Go just that little bit further

While I have never been extravagant and was brought up to make do and mend (which I actually rather enjoyed), it is true that during the boom of the early 2000s I shed some degree of frugality. In the rather more bust current economic climate, where money is a bit tighter and the price of food is a lot higher, I can feel those old instincts resurfacing.

I don’t really do retail therapy in a spend-hours-cooing-over-clothes-shoes-and-make-up sense. Food shopping is what does it for me. I’m not talking about seeking out the fine or the rare; I understand the best food comes from selecting the best ingredients, but I’m running a house, not a restaurant. My buzz comes from getting more for less while keeping our food nutritious, tasty and exciting.

I have a three-pronged approach to trimming the spending: multi-buys (eg, three for the price of two, or mix and match for a set price); buying fresh food that is reduced because it is nearing its sell-by date; and buying low-cost products to make the more-expensive things and leftovers go as far as possible. In relation to the first tactic, do beware of offers. As a recent Panorama revealed, they are not always what they seem and, if you’re really not careful, they can increase the cost. Keeping track of prices other than by online comparison sites might also land you in hot water, as this article shows. Nevertheless, with a little time, research and planning, you can pull back those pennies and look after the pounds.

I recently found a reduced-price pack of stewing steak. As you might have read, I’m not averse to a bit of slow cooking. The pack wasn’t very large, but it was rather generous to feed two people for one meal, so decided to stretch it to four portions.

I opted to use two ingredients that go very well with beef: tomatoes and chickpeas. The latter is a particularly useful item in my food-stretching armamentarium, although tinned chickpeas have roughly doubled in price over the past year, meaning they are not necessarily the cheap option they should be. To solve this problem I have started buying dried chickpeas and rehydrating batches as I want them. This method saves me about 60% on the price, which drops them right back into the cheap zone. The preparation of dried chickpeas is a long old job, it is true. They need to be soaked in cold water for several hours – at least 4 h, although I find 8-10 h better – then boiled for 2-2.5 h before use. Once cooked, though, they can be kept in the fridge in some water and in an airtight container for a few days, so they could be prepared over the weekend for use mid-week. For the tomato flavour I used passata, which can be bought extremely cheaply.

The finished casserole was probably akin to stifado crossed with a tagine – that is to say it was extremely flavoursome. Each portion does contain only a few pieces of the beef, but the flavour of the meat is detectable throughout the sauce and the chickpeas make it satisfying enough for any carnivore. I have suggested a recipe for flavoured couscous to accompany this casserole, but it’s also great with mashed potatoes.

Happy bargain hunting. It's a great way to inspire you to try new things when an offer is too good to miss.

Spicy beef and chickpea casserole with couscous

Serves 4

For the casserole

350 g diced stewing steak

1 large carrot chopped into 1.5 cm pieces

1 medium onion

1 stick celery

2 cloves garlic

2 red chillies

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika

Half tsp turmeric

250 ml beef stock

500 g passata

350 g chickpeas

Salt and pepper

For the couscous

200 g couscous

240 ml boiling water

100 g frozen peas

Juice of half a lemon

2 tsp dried mint

1 tsp dried parsley

Salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 160ºC/325ºF/gas mark 3. Sear the meat in a hot frying pan a few pieces at a time to avoid reducing the heat in the pan, and place the browned meat in a large casserole dish along with the raw carrots. Use half of the beef stock to deglaze the pan and pour the liquid into the casserole dish. Gently fry the onion, celery, chillies and garlic until the onion is softened and translucent but not browned. Add the spices and cook for a few minutes more, stirring constantly. Transfer the vegetables to the casserole dish then deglaze the pan with the remaining beef stock and add the liquid to the casserole. Pour over all the passata, season well and stir. Cover and cook in the oven for 1.5 h then add the chickpeas and a little water. Cook covered for a further 1-1.5 h until the beef is tender and the sauce is thick.

Remove the casserole from the oven and leave to stand while you prepare the couscous. Put all the ingredients in a heat-proof bowl and leave to stand for 5-7 min until all the water is absorbed. Adjust the seasoning if necessary and serve.

This turkey is no flop

After the high-fat treat that was dumplings in my last post Leave it to stew, I have gone all healthy and low fat this time. Actually, it wasn’t so much by design, but more by coincidence. A little while ago I cooked a lovely quick, super-low-fat curry and side dish that I wanted to share, but at around the same time the UK government stated that individuals need to be “more honest about what they’re eating”. This made me think about the issue of modern eating. In the UK the average girth of the nation has been expanding for some time and is allegedly among the greatest in Europe. While I appreciate the government’s sentiment to some degree, I can’t help thinking it smacks more of a need to be seen to say something than of a belief that it’ll do any good. 

