50p a day til Christmas - healthily?! Weezl's next challenge...

weezl74

well done zoegirl! :T:T:T

and from Mrs Beeton, some helpful ideas for anyone fortunate enough to have just had a huge catch of Mackerel;):

FILLETS OF MACKEREL.

INGREDIENTS.--2 large mackerel, 1 oz. butter, 1 small bunch of
chopped herbs, 3 tablespoonfuls of medium stock, No. 105, 3
tablespoonfuls of b!chamel (_see_ Sauces); salt, cayenne, and
lemon-juice to taste.

_Mode_.--Clean the fish, and fillet it; scald the herbs, chop them fine,
and put them with the butter and stock into a stewpan. Lay in the
mackerel, and simmer very gently for 10 minutes; take them out, and put
them on a hot dish. Dredge in a little flour, add the other ingredients,
give one boil, and pour it over the mackerel.

_Time_.--20 minutes. _Average cost_ for this quantity, 1s. 6d.

_Seasonable_ from April to July.

_Sufficient_ for 4 persons.

_Note_.--Fillets of mackerel may be covered with egg and bread crumbs,
and fried of a nice brown. Serve with _maître d'hôtel_ sauce and plain
melted butter.

THE VORACITY OF THE MACKEREL.--The voracity of this fish is very
great, and, from their immense numbers, they are bold in
attacking objects of which they might, otherwise, be expected to
have a wholesome dread. Pontoppidan relates an anecdote of a
sailor belonging to a ship lying in one of the harbours on the
coast of Norway, who, having gone into the sea to bathe, was
suddenly missed by his companions; in the course of a few
minutes, however, he was seen on the surface, with great numbers
of mackerel clinging to him by their mouths. His comrades
hastened in a boat to his assistance; but when they had struck
the fishes from him and got him up, they found he was so
severely bitten, that he shortly afterward expired.

PICKLED MACKEREL.

283. INGREDIENTS.--12 peppercorns, 2 bay-leaves, 1/2 pint of vinegar, 4
mackerel.

_Mode_.--Boil the mackerel as in the recipe No. 282, and lay them in a
dish; take half the liquor they were boiled in; add as much vinegar,
peppercorns, and bay-leaves; boil for 10 minutes, and when cold, pour
over the fish.

_Time_.--1/2 hour.

_Average cost_, 1s. 6d.

MACKEREL GARUM.--This brine, so greatly esteemed by the
ancients, was manufactured from various kinds of fishes. When
mackerel was employed, a few of them were placed in a small
vase, with a large quantity of salt, which was well stirred, and
then left to settle for some hours. On the following day, this
was put into an earthen pot, which was uncovered, and placed in
a situation to get the rays of the sun. At the end of two or
three months, it was hermetically sealed, after having had added
to it a quantity of old wine, equal to one third of the mixture.

phizzimum

ZoeGirl wrote: »

So, on that note, anyone know how to make pumpkin seeds? The last time I tried it they popped and flew around in my oven

I've got a recipe for toasted sunflower seeds - would that help?

heat little oil and sunflower seeds in non stick frying pan. toast over a medium to low heat until slightly browned - about 2 mins. sprinkle with salt. will keep fresh in a sealed container for a week.

HTH!

shaz_mum_of__2

Hi all

Bacon and tomato coucous recipe

take a pack of bacon mishapes take out enough bits to make 2 bacon sarnies for yourself and teenage son;)

Cut the bacon into small bits (i find scissors work best) fry in a wok /large fry pan with a large onion which has been diced i dont add any fat but use the bacon fat that is released also a clove garlic and teaspoon italian seasoning and a few chilli flakes

After about 5 mins add any veg hanging around your fridge i used a couple courgettes (from garden) 1/2 a leek ,6 plum tomatoes (given to me by a rellie whos off on holiday)quartered a couple quartered buton mushrooms

Whilts thats cooking pour 600ml of boiling water over 400g of couscous and a crumbled veg stock cube leave to "cook" for about 3 minutes add to the veg and bacon mixture along with a 500g passata and a few black olives stir through until hot through and serve hot or cold

With my lot and their [strike]healthy[/strike] greedy appetites this made 6 portions

the smoked bacony flavour imparted into the couscous was yummy

I often find couscous a bit bland but this was nice and will make it again woulb be nice with kidney beans added i think


Dont know what costings are but cant be too bad can it weezl and some things could be swapped /left out

Shaz


Ps has everyone seen this

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1026941

phizzimum

thank you weezl - that recipe is pure poetry!

shaz - yr couscous recipe sounds perfect for our forthcoming camping trip - not been camping before so I've no idea what to cook!

shaz_mum_of__2

phizzimum wrote: »

thank you weezl - that recipe is pure poetry!

shaz - yr couscous recipe sounds perfect for our forthcoming camping trip - not been camping before so I've no idea what to cook!

One pot cooking is great for camping we use a combination of fresh/packet(weight of cans adds up) ingredients

Say fry diced chicken onion and mushrooms then add a couple packs savoury rice and add water and finish cooking

or

Fry Onion bacon bits and add packets pasta sauce(tomato one)

casseroles in pressure cooker good on cooler days barbecue on warm ones most sites we visit have farm shops nearby so no excuses for buying local!!

above all keep it simple and enjoy your surroundings

Shaz

shaz_mum_of__2

Weezl we are having your baked beans tonight but with sausage meatballs added !! with roasted new potatoes from garden

shaz

Plum_Pie

I'm managing to keep my food bill in check but getting sick of my local Mr T's lack of bargains, they seem to have tripled all their yellow sticker prices recently....it's not London prices per se, more where I live in London! (I moved last year b/c I was getting worried about crime.) I might try my nearest Mr S instead - it's about 1.5 miles away instead of 0.5 miles, but in a much less salubrious location. Or maybe my nearest Asda is closer than I think...? *wanders off to check...*

OK, my nearest Asda is Walthamstow - does anyone shop there and can you regularly find decent whoopsies (ho ho)? Please PM if you wish to keep your location private!

cw18

It's not just your local Mr T that's not reducing things as much -- mine isn't either!! It's got to the point I don't make a bee-line for that section on arrival anymore

newlywed

cw18 wrote: »

It's not just your local Mr T that's not reducing things as much -- mine isn't either!! It's got to the point I don't make a bee-line for that section on arrival anymore

People have been moaning in my local MrT that some of the reductions are only by about 20p or so recently. Saw some items yesterday that were reduced to £1.55 still with the original 2 for £3 stickers on - so not much of a reduction at all then!

cw18

newlywed wrote: »

People have been moaning in my local MrT that some of the reductions are only by about 20p or so recently. Saw some items yesterday that were reduced to £1.55 still with the original 2 for £3 stickers on - so not much of a reduction at all then!

Our local Somerfields is guilty of that one, or reducing them so you save about 20-30p by buying 2 packs in clearance compared to buying 2 fresh ones on the offer. Whilst I'm trying to cut back, that one is a non-starter for me !!!!