Healthy Austerity?

I have of late posted little that would qualify as austerity cooking, partly as much of what we are eating is so simple - griddled meat, lots of salads, steamed veg - that it hardly qualifies as cooking (though Jamie Oliver could probably get a book out of discovering griddling as a fantastic new technique and teaching the mindless about it).

Yesterday I made one dish that definitely fits the bill as cheap and cheerful, and decidedly healthy to boot. It also reminded me of (and was inspired by) happy times driving around France on business in my past life (not the one where I was an Egyptian princess). I made a point of eating in Relais Routier restaurants or similar places, rather than as I could have done heading to posher and fancier spots: stuff the foam I'll have tete d'agneau. A frequently encountered starter was mackerel in white wine served with potatoes, a take on which I served up as an hors d'oeuvre yesterday.

Ingredients to hand suggested the dish anyway - some leftover steamed new potatoes and a tub of Scottish pickled herring (£1.09 from Booth's, so much flavour for not very much dosh). Slice the spuds, add very thinly sliced raw onion, the herrings cut into bite-sized bits, and a mustardy dressing, and the starter was done in three minutes. It met the current health regime requirements too, as the dressing was lo-cal with a bit of extra mustard, the spuds were in their skins so low GI with raw (vitamin rich) onion weighing in on that side too, and the fish was of a so-jolly-good-for-us oily variety.

The French tend to serve the classic version warm, but my dish did not lack flavour for being cold. It was in fact delicious.

It struck me too that this would be another good student standby for communal weekend eating - three of us had two helpings, so for a single plate for six (with a few more spuds, and they don't need to be new ones either) I can't see it costing more than say 25p - 30p a head. Which along with the excellent flavour and quick prep is another reason why Relais Routier cooks serve it so often. With the carbs taken care of too it means the main can be as ours was yesterday protein and veg (griddled turkey breast steak, griddled mushrooms and steamed mange tout). Pukka (go away Mr Oliver).

One Flame Feast - Lamb Boulangere

Taking SC to one of his potential university choices at the weekend made me think about communal student life again.

Musing afterwards on what would make a great student Sunday meal Lamb Boulangere came to mind. In the current cliche it ticks all the boxes (except vegetarian, sorry): almost no fail; can be made to feed six or eight with ease; just one pot to wash up; can be left to its own devices (if you have good security in the flat).

Some cooks suggest pre-heating the meat at high temperature, but the original idea was that in the days before working class homes in France had ovens they benefited from their neighbourhood baker's, after it had done the Sunday bread, the dish cooking slowly in the cooling oven.

There are few ingredients: for six people 1kg to 1.5kg of potatoes, peeled and cut into slices about 3mm thick; 0.5kg to 1kg of onions cut into very thin slices; between 3 and 12 cloves of garlic depending on your taste, thickly sliced; a boned shoulder of lamb (boned makes carving thus life easy) weighing 1.5kg to 2kg; water and salt and pepper (you can use a chicken stock cube to make the liquid more interesting, but it's not needed as the lamb cooking slowly oozes its juices and fat into the veg and the water).

Wipe a roasting tin with butter or oil, then layer up the spuds and onions, with garlic slices and seasoning every now and then. Finish with a layer of potato slices. Pour in boiling water to about 10mm below the top of the veg, then lay the meat on top, cover the lot with foil, and put in an oven at 140C and leave it for at least four hours, preferably six, and if it fits your life better, up to eight will do no harm

Twenty minutes before you want to eat take it out of the oven, remove the meat to rest (rolled in the foil to keep warm, with a tea-towel or two on top for extra insulation). Turn the oven up much hotter, 220 to 230C, and let the top layer of spuds crisp up - this is the only time it needs an eye on it, as soon as the edges start to go from golden brown to black, it's ready.

The spuds and onions are dished up with plenty of juice, and chunks of meat (not slices) placed on top. If you get the last 20 minutes right you'll have a few crispy bits as a pleasant contrast to the melting mass.

Though it is perfect in itself, some peas, carrots or even baked beans would bulk it out a bit if youthful appetites demanded. With 1.5kg of spuds, 1kg of onions, and a whole garlic bulb the veg component would be about £2.80. A 1.5kg rolled shoulder of lamb is about £12.50. So for six people for a Sunday lunch it would be £2.55 each. Go wild with a whole bag of frozen peas and you're still under £3 per head, cheaper than an espresso and a brownie at Costa Fortune.

