. . . which she calls 'cakey-goodness bread' and which can be found here .
I think you can usually tell from the dough and this recipe made the most gorgeous dough. Of course, I changed it a bit to fit with what I had.
I used strong wholemeal flour as what I have is cheaper than the ordinary wholemeal I have (good old Aldi!) and I used peanut butter from a jar because I have some and I don't have peanuts and have no wish to buy any (because I will only scoff those I don't use in the recipe).
Also I had to use a bit of sugar to activate the yeast.
I made half quantities as it was the first time of making.
So the costing is:
50g peanut butter 7.5p (I got the peanut butter via approved foods and it was smooth)
100g savers plain flour 3p
100g strong wholemeal flour 5p
oil 1p
half a tsp yeast around 2p
salt, sugar a tiny amount and rounding up some of the above more than covers that`
So the whole thing is under 20p for an extremely tasty loaf. I've had a rounded bit and MUST get it into the freezer sliced before I scoff the lot. And I must remember I cannot take it to school for lunches!
If you like bread you will love this.
Showing posts with label Jack Monroe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jack Monroe. Show all posts
Saturday, 16 May 2015
Tuesday, 7 April 2015
Frugal: Jack's peanut and honey granola
The other day instead of having the porridge with pineapple and yogurt I had planned I had a single portion packet of granola that had been given to me a while before and which needed using. I just mixed it with the yogurt, pineapple and the light syrup that the pineapple was in and, you know, it was really delicious.
Then I remembered that Jack Monroe had created a granola recipe that I liked a lot so I dug it out and made some.
The recipe can easily be found here, on 'A Girl Called Jack' but as I converted some of the measures so that they were all weight, not capacity and rounded some up or down, here's what I did.
However, please go and visit Jack's site - she gives ideas for things to add and, anyway, it's a brilliant place to visit and look round.
Ingredients:
25g butter (I fear I used baking spread instead because that's what I had) 5p
100g peanut butter (I used Savers crunchy) 18p
60g honey 38p (expensive because I used what I had which wasn't a cheap honey!)
300g oats 22p
Method.
Turn on the oven to 180C/ gas 4
Place the butter (or whatever), peanut butter and honey in a large bowl and microwave on high for around half a minute until it's all soft and the butter has melted. Mix it all together.
Stir in the oats until well combined.
Spread the mixture on an oiled baking sheet (I used two medium sized non stick trays) and flatten down with the back of a spoon or similar.
Bake for 15 mins (it smells wonderful).
Remove and allow to cool.
Break into small clusters.
When cold, transfer to an airtight container - I used a kilner jar.
It should keep for about a month.
According to the prices above, the lot will cost 83p.
My portion size is 40g
After baking, the lot came to 466g
That gives me 11 portions at 7.5p, let's call it 8p, per portion. It would be less if I had used cheaper honey
But it gets better. Because I am doing Breadline at present the oats and the peanut butter have already been paid for.
So, given that, each portion will cost 4p plus whatever I have with it. Can't be bad!
Then I remembered that Jack Monroe had created a granola recipe that I liked a lot so I dug it out and made some.
The recipe can easily be found here, on 'A Girl Called Jack' but as I converted some of the measures so that they were all weight, not capacity and rounded some up or down, here's what I did.
However, please go and visit Jack's site - she gives ideas for things to add and, anyway, it's a brilliant place to visit and look round.
Ingredients:
25g butter (I fear I used baking spread instead because that's what I had) 5p
100g peanut butter (I used Savers crunchy) 18p
60g honey 38p (expensive because I used what I had which wasn't a cheap honey!)
300g oats 22p
Method.
Turn on the oven to 180C/ gas 4
Place the butter (or whatever), peanut butter and honey in a large bowl and microwave on high for around half a minute until it's all soft and the butter has melted. Mix it all together.
Stir in the oats until well combined.
Spread the mixture on an oiled baking sheet (I used two medium sized non stick trays) and flatten down with the back of a spoon or similar.
Bake for 15 mins (it smells wonderful).
Remove and allow to cool.
Break into small clusters.
When cold, transfer to an airtight container - I used a kilner jar.
It should keep for about a month.
According to the prices above, the lot will cost 83p.
