SAUSAGE POPOVERS

SAUSAGE POPOVERS
WITH SWEET RED ONION GRAVY, BUTTERY MASHED POTATOES & GARDEN PEAS

TOTAL COST (excluding electricity) € 7.85
SERVES: 5
COST PER PERSON: € 1.57


Ingredients

10 nice pork sausages (your local Butcher – €3.00)
1 medium red onion finely diced (Lidl – 20c)
150g of plain flour + 1 tbls for the gravy (the Kitchen Press)
3 fresh eggs (Lidl – 10 eggs for €1.33 = 40c)
1 tbl spoon of whole grain mustard (the Kitchen Press)
1 tbl spoon of chopped fresh chives (Lidl – 30c)
5 tbl spoons of vegetable oil (the Kitchen Press)
250ml of Milk (Lidl – 1L 96c – 250ml = 25c)
5oz of Butter (Lidl – 1lb €1.64 = 50c)
Salt & Pepper (the Kitchen Press)
1 tbl spoon of dark brown sugar (the Kitchen Press)
1 tbl spoon of balsamic vinegar (the Kitchen Press)
1 OXO cube in ½ pint of boiling water (from the fridge)
10 medium peeled Potatoes (Lidl – 80c)
2 tbl spoons of olive oil (the Kitchen Press)
200ml of Milk (Lidl – 1L 96c – 200ml = 20c)
300 grams of Frozen Garden Peas (Lidl – 1kg 65c = 20c)

(for the from” the Kitchen press” items, I have allocated €2.00c – I suggest a jar or money box on the window sill. Every time you use one of these menus, I will have an amount for replenishing the bits & pieces used in small amounts, i.e. salt, pepper, sugar, herbs, etc)


Method

SAUSAGE POPOVERS

Pre-heat over to 220˚C.
Sieve 150g of your plain flour into a clean bowl and add three eggs one by one. Whisk the 250ml of milk into the flour and eggs until you have a smooth batter with no lumpy bits. Add your chopped chives and a tablespoon of whole grain mustard.
Lightly fry your 10 sausages in a little vegetable oil, for enough time to add a little colour to the sausages. You don’t have to cook them through as they will be going in the oven.
Take a bun tin with 12 holes and add a tea spoon of vegetable oil to each section. Place in the pre-heated oven for 5 minutes making sure that the oil gets very hot. This is the secret of a great popover. (This mixture is perfect for Yorkshire Puddings without the sausages).
Remove the bun tin from the oven and place a hot sausage in each section and fill each hole with your batter mixture.
Return the bun tin with the sausages and batter in each hole (or at least 10 of the holes) to the oven and cook for 18 to 20 minutes.
You will know when they are done as the batter will have risen up around the sausages and they will be a golden brown.

SWEET ONION GRAVY

Heat one tbl spoon of vegetable oil in a saucepan and stir in the onion, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. Cook the onion over a gentle heat for up to 10 minutes until the onions have browned and softened.
Remove the onion from the saucepan and keep in a bowl while the rest of the gravy is prepared.
Put ½ oz (15g) of real butter into the same saucepan that you used to cook the onions and when it’s melted, add one tbl spoon of plain flour and stir for up to one minute. Add the ½ pint of beef stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes and then add the onions cooked earlier and simmer on a gentle heat for up to 10 minutes.

BUTTERY MASHED POTATOES

Place the peeled and washed potatoes in a saucepan of boiling salted water and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. You can test if they are ready by sticking a fork in one. If it slides into the potato easily, then they are done!
Drain the potatoes and leave to one side for 3 minutes so that they dry a bit before you mash them.
Add some salt and pepper, the 2 tbl spoons of olive oil, the 2 oz of butter (very naughty, but nice!) and the 200ml of milk. Mash with a potato masher until there are no lumps and then take a strong fork and whip the mash vigorously for 1 minute.

GARDEN PEAS

Bring about 1 inch of water to the boil in a small saucepan and add the 300g of frozen garden peas. Once the water has started to boil again, simmer for 3 minutes. Strain the peas and add a pinch of salt & pepper and 1 tea spoon of sugar.