Student Survival - Shopping Tips

I am making a sort of personal cookbook for my son in the fervent hope he gets his grades and starts at university next year. The thought struck me while starting on that that shopping tips would be even more useful, given he can do quite a few dishes already, but has never yet done a supermarket (or other) shopping run.

So for what they are worth, and in no particularly logical order, my top tips for student shopping survival:

1. In supermarkets check out the 'ethnic' food shelves. You'll find rice, coconut milk, spices and plenty more that is appreciably cheaper than the same foods (different brands) on the next aisle.
2. Recipe bacon aka cooking bacon is a wonderful deal - the ends, off-cuts and errors not suitable for pretty packets. Same bacon, and often with big chunks perfect for stews. And who cares if their bacon butty is made up of mis-shapes?
3. Tinned tomatoes - buy the cheapest - basic, value, whatever they call them in your store. Some colour variation, maybe a tiny bit of skin, but no difference in taste or standard. Which price sounds better, 31p or £1?
4. Don't be put off by Aldi and Lidl's lack of fancy decor, they do good food and at low prices. Lidl's Parmesan is the best supermarket one I've found, and it is between 35% and 50% cheaper than the stuff from certain other big name places.
5. Markets can be brilliant for fruit and veg, much cheaper than supermarkets and ethically often great as veg tends to be local.
6. Chinese supermarkets are another source of good and cheaper ingredients. When I get the chance I buy noodles in them for about a quarter of the Sainsbury's price, and tins of bamboo shoots and water chestnuts for 60p to 65p compared with 90p.
7. 'Basic' peppers again are a bargain, just more interesting shapes than the dearer ones. They don't come from bad plants. They are not 'off'. 
8. If you buy veg etc in supermarkets, a quick glance at the bagged up price and the loose price per kilo is worthwhile. Mushrooms you pick and put in a paper bag are a good 10% cheaper than the plastic boxes. 
9. For meat if you can find a butcher's shop (or stall on the market) use it. They will do small bags of mince (ragu, chilli con carne, etc) where supermarkets tend to do 250g minimum. Meat as spice in a ragu needs 100g or less.
10. Don't buy the cheapest bread. Bread should be a pleasure, and the crappiest sliced rubbish is not. Same thing with 'mild' cheddar - and with the latter you need twice as much to get the same flavour as you have with strong stuff, so it's a false economy.
11. Buy in season, when gluts mean cheap prices. The other side of this is don't buy stuff flown half-way round the world - food-mile guilt and the freight adds to the price. 
12. Some 'specials' are worth going for, others not. BOGOF fresh foods risks the 'free' one (not free) going off, so you wasted money and resources. Tins, however, are good value as they keep.
13. Own brand works for simple things like rice, pasta and bread. A brand's price includes a hefty proportion of advertising spend and something for sharper packaging. Who cares?
14. Protein isn't just found in meat. Mushrooms, tofu, Quorn, and beans are good alternatives, and a lot cheaper.  

Any other suggestions?

Something More on Toast - Student Survival (Again)

I'm a great believer in simplicity in the kitchen, or the home kitchen at any rate. For a domestic cook it's clearly easier to get something quite basic right than to master some 13 stage three days of preparation grind your own hand-picked spices splendour. Though I love cooking I don't necessarily want to spend my whole day in the kitchen. I also think that in cookery as with children mixing paint and anyone unskilled mixing cocktails if you have too many ingredients you end up with brown.

The colour of my breakfast this morning was indeed brown, or at least grey-brown, but the flavour was wonderful. Four quite large mushrooms sliced, fried gently in a little butter till the juices ran, a tsp of plain flour stirred into the juices and cooked for a minute or two, then a bare sherry glass of milk stirred in and cooked until there was a shiny sauce that spooned onto toast was thick enough not to soak into it. Salt, pepper, eat. As with a previous post about a boiled egg I took huge pleasure in getting something as good as it can be, a very rare moment.

An aside: why does that sauce, made with flour, need only a brief simmer to lose the floury flavour?

