Cheap Meals 2020

Skint_yet_Again

Liver is still a cheap option, maybe served with onion gravy and mash/jacket potato or in a large yorkshire pud with cheap veg cabbage/carrots or whatever is on offer. 

I also love chicken livers and my “go to” recipe is to fry with chopped sage (I grow in my garden) a squirt of Tom purée and a slosh of alcohol to make a sauce. The recipe says massala wine but I have used a slosh from a bottle of port we were given a few years ago that none of us drink. I suppose you could just use water if you don’t have / don’t want alcohol and it would be cheaper. Served mixed with spirali pasta this is lovely. I get the chicken livers in a small white tub from the frozen section in Morrisons but I think you can buy fresh in Tesco & maybe some other supermarkets. I can’t get liver in my local aldi where I normally shop. 

joedenise

goldfinches said:

joedenise said:

off_the_wagon said:

Thanks Goldfinches.  I started with the Grocery Challenge thread - that was what led me to get out the calculator and access the Mr T website - not surprisingly prices have gone up in the nearly 20 years that MSE has been in existence- some more than others hence the idea for this thread. Might be time to cull some of the recipes or post a warning to take a note of the original date of posting...
I like the idea of pasties - actually have some leftover spag bol sauce that might now go this way for dinner tonight.  Wonder if grated cheese in there as well would be good, sort of calzone pasty - we might have invented a new dish!
BTW for 4 people I add 2 heaped tbsp of oats to 450g mince - disappears like magic - honest guv:)

I usually add a similar amount of red lentils as I find the oats give it a weird texture for me but maybe I was putting too much in.  May give it another go as I've always got oats but not always got red lentils!  Wonder if I could get away with adding both?

Like you I find red lentils vanish into the background while bulking things out but I don't think they add to the flavour particularly. I now add brown ones which I think do the vanishing trick while also adding a sort of nutty savoury depth to the background of whatever dish I'm preparing especially if it contains onions, garlic and mushrooms. I've only just discovered this so haven't experimented very far with it and would be glad to hear others opinions on the subject of the taste and quantity to add too.

Thanks for that @goldfinches.  I'm not sure if I've got any brown ones, I know I've got green so might give them a go if I haven't got brown.  As you can tell the shelf where all my lentils and pulses are needs sorting out so I can see what I've got and what I haven't!  Will definitely get some brown ones if I haven't got any to give it a try.

joedenise

Skint_yet_Again said:

Liver is still a cheap option, maybe served with onion gravy and mash/jacket potato or in a large yorkshire pud with cheap veg cabbage/carrots or whatever is on offer. 

I also love chicken livers and my “go to” recipe is to fry with chopped sage (I grow in my garden) a squirt of Tom purée and a slosh of alcohol to make a sauce. The recipe says massala wine but I have used a slosh from a bottle of port we were given a few years ago that none of us drink. I suppose you could just use water if you don’t have / don’t want alcohol and it would be cheaper. Served mixed with spirali pasta this is lovely. I get the chicken livers in a small white tub from the frozen section in Morrisons but I think you can buy fresh in Tesco & maybe some other supermarkets. I can’t get liver in my local aldi where I normally shop. 

Tescos don't do fresh chicken livers, at least my own doesn't but they do tubs of frozen ones which I use to make liver pate with is lovely with some wholemeal toast or crackers.

danrv

I find Nigel Slater’s books really useful for a bit of inspiration. I frequently use ‘Real Fast Food’ and ‘30 Minute Cook’ for ideas.

As well as recipes, there are lots of suggestions of ‘other things that go well with’ etc.
Eg. Scoop out and mash the inside of a baked spud with a tsp of pesto paste, season, replace, top with Parmesan and stick under the grill until crispy.
Also crispy bacon crumpled into creme fraiche, as a baked potato topping.
Good frittata ideas too. Small cubes of potato seasoned with fennel seeds and fried in a little oil. Then add the mixture. 

Toonie

It is certainly difficult when pulses or other cheap proteins aren't an option (I have stomach problems which mean that beans, lentils, rice, pasta are no go as well as not being able to have garlic, onion, celery, leeks). I tend to find that we eat a fair amount of pork (quite often the cheapest meat) and make things like schnitzel with chips and salad, pork chops with roast potatoes, toad in the hole and veggies.

Otherwise it's often mince based meals. We occasionally have a roast (beef if we can find it cheap, or gammon/pork) which is then used for sandwiches for work lunches.

balabooberlies

Thank you all........

Have heard of Jack Monroe but being a lazy internetter , never looked her up.  I have and tonight will be cooking one of her chicken dishes.

I have been looking for ages for inspiration but I wanted basic cooking.  It drives me potty reading recipes that require 3 or 4 spices/herbs that I don't have.  I can cook meals that taste good and my aim is to be a really good basic cook.  It looks as if her recipes will help me get there.

bala

missychrissy

I add 2 level tablespoons of red lentils to 500g of mince or 4 level tablespoons to 1kg mince. They cook down and even my fussy grandchildren can’t spot them. I’ve never tried adding porridge oats but I recently bought some veg protein from Wholefoods online that I’m going to try adding as well.

-taff

Polpette are a quick and easy meal.Minced beef, cooked or not, parmesan, parsley, breadcrumbs, combine with an egg, shape into patties, dust in flour, and fry. You can use mash potatoes instead of breadcrumbs, add garlic, use leftover meat minced up, serve with a  warm veg salad wih oil and vinegar  [green beans, cauliflower, beetroot etc on their own or mixed. Oil and vinegar lift any old veg to new heights.].

Caroby

A hearty veg stew is cheap and easy, for 2-3 servings I bung half a can of chopped tomatoes in a large saucepan with about 500ml water, tomato puree, 70g-ish red lentils and chopped veg like celery, carrot, parsnip, sweet potato, red pepper etc. I add half a can of kidney beans or chickpeas, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, fennel and carroway seeds, salt/pepper and a couple of sun-dried tomatoes chopped small. Simmer for about 40 mins, thicken with a little cornflour/water if needed, grill and slice a veggie sausage each and put them in the bowl before ladling the stew over, bit of wholemeal bread and sunflower spread, or pitta bread. Lovely filling main meal.

off_the_wagon

Toonie said:

It is certainly difficult when pulses or other cheap proteins aren't an option (I have stomach problems which mean that beans, lentils, rice, pasta are no go as well as not being able to have garlic, onion, celery, leeks). I tend to find that we eat a fair amount of pork (quite often the cheapest meat) and make things like schnitzel with chips and salad, pork chops with roast potatoes, toad in the hole and veggies.

Otherwise it's often mince based meals. We occasionally have a roast (beef if we can find it cheap, or gammon/pork) which is then used for sandwiches for work lunches.

FODMAP by any chance? Use Asafoetida instead of onions and garlic , just a sprinkle, really makes a difference.  Had to try this some two years ago when my immune system went into overdrive and I was one big rash head to toe.  From experience it is a pain (did it for 6 months) then got to slowly introduce some of the culprits back in.  The Batch Lady on Youtube does how to batch cook baked potatoes which you can then freeze and I used those instead of rice/pasta but with the same sauces as the rest of the family IYSWIM. Good luck!