My portion size is 40g
After baking, the lot came to 466g
That gives me 11 portions at 7.5p, let's call it 8p, per portion. It would be less if I had used cheaper honey
But it gets better. Because I am doing Breadline at present the oats and the peanut butter have already been paid for.
So, given that, each portion will cost 4p plus whatever I have with it. Can't be bad!
Sunday, 22 February 2015
Frugal fun: Jack Monroe's carrot, cumin and kidney bean burgers
In the interests of using up what's in the freezer as well as making sure there's a selection of vegetarian options for my daughter when she comes round, I thawed out three containers of home cooked kidney beans and made what has become Jack Monroes 'signature' recipe - or one of them anyway. It really is remarkably simple to make and quite delicious too!
As always, I changed something. I used a lot more beans that the recipe requires but didn't really change the rest. Perhaps I used a bit more carrot, I'm not sure. Also, instead of mashing everything down I used Thermione, which gave a smoother texture although I was careful not to completely puree it. A stick blender or other type of zizzer would do just as well. Finally, I left the mixture overnight in the fridge and I think that helped the flavours to develop.
The outcome was seven really decent sized burgers which I open froze before bagging. One would be fine in a bap with the trimmings or two if eaten as part of a main meal without bap, etc.
I won't reproduce the recipe here but here's the link and a photo borrowed from Jack's site. Well worth making!
http://agirlcalledjack.com/2015/01/31/carrot-cumin-kidney-bean-burger-9p/
As always, I changed something. I used a lot more beans that the recipe requires but didn't really change the rest. Perhaps I used a bit more carrot, I'm not sure. Also, instead of mashing everything down I used Thermione, which gave a smoother texture although I was careful not to completely puree it. A stick blender or other type of zizzer would do just as well. Finally, I left the mixture overnight in the fridge and I think that helped the flavours to develop.
The outcome was seven really decent sized burgers which I open froze before bagging. One would be fine in a bap with the trimmings or two if eaten as part of a main meal without bap, etc.
I won't reproduce the recipe here but here's the link and a photo borrowed from Jack's site. Well worth making!
http://agirlcalledjack.com/2015/01/31/carrot-cumin-kidney-bean-burger-9p/
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Wednesday, 16 April 2014
Recipe: Jack's creamy salmon pasta with a chilli lemon kick
I've just made this and cannot believe how delicious it is for such simple ingredients.
The lemon and the chilli really lift it into something that tingles the tastebuds and makes one wish that the (substantial) single portion was just that little bit more, even though one is full and satisfied - totally stuffed, in fact.
You can find the recipe here, on Jack's site. It; also in The Book (page 144), just slightly modified. I used lemon zest as well as the juice, as in the book, the chilli was chilli puree as that's what I had, I added a wee bit of garlic puree and, instead of yoghurt, I used some cream that really did need using up before I have to discard it. I'm sure Jack would approve.
I will be making this again, without a doubt. And n ot too far in the future either. I wonder how it would work with chicken paste.
Tuesday, 15 April 2014
Jack's Smoky Red Lentil Burgers
Well, I finally got these finished. I reckon keeping the mixture in the fridge for a day makes them easier to handle and well as allowing the flavour to develop.
I couldn't find the recipe online, just a page that says what ingredients are used. Better than nothing, I guess so here's the link.
http://www.eatyourbooks.com/library/recipes/1248793/smoky-red-lentil-burgers
I also used half a beaten egg to help bind the mixture. The other half was used to glaze the cheesy scones! I also used smoked paprika rather than the ordinary kind.
The mixture is very soft and needed flour to prevent it sticking to the working surface or my hands as you can see from the photo but it wasn't difficult.
Anyway, I am pleased to report that I think they are delicious, easy to make using store cupboard ingredients, filling and did I say delicious?
The only issue I have with Jack's recipes is that the portions are so large. She said that it would make four burgers; I ended up with nine. OK, so they weren't huge, but they were fine for me. I had a couple for breakfast with three cherry tomatoes and some chutney and I feel full. I have seven to deal with so I guess that's lunch with a salad and maybe Beth will take some for her dinner.
If you haven't got the book, go on, treat yourself!
