New OS so please don't shoot me for asking these....

louboutingirl

Hello :hello:

I've been lurking around for ages and have only yesterday made my first ever post so please be gentle! Feel free to move my post if I've put it in the wrong place!

I've been very inspired by so many of the fab OS tips and have just gone out today and bought me and the OH a whole chicken and 1/2lb of minced beef for our weeks meals. I love the 'rubber chicken' and want him to bounce around for as long as possible but don't quite know how. He's getting roasted tomorrow but have no idea how to make him into risotto, and then soup and then stock so would be sooo gratful of any tips from you lovely OSers!

And I'm going to bulk out my spag bol with carrot, but without sounding too stupid how much should I be putting in?

You guys really have been a huge inspiration to me. Have even taken the weeks shopping budget out in cash and taking a trip to Aldi which I never did before even tho its only 100 metre away from my usual Mr S!

Thank you for your help! And sorry for the long post

LG x

Stephen_Leak

Welcome to the madhouse!

RISOTTO

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

2 cloves of garlic
½ an onion
100g (¼ of a 400g tin) of plum tomatoes*
1 tablespoon of olive oil
250g of minced beef, chopped chicken, prawns, mushrooms or frozen mixed vegetables
125g (125ml by volume) of arboreo rice
1 tablespoon of dried mixed herbs
1 beef, chicken or vegetable stock cube**
250ml of water

METHOD

Peel the garlic and chop it into tiny pieces. Peel the onion, cut it in half, chop one half into tiny pieces and save the other half.

Open the tin of tomatoes. Put the juice into a bowl. Chop the tomatoes while they are still in the can (it’s easier than chasing them around the bowl). Put the chopped tomatoes into the bowl. Use 100g and save the other 300g.

Put the oil into a frying pan on a medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir frequently to stop it sticking. Add the mince, chicken, prawns, mushrooms or vegetables. Fry for another 3 to 4 minutes, until any meat is an even colour, with no pink bits.

Add the rice and fry for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the herbs and tomatoes. Crumble the stock cube into the water. Add some of the stock to the pan. Mix thoroughly. Add some more of the stock to the pan. Mix thoroughly. Repeat this until all of the stock has been added to the pan.

Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat until it is just boiling (simmering). Continue to cook, stirring as the mixture boils, for another 20 to 25 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked. If it looks like it is getting dry, add some more water and stir.

ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES

Substitute 125ml of white wine for 125ml of the water.

You can use left-over cooked chicken, but add it after all the stock has been added.

TIPS

This dish needs an eye keeping on it all the time to make sure that it cooks properly but stays moist.

* Plum tomatoes can be used either whole or chopped. It is difficult to stick chopped tomatoes back together again if you need to use them whole.

** If using prawns, use either a chicken or vegetable stock cube.

This turns the roast chicken carcass into 1 litre of chicken soup.

CHICKEN SOUP

A simple, quick and easy recipe for chicken soup, using a leftover chicken carcass. A basic broth can be made with just the chicken, water, onion and pepper.

4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 onion
100g to 125g of at least 2 additional vegetables (see below)
1 roast chicken carcass
1 litre of water
1 chicken stock cube
1 teaspoon of a dried herb
Ground pepper to taste

METHOD

Peel the onion and chop it into big pieces. Peel the other vegetables, if required, and chop them into 2cm (1 inch) pieces.

Put the chicken, onion, vegetables, water and stock cube into a large saucepan on a medium heat. Stir thoroughly. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat until it is just boiling (simmering).

Put the lid on and cook for 1 hour. Check the liquid level from time to time and top up if it starts to dry out.

Fish out the carcass and put it on a plate. Remove any meat which is still on the bones, Put the meat back into the soup. Discard the bones.

If you have a food processor, put the soup in it and blend it to the desired consistency. If you have a hand blender, put it in the soup and blend it to the desired consistency. If you don’t have a food processor or hand blender, use a potato masher, press the soup through a sieve with the back of a spoon, or leave it lumpy.

Add the herb. Season with the pepper.

ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES

You an use carrots, celery, courgettes, leeks, mushrooms, tomatoes, parsnips, potatoes, swedes, turnips, etc. Using green vegetables and mushrooms will give a light and delicate broth. Using root vegetables and tomatoes will give a thick and hearty soup.

Sage would seem to be a good herb to use. After all, sage and onion does go with chicken.

For Chicken Noodle Soup, use green vegetables and add a small pack of noodles.

TIPS

Don’t panic, if you fish out fewer bones than you remember going in. Some will have dissolved into the soup, adding to the goodness.

mrbadexample

louboutingirl wrote: »

And I'm going to bulk out my spag bol with carrot, but without sounding too stupid how much should I be putting in?


