Store cupboard challenge

gilly1964

thriftlady wrote: »

Today I have made 11 jars of jam from the assorted soft fruit in the freezer.

I've processed a head of celery, 2 leeks, 1 red pepper, a bulb of garlic, 7 onions and 6 carrots into 13 tubs of veg hash for the freezer.

I know it sounds like I'm merely moving food from one place to another rather than actually consuming it:rotfl: but the veg hash is extraordinarily useful and convenient. I can't be without it now. The jam will keep us going until next summer what with all the preserves already on my shelf.

Tonight is teriyaki salmon using up the bottle of teriyaki sauce and the salmon (obviously).

Tomorrow I'm planning a curry feast. Veg and chick pea curry, red lentil dahl/dhal (sp?), naan breads with nigella seeds sprinkled on and vegetable bhajis based on a Jamie Oliver recipe but shallow rather than deep fried.

Please can you tell me how you make the veg hash?

Thanks
Gilly

thriftlady_2

Here you go Gilly It is simply finely chopped flavouring veg. Every now and again I hoik my food processor out and chop loads. I don't freeze it in plastic bags anymore but in tubs in teacup sized amounts. I should say that I chop it a bit finer than shown in the picture now that I have a new food processor.

When I want to make a stew, casserole, curry, soup, pasta sauce or cottage pie I take out a tub, put it in the microwave for 2 mins, drain off any liquid and then add to the oil/butter in my pan. I use it in place of chopped onions when you begin a stew or whatever.

It is a fab way of getting my kids to eat celery and peppers and various other veg they think they don't like.

You must make sure you make about a third to half the total amount of hash in onions for good flavour.

I think it adds a huge amount of flavour to dishes and of course it thickens the saucey bit of a stew or curry.

It is a tremendous timesaver too;)

I don't know how I managed without it. I notice from the linky that I've been making it now for a year.

taurusgb

Oh dear - had to take DD2 for a hospital appointment, called into Morrisons for some milk and ended up squeezing into the freezer some 75% off bargains in cream, yogurt (which I've frozen in ice cube trays as "starter" for my HM yogurt), and grated cheese......NOT exactly what I'd planned when I joined the challenge. can't even say I've redeemed myself by using anything up for dinner as DD2 and DS2 are both off to a bonfire with their friends and DH has a fancy for fish and chips in peace and quiet.

Ah well - I'll try again tomorrow.

taurusgb

thriftlady wrote: »

I don't know how I managed without it. I notice from the linky that I've been making it now for a year.

I don't know how I managed without it either Thriftlady - you are a star!:T

soulbalm

thriftlady wrote: »

Here you go Gilly It is simply finely chopped flavouring veg. Every now and again I hoik my food processor out and chop loads. I don't freeze it in plastic bags anymore but in tubs in teacup sized amounts. I should say that I chop it a bit finer than shown in the picture now that I have a new food processor.

When I want to make a stew, casserole, curry, soup, pasta sauce or cottage pie I take out a tub, put it in the microwave for 2 mins, drain off any liquid and then add to the oil/butter in my pan. I use it in place of chopped onions when you begin a stew or whatever.

I'm loving this idea... will definitely try this out, as I always end up with wilting veg in the bottom of my fridge - I live on my own, but love to cook, so tend to buy lots of fresh ingredients. This is a perfect solution to those sad peppers and wilting celeries in the veg drawer. Thank you!

Penelope_Penguin

I've done my meal plan for this week, to use up a lot of items from my freezer I'll post my freezer contents list later.

Penny. x

gilly1964

thriftlady wrote: »

Here you go Gilly It is simply finely chopped flavouring veg. Every now and again I hoik my food processor out and chop loads. I don't freeze it in plastic bags anymore but in tubs in teacup sized amounts. I should say that I chop it a bit finer than shown in the picture now that I have a new food processor.

