Living on next to nought - is that the key?

teapot2

Hi GP, your Sat Ruby Murray looks and sounds fab - will have to try it, I like the sound of a Scottish Ruby . When I was growing up in Scotland curries were always sweet and had fruit or dried fruit in as a matter of course! Moving to Londinium and experiencing more authentic curries was a relevation [as my MIL used to say].


I'm shortly going to be making a Paneer and veg curry. Its sort of based on a recipe by Aktar Islam from the Great British Budget Menu at http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/paneer_and_potato_curry_63584


I didn't make the Paneer [never tried] bought it for £1.50 in Mr A and it has a long use by date on it so good for store/fridge cupboard.


I don't use so many tatties but put whatever veg is around in it which today will be mushrooms, frozen peas, pepper and HG green beans. I don't have curry powder so used Garam Masala. Also thought that was too much liquid so would put the toms in and add stock to them. Its delish IMHO and lasted me for 3 - 4 meals.


Will be interested to know how you get on making Paneer. I have a cheese making book somewhere I've just remembered, got it from green Metropolis at a bargain price must see if it has Paneer in it :cool:

Igamogam

Thanks teapot for the paneer veg curry reminder and link to the GBBM - found lots of other recipes on there I am going to try:)

liltdiddylilt

Hello GP et al

Busy busy busy in here as always. Popping in to say you have so changed my food habits Greying. You know not how much you have changed the way I think about food! Tonight was a deconstructed Cottage pie. Is cottage the one with beef mince? Mine are always called 'Shepherd's pie' regardless of the actual meat! Anyhow I bulk cooked yesterday and made a lovely mince base for the 'pie', finely chopped onions, a bit of garlic, softened red lentils and the mince, plus lots of garden peas and gravy. The lentils were added as a matter of routine! They were also added to the mince I separated off to make Jelly a HM bolognese, and she got 3 portions out of that! Can't believe the difference they make to volume for zero difference in flavour or texture!

Whilst I stood there cooking yesterday I roasted a butternut squash, boiled some sweet potatoes and added them to the rest of the finely chopped onion and some chicken stock. Bit of a blitz and I have about 6 servings of wonderful soup! Slightly too sweet for my own personal tastes so I add a fair whack of white pepper, but everyone else who has tried it (yes I have been handing out spoons to visitors!) has said it is lovely. Had that with some basics garlic bread for tea yesterday and it was fab.

Today all I had to do was cook some mixed sweet and white potatoes, turn them into a creamy mash and dollop them into a tray covered with a sprinkle of cheese (and thinking of you, I used a third of what I would have!!) and 'roasted' it in the oven until the cheese was melted and bubbly. Perfect dinner tonight with the mince from yesterday and a couple of bits of carrot

I also plotted a curry dish yours looks gorgeous. I didn't buy chickpeas in my shop today but will do so on my next one. I got 3 big bags of 'scotch broth' dried mix instead more soups coming on.

Anyways, thanks as always for being the good fairy sat on my shoulder teaching me portion control, and frugality! xx

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening! :hello:

First the FANTASTIC NEWS! - Judes is thru!!!!!!! :j:j:j:j

Secondly the great news - someone called me a fairy today... in a good way..... :D:D :rotfl:

But most of all, the good news, here we are again........

rtandon - I was in.... I think it was mrM yesterday, and they had bags of Tuscan kale for sale, at.... (99p a bag I think) couldn't help but think how easily it grew on the allotment, and how plentiful it was......

Beanie - I direct my energy though - if you could see the state of my windows and my nets :eek::eek::eek:

Pips - whilst I hate to say it, your cwtches are misplaced. DP has been fine all day, including shouting at the TV (grand prix) but coughing weakly when 'folk' (ie me) are around to notice. Definitely a case of 'man flu' possibly severe, but no need to worry dear heart..... :rotfl:

teapot 2 - yes, I know what you mean, curry sauce with sultanas..... them was the days.....

I think that the 'Chasni' is a product of what we do best - we adopt, adapt and incorporate. We being all of us

Love, I'm going to be interested on how I get on with paneer :eek: :rotfl:

lilt - cottage is beef, shepherd is lamb is my understanding...... [and this from a vegetarian.....]

Hey, Lilt if you and supersaver are around on Wednesday night, pop by, as if - all goes to plan - I may be making something that will be of interest to you both No promises, but I'll try

Thank you for your kind words - I'm sure you're the master of your budget, kitchen and homestead without my influence You're on the ball and thinking of the best for you and Jellytot no mistake

Gosh, we've been busy today.

