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Post by tigerlily on Jul 2, 2009 21:34:31 GMT
Spaghetti Carbonara is easy to do, too.
You can use a couple of snipped-up bacon rashers, or you can find little packets of bacon chunks in Lidl or Aldi (they even do a lower-fat version, and it comes in two little 75 g containers which is just about right for one or two).
So.
Put some water on to boil. When it comes to a rolling boil, add your pasta. Cook till it sticks to the wall or you can bite through it but it still has some 'bite' to it (al dente).
While the pasta is cooking, chop up a small onion and fry it in a teaspoon or so of olive oil along with the bacon. Sprinkle in some Italian seasoning and/or some garlic pepper - a couple of shakes.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it and return it the cooking pan. Add about an ounce or so of grated cheese (any kind will do, not necessarily parmesan) and mix it in well. Then, break an egg into the cheesy pasta, add the bacon and onion mixture and stir like billy-oh, spreading the egg and bacon all through the pasta.
Serve!
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Post by Murphy Slaw on Jul 3, 2009 16:20:03 GMT
Here's a couple of my cheap and easy recipes which always go down well. Great in winter but just as good on a cool summer evening when you're having one of your regular "At Homes" ( everyone piles round to your's after the pub)
Make in advance and freeze.
Murph's pea and ham soup.
1 packet of dried peas. About 50p. Follow instructions and soak overnight. Dunking them in hot water speeds this up.
One of those cheap ham joints or a bag of bacon offcuts (available from your butcher, deffo the best). Couple of quid, chop into small chunks.
Boil peas and ham together. Add a couple of chicken stock cubes per pint of water. Couple of bay leaves if you have them.
DON'T add any salt yet, Should be plenty in the bacon.
After about an hour and the peas are turning to mush add some black pepper and taste.
If you think it needs a "certain something" and you can't quite figure out what. Peas taste a little dry or something add a teaspoon of sugar. (it's essential in plain mushy peas but the meat flavours usualy do the job in soup)
Thin down with some more chicken stock so you can dunk thick crusty bread in it.
You should get about 4 pints of soup for 3 to 4 quid.
Mushroom soup
This one is even cheaper if you shop right.
Loads of mushrooms. The big punnets of "value" type ones particularly at the end of their shelf life go for buttons. I got 2 for a quid.
Couple of packets of cheap mushroom soup for stock about 40p each. If you're feeling flush a tin of condensed soup is just as good
Sort through the mushrooms. You need about half of them to be reasonable shape for slicing but it's not important.
Chop and fry the larger untidy mushrooms in a little oil with a dash of garlic.
Make up one packet of soup.
Add the cooked mushrooms to the soup and whizz up. Add more packet soup to get the consistency you need.
Slice the remaining mushrooms and fry in a little oil.
Add to the whizzed mixture.
Add a teaspoon or so of english mustard. ( It's not optional it's a must)
Season .
6 to 8 good helpings for £2
Crusty bread.. what else?
Main courses later. After the fish, obviously
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Post by Nev Afear on Jul 3, 2009 18:51:25 GMT
I'm gonna have to start printing all these off. Don't know if this has been done but maybe you should all do a TOGs cheap cookbook and flog it for C.i.N.
I reckon it'd be a seller!
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Post by sarah on Jul 3, 2009 21:09:14 GMT
I reckon so Nev keep them coming folks please. xx (what a great thread)
xx
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Post by Murphy Slaw on Jul 3, 2009 21:12:46 GMT
I reckon so Nev keep them coming folks please. xx (what a great thread) xx And tell the world what a cheapskate I really am?
hey ho
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Post by Murphy Slaw on Jul 12, 2009 16:07:00 GMT
A couple of weeks ago I was wandering through Tesco, not my shop of choice btw, when I saw their value lamb mince.
It's lamb and mutton mince. Sells for around a pound a pound.
It's got plenty of flavour and with very little effort can produce a tasty and cheap meal.
This one's a variation on one served to me by Nick O'Time some years ago.
You'll need
Lamb mince. Tinned tomatoes Chick peas Onion garam masala Garlic chillies Ginger
**Top tips
Chick peas. You can use a tin but as they come dried at about 50p a silo why bother. Soak cook and freeze.
Garam masala. Morrisons do a brand called East End. Bag of 100g less than a quid. There's always the spice stall on Norwich market too.
Garlic, ginger and chillies. Morrisons do jars of crushed/ minced at about a quid a jar. Brand name Nishaan
The jars keep well in the fridge and are essential in my kitchen now**
Dry fry the mince. The mutton can be fatty. Drain off fat and put to one side.
Fry onion in a little oil or fat from mince and add spices
Add mince , tomatoes and chick peas.
Allow to fester over a slow heat. Add liquid to keep it moist. Lamb stock( from cube) or for extra richness tomato juice ( Lidl 85p a litre. Put half of carton in pint pot with a dash of tabaso and some worcesterrerershire sauce and drink as part of your 5 a day)
With a bit of stirring and watching you should end up with a fairly dry concotion which can be served with naan bread, noodles or rice. I've found it very well received by popping a good dollop into pitta bread pockets.
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