I couldn't find the recipe online, just a page that says what ingredients are used. Better than nothing, I guess so here's the link.
http://www.eatyourbooks.com/library/recipes/1248793/smoky-red-lentil-burgers
I also used half a beaten egg to help bind the mixture. The other half was used to glaze the cheesy scones! I also used smoked paprika rather than the ordinary kind.The mixture is very soft and needed flour to prevent it sticking to the working surface or my hands as you can see from the photo but it wasn't difficult.
Anyway, I am pleased to report that I think they are delicious, easy to make using store cupboard ingredients, filling and did I say delicious?
The only issue I have with Jack's recipes is that the portions are so large. She said that it would make four burgers; I ended up with nine. OK, so they weren't huge, but they were fine for me. I had a couple for breakfast with three cherry tomatoes and some chutney and I feel full. I have seven to deal with so I guess that's lunch with a salad and maybe Beth will take some for her dinner.If you haven't got the book, go on, treat yourself!
Friday, 11 April 2014
Jack Monroe's Cola Chicken with Joy's additions
First of all, acknowledgement to Jack Monroe for the base recipe which is great in its own right. It's from her recipe book, A Girl Called Jack, which I would urge you to consider buying. It's one of the few recipe books I keep re-reading. The recipes are simple, sensible and adaptable (adaptable in important for me) - and they taste jolly good too.
There's a great review of the book here, if you are interested.
This what I did with her Diet Coke Chicken. Apologies for the long list of ingredients - it's not as bad as it looks as I already had it all in the freezer, cupboard or garden. As I've added so many side comments, I will underline the ingredients for the sake of clarity!
Ingredients to make enough for five or six people
a good glug of oil
one large or two smaller onions (I actually used half a white onion I had left over and one red onion), peeled and sliced, not too finely.
two red peppers, seeded and chunked
a good squidge of garlic puree (or the equivalent in fresh garlic)
two little chorizo sausages, skin removed, cut into little bits. You can buy mini ones that are basically fat-thumb sized. I have some in the freezer after buying a pack of them a while ago for a recipe
three large chicken fillets (or the equivalent in smaller fillets), skinned and cut into chunks (size to suit you - mine were quite big)
a tsp or so of smoked paprika (ordinary paprika just doesn't wing it in the same way - it's well worth having smoked paprika as a store cupboard staple, I think)
two cans chopped tomatoes
the equivalent amount in volume of cola (I used the full fat version) - I measured it out in the tomato cans which also made sure I used all the tomato too
half a chicken stock pot (or stock cube)
three good sized chestnut mushrooms, sliced. I used the stalks too as they are very flavoursome and waste not, want not!
a good tsp sundried tomato puree (again, because I had some - ordinary puree would be fine)
a cupful of frozen peas
chopped parsley (mine was free from the garden)
Interestingly enough, no salt or pepper. It didn't need it!
Method:
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and saute slowly until softening. Add the red pepper, stir well and continue to fry gently, stirring occasionally, until it's all softening. Be careful not to let it catch.
Remove the veg with a slatted spoon, increase the heat just a little bit and add the chorizo and chicken. Fry, stirring, until the chicken is white all over.
Add the smoked paprika and the garlic puree, stir well and cook it out for another minute or so, stirring.
Put the vegetables back in the pan and add the chopped tomatoes, stock pot and cola. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, lid off, until the sauce is reducing. Stir now and again to prevent any sticking. When it has reduced to about a third of the original volume it is about right. The book underestimates how long this takes unless you are boiling it madly and risking it burning!
(I felt that the chicken and veg were properly cooked before the sauce had reduced enough so I removed them, reserved them and put them back in towards the end.)
When the sauce is thick, add the mushroom, the tomato puree and the peas, stir in and continue simmering.
Just before serving, add the chopped parsley, then taste and adjust seasoning if needed. I didn't feel it needed any salt (the stock pot is quite salty) but tastes differ.
I served it with rice and garlic bread
A few notes
Most of the ingredients are cupboard/freezer staples. However, don't waste anything
Chorizo sausage freezes well. Just chop up (of necessary) whatever is left and freeze in portions that suit you.
Sundried tomato puree is expensive but you don't need a lot and it lasts for a while in the fridge. Add a spoonful to anything tomato based for extra flavour. Normal tomato puree would be fine instead.