Food-related habits in the UK have changed enormously over the past 50–60 years. Even with very little thought I can think of a good few reasons for these changes, such as vast improvements in home refrigeration and freezing and in commercial food preservation; altered shopping habits owing to the rise of large supermarkets and decline of local specialised shops; massive increases in the availability and varieties of ready meals and convenience and snack foods; women going out to work; a decline in the transfer of cooking and food knowledge; and a shift in spending habits towards buying meals made outside the home (from the humble sandwich for lunch to takeaways and restaurant meals). There are many more, I’m sure. With the current state of affairs, I imagine that unless eating habits are at the extremes of the spectrum, it can sometimes be pretty hard to keep track of and be “honest” about they are.

Goodness knows I like something indulgent once in a while (as said dumplings illustrate). I could quite happily, for instance, eat a takeaway curry every single week, but I know they can have very high levels of fat (especially saturated fats), salts and sugars (isn’t that what makes them taste so good?). One of the things we try to maintain, therefore, is balance. A favourite trick to keep decadence at bay is to to get a fix by cooking homemade versions of our favourite indulgence foods. This might involve some pre-made elements, such as a shop-bought sauce (I don’t advocate giving up convenience entirely!), but partnering that with healthy ingredients (eg lean meat, fresh vegetables, boiled rice, wholemeal pasta etc) means it’s still a much better choice.

So, you can tell that home-cooked curry is going to be a firm favourite. To help us knock one up whenever we want, we keep the cupboards stocked with the following core kit: curry paste, ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and garam masala, fresh onions, garlic and root ginger, tinned tomatoes and fresh or dried chillies. Additional options include whole cumin and coriander seeds, curry powder, cardamom, paprika, fenugreek, fennel, curry leaves and various other bits and bobs, but you can certainly get by without these.

For curry in a hurry we would use shop-bought paste or pre-prepared curry base sauce that can be prepared at any time, stored in the freezer in batches and defrosted at the time of cooking. Just add meat, vegetables and/or fish of choice, tinned tomatoes and any enhancements desired, such as chickpeas, lentils, spinach, additional spices, chillies (or chilli powder), yoghurt or soaked ground almonds or cashew nuts. If more time is available we might marinate meat with freshly made paste and yoghurt, if required, for several hours or over the night before cooking.

I’ve provided three recipes below that have health, speed, economy and flavour in mind. The first is a base sauce for freezing. The amounts of spices suit our tastes, but can be easily altered. I’ve also provided recipes for a turkey curry and a side dish. I suggested using turkey because it’s extremely lean and it’s cheaper than a lot of other meats. I know people are often put off turkey because they think it goes dry, but in this recipe it stays moist and tender. Chicken breast would, however, be absolutely fine as an alternative. Serve with a little boiled basmati rice, and naan bread if you have a big appetite, for healthy comfort food (hmm, is that an oxymoron?).

Curry base sauce

Two large onions

1 inch root ginger peeled

Fresh chillies or chilli powder to taste

2-3 cloves garlic

2 tbsp ground cumin

2 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp cinnamon

Half tsp turmeric

3 cloves

200 g tin chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato puree

Salt to taste

6 dstspn water

In a food processor mince the onions, garlic and ginger (and fresh chillies if using) and place in a large frying pan with the oil. Gently heat for about 10 min until the mixture has turned golden brown, being careful not to let it burn. Add the dry spices (add the chilli powder at this stage if using) and cloves and stir in the pan for about 10 seconds to heat. Add the tinned tomatoes, the tomato puree and salt and stir through. Add the water and cook down until it has all reduced away. Leave the mixture to cool and chill in an airtight container (keeps for a few days) or freeze in sealable plastic bags until use. This mixture provides enough base sauce for four portions of curry.

Tip:

A good way to peel the root ginger is to gently rub the skin off with the edge of teaspoon.

Turkey curry with chole chaat

Serves 4

For the curry

75 g red lentils

350 ml chicken stock

1 heaped tbsp curry powder

2 tsp cumin powder

3 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp garam masala

1 medium onion finely chopped

450 g turkey breast steak chopped into large pieces

100 g closed cap mushrooms cut into large chunks

200 g spinach leaves shredded

1 tbsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper

For the chole chaat

Half an onion finely chopped

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp garam masala

¼ tsp turmeric

2 red chillis finely chopped

2 cm piece root ginger grated

200 g tinned tomatoes

50 ml water

Salt and pepper

For the curry

Put the lentils, stock, onion and all spices except the garam masala into a large, heavy-based saucepan, bring to the boil then turn down, cover and simmer for 10 min. Stir in the spinach a little at the time until it wilts, then add the turkey, mushrooms and lemon juice, season and re-cover and simmer for 20–30 min. Just before serving add the garam masala and check the seasoning and adjust as necessary.

For the chole chaat

Drain the chickpeas. Crush half the chickpeas with a fork and leave the others whole. Cook the onion in a saucepan until it starts to brown. Add the dry spices and cook gently for 1 min, then add the ginger, chilli, tomatoes and chickpeas. Season and simmer for 10 min.

Tip: dried chickpeas are cheaper than tinned, so consider rehydrating them then storing batches in the freezer until use; weight more or less doubles during rehydration, so use half the final weight desired.