Wild Mushroom Risotto

A lovely creamy risotto now. Risotto can seem a bit daunting as you need to look after it while cooking, but it really is easy and in 20 minutes you can have a dish to drool over!

Most supermarkets do small packets of wild mushrooms now, for example, Tesco do Igda Dried Wild Porcini Mushroom 25g Clip Strip at £1.59.

As I love wild mushrooms, I bought a huge jar from Costco for about £8 but it has already lasted me 6 months and I'm not even halfway through it yet.

For the chicken stock you can used premade (expensive), stock cubes (cheap) or the chicken stock you made from the previous recipe (free).

Prices from Tesco
Serves 3-4

Arborio risotto rice	300g	£1.08
Chicken stock	1.5l	£0.50
Banana shallot finely chopped (or 2 small round shallots)	1	£0.50
Chestnut mushrooms (regular will do)	200g	£0.98
Parmesan	100g	£1.46
Parsley, finely chopped	handful	£0.79
Dried Wild Mushrooms	10g	£1.00
Garlic, chopped	2 cloves	£0.10
Rocket	1 bunch/bag	£1.00
	Total	£7.41
Herbs & Seasonings: olive oil, butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper, sprig of rosemary optional: truffle oil

Soak 10g of wild mushroom in hot water in a cup for at least 15 minutes.

Heat the stock in a saucepan, it doesn't need to be boiling, just hot.

Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a large frying pan and add the rosemary, shallot and garlic, frying gently until the onion is soft.

Wash the rice to remove excess starch and add to the pan and coat with the oil, then cook for a few minutes until transluscent.

Add the dried mushrooms and the liquid they were soaked in, together with a ladle of stock (1/2 cup) and cook until the liquid is almost completely absorbed.

Keep adding the stock a ladle at a time in this way until the rice is cooked (should just have a touch of "bite" left in it.

Add the parsley and 1 tsp lemon juice and stir in well.

Meanwhile, melt a knob of butter in a pan and fry the chestnut mushrooms for about 5 minutes, then add them to the rice.

Remove the rice from the heat, add almost all the parmesan and another knob of butter and stir it all together, making the risotto really creamy.

For a final touch, stir in a few drops of truffle oil just before serving. Truffle oil is expensive but adds another dimension to a dish like this.

Mix the rocket with the remaining parmesan in a bowl, arrange on a plate and serve the risotto on top.

Baked Tomato Mackerel

Mackerel is such a cheap and tasty fish, easy to prepare in many different ways, yet few people take the time to do so.

It's an oily fish, so is best suited to baking, roasting or frying, full of healthy omega-3 oils and a sustainable resource.

Don't worry about bones, if you get your fishmonger to fillet the fish for you, or buy a pre-packed 4 fillet pack like the one priced below from Tesco, you won't notice any.

Prices from Tesco
Serves 2

Tomatoes, desseded and diced	2	£0.30
Medium onion	1	£0.18
mackerel fillets, cut in half diagonally	2	£3.49
salad leaves (your choice)	1 bag	£1.00
homemade chips	£0.69	£1.00
	Total	£5.63
Herbs & Seasonings: olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, paprika, red wine vinegar 2 sprigs of Thyme, or 1 tsp thyme

Preheat the oven to 170°C

Mix together the tomatoes, onion, thyme, vinegar and 2 tbsp of olive oil.

Spread the mixture in the bottom of a roasting dish.

Season the mackerel fillets with salt and pepper, a pinch of paprika and 1 tsp lemon juice and arrange on top of the tomato mixture.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove foil and bake for a further 5 minutes.

Serve immediately with fresh-made chips (see previous post) and salad of choice.

Blackened Cajun Potato Wedges

These go down well every time. So simple. So tasty!

I make my own blackened cajun spice mix, but just use your own favourite off-the-shelf version. (Shwartz is pretty good).

Preheat the oven to 190°C

Cost : about £0.50 per person.

Use 3 small to medium potatoes per person and cut ito 6 wedges per potato (into half, then each half into 3), or with small potato cut into half lengthways then half again lengthways.

In a large bowl place 1 tbsp olive oil per person and toss the wedges in it, coating them well.

Sprinkle in 1 tbsp blackened cajun spice mix per person and toss the wedges well, again ensuring an even coating.

Cook on a baking tray in the oven for 20 minutes, turning halfway through.

If anyone wants my cajun spice recipe, let me know and I'll post it here.

Home Made Chips

Come on! Nobody likes oven chips!

