Meal for two for 50p. Suggestions?

RainbowsInTheSpray

Poor Man's Carbonara

I say 'poor' because at a pinch it can be done without the eggs!

250gm any kind of cheaper pasta
diced half onion
two/three rashers streaky bacon minus rind
freshly milled black pepper
a little parmesan or grated cheddar

While pasta is cooking, cut the bacon either into thin strips or postage-stamp sized pieces and fry quickly in a very hot pan with the diced onion.

Drain the pasta and mix, while still very hot, with the bacon, onion, cheese and pepper.

Seves 2. Cost c 50p - 75p.

Bogof_Babe

RainbowsInTheSpray wrote:

Poor Man's Carbonara

I say 'poor' because at a pinch it can be done without the eggs!

250gm any kind of cheaper pasta
diced half onion
two/three rashers streaky bacon minus rind
freshly milled black pepper
a little parmesan or grated cheddar

While pasta is cooking, cut the bacon either into thin strips or postage-stamp sized pieces and fry quickly in a very hot pan with the diced onion.

Drain the pasta and mix, while still very hot, with the bacon, onion, cheese and pepper.

Seves 2. Cost c 50p - 75p.

Sounds nice, but I don't see any eggs in your recipe.

RainbowsInTheSpray

Bogof_Babe wrote:

Sounds nice, but I don't see any eggs in your recipe.

That's what I meant.

Carbonara recipes usually include eggs but I follow a low-cholesterol diet and therefore I gave my non-egg version...

Bogof_Babe

Ahh, I see . I didn't know that :embarasse .

Nice recipe! :T

Edit: I always thought carbonara was some sort of beef cooked in beer dish. Live and learn

thriftlady_2

Bogof_Babe wrote:

Edit: I always thought carbonara was some sort of beef cooked in beer dish. Live and learn

you're thinking of 'carbonnade' (sp?);)

RainbowsInTheSpray

thriftlady wrote:

you're thinking of 'carbonnade' (sp?);)

Nope. Check out 'spaghetti carbonara' on Google.

Bogof_Babe

RainbowsInTheSpray wrote:

Nope. Check out 'spaghetti carbonara' on Google.

Thriftlady's post was to me, and she is quite right, I was thinking of beef carbonnade.

You are correct about spaghetti carbonara. I apologise for my mistake.

:beer:

melaniec_2

Hi I've just discovered this board and I love this thread.

I have to second the person that said by choice we wouldn't eat cheap meat (which I don't) but some of us don't have a choice.

I like to cook healthy food and although I've lived on my own for a long time and now with my bf i've never learnt to cook for less than 4! The advantage is I get 4 meals for 1 nights effort - cool!

This is my receipe for kedgree I don't do weighing out so appologies also it won't be for 50p probably closer to £1 per person

rice usually basmati as you get more when its cooked chuck a load into the wok untill it looks right!
onion
smoked haddock av price per pack is £2.25
veggie stock cubes but you could use fish I suppose
peas
eggs (optional)

fry the onion (i use the spray oil too)
chuck in the rice add about 2pts of stock and keep topping up until the rice is cooked
I poach the haddock with boiling water and microwave it for about 5 mins
flake it then add it to the cooking rice so it flavours the rice - you could use the water to top up the rice while its cooking I suppose
add the cooked peas when the rice and haddock is almost done

if you can have the eggs boil two until hardboiled slice and add on the top to serve.

This should easily make 4 good portions. great for left overs but make sure the rice is piping hot when you reheat it.

apple_mint

I forgot to take any meat out of the freezer yesterday and I had a number of bits and pieces in the fridge that needed using up .. fast. So this is what we had last night (OH loved it).

One '10p' cauli from the reduced counter and a couple of sprigs of broccoli that had been lurking in the veg rack (left over from a previous meal) thrown into a pan to cook. Part way through I threw in the scrapings of dry pasta still in the bottom of the jar (I store pasta in sweetie jars so I can see exactly what I have got).

Whilst the veggies and pasta cooked, I sliced a few mushrooms and fried gently.

Then made half a pint of white sauce using: 1/2 pint mik with 1oz of carrs sauce flour mixed in. I added a sprinkling of herbs, half a teaspoon of dried mustard and some dried parmesan cheese (I know it isn't as good as fresh but it is useful for this sort of thing).

I then assembled my 'creation' in a lasagne dish. Mushrooms first, then drained veggies and pasta and then over the top the sauce. I took a heal of wholemeal bread - broke into into pieces and sprinkled over the top. Into the oven at 180c until the bread was crunchy like toast.

Delicous and filling. Probably not 50p ... probably bordering on 70p (reduced veg) ... but it can be adapted to whatever you have left over.

cordial

Veggie Paella...

This works with any leftover veg you might have but also from fresh ingredients.

Cube/dice/cut into pieces any veg you like. (The point is that it doesn't have to be a large quantity.)

Stir fry in a hot pan for 1-2mins until tender.

Add a little water, lemon juice, sugar and half a chicken or vegetable stock cube.

Mix with warm, plain boiled rice and add a teaspoon of turmeric for colour.

The non-veggies among us could add either some flaked tuna or diced, leftover chicken and still not bang their heads too hard on the 50p ceiling.

Guaranteed tasty.