Reverse Meal Planning

ruby_eskimo

Morning all.  I love that feeling too @rtandon27 of using things up and knowing that it didn't go to waste.  

Using the last of the sausages from the freezer today in a tray bake with some red cabbage and apple and mash potato.  Will have half the red cabbage left so either braise it and add to the freezer or pickle it; either way it's going to get eaten!

Florenceem

Using hm meatballs - FF + potatoes - SS + tinned tomatoes - stock.

Suffolk_lass

Just made some HM passata!

Mrs_Cheshire

How do you make your pasatta SulfolkLass? 
We had a use it up dinner last night, left over slow cooked chicken, stir fry veg mix and some tenderstem veg (0lio), egg and rice noddles (0lio) and a soft pepper with a sachet of hoisin sauce. was lovely and filling and the kids enjoyed it. 

Having pizza tonight from the freezer which should give us some space to play with. 
Then I need to do another freezer inventory and plan the rest of the months meals, to try and use up as much as possible. Seriously considering replacing our small 3 1/2 drawer freezer with a chest one, but worry about never finding items in the bottom

Florenceem

Using hm pie - FF + pots - SS + veg today.

Suffolk_lass

joedenise said:

@Suffolk_lass how long do butterbeans normally need in a pressure cooker?  I always seem to overcook them and the only thing I can really use them for is hummus because they split so badly!

I soaked them for ages (overnight) and they were already split - normally 30 minutes once they get up to pressure but they are probably overdone by then. I might try only soaking for an hour and pressure cooking for 45 next time. (45 is fine for chick peas).

I did have a problem with my pressure cooker this time - the float valve was stuck and loads of cooking water started to bubble out of the valve as the pressure increased. I have seen the aftermath of an exploded one so I removed the seal and cooked them with a normal lid this time - sorry, no use at all

Suffolk_lass

Mrs_Cheshire said:

How do you make your pasatta SulfolkLass? 
We had a use it up dinner last night, left over slow cooked chicken, stir fry veg mix and some tenderstem veg (0lio), egg and rice noddles (0lio) and a soft pepper with a sachet of hoisin sauce. was lovely and filling and the kids enjoyed it. 

Having pizza tonight from the freezer which should give us some space to play with. 
Then I need to do another freezer inventory and plan the rest of the months meals, to try and use up as much as possible. Seriously considering replacing our small 3 1/2 drawer freezer with a chest one, but worry about never finding items in the bottom

@Mrs_Cheshire I normally use this method (hilarious you tube channel - you need to tune your ear to her accent) - she really knows her stuff. This time I didn't drain the water off the tomatoes as they were frozen so I bunged three bags of frozen in the big stock pot and just let it bubble for a couple of hours. Then when it had cooled, we picked out many skins (not all) and I used my stick blender to break everything up, reboiled it and when it came to the boil I popped the jars and lids in the cooler oven to sterilise for about 30 minutes (usually 120-140c), while the tomato sauce bubbled. This time I added maybe a tablespoon of salt but I don't always.

You need to bottle it while it is very hot - mine actually fizzed and bubbled in the top quarter of the jar - then tops on immediately and I wrapped them all in the oven cloth and a towel so they cooled very slowly. Tighten the lids when you can. One of mine the lid didn't pop so I put the whole jar with lid in the oven from cold until it was a bare simmer, then out, upside down with a towel round it until the lid popped to seal it. 

I've done this for three years and we comfortably grow enough tomatoes to meet our needs. Although it is a bit of a faff they taste fantastic and for the cost of the seeds and compost, and my time, we know how they have been grown and exactly where they came from. Not a money saving but just the biggest difference in flavour to everything I cook with them. I did do a Grandma sized session last year but now I do two or three re-sealable bags full of tomatoes at a time so I only have to store 10-12 jars (!)

Suffolk_lass

I was given half a fennel bulb, a lemon, a head of garlic, half a red cabbage and a lump of ginger by the people I deliver eggs to (Our egg delivery person was at capacity so I just pass some of mine on every week) - so the lemon went in the chicken which sat on the fennel in a dutch oven to roast, diving a lovely flavour to the meat, and served with cabbage and carrots.

I also chopped up the red cabbage, stuffed it in a jar and topped it up with distilled white vinegar for a quick pickle in a week or two

joedenise

Suffolk_lass said:

joedenise said:

@Suffolk_lass how long do butterbeans normally need in a pressure cooker?  I always seem to overcook them and the only thing I can really use them for is hummus because they split so badly!

I soaked them for ages (overnight) and they were already split - normally 30 minutes once they get up to pressure but they are probably overdone by then. I might try only soaking for an hour and pressure cooking for 45 next time. (45 is fine for chick peas).

I did have a problem with my pressure cooker this time - the float valve was stuck and loads of cooking water started to bubble out of the valve as the pressure increased. I have seen the aftermath of an exploded one so I removed the seal and cooked them with a normal lid this time - sorry, no use at all

Thanks.  I've always had the same problem.  Perhaps as you say it's from soaking overnight, which is what I always do and they quite often split.  Will try the quick soak method next time.

So sounds like it's a bit of experimentation is needed!

joedenise

Spent a bit of time yesterday afternoon peeling and chopping loads of stew veg and have prepped 6 bags of mixed stew veg.  Five bags have gone into the freezer and one I will use this afternoon to make a beef stew, with stew from freezer, for dinner tonight.

Will mean we can have stews, casseroles and soups if we can't get out shopping or want something comforting rather than what I've planned at the beginning of the month (I meal plan a month at a time!).