They're coated with so many chemicals that it's just not worth the risk - apart from the fact that they taste crap!

If you're put off by the frying then try the cajun potato wedges that I posted earlier, without the cajun seasoning, but nothing really beats home meade chips.

Ingredients : 2 large potatoes per person

peel and wash the potatoes then cut into chip-sized pieces - this depends on your preference.

Heat some oil in a pan and drop in a small cube of bread. When the bread begins to brown, add the chips and cook for 6 minutes. If using a deep fat fryer, heat the oil to 160°C.

Remove chips and place on kitchen towel to drain.

Heat the oil further and drop in a small piece of onion. When the onion begins to brown, put the chips back in the oil and cook for 2-3 minutes, until they become a nice golden brown. If using a deep fat fryer heat the oil to 190°C.

Drain on kitchen paper, add salt, pepper and vinegar to taste.

Lamb Kleftiko

A warming Greek stew is great for these cold winter evenings...

Tesco prices today.

Serves 4

Lamb Half Shoulder	1.2kg	£5.98
Lemon, cut into wedges	1	£0.30
Large potatoes, quartered	4	£0.69
Cherry tomatoes	2-3	0.50
	Total	£7.47
Seasonings: olive oil, cinnamon, oregano, sea salt, bay leaf, salt, pepper

Preheat the oven to 150°C

Rub the lamb all over with the lemon wedges, then place the lamb and wedges into a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the potato quarters and cherry tomatoes the sprinkle over 1 tsp of oregano and a pinch of cinnamon. Mix all the ingredients together.

Take a sheet of baking foil about 3' (1m) in length and place in a casserole dish.

Pour the contents of the mixing bowl into the casserole dish and fold the edges of the foil around it, sealing it together at the top to form a parcel.

Cook in the oven for 2-3 hours, until the meat is tender and falls off the bone when pressed lightly with a fork.

When ready, allow to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

Pasta Bolognese

Now here's one that's far too cheap and easy for 2 people.

You can use any type of pasta, if you don't want to buy a different type, use the tagliatelle from the previous recipe. I used fusilli for this recipe.

Somerfield's prices today.

Minced Beef	1lb	£1
Onion	1 medium	£0.10
Tin Chopped Tomatoes	400g	£0.15
Cheese (red leicester, cheddar, wensleydale, your choice)	75g	1.25
Tomato Puree, Worcester Sauce	1tbsp each
1 cup pasta		£0.50
salt, pepper, herbs, olive oil
	Total	£3.00

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan and add the minced beef. Season with a pinch each of salt and pepper.

Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so until the mince is browned, then pour into a colander, draining off the liquid which has formed.

Finely dice an onion, place 1 tbsp of olive oil in the pan, 1 bay leaf, a sprinkling of oregano, basil or mixed herbs, and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until the onions have softened.

Add the mince back to the pan and stir well, then add the tin of chopped tomatoes, 1 tbsp of worcester sauce and 1 tbsp of tomato puree (or use 1.5 tbs of ketchup in place of the worcester sauce and tomato puree).

Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions (usually boil a large pan of salted water, add the pasta and simmer for 15 minutes or so).

You can then either serve the bolognese on top of the pasta, or mix it together as below. After all, pasta is made in those shapes to contain the sauce.

Sprinkle with your choice of grated cheese and enjoy.

Basic Chicken Stock

Once you've finished your roast and washed the dishes, there's more to be done.

Fill a large pan with 3 pints of water, add 1 tablespoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and a bayleaf.

Now take you chicken carcass and spare meat and bones left over from the roast and place in the pan.

Peel and quarter a medium onion and add to the pan.

You can now add any root vegetables you have lying around - if you only used half a swede, roughly chop the other half and add to the pan. Add a couple of peeled and roughly chopped carrots.

Other vegetables that flavour a stock well are leeks, peppers, turnips, squash.

Add about 2 tablespoons of mixed herbs, or some thyme and parsley if you have them, then place a lid on the pan and bring the whole mixture to the boil.

Reduce to a simmer once boiling and leave for about 6 hours (yes, really). Longer isn't a problem as long as you don't boil dry.

Strain the juices through a sieve into a bowl, throw away the residue and clean the stock pan.
Return the juices to the pan and bring to the boil, letting the liquid reduce by about two-thirds (probably about 30 mins to an hour).

Pour the liquid into ice-cube moulds and place in the fridge to cool. When cool, the stock will be like a jelly, full of flavour and ready to use instead of stock cubes in the future.

You can freeze these cubes for future use.

