRUGAL
Pseu of the wonderful blog wants a more plant-based diet. What to cook? Her readers are suggesting wonderful things, but, of course, I think my suggestion is the best: a book by Jeanne Lemlin, Quick Vegetarian Pleasures. I have more than 200 cookbooks (ummmmm...what's my excuse? I like to read them....) and this is one of my most used. In fact, I have backups for my children.
Lemlin should be better known than she is. Her recipes are indeed QUICK. They generally can be made with stuff you have around, so cheap. They always come out (not true of many cookbooks--nothing is more enraging to the frugal heart than wasting food).
The book just happened to be open on my desk. That is because I made a sauce a few days ago. It's for tortellini, but I used ravioli (beef-filled, actually. Sorry Jeanne). Here's the sauce: saute 4-6 scallions in a little butter. Add 2 chopped tomatoes (Jeanne says fresh, but I used diced, canned). Stir for a bit. Turn off. Add 2/3 cup sour cream, 2 TBS parmesan. Serve on pasta.
See what I mean? This recipe was first made by my daughter, Miss Em, in the dreary days post-Hurricane Katrina. We had no power. Our place of employ did, so we went back to work. Miss Em's friends had fled to nicer places. Her school was closed. She came to work with us each day. To mark time--and to get her mind off the Red Cross food we ate--she went through cookbooks and marked her favorite recipes. The next summer, she visited her beloved grandfather and cooked for him!
Here another with a sticky Miss Em note: polenta with spicy eggplant sauce. Here are some I've made: fettuccine margherita, rice, broccoli and feta cheese saute, Mexican red beans and rice.
The author lives in Great Barrington, MA, a wonderful town that I visit every summer. It has good, but not great grocery shopping. So you really can make most of these from supermarket ingredients. And the book can be had for a mere penny plus shipping. How crazy is that?
All her books are good, nay, great.
Lemlin should be better known than she is. Her recipes are indeed QUICK. They generally can be made with stuff you have around, so cheap. They always come out (not true of many cookbooks--nothing is more enraging to the frugal heart than wasting food).
The book just happened to be open on my desk. That is because I made a sauce a few days ago. It's for tortellini, but I used ravioli (beef-filled, actually. Sorry Jeanne). Here's the sauce: saute 4-6 scallions in a little butter. Add 2 chopped tomatoes (Jeanne says fresh, but I used diced, canned). Stir for a bit. Turn off. Add 2/3 cup sour cream, 2 TBS parmesan. Serve on pasta.
See what I mean? This recipe was first made by my daughter, Miss Em, in the dreary days post-Hurricane Katrina. We had no power. Our place of employ did, so we went back to work. Miss Em's friends had fled to nicer places. Her school was closed. She came to work with us each day. To mark time--and to get her mind off the Red Cross food we ate--she went through cookbooks and marked her favorite recipes. The next summer, she visited her beloved grandfather and cooked for him!
Here another with a sticky Miss Em note: polenta with spicy eggplant sauce. Here are some I've made: fettuccine margherita, rice, broccoli and feta cheese saute, Mexican red beans and rice.
The author lives in Great Barrington, MA, a wonderful town that I visit every summer. It has good, but not great grocery shopping. So you really can make most of these from supermarket ingredients. And the book can be had for a mere penny plus shipping. How crazy is that?
All her books are good, nay, great.
Saturday, 20 April 2013
Cheap, Easy,Good: Italian Sausage Soup
I love having financial goals (beside the ever-present retirement), so I have been flexing my frugal muscles in order to squirrel aside some cash IN CASE FRUGAL SON finds a HOUSE. Also, grading season is upon me, so time is shorter than usual.
As always, I act on the belief that keeping food costs down is key to frugality, at least my frugality. From a wonderful cookbook.
Italian Sausage Soup
1. Cook 1 lb sausage--either take out of casings or use bulk. Remove as much fat as you want.
2. Remove meat from pan and saute 4 chopped celery stalks, 1 chopped onion, and some garlic in the fat.
3. Add 4 cups water and the sausage. Cook for a while.
4. Put some crusty bread in each bowl and top with some parmesan.
The writer suggests some add-ins. I added in chopped carrots, a can of drained chickpeas, and some greens from my garden. Spinach--even frozen--would be good also.
The neat trick with the soup is that the sausage essentially creates its own stock. I LOVE this cookbook!
As always, I act on the belief that keeping food costs down is key to frugality, at least my frugality. From a wonderful cookbook.
Italian Sausage Soup
1. Cook 1 lb sausage--either take out of casings or use bulk. Remove as much fat as you want.
2. Remove meat from pan and saute 4 chopped celery stalks, 1 chopped onion, and some garlic in the fat.
3. Add 4 cups water and the sausage. Cook for a while.
4. Put some crusty bread in each bowl and top with some parmesan.
The writer suggests some add-ins. I added in chopped carrots, a can of drained chickpeas, and some greens from my garden. Spinach--even frozen--would be good also.
The neat trick with the soup is that the sausage essentially creates its own stock. I LOVE this cookbook!
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Potato Pickle Soup is Good!