When I want to make a stew, casserole, curry, soup, pasta sauce or cottage pie I take out a tub, put it in the microwave for 2 mins, drain off any liquid and then add to the oil/butter in my pan. I use it in place of chopped onions when you begin a stew or whatever.

It is a fab way of getting my kids to eat celery and peppers and various other veg they think they don't like.

You must make sure you make about a third to half the total amount of hash in onions for good flavour.

I think it adds a huge amount of flavour to dishes and of course it thickens the saucey bit of a stew or curry.

It is a tremendous timesaver too;)

I don't know how I managed without it. I notice from the linky that I've been making it now for a year.

Fantastic, thank you:beer: and even better that you don't blanch anything.

I don't have a food processor, but even 3 or 4 bags in the freezer would be good for those in a hurry meals.

Will have to see if anything needs rescuing in the fridge.

Thanks again
Gilly

pawpurrs

Just defrosted the freezer, god I hate that job! And made an Inventory, so need to try and use it up now.

afterglow_2

well im gonna be doing this for next week, even though im a chef, had a bad tumble off me bike yesterday so off work with sprained arm, so no free meals from work!!

so gonna rummage through the cupboards and freezer, will be making bread tomorrow, and whilst im baking probably some dried fruit, nut and seed chelsea buns, lovely and healthy,
also a japanese prawn curry with rice and soy beans, and ginger cake with stem ginger pineapple and creme anglaise for pud!!
cant wait, a no working, shopping food filled day!

Tightwadways

We're trying to reduce the amount of food we've got in the cupboards and freezer...and have compiled a list of about 75% of the things we have at the moment to use up...my main aim is to use as much up before Christmas as we can, so we can start almost from fresh again come January...and also not spend much on shopping in between times!!!

If you have any ideas on what to make with anything then please help me on our quest for emptying our cupboards!!! It has to be said that all these are in date...thanks to hubby throwing things out when I wasn't looking :eek: :rolleyes:...oh and there's 4 of us, and I mostly use the Remoska and slow cooker for meals now as our cooker is no longer working, but we have rings for veg etc....

Freezer stuff:
2 diced chicken breast fillets
Bag of chicken pieces
5 1/2 pollock pieces (fish incase anyone's wondering!!)
2 lean diced steak & kidney filling
2 beef steaks with seperate sauce
2 lamb grillsteaks with seperate gravy
goats milk (!)
HM tomato base sauce
4 sesame seed buns
1 pack onion baji
pack bacon
HM gnocci
onion
2 bags runner beans
1 bag sliced courgette
1 bag peas
1 puff pastry roll
1 bag carrots
1 bag mushrooms
1 pack grated cheese
2 pcks whole mozeralla
1/4 bag mince
2 pcks sausages
1 bag dough mix....


woossshhhhhh!!! frozen stuff done....now cupboard store....have still got another cupboard to list....where did all this stuff come from!!!!!!

Cupboard stores:
3x peeled tomato cans
1x tin chopped tomatos
2x tins chick peas
1x tin hot dogs
1x tin curry sauce
1x herring fillets
1x fish paste
1x ham paste
1x tin beef madras

dried chick peas
soya beans (have sya milk maker)
polenta (what on earth do I use this for?!?!?)
Dried haricot beans (hmmm HM baked beans)
Bulgar wheat
Tamarind (can't remember why I got this!!)
jar crushed jalepino chilis
3x sage onion stuffing
seedless raisings
red lentils
hickory dickory marinade
tin treacle
tin syrup
2x porridge oats
4x strong bread flour (have Bread maker)
1x wholegrain buckwheat flour
1/2 x plain flour
2x honey
1x pudding rice
green split peas
yellow split peas
dried soya mince
2x ground almonds
2x unopened boxes of blamange
1x tapioca
4 sachets creamed coconut

I won't list all the herbs and spices I've got, as there are loads of them!!!

Phew...if you've got this far, well done, I really can't believe we've got this much squirreled away!!!! Would welcome your help in making some sense out of this....
Mxx