Sunday Roast for 2

Morning. It's Sunday, a day of rest, a day of reflection, a day of stuffing out faces with a good old fashioned roast dinner followed by a few scoops down the pub.

Please remember, the aim of this blog isn't to give you haute cuisine recipes, it's to tempt people away from processed food and to do that, we need to start simply, with simple recipes.

I'll probably create another blog with fine dining recipes, but this one is for simple, tasty, fresh food.

So..... here's an easy chicken roast for 2.

Small Chicken	2-3lb		£2.50
Floury Potatoes (King Edward, Maris Piper)	4 medium		£0.25
Carrots	2		£0.15
Swede	1/2		£0.30
Sprouts	1/4 lb		£0.70
Savoy Cabbage	1/2		£0.45
Breadcrumbs	1/2 cup		£0.10
Sage	1 tbsp		£0.05
Flour	1 tsp		£0.01
Red Wine	250ml		£1.00
Olive Oil	1/2 cup		£0.50
Sunflower Oil	1 cup		£0.40
Bacon	1 rasher		£0.40
Chicken Stock	3/4-1pt		£0.20
	Total		£7.01

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Place the chicken in a roasting dish and rub salt all over the skin.

Pour about 1/2 cup olive oil over the chicken, trying to cover all of it.

Place the chicken breast side down in the tray and put in the oven.

After 30 minutes turn the chicken over and baste with the juices.

Cook the chicken in total for a further 20 minutes per pound (40 minutes per kilo), basting with its juices every 20 minutes.

At the end of cooking, remove the chicken from the roasting dish and place on a plate/wire rack to rest. Drain most of the fat from the roasting pan.

While the chicken is cooking:

Peel the potatoes and cut in half (medium) or quarters (large).
Place in a pan of boiling, salted water, bring back to the boil and cook for 10 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and place in a roasting dish.

Peel the carrots and slice thinly.
Peel the swede and cut into 1/2" cubes.

Peel the sprouts and slice off a small piece at the stalk end.
Place the sprouts in a pan of boiling, salted water, bring back to the boil and cook for 5 minutes, then blanch (drain and douse with cold water). Drain the sprouts.

Once the chicken is cooked:

Turn the oven up to 200°C.

Pour the sunflower oil over the potatoes. Sprinkle with sea salt and place in the oven. Baste every 10 minutes with the oil. Cook for 45 minutes.

Place the roasting dish with the chicken juices on the hob and add 1 tbsp flour, stirring it around the dish to absorb the fat and juices. Turn the hob to a medium heat and add the red wine, scraping the bottom of the roasting dish with a wooden spoon to loosen any bit stuck to the bottom of the tray (deglazing). Bring to the boil then add the chicken stock (made from stock cubes is fine). Add a tablespoon of mixed herbs if you have any. Season with salt and pepper then cook for about 20 minutes at the boil.

Place the carrot and swede in a pan of boiling, salted water and cook for 15 minutes, until both carrot and swede are soft, then drain.
Add a good knob of butter and a pinch of salt and pepper to the carrot and swede and mash thoroughly with a potato masher.

Chop the bacon rasher into small pieces and cook in a small frying pan over a low heat. When the pan has some melted bacon fat in it, add the sprouts and fry for 2 minutes, seasoning with pepper.

Melt a knob of butter in a frying pan.
Slice the savoy cabbage into thin strips, place the pan and season with salt and pepper. Add a pinch of grated nutmeg if you have any. Fry over a low heat for about 5 minutes.

Carve the chicken and lay in the centre of the plate, surround with the roasties and veg.

Pour the gravy through a sieve into a jug and serve.

Ham and Cheese Potato Pie

Here's something you won't find in any supermarket, so simple to make and delicious.

Preparation and cooking time: 25-30 mins.

Serves 4.

Eggs	4	£0.40
Floury Potatoes (King Edward, Maris Piper)	500g	£0.25
Milk	175ml	£0.45
Butter	45g+ some for greasing	£0.20
Parmesan, grated	115g	£1.50
Egg white	2	£0.20
Breadcrumbs	2 tbsp	£0.10
Mozarella Cheese	150g	£0.50
Ham	150g	£1.50
Price per person £1.28	Total	£5.10

Prices today from Asda.
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6.

Hard boil the eggs by placing them in a pan of boiling salted water and cook for about 6 minutes. Drain, then shell the eggs.

Peel the potatoes and cut into quarters, then place in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until cooked. Drain the potatoes then mash them thoroughly.