I used chestnut mushroom because I love their flavour and texture and because I find they keep longer in the fridge than the ordinary ones. However, you can use the normal ones and the value version is just as nice and MUCH better value!
If you buy a bunch of leafy herbs, so often the remains ends up in the bin. Don't! Cut off all the useable parts (the leaves and the tender stems), place them in a poly bag, seal the bag and pop it in the freezer. When the leaves are frozen and friable, just crush them in the bag and, lo and behold, chopped herbs which can be used a spoonful at a time as needed. Alternatively, you could mix the chopped remains with butter to make a herbed butter which also freezes well.
There's a great review of the book here, if you are interested.
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| Borrowed from Google Images) |
This what I did with her Diet Coke Chicken. Apologies for the long list of ingredients - it's not as bad as it looks as I already had it all in the freezer, cupboard or garden. As I've added so many side comments, I will underline the ingredients for the sake of clarity!
Ingredients to make enough for five or six people
a good glug of oil
one large or two smaller onions (I actually used half a white onion I had left over and one red onion), peeled and sliced, not too finely.
two red peppers, seeded and chunked
a good squidge of garlic puree (or the equivalent in fresh garlic)
two little chorizo sausages, skin removed, cut into little bits. You can buy mini ones that are basically fat-thumb sized. I have some in the freezer after buying a pack of them a while ago for a recipe
three large chicken fillets (or the equivalent in smaller fillets), skinned and cut into chunks (size to suit you - mine were quite big)
a tsp or so of smoked paprika (ordinary paprika just doesn't wing it in the same way - it's well worth having smoked paprika as a store cupboard staple, I think)
two cans chopped tomatoes
the equivalent amount in volume of cola (I used the full fat version) - I measured it out in the tomato cans which also made sure I used all the tomato too
half a chicken stock pot (or stock cube)
three good sized chestnut mushrooms, sliced. I used the stalks too as they are very flavoursome and waste not, want not!
a good tsp sundried tomato puree (again, because I had some - ordinary puree would be fine)
a cupful of frozen peas
chopped parsley (mine was free from the garden)
Interestingly enough, no salt or pepper. It didn't need it!
Method:
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and saute slowly until softening. Add the red pepper, stir well and continue to fry gently, stirring occasionally, until it's all softening. Be careful not to let it catch.
Remove the veg with a slatted spoon, increase the heat just a little bit and add the chorizo and chicken. Fry, stirring, until the chicken is white all over.
Add the smoked paprika and the garlic puree, stir well and cook it out for another minute or so, stirring.
Put the vegetables back in the pan and add the chopped tomatoes, stock pot and cola. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, lid off, until the sauce is reducing. Stir now and again to prevent any sticking. When it has reduced to about a third of the original volume it is about right. The book underestimates how long this takes unless you are boiling it madly and risking it burning!
(I felt that the chicken and veg were properly cooked before the sauce had reduced enough so I removed them, reserved them and put them back in towards the end.)
When the sauce is thick, add the mushroom, the tomato puree and the peas, stir in and continue simmering.
Just before serving, add the chopped parsley, then taste and adjust seasoning if needed. I didn't feel it needed any salt (the stock pot is quite salty) but tastes differ.
I served it with rice and garlic bread
A few notes
Most of the ingredients are cupboard/freezer staples. However, don't waste anything
Chorizo sausage freezes well. Just chop up (of necessary) whatever is left and freeze in portions that suit you.
Sundried tomato puree is expensive but you don't need a lot and it lasts for a while in the fridge. Add a spoonful to anything tomato based for extra flavour. Normal tomato puree would be fine instead.
I used chestnut mushroom because I love their flavour and texture and because I find they keep longer in the fridge than the ordinary ones. However, you can use the normal ones and the value version is just as nice and MUCH better value!
If you buy a bunch of leafy herbs, so often the remains ends up in the bin. Don't! Cut off all the useable parts (the leaves and the tender stems), place them in a poly bag, seal the bag and pop it in the freezer. When the leaves are frozen and friable, just crush them in the bag and, lo and behold, chopped herbs which can be used a spoonful at a time as needed. Alternatively, you could mix the chopped remains with butter to make a herbed butter which also freezes well.
Sunday, 9 February 2014
Recipe: Jack's apple crumble granola: frugal
I said I would be catching up a bit over the weekend, didn't I?