A few days ago, I asked for opinions of this (to me) weird sounding concoction. I made it a few days ago, and it is GOOD. The whole pot probably cost less than $1.00. I had some potatoes I bought cheaply for Thanksgiving (ditto the carrots). We had scallions in the garden. Frugal Son bought a big jar of pickles for $1.00.
So this is yet one more incarnation of one of my favorite food categories: the food of the poor. How wonderful to think of Polish peasants--cold and damp, craving SOMETHING tasty in the winter--making this stone soup.
This is definitely comfort food.
P.S. I left out the dill because I didn't have any.
4 large Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes (skins intact)
1 large carrot, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 sprigs fresh dill (leaves only), chopped
4 half-sour pickles, chopped
1 cup pickling liquid from the jar of half-sours
Salt and pepper, to taste
1. In a pot just large enough to accommodate them in a single layer, fit the potatoes and carrots. Add enough cold water to just cover them. Bring to a boil, cover with the lid, and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a skewer.
2. In a soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the scallions, garlic, and mustard seeds. Cook gently, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until the garlic is soft and fragrant but not colored.
3. With a slotted spoon, transfer the carrots to the scallion mixture; set aside.
4. Remove the potatoes from their cooking liquid (set the liquid aside). When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slip off their skins. Quarter the potatoes and return them to the potato water. Sprinkle with dill. With the edge of a wooden spoon, chop and mash the potatoes. There should be lots of potato chunks, none very large.
5. Tip the potato mixture into the carrot mixture. Add the pickles and pickling liquid. Bring to a simmer, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
6. If the soup is too thick for your taste, add a little more pickling liquid, or milk or water. Taste for seasoning, add salt and plenty of pepper. - Adapted from John Thorne
I LOVE Thorne's writing. This is his first book.
So this is yet one more incarnation of one of my favorite food categories: the food of the poor. How wonderful to think of Polish peasants--cold and damp, craving SOMETHING tasty in the winter--making this stone soup.
This is definitely comfort food.
P.S. I left out the dill because I didn't have any.
4 large Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes (skins intact)
1 large carrot, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 sprigs fresh dill (leaves only), chopped
4 half-sour pickles, chopped
1 cup pickling liquid from the jar of half-sours
Salt and pepper, to taste
1. In a pot just large enough to accommodate them in a single layer, fit the potatoes and carrots. Add enough cold water to just cover them. Bring to a boil, cover with the lid, and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a skewer.
2. In a soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the scallions, garlic, and mustard seeds. Cook gently, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until the garlic is soft and fragrant but not colored.
3. With a slotted spoon, transfer the carrots to the scallion mixture; set aside.
4. Remove the potatoes from their cooking liquid (set the liquid aside). When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slip off their skins. Quarter the potatoes and return them to the potato water. Sprinkle with dill. With the edge of a wooden spoon, chop and mash the potatoes. There should be lots of potato chunks, none very large.
5. Tip the potato mixture into the carrot mixture. Add the pickles and pickling liquid. Bring to a simmer, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
6. If the soup is too thick for your taste, add a little more pickling liquid, or milk or water. Taste for seasoning, add salt and plenty of pepper. - Adapted from John Thorne
I LOVE Thorne's writing. This is his first book.
Thursday, 13 December 2012
Would You Try Polish Potato Pickle Soup?
Here is what I'm dying to cook. I can't (due to overabundance of food from Frugal Son that needs to be used up). It sounds so interesting, plus this particular version is courtesy of my favorite food writer John Thorne. Does it sound good to you? I am of 100% East European descent, so that perhaps accounts for my inexplicable yearning.
4 large Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes (skins intact)
1 large carrot, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 sprigs fresh dill (leaves only), chopped
4 half-sour pickles, chopped
1 cup pickling liquid from the jar of half-sours
Salt and pepper, to taste
1. In a pot just large enough to accommodate them in a single layer, fit the potatoes and carrots. Add enough cold water to just cover them. Bring to a boil, cover with the lid, and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a skewer.
2. In a soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the scallions, garlic, and mustard seeds. Cook gently, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until the garlic is soft and fragrant but not colored.
3. With a slotted spoon, transfer the carrots to the scallion mixture; set aside.
4. Remove the potatoes from their cooking liquid (set the liquid aside). When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slip off their skins. Quarter the potatoes and return them to the potato water. Sprinkle with dill. With the edge of a wooden spoon, chop and mash the potatoes. There should be lots of potato chunks, none very large.
5. Tip the potato mixture into the carrot mixture. Add the pickles and pickling liquid. Bring to a simmer, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
6. If the soup is too thick for your taste, add a little more pickling liquid, or milk or water. Taste for seasoning, add salt and plenty of pepper. - Adapted from John Thorne
P.S. I love how the recipe uses part of the pickle liquid!
This book by Thorne was my first read after I turned in grades for teh semester. Pure bliss!