Bring the milk almost to the boil (do not boil it) then pan from the heat and pour the milk into the mashed potato, beating it in thoroughly.

Beat the butter and parmesan cheese into the mashed potato.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then fold them into the mashed potato.

Butter the inside of an ovenproof dish, such as a soufflé dish. Sprinkle half the breadcrumbs over the inside of the dish.

Spoon half the potato mixture into the dish. Place the cheese and ham on the top, spreading it out, then slice the hard boiled eggs and arrange them over the sliced mozarella cheese and ham.

Put the rest of the potato mixture on top. Sprinkle with the rest of the breadcrumbs and bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes until golden and crunchy on top.

Tagliatelle Carbonara

So I'm starting off with a simple, classic, comfort food - good old pasta carbonara.

I'm using Tesco today as an example, where you can find:
I'm going to use Tesco for the fresh ingredients as well, as this will give you a like-for-like comparison, but savings can be made at your butcher and greengrocer, or market.

Findus Tagliatelle Carbonara 360g £1.99, meaning £3.98 for 2 people.

Let's check out a simple version using fresh ingredients - all except the pasta that is, as dried pasta can be as good if not better than some fresh pasta, and I tend to prefer the texture myself.

Preparation and cooking time: 15-20 mins.

Tesco Tagliatelle 500g (only 1/2 of this needed)	£0.95
Tesco Value Cooking Bacon 500g (only 1/4of this needed)	£1.17
Tesco Fresh Double Cream 300ml (only half of this needed)	£0.84
Tesco Garlic Each (only 1 clove needed)	£0.34
Tesco Ciabatta Roll x 2	£0.24
Total	£3.54

You'll also need salt, pepper, oil and any herbs you want to add, which will add to an initial cost but oncce you have them in your cupboard they're there for months and you won't have to buy them again to use in other recipes. I'll post another suggestion with some basic herbs to keep in your cupboards at all time.

Place half of the pasta in a saucepan and add water to cover plus about 1/2" (12mm) over.
Add 1 tbsp salt to the water and bring to the boil.
When boiling, add the pasta to the water and make anote of the time - you'll need to check it in about 12-15 minutes.

Take 1/4 of the bacon and chop into small strips about 1/4" or 5mm wide.
Put the rest of the bacon in the fridge for future recipes or bacon sandwiches ;)

After the pasta has been cooking for 5 minutes, heat a frying pan over a low heat and add the bacon and garlic and a pinch of pepper. Cook until it starts to sweat and there are juices appearing in the pan. If you have any, add some oregano or basil at this stage (dried is fine).
Turn up the heat to medium and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the cream to the bacon, check the pasta to see if it cooked. You should be able to bite through it easily, with just a little bit of resistance in the centre (al dente). Of course, if you like your pasta soft and squishy, cook it a bit longer - you don't have to eat it the way the professionals recommend ;)
Drain the pasta thoroughly when cooked then return to the saucepan and add 1 tbsp olive oil if you have it, or a small knob of butter, and stir it in.

Cook the bacon, herbs and garlic in the cream for a couple of minutes until the cream is bubbling and has thickened slightly.

Add the bacon and cream mixture to the saucepan with the pasta and mix it all together.

Serve hot with a nice crusty ciabatta roll.

You've now saved yourself £0.44p, have a fridge full of useful ingredients (you could cook this meal at least twice from the cost!), and had yourself a tastier, healthier version of the meal WITH NO ADDED CHEMICALS!!!

As you can see, the actual cost of the meal was less than £2, and I'll post an improved version of this if your budget stretches slightly more.

Welcome

Welcome to my first ever blog. I've been on the internet since before it began, but now I'm coming into the 19th century to try and help people eat better, especially in these times of recession.

I detest processed food - supermarket ready meals are bad for you! The chemicals used to preserve the foods (make them last longer) affect your digestion and it's this rather than rich foods which make you fat! (my opinion, I have many of them as you'll discover in the posts to come).

This all stemmed from an argument with a single-parent friend of mine who claimed they had no time or money to buy fresh food and throw the ready-meals into the dog. I proved them wrong and intend to do the same to any other nay-sayers out there.

It's cheaper to buy fresh food from local grocers, as you can buy those 2 carrots, 3 potatoes etc without having to buy pre-packed food in packets big enough to feed half of Africa.

Butchers can appear expensive at first, but there ARE cheap ones out there and just buying the bits you need can save money too. This is where most of your expense will go though, so be prepared and I'll add some tips for saving money.

That's it for now, I'll post more later when I've decided how this thing is going to go.