We've reassembled the house back to some sort of order - I have my dining room table back again :j I nearly fell down the stairs getting it there But it's back - and bring on living in a bungalow.............. :rotfl:

We have something to sit on (comfortably) and there has been some washing done of non-essential items, and then, because I queried why a bin bag was where it was, some washing of essential items took place..... :rotfl: Hope they dry overnight....... Ach, talk about throwing a household out of sync......

We also had a walk in the sunshine, which was good, as it was at DP's behest

Dinner this evening was slightly altered as I got some YS'd ricotta cheese from M&$ on Friday for 55p. I thought this a bargain, but in mrM yesterday, I could have had my pick of tubs of ricotta or british quark for 55p/58p respectively.........

However, all I did was to use the ricotta instead of most of the milk in a Chickpea Flour Quiche. I have made this before, although I made this version in the style of a spinach and ricotta quiche, complete with red pepper (mrL 27p), rather than use the flavourings outlined in the recipe. The original (meat) version is here [If you don't fancy using meat, substitute approx. 125g of something else, eg broccoli, spinach, mushrooms....]

Picture here;



I served it with baked potatoes (HB 55p a bag - washed Harmony potatoes), bendy carrots (still the remainder of the YS'd ones from yonks ago), some cauli out of a bag of cauli/broccoli and carrots from Ic3land for 89p for 900g. Not as cheap as mrAl, who sell 1kg for 89p, but having sorted it out into its constituent parts, may I declare, Dear Reader, that the Ic3land quality is better............ I also emptied the last of the bag of frozen sweetcorn into the microwave too.

A yummy meal. With plenty of the quiche left over for another day and other snap bags.......

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

that I didn't fall backwards down the stairs - *shudders* to think.....

that a house becomes a home with very little effort.......

that someone will dance another day - I don't mind if talent is lacking, after all, taking part is the thing, I do however, mind if folk are penalised for *noises off*, that's not fair.....................

Thanks, as ever, for popping by, reading, and cwtching DP into wellness. All appreciated, as always

See y'all later.

Greying

supersaver1000

Count me in on Wednesday.

I don't know where to start with how excited reading all your menus and recipes today. I've got to try the quiche (I have eggs and potatoes en masse) and the pizza and chips. Home Bargains sounds fab, pots for 49p are incredible.

Lilty's fab mince creations and Teapots paneer curry - wow to all. Thanks Greying and all, I need to be extra good this month due to little uns birthday so you have cheered me up, because it doesn't have to be miserable food, so roll it on. 🌞

Have a great week one and all. See you Thursday.

SS1K

Karmacat

Aw, Greying, I'm glad you've got your dining table back - sounds a scary moment on the stairs tho.

Also sending hugs to Mr GP from a safe distance, along with Pippi hope he's doing better, and hope you don't catch it.

xxx

NoOneAround

teapot2 wrote: »

Will be interested to know how you get on making Paneer. I have a cheese making book somewhere I've just remembered, got it from green Metropolis at a bargain price must see if it has Paneer in it :cool:

Hi Teapot2,
(Hope you don't mind be posting here GP:o),
Have found paneer really easy to make - tried it lots of time now, and always make it if have too much milk too close to use by date!
Boil 4 pints milk, add white vinegar (could also use lemon juice) I just stir in bit by bit until curds separate (haven't measured!), Drain in colander through muslin or tea towel. Rinse with water to reduce acidity and squeeze/leave to drain. If you want to make paneer cubes leave in muslin/colander and press to compact eg pan of water placed on top. Cut into cubes and lightly fry in veg oil. Or you can just use loose curds in a dry curry (texture of very fine mince).


Can post some recipes if anyone interested!
xx

Pippilongstocking

Hey waves to all.

Greying I'm well impressed with you sorting out the frozen veg.

Re kale, mines is still 'bonzi' I must do something about that or Wik will have me guts for garters if I don't plant something in my greenhouse - which is currently full of chopped logs. I like to think of it as a multi-fuctional room.

We call veggie shepherds pie 'shepherdesses pie' not a clue why.

Hope your Monday was nice. Was driech here then lovely. Just in time for work to finish.

Supersaveer I'm sorry but if I hear eggs and potatoes I just visualise egg and chips



Now Greying, I've not had much luck/experience with frozen veggies are there places you recommend rather than others cos now I have a choice I'm all confuzzled.

Happy Monday.

*i'm sure that make a fine name for a band

(Sorry its band practice here and man its noisy)

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

Well we're still a little topsy turvy here at Greying Towers, but on the whole, we're doing grand

supersaver1000 wrote: »

Count me in on Wednesday.........