4 large Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes (skins intact)
1 large carrot, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 sprigs fresh dill (leaves only), chopped
4 half-sour pickles, chopped
1 cup pickling liquid from the jar of half-sours
Salt and pepper, to taste
1. In a pot just large enough to accommodate them in a single layer, fit the potatoes and carrots. Add enough cold water to just cover them. Bring to a boil, cover with the lid, and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a skewer.
2. In a soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the scallions, garlic, and mustard seeds. Cook gently, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until the garlic is soft and fragrant but not colored.
3. With a slotted spoon, transfer the carrots to the scallion mixture; set aside.
4. Remove the potatoes from their cooking liquid (set the liquid aside). When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slip off their skins. Quarter the potatoes and return them to the potato water. Sprinkle with dill. With the edge of a wooden spoon, chop and mash the potatoes. There should be lots of potato chunks, none very large.
5. Tip the potato mixture into the carrot mixture. Add the pickles and pickling liquid. Bring to a simmer, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
6. If the soup is too thick for your taste, add a little more pickling liquid, or milk or water. Taste for seasoning, add salt and plenty of pepper. - Adapted from John Thorne
P.S. I love how the recipe uses part of the pickle liquid!
This book by Thorne was my first read after I turned in grades for teh semester. Pure bliss!
Friday, 7 December 2012
How to Pay for that Handbag: Thai Chicken Soup with Rice
It's probably obvious what my "financial philosophy" (if that's not too grandiose a term) is: sweat the small stuff so you can have the big stuff. Some people do it the other way. Unless you are a very high earner or low desirer, you have to do it one way or the other.
How am I going to pay for my chosen handbag (or maybe two)? Even though they were on sale, they range from $90 (for a fourth candidate en route) to $250! Well, as usual, I seek to minimize my daily expenses, figuring that eventually the money I save will add up to whatever it is I want.
My latest candidate for FOOD THAT COULD BE FROM A RESTAURANT, BUT IS CHEAP. Not to mention easy. Red Curry Chicken and Rice Soup. it is from a wonderful cookbook by Leslie Revsin. She was a well-known chef who put together a cookbook for her busy daughter.
1. Cut about a pound of chicken breasts into bite-size pieces and saute in a little oil. Remove.
2. Saute chopped onion and a few sliced carrots till done. Add 2 TBS Thai curry paste.
3. Add 1 can of coconut milk and 1 can chicken broth. Simmer for around 15 minutes.
4. Add 1/3 cup rice. Cook 10 minutes. Add the chicken and cook till rice is done, around 10 minutes.
I made this last night and it was very rich. Cheaper than a Thai restaurant.
Perhaps my other mission in life--aside from spreading the joys of frugality--involves spreading the word about lesser-known cookbooks. Everyone has heard of Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. Have you heard of Leslie Revsin?
How am I going to pay for my chosen handbag (or maybe two)? Even though they were on sale, they range from $90 (for a fourth candidate en route) to $250! Well, as usual, I seek to minimize my daily expenses, figuring that eventually the money I save will add up to whatever it is I want.
My latest candidate for FOOD THAT COULD BE FROM A RESTAURANT, BUT IS CHEAP. Not to mention easy. Red Curry Chicken and Rice Soup. it is from a wonderful cookbook by Leslie Revsin. She was a well-known chef who put together a cookbook for her busy daughter.
1. Cut about a pound of chicken breasts into bite-size pieces and saute in a little oil. Remove.
2. Saute chopped onion and a few sliced carrots till done. Add 2 TBS Thai curry paste.
3. Add 1 can of coconut milk and 1 can chicken broth. Simmer for around 15 minutes.
4. Add 1/3 cup rice. Cook 10 minutes. Add the chicken and cook till rice is done, around 10 minutes.
I made this last night and it was very rich. Cheaper than a Thai restaurant.
Perhaps my other mission in life--aside from spreading the joys of frugality--involves spreading the word about lesser-known cookbooks. Everyone has heard of Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. Have you heard of Leslie Revsin?
Monday, 3 December 2012
5 Ingredients, 5 Minutes=Soup
Too good for College Students only. So--for all the frazzled people out there, whether your frazzlement is due to school, work, holidays, etc. From my hero Andrew Schloss. This is also very cheap, so you can put your savings towards either necessities or desires.
"RECIPE"
1. 15 oz can of broth
2. 15 oz can of black beans (or any beans) drained
3. 15 oz can of tomatoes
4. 7 oz instant black beans** (these can be expensive--so why not just use another can of beans and mash with fork OR a can of refried beans?)
5. hot sauce
Combine in your rice cooker OR a pot (if you have a stove). Add 1 can of water. I would guess you could also put in a bowl and microwave. Heat up. Let sit a minute to let flavors develop.
This makes enough for 4 servings.
"RECIPE"
1. 15 oz can of broth
2. 15 oz can of black beans (or any beans) drained
3. 15 oz can of tomatoes
4. 7 oz instant black beans** (these can be expensive--so why not just use another can of beans and mash with fork OR a can of refried beans?)
5. hot sauce
Combine in your rice cooker OR a pot (if you have a stove). Add 1 can of water. I would guess you could also put in a bowl and microwave. Heat up. Let sit a minute to let flavors develop.
This makes enough for 4 servings.
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