SERVING

Take two sausage turnovers and place them to one side of a plate and add two scopes of buttery mash and a couple spoons of garden peas. Then spoon the sweet onion gravy over the sausage popovers and drizzle a little over the mashed potato.
Kids and adults will love this forgotten dinner treat.

Enjoy!

BEEF STROGANOFF

BEEF STROGANOFF
WITH BASMATI RICE

TOTAL COST (excluding electricity) € 9.96
SERVES: 5
COST PER PERSON: € 1.99


Ingredients

1.5 lbs of Round Steak (your local Butcher – 5 for €5.50)
½ punnet of Mushrooms (Lidl – €1.40 full punnet = 70c)
2 medium Onions (Lidl – 30c)
2 tbl spoons of Tomato puree (the Kitchen Press)
500ml of Sour Cream (Lidl – €2.20)
6 cloves of finely dices Garlic (the Kitchen Press)
3 cups of Basmati Rice (Lidl – Full bag of Rice €2.00 = 66c)
3 tbl spoons of Olive Oil (the Kitchen Press)
Salt & Pepper (the Kitchen Press)

Optional: 1 measure of Brandy if you have it or like it!

(for the from” the Kitchen press” items, I have allocated 60c – I suggest a jar or money box on the window sill. Every time you use one of these menus, I will have an amount for replenishing the bits & pieces used in small amounts, i.e. salt, pepper, sugar, herbs, etc)


Method

BEEF STROGANOFF

Slice the round steak into 1cm thick strips about 4cm long.
Put in a bowl and marinate in the olive oil, diced garlic and salt & pepper while you are dicing the onions and chopping the mushrooms.
Sauté the onions and garlic for 2 minutes and add the marinated beef. Fry for 5 minutes and mix in the tomato puree, the mushrooms and plenty of salt & freshly ground black pepper.
(If you want to use a little Brandy, this is where you add it!)
Cook for 10 to 15 minutes and add the 250g of sour cream and mix through well. Bring back to the heat under the stroganoff but turn off before it starts to boil and leave to stand while you are preparing the rice.

BASMATI RICE

Bring 1.5L of water and a tea spoon of salt to the boil. Add 3 cups of Basmati rice and simmer for 8 to 12 minutes (check the cooking instructions on the side of the packet of rice).
When the rice is cooked, drain in a colander and rinse with a kettle of boiling water.

Turn on the heat under the stroganoff for 1 or 2 minutes, but don’t boil.

Place some cooked rice on a plate and make a hole in the middle. Spoon some hot Beef Stroganoff into the middle of the rice and serve immediately. A little chopped fresh parsley is nice sprinkled over this dish if you have some to hand.


Enjoy!

SWEET & SOUR PORK CHOPS

SWEET & SOUR PORK CHOPS
WITH BUTTERY MASHED POTATOES

TOTAL COST (excluding electricity) € 8.80
SERVES: 5
COST PER PERSON: € 1.76


Ingredients

5 Medium Pork Chops (your local Butcher – 5 for €6.00)
1 Large Orange (Lidl – 40c)
5 tbl spoons of Soy Sauce (the Kitchen Press)
5 tbl spoons of Tomato Ketchup (the Kitchen Press)
5 tbl spoons of Malt Vinegar (the Kitchen Press)
3 cloves of finely dices Garlic (the Kitchen Press)
10 medium peeled Potatoes (Lidl – 80c)
2 tbl spoons of Olive Oil (the Kitchen Press)
200ml of Milk (Lidl – 1L 96c – 200ml = 20c)
2oz of Butter (Lidl – 1lb €1.64 = 20c)
Salt & Pepper (the Kitchen Press)

(for the from” the Kitchen press” items, I have allocated €1.20c – I suggest a jar or money box on the window sill. Every time you use one of these menus, I will have an amount for replenishing the bits & pieces used in small amounts, i.e. salt, pepper, sugar, herbs, etc)


Method

SWEET & SOUR PORK CHOPS

Pre-heat over to 180˚C.
Rub a little salt into the fat on the edge of the pork chops and arrange them on the bottom of a shallow oven-proof dish.
In a separate bowl, mix together the soy sauce, tomato ketchup, malt vinegar and the finely chopped garlic.
This mixture will look and feel like a dark brown coloured paste.
Peel and section the large orange and cut each section in half and add these orange pieces to the bowel and mix together with the paste.
Spoon this paste (including the orange bits) over the pork chops making sure that you coat all of the top side of the meat.
Cover the dish with tinfoil and put in the oven for 40 minutes, removing the tinfoil after 20 minutes.