As my son gets nearer to university age I'm thinking more and more about the sort of economic and simple dishes students should be able to cook. I think he will be able. Those creamed mushrooms, with more toast to fill the bottomless stomach of youth, would suffice for the day's lighter meal. And it would cost well under £1. Substitute two baked potatoes (one of the few things I cook in the microwave - quicker, cheaper, and no loss of flavour) for the toast and it's a substantial main course, still with intelligent shopping less than £1. How many students have the resources to do that, though, compared to the number living off supermarket pizza?

One Flame and Three Courses for under £1.50

Doing the university visit round with SC made me feel firstly terribly sad - it is only about three weeks since my first day at uni in 1977 - and secondly inspired to share a few things about student food survival learned - annoyingly - after my student days.

Student finances are tight. But however fun the cheapo fried chicken thing briefly is, most students not in fully catered accommodation want a proper meal now and again. There is something civilised and satisfying about sitting down at a table with cutlery and plates, the mealtime spreading before you. This got me thinking of how to do a de Pomiane (several courses very rapidly prepared) for not very much money, and with the one flame proviso. The first result is as follows, a three course meal for under £1.50, ready in about 10 minutes.

First step is get a big pan of hot water boiling - pasta for the main. Little pans don't do it. You want a big volume of water so when the pasta goes in the water is only below boiling-point briefly. Pasta done in water not yet boiling, or in too little, goes gluey.

Put spag for (hungry) one in the water, then prep your first course, tomato salad. One large tomato or two medium ones should be sliced quite thinly (easy with a serrated blade), the slices laid in one layer on a plate big enough for them all. Dress with just a couple of drops of oil per slice and a tiny bit of salt, plus pepper if you fancy. Add wafer-thin slices of raw onion, or garlic, to pep it up if you want, and to increase the vitamin C content. First course is done, but as the toms have probably been in the fridge, let them warm for a minute or two before eating, and this allows the salt to work too.

Grate a small amount of Parmesan - a little goes a long way. My tip is buy Lidl's for price and quality. This with a thin slice of butter and a crushed clove of garlic is your pasta sauce.

Eat the tomato salad, then when the spag is ready (don't buy quick cook, it's pointless and not as nice), about eight minutes, drain the water off (but leave it moist), and in the hot pan mix with your cheese, butter, and crushed clove of garlic (peel the clove, put it under a broad-bladed knife turned sideways, and thump it hard).

Pudding is an apple. Granny Smiths are tasty, crunchy, and you can get seven or eight for £1.50 if you look in the right place.

Not too much protein in this, though the cheese has about 7g, and the spag 11g, so roughly a third of our daily need, but I'll post another three-course cheapo menu later in the week to address that.

The economics: Two medium toms from Sainsbury's £1 pack with seven in cost 29p. 500g of own-brand spag £1, they suggest 100g for a main course, to fill up I'd say 150g at least so 30p. 10p for butter, and about 40p for Parmesan (200g for £3.75, so 21g for 40p - you need the flavour and the calcium). An apple for 22p. Garlic two cloves 4p. Half a medium onion 5p. Total £1.40.

I Love it When a Plan Comes Together

Faced with a block of tofu rapidly approaching its sell-by-date (it had seemed like a good healthy idea in the shop), some chicken leftovers from a roast at the weekend also in need of quick use, and the liquid and veg remains of a very unsuccessful stew, I incorporated them all in a curry.

The stew remains (which as stews do proved tastier after a day or so in the fridge than they were when first cooked) were put through a sieve to get the juices, the chicken cut into small chunks, and the tofu simply sliced into bits the size of a big Lego brick. A chopped onion and a few pieces of red pepper were fried, then some slices of fresh ginger added (another fridge bottom find, so calling it fresh is stretching things). Juice poured in and thickened with cornflour, flavoured with soy sauce, curry powder and lots of cayenne, followed after a minute or two of simmering by the tofu and chicken, and the lot left to bubble quietly while rice was cooked.

The fridge curry can be a horror, a reminder of student days, but this one was really good, the cayenne giving it a back-of-the-throat kick, the tofu and chicken contrasting textures, and the sauce thick and satisfying. I do love it when a plan comes together, though I would have been happier had my son not insisted on calling the dish a soup.