LG x

Trial and error is my guess. Put a couple in. If you don't notice they're there, try a couple more next time. Stop if it goes orange.

hotcookie101

I roast my chicken, we eat our roast bits, once its cooled down I strip the remaining meat off the carcass (don't forget underneath) and stick the carcass, some carrots, leeks, bay leaves and LOTS of pepper in a pan (or ideally-a slow cooker-you get more stock from the carcass) with water and boil for a couple hours (or overnight in SC) then cool and strain. A tip from HFW (my idol ) is to make sure you put all the leg bones and wing bones in there, even if they were on someones plate, as the heat from making the stock kills any bugs)
SO then you have your stock. I often make risotto with my stock, and then have something else with the other bits of chicken-usually a curry or fajitas or stroganoff. I do make soup sometimes, but usually don't add much meat to it-just chopped carrots celery and leeks (broth like)

To make risotto I sweat an onion in some oil or butter until soft, then add a cup of rice (250mls) and swirl around in the butter, then I add a glass of wine. I have the stock bubbling in a pan beside my risotto pan, and add it 2 ladles at a time, stirring regularly and adding more stock when its all absorbed. I just keep adding stock until the rice is nearly cooked, then add some shredded chicken (I often just have it without chicken-mushrooms or peas and mint is lovely) a bit more stock and keep stirring. If adding mushrooms-have them in from the start, peas and mint go in near the end. Finish it off with some parmesan, and season to taste.. MMMM craving risotto Its really really good during asparagus season.
It usually takes about 20-30 minutes for the rice to cook, and I use ABOUT 700mls stock for 250mls rice, but I just heat up all my stock, use what I need and then cool the leftovers again
Sorry its not a great recipe as such, I tend to make it by eye. jamie oliver's website has loads of recipes

carrots-I add 3 or 4, chopped in food processor, along with celery(3 or 4 stalks) and onions (2 large) to 1kg mince for bolognase or chilli.

SunnyGirl

Hi & Welcome to OS

I don't make risotto so can't help you there I'm afraid but I bulk out mince for bolognese, chilli & shepherds pie For bolognese I use 484g minced beef, 200g mushrooms chopped in the food processor, 3 or 4 grated carrots and some chopped celery or peppers depending on what I have in. This, along with a couple of tins of tomatoes, herbs, garlic, a bit of stock, salt & pepper, a teaspoon of sugar (to counteract the acidity in the toms), a good squirt of tomatoe puree and a couple of rashers of bacon will feed my lot for a main meal and some to put on baked potatoes with grated cheese the next day. The boys, especially, are very big eaters :rotfl: Good luck!

louboutingirl

mrbadexample wrote: »

Trial and error is my guess. Put a couple in. If you don't notice they're there, try a couple more next time. Stop if it goes orange.

Yep, I reckon that would be a good time to stop! :rotfl:


Thank you all for the great recipes. Will be off to the shops tomorrow to get loads of veg, especially for the spag bol - and bits to make all my meals. Hopefully going to try and make the chicken and mince last all week - it is only 2 of us - with maybe one non-meat day.

Feel free to keep the ideas coming though!

xx

Stephen_Leak

I can also do you a Chinese Chicken & Sweet Corn Soup. I know it's another soup, but it does "stretch" 1 chicken breast into 2 x 250ml bowls of soup.

Another idea is to use a lower fat mince, such as pork or turkey. With less fat, it reduces down less during cooking and goes further.

I also got a good result by adding a 140ml tin of tomato puree to my Bolognese sauce recipe. As it thickened the sauce and I didn't have to reduce it as much to get it to the desired consistency, I got 3 x 350g servings instead of the usual 2 x 450g servings.

elf06

Mince is great and can be used for sooooo many things. I even have a cook book just for mince dishes :rotfl:. I especially like doing things like shephards/cottage pie cos the more gravy and veg in it the better (I think).

Glad some people posted risotto recipes cos its something I need to learn how to do .......

Drea2904

Lovin your work guys, great ideas, know what im buying at shops tomorrow.xx

louboutingirl

Everyone is giving great tips! I can't wait to do my food shop this week. I have my little coin bag with £22.60 in (change from £30 after buying chicken and mince from butcher!) sat in purse asking me to take him to the shops.

Don't need any 'house stuff' just food this week so will hopefully have some left at the end of the week.

I've even been inspired to make my own bread - without a breadmaker- this week. Just need to wait for the massive loaf OH bought to be eaten and then I can crack out the flour :-)

Thank you everyone again for all the tips

LG xx

louboutingirl

Stephen_Leak wrote: »

I can also do you a Chinese Chicken & Sweet Corn Soup. I know it's another soup, but it does "stretch" 1 chicken breast into 2 x 250ml bowls of soup.
QUOTE]

Oooh, sounds yummy. Yes please :j