BUTTERY MASHED POTATOES

Place the peeled and washed potatoes in a saucepan of boiling salted water and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. You can test if they are ready by sticking a fork in one. If it slides into the potato easily, then they are done!
Drain the potatoes and leave to one side for 3 minutes so that they dry a bit before you mash them.
Add some salt and pepper, the 2 tbl spoons of olive oil, the 2 oz of butter (very naughty, but nice!) and the 200ml of milk. Mash with a potato masher until there are no lumps and then take a strong fork and whip the mash vigorously for 1 minute.

Remove the Pork Chops from the oven and let stand while you are putting the mash on the plates. There will be lots of tangy sweet & sour sauce in the dish wit the Chops.

Place a neat pile of Buttery Mash in the centre of a plate and place a Pork Chop on top of the mash. Then spoon some of the sauce and orange pieces over the pork chop so that it runs down over the Buttery Mash and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

LASANGE, MOUSSAKA & CARBONARA

LASANGE, MOUSSAKA & CARBONARA
USING HOME MADE BECHAMEL SAUCE

COST PER MEAL: € 1.16
NUMBER OF MEALS: 31
TOTAL COST (excluding electricity) €30.90

LASANGE & MOUSSAKA IDEAL FOR THE FREEZER
TOP TIPP…MAKE THE 2 LASAGNES AND 2 MOUSSAKAS FOR THE FREEZER AND HAVE THE CARBONARA FOR DINNER ONCE IT’S MADE.


BECHAMEL SAUCE
(This makes 2 ¼ Litres of sauce to be used in the Lasagne, Moussaka & Carbonara recipes)

Ingredients

100g of Butter (Lidl – 1lb for €1.20 = 30c)
100g of Plain Flour (Lidl – 1 kg for 79c = 10c)
2 Litres of Milk (Lidl – 2 litres for €1.70 = €1.70)
Ground Salt & Pepper (the kitchen press)
125g of parmesan cheese (Lidl – 450g for €5.40 = €1.50)

Total cost for 2 ¼ Litres of Béchamel Sauce = €3.65

(for the from” the Kitchen press” items, I have allocated 5c – I suggest a jar or money box on the window sill. Every time you use one of these menus, I will have an amount for replenishing the bits & pieces used in small amounts, i.e. salt, pepper, sugar, herbs, etc)


Method

Melt butter over low heat.
Sieve the 100g of flour into the 100g of melted butter and mix to a paste.
Add a cup of milk to the paste and let the milk warm up to the same temperature as the paste over a low heat before mixing with a whisk.
Once the milk and paste is mixed to a looser paste, repeat the process adding one cup of milk at a time until all the milk has been used and you have a loose to medium consistency.
Add a ½ tea spoon of salt and one teaspoon of ground pepper and simmer for 10 minutes stirring regularly.
Finely grate the parmesan cheese and add to the sauce and stir well over a low heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove the sauce from the heat and leave to cool, ready to pour in!



Lasagne, Moussaka & Carbonara
Ingredients

2 ½ lbs of Double Minced Shoulder of Lamb (Local Butcher – €5.00)
2 lbs of Double Minced Beef (Local Butcher - €4.00)
2 ¼ Litres of Béchamel Sauce (see above - €3.65)
4 Medium Onions (Lidl – 80c)
1 Whole Garlic finely diced (Lidl – 40c)
1 pack of Smoked Streaky Bacon (Lidl - €1.99)
1 punnet of Mushrooms, washed & quartered (Lidl - €1.75)
3 Tins of chopped Tomatoes (Lidl - €1.99)
2 teaspoons of dried oregano (Lidl – 20c)
1 glass of red wine (from the press - €1.00)
1 glass of white wine (from the press – €1.00)
125g of grated parmesan (Lidl - €1.50)
Salt & freshly ground pepper (from the press – 20c)
½ Litre of crushed tomatoes (Lidl – 79c)
1 Box of 24 sheets of Lasagne Pasta (Dunnes - €1.43)
1 Pack of thin white spaghetti pasta (Lidl - €1.20)
Olive Oil (Lidl - €1.00)
2 Aubergines (Veg shop - €3.00)

Total for ingredients for: 12 portions of Lasagne
12 portions of Moussaka
7 portions of Mushroom & Bacon Carbonara

Total of 31 meals for €30.90 or less than €1.00 per meal



Method LASAGNE

2 x 6 portions = 12 meals

Turn on your oven and pre-heat to 180˚C.

