(This post has been sponsored by a provider of motor traders insurance who specialise in classic cars. I'm interested in what they do as I love old cars and would happily go any buy one but worry about the logistics of getting insurance cover for one. DB and I both love the original Minis and don't think much at all of the new ones. Those iconic small cars were easy to find in our teens and early years of driving and my first memory of DB was of him tearing up the streets of Bath in his. I'm impressed with the service and range of insurances offered by Footman James and knowing what I know now, wouldn't hesitate in buying an old mini, travelling around Europe in it and reliving scenes from the Italian job! As I said, this post is sponsored and they can save you money insuring your classic cars and I can save you money by helping you cook classic recipes)
Hello Dear Reader,
As promised it's the start of 'Just do with what I have July'. I'm going to be sharing the deepest shades of frugal cooking to use up what I have. I cooked on Sunday and we're still eating pasties, scotch eggs, bolognaise sauce which can be made into lasagne or just served with pasta. I always make it go further by having it with green beans or sauted courgette strips or just a salad.
We make our own bread and even frugallers like us have some spare bread every now and then. I simply place a few slices in the food processor and wizz up some bread crumbs. These little bits of leftovers can make a real difference when I cook.
Scotch eggs - You will need: 1 pack of sausage meat, one bowl of homemade breadcrumbs, one beaten egg, 6 hard boiled eggs with shells removed.
1. Roll out your sausage meat on a floured board.
2. Cut into six squares
3. Place one egg on each square and bring the sausage meat up around the egg and mould until even.
4. Roll in beaten egg
5. Roll in bread crumbs and pat some on to give a crispy coating.
6. Spray with fry light or any sprayable oil and bake in a medium oven for 15 - 20 minutes. Turn so crispy all over.
Fish Cakes - You will need - any fish - look out from frozen 'white' fish in the value section - check the back if it says Pollock, usually from Alaska, then it's a great fish. Either microwave on low for a few minutes until cooked or steam. Mashed potato, some parsley or even cooked leeks and mix the lot together. Roll in beaten egg and then roll in bread crumbs. It makes a small amount of fish go a long way. It's also a great way of hiding fish and veggies from children. To cook - either fry in shallow oil or spray with frylight or something similar and bake for 15-20 minutes in a hot oven. Serve with roasted veg or salad or even a mixture of seasonal steamed veggies. Dear Reader, I've even used just one small tin of tuna and it will make several fish cakes.
Cheesey vegetables with a crispy coating. - You will need any cooked chunky vegetables such as butternut squash, carrots, onions, parsnips, courgettes then some steamed leeks, or cauliflower or green beans, all tipped into an oven proof dish. Make up a cheese sauce and stir into the vegetables. Use your breadcrumbs to form a crumble on top, stir some grated cheese, black pepper and mixed herbs through the breadcrumbs and sprinkle quite a thick layer on top. If you can pick any chicken from the left overs or some cooked sausages and chop those up to mix in with the vegetables, then it will make a bit of protein go a long way. Cook in a hot oven until the cheese sauce bubbles through the crumble and the top is crispy. Again, I give this a spray with frylight
Pancakes! I love them and usually use them in savoury recipes. They are easy to make and can be separated with greaseproof paper, made in advance and heated in a medium oven on a plate covered in foil.
Pancakes - Here is what you'll need - 250ml milk (don't have a measuring jug? - weigh 250g of milk) 2 medium eggs, 110g of plain flour and a pinch of salt. I use my stick blender for this and put the lot in a very high sided big jug and blitz until blended. If I have my food processor out, then I'll use that. If you make the batter mix in advance, the gluten strands will improve and you will make better pancakes. I sometimes make the batter a day in advance.
Here are some ideas of what you can do with your pancakes.
Left over bolognaise sauce - a spoonful in each pancake, roll and place in an oven proof dish - cover with a cheese sauce and bake in a hot oven for 20 - 30 minutes.
Spicy chick peas and butternut squash - Peel and chop one butternut squash, one onion and one courgette. Spray with oil and bake (I use my mini oven) for 20-30 minutes. In that time, make a cheese sauce or a tomato sauce. Open a tin of chick peas and drain. Combine the squash, onion and courgettes with the tin of chick peas, stir in any of your spice stir fry sauces that you bought in bulk from approved foods. You could use a supermarket value brand curry sauce or some harrisa paste and a tub of passata to make a sauce. Place a spoon full on each pancake, roll, cover in a cheese or tomato sauce and bake in a hot oven.
Any leftovers can be put into a pancake, such as left over roast chicken, some boiled and chopped gammon, if you defrosted too much fish or you have some left over cooked vegetables. I would mix with a cheesy sauce and then cover it all with a tomato based sauce or the other way round and mix the leftovers with a tomato based sauce and cover with a cheesy sauce. I will be making quite a few pancakes as I have a lot of flour and there won't be much meat so this is a good way to make vegetables interesting.
Finally, homemade bread. I can (and do) buy bread flour from Lidl or Aldi for about 60p a bag and can make four loaves for that in my bread machine. If you have a bread machine, then this is the time to dust it off, find the instructions of use Google to find the instructions and make your own bread. I want to know who does and if it saves you any money.
These classic money saving recipes might seem very weekday and boring but having a few 'go to' staples in your repertoire saves a fortune as it will use up the most basic ingredients and make a tasty supper at a low price. Here's another classic of veggie lasagne for you to peruse or even try.
Over to you Dear Reader, give me some more ideas for breadcrumbs. I never throw a crust away and I never waste any food if I can possibly help it. More savoury pancake ideas please. I would love to hear from anyone who has started to 'Just do with what I have'. I look forward to hearing from you all.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxx
This is a sponsored post and I have been sent a supermarket voucher for this.
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