......... Home Bargains sounds fab, pots for 49p are incredible.

Ay up supersaver! Lovely to *see* ya. Hope I haven't *over egged* the suspense for Wednesday - It was just something that you and Lilty mentioned that got me to thinking is all....... And yes, for 49p, 2.5kg (I think it was, not 2kg) of 'dirty' maris piper pots, that is a very good price. The Harmony are 55p for 2kg, but then they are washed, so always a little dearer. I need to go to the farm shop and get a 25kg bag of wilja, but time keeps on eluding me at the weekends at the moment, and the shop is only open Saturdays

NoOneAround wrote: »

Hi Teapot2,
(Hope you don't mind be posting here GP:o),

Of course I don't NoOneAround - you make conversation all you want Dear Thing! I'm going to use lemon juice in my paneer. I've been reading up - do you make ricotta out of the l/o whey? Or keep it to cook lentils in? (gotta give that one a try)

Do you know, I've just realised that I snagged a NSD today Funny isn't it, it can be quite easy if you're minded on what you actually need versus what you'd actually like.

Money has also been moved over to the various little savings pots we've set up, in the aftermath of 'Keygate'. SO all in all, we've stabilised the financial schooner in the shark-infested consumption and debt oceans that are RL.

I wasn't really in the mood for the dish that was on the planner this evening, but we had it anyway, as there didn't seem to be any 'simple' substitution available. As it happened, I tweeked it slightly, and perhaps 'lightened' it a little, and as it turned out, by the time it was time to sit down and eat it (at the table :j) I thoroughly enjoyed it

We had Madhur Jaffreys Nigerian Peanut & Red Kidney Bean Stew with basmati rice and steamed green beans. The recipe is from MJ's 'World Vegetarian' cookbook, but thankfully it has been widely produced all over the net, including on THIS blog, which is one of our very own MSE'rs Those on the Grocery challenge thread will know who I mean Pic of my version here;



I normally make it with passata and put the full amount of peanut butter in, but tonight I used tinned chopped tomatoes and used a light touch with the peanut butter. I have to say, it lightened it up no end, so a good improvisation. I am, however, sure that on a deepest, darkest, cold winters night, I would appreciate a bowl of the slightly stodgier version

Very quick to put together, with store cupboard ingredients - love the valu/smartieprice stack pic on the blog post - knew it was likely to be a MSE'r very first time I saw that And I added in the green beans, which were 89p for a 900g bag from Ic3land. The beans were ok, but they weren't kidding when they called them 'very fine' - they've dug out the slimmest & skinniest to bag up all right.....

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

DP is in a reasonably chipper mood and the 'manflu' isn't any worse........

That I stuck to the planner and persevered - it was the right thing to do, today

For 10 glorious minutes stood in blazing sunshine

Thank you so very much for popping by, reading and conversing with me and each other. Very much appreciated. Always.

See y'all later.

Greying

Greying_Pilgrim

Pippilongstocking wrote: »

Greying I'm well impressed with you sorting out the frozen veg.)

I don't mind doing it, but mrS basiks cauli/peas/carrot mix was an absolute nightmare - my fingers were frozen for ages - never again! This mix was baby carrots, broccoli and cauli and everything was a 'nice' size. I was impressed

Pippilongstocking wrote: »

Hope your Monday was nice. Was driech here then lovely. Just in time for work to finish.

Same pattern here sweetie, which made the sun even more appreciated

Pippilongstocking wrote: »

Now Greying, I've not had much luck/experience with frozen veggies are there places you recommend rather than others cos now I have a choice I'm all confuzzled.

Well, mrAl broccoli, carrot and cauli medley is the cheapest 89p for 1kg. MrM's broccoli was on special for 50p the other week, so I tried it. It was OK, but its back up to 90p now (1kg) and it's a little tough..... I like mrS fine green beans, but they aren't on special very often - Ic3land were good enough for the price. I would buy them again. I would also consider their broc/cauli/carrot mix, although it's proper price is £1 - making it more expensive than mrAl, but I do think it is better........ I do think it depends on the veg. Frankly, if you can get cauli/broccoli fresh, for example routinely YS'd, then they're always gonna be a ton better than their frozen versions. But the frozen broad beans, green beans (whole, not sliced), peas, sweetcorn etc, are pretty much pot luck. It's true in my experience that the 'valoo' brands (from all outlets) are usually more 'fibrous' than the next brand levels up.............

Pippilongstocking wrote: »

Happy Monday.

*i'm sure that make a fine name for a band

Showing your age there love! Mind, I was listening to the Stereo MC's last night, so I can't talk....... :rotfl:

Greying