Mix the 2 ½ lbs of lamb mince and the 2 lbs of beef mince.
Fry off 3 finely diced onions and 6 finely diced cloves of garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add 2 teas spoons for dried oregano in a LARGE sauce pan.
Add the mixed mince and brown.
Add three tins of chopped tomatoes and 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.
Add a ½ litre of crushed tomatoes and 1 glass of red wine.
Add ½ a punnet of washed and diced mushrooms and let simmer for 35minutes stirring occasionally.
After the 35 minutes, turn off the heat and let stand for 30 minutes.

Wipe 2 Lasagne dishes (about 25cm to 30cm square and 8 cm deep) with a little olive oil.
Arrange 4 sheets of dried lasagne pasta on the bottom of both dishes.
Pour a ½ cm layer of your Béchamel sauce into both dishes covering the sheets of lasagne pasta and spoon a 2cm layer of the meat sauce into to both dishes.
Cover with another layer of lasagne pasta sheets and repeat the process with the Béchamel sauce and the meat sauce so that you have three layers of pasta, three layers of béchamel sauce and two layers of meat sauce, i.e. pasta, béchamel, meat, pasta, béchamel, meat, pasta, béchamel.
Sprinkle with a handful of grated parmesan cheese and some crushed black pepper and place in a pre-heated oven (180˚C) for 35 minutes.

Remove from oven when bubbling and the top is golden brown and leave to stand for 20 minutes before serving.

If freezing, leave go fully cold before putting in the freezer. This may take up to 2 hours. Cover with cling-film before putting in the freezer.

Each lasagne will give you six portions. Serve with mixed leaf salad or oven chips. 1kg bag of over chips available in Lidl for 65c and will serve 6 people as a side to this Lasagne.

Enjoy!



Method MOUSSAKA

2 x 6 portions = 12 meals

Using the same meat sauce as used in the Lasagne recipe and the oven already pre-heated to 180˚C….

Wash the aubergines and slice length-ways. Season on both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper and fry until golden brown in 3 tablespoons of olive oil for 5 minutes, turning once after 2 ½ minutes. The aubergines will absorb the olive oil in the first couple minutes of frying and will release the oil back into the frying pan when they are done.

Arrange the aubergines over the bottom of both Moussaka dishes (about 30cm square and 8cm deep).
Cover with 5cm of your meat sauce (from the lasagne recipe).
Pour 2cm to 3cm of your Béchamel sauce over the meat sauce and sprinkle with a handful of grated parmesan cheese and place in a pre-heated oven for 35 minutes at 180˚C.

Remove from oven when golden brown and leave stand for 20 minutes before serving.

As with the Lasagne, allow to cool fully before freezing. The Béchamel sauce will take on a firm consistency on top of the dish.

Each Moussaka will give you six portions. Serve with mixed leaf salad or oven chips. 1kg bag of over chips available in Lidl for 65c and will serve 6 people as a side to this Moussaka.

Enjoy!



Method CARBONARA

Bring a LARGE saucepan of water to the boil and add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Add the spaghetti and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes (be guided by the instructions on the side of the packet of spaghetti).
In a saucepan, sauté one finely chopped onion with 3 or 4 cloves of finely diced garlic and a pinch of oregano.
Dice a pack of smoked streaky bacon and add to the saucepan along with a ½ punnet of washed and diced mushrooms. Fry for about 3 minutes.
Season with a little salt (not too much – don’t forget there is bacon in there) and freshly ground black pepper.
Add 1 ½ cups of béchamel sauce and ½ a glass of white wine.
Simmer for 5 minutes.
Drain the spaghetti in a colander and rinse with boiling water from your kettle.
Drizzle some olive oil over you hot spaghetti and transfer to a large shallow bowl (about 30cm or more in diameter) and pour over the Carbonara sauce and mix through the pasta.
Sprinkle with some grated parmesan and a little chopped parsley if you have it to hand and serve immediately.

This Carbonara recipe will give you seven servings.

Enjoy!

THIN & CRISPY ITALIAN PIZZA

THIN & CRISPY ITALIAN PIZZA
PEPPERONI, SWEETCORN, PINEAPPLE, ORIGANO & MOZZERALLA ON BASIL FLAVOURED TOMATOE SAUCE

COST PER PIZZA: € 2.16
NUMBER OF PIZZAS: 6
TOTAL COST (excluding electricity) €12.96
SERVES: 7
COST PER PERSON: € 1.86


Ingredients

1kg of plain flour (Lidl – 79c for 1.5kg = 60c)
14g of yeast granules (Dunnes – €3 for 5 x 14g = 60c)
15 tbl spoons of olive oil (the kitchen press)
½ tbl spoon of salt (the kitchen press)
1 tbl spoon of caster sugar (the kitchen press)
1 tbl spoon of basil paste (the kitchen press or herb garden)
600ml of warm water (the kettle)
3 tea spoons of dried oregano (the kitchen press)
½ ltr of crushed tomatoes (Lidl – 79c for 500ml carton = 79c)
3 bags of grated mozzarella (Lidl – €1.43 per bag = €4.29)
2 double packs of thin pepperoni (Lidl – €1.99 per double pack = €3.98)
1 tin of sweet corn (Lidl – 90c per tin = 90c)
1 tin of pineapple chunks (Lidl - €1.20 per tin = €1.20)

(for the from” the Kitchen press” items, I have allocated 60c – I suggest a jar or money box on the window sill. Every time you use one of these menus, I will have an amount for replenishing the bits & pieces used in small amounts, i.e. salt, pepper, sugar, herbs, etc)


Method

Pizza dough

Sieve 900g of plain flour into a large mixing bowl and add the 14g of yeast, the salt & caster sugar. Make a hole in the middle and add the 6 tbl spoons of olive oil. Finally, gradually add the 600ml of warm water while mixing with a spoon until you have one big ball of dough.

Scatter some flour on a clean work top and turn the dough ball out of the bowl and on to the worktop. Sprinkle some more flour on top of the dough ball and knead vigorously for four minutes.

Wash out and dry your mixing bowl and return the dough ball into the bowl and cover with Clingfilm and leave to rise for two hours.

Toppings

Dice all four packs of thin pepperoni sticks into ¼ inch thick pieces
Open the three bags of grated mozzarella
Open and drain the tin of sweet corn
Open and drain the pineapple chunks. If these chunks are very thick, spend a few minutes slicing each chunk in half


Making the Pizzas

Pre-heat the over to its maximum heat (usually about 220˚C)
The dough will have risen in the bowl. Peal off the cling film and turn out onto a floured worktop and knead again for 30 seconds. Cut the dough into 6 equal amounts and roll each piece into a ball.
Take one dough ball at a time and use a rolling pin to roll out your dough ball into a flat circle about 12 inches (30cm) in diameter, careful to only roll one direction at a time and turning your pizza base every time you change direction. Keep your rolling pin floured all the time so the dough doesn’t stick to the rolling pin or the worktop.

Place the rolled out pizza base on a 12 inch (30cm) pizza tray that was dusted with flour.
Add a tbl spoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of basil paste along with one fifth of the crushed tomato sauce and spread evenly over the pizza base keeping ½ an inch back from the edges of the pizza base.
Sprinkle a ¼ bag of grated mozzarella over the tomato sauce and add your pepperoni, sweet corn and pineapple, making sure each ingredient is evenly scattered on the pizza base.
Sprinkle another ¼ bag of grated mozzarella cheese over the top of the pizza and sprinkle a ½ teaspoon of dried oregano and drizzle 2 tea spoons of olive oil over the top.

Place in the pre-heated over for 15 to 16 minutes.

Remove and let stand for 1 to 2 minutes before slicing into 6 & Serve immediately.

A normal domestic kitchen oven will take up to three pizzas at a time if you have three shelves in the oven.

Enjoy!