This recipe is on Jack's site, here. I won't reproduce it here, so please do go over and look, but will just say that I reduced the cinnamon a bit (about 3/4 tsp instead of a whole tsp) and I added a good drizzle of maple syrup because I wanted to.
The aroma in the house is wonderful, mixing as it does with freshly baked bread and I can see I will just HAVE to buy a bigger kilner jar to hold the granola I make. It just looks so good in a kilner jar - wholesome, countryish and farm kitchen. Luckily Morrisons have them at not an incredibly outrageous price.
It is scrummy, tastes a lot more expensive than it actually is (it's actually very reasonable, frugal, in fact) and is a very flexible recipe. I might use pear next time and come the summer maybe some squished peach or apricot.
I think it would also be gorgeous as an apple crumble topping.
It's supposed to make six portions but I think for me it will be more like eight portions with yoghurt on top.
Thanks, Jack. Your recipes are almost always wonderful and I can't wait for the book to arrive.
This recipe is on Jack's site, here. I won't reproduce it here, so please do go over and look, but will just say that I reduced the cinnamon a bit (about 3/4 tsp instead of a whole tsp) and I added a good drizzle of maple syrup because I wanted to.
The aroma in the house is wonderful, mixing as it does with freshly baked bread and I can see I will just HAVE to buy a bigger kilner jar to hold the granola I make. It just looks so good in a kilner jar - wholesome, countryish and farm kitchen. Luckily Morrisons have them at not an incredibly outrageous price.
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| See what I mean? Kilners are the way to go! |
I think it would also be gorgeous as an apple crumble topping.
It's supposed to make six portions but I think for me it will be more like eight portions with yoghurt on top.
Thanks, Jack. Your recipes are almost always wonderful and I can't wait for the book to arrive.
Saturday, 25 January 2014
Recipe: peanut butter hot chocolate
Not mine, not particularly frugal, not particularly 'healthy', certainly not low calorie, but absolutely gorgeous. That's Jack Monroe's latest 'how on earth does she discover these things' recipe for peanut butter hot chocolate.
I had to use white chocolate (because that's what I had in the fridge) and I also added a bit of cinnamon. I only had crunchy peanut butter so I seived the bits out at the end.
I know it sounds unlikely but it's a real winner. The only thing I would dispute is making another one. It's rich, creamy and one mugful is just perfect.
Go on - treat yourself.
I had to use white chocolate (because that's what I had in the fridge) and I also added a bit of cinnamon. I only had crunchy peanut butter so I seived the bits out at the end.
I know it sounds unlikely but it's a real winner. The only thing I would dispute is making another one. It's rich, creamy and one mugful is just perfect.
Go on - treat yourself.
Saturday, 18 January 2014
Recipe: very simple chicken soup: frugal
Earlier on this week Jack Monroe posted this recipe/entry on her blog.
http://agirlcalledjack.com/2014/01/16/sister-marthas-just-chicken-chicken-soup/
It just so happened that I had some chicken thighs thawed. Cheap, value, been in the freezer for far too long, not 'welfare', I fear. I wasn't going to waste them by throwing them out, however, so I roasted them, used the meat from three of them (not an awful lot, I'm afraid) and then popped the last two plus leftover bones, skin, etc, in my slow cooker with some hot water with which I swilled out the roasting dish, some salt and a pinch of mixed herbs. It then simmered away on low for - well, it must have been about 36 hours altogether.
This morning I strained the stock through a fine sieve and separated the bits of chicken from the residual bones and so on. The stock went in the fridge and later, when it was chilled, I strained off the fat which I will use for chicken based dishes when needed. Then I ladled some of the stock into a pan and added the small shreds of chicken, keeping the bigger bits for another dish. I just heated it up to boiling, checked the salt (it needed a little bit more) and drank it as soup.
And you know what - Jack is right - it was absolutely delicious. So, so simple, so few ingredients and yet it was wonderful. Warm, intensely savoury, comforting and gentle on my still slightly iffy tum. And satisfying, very satisfying. So I'm sharing it with my blog readers.
http://agirlcalledjack.com/2014/01/16/sister-marthas-just-chicken-chicken-soup/
It just so happened that I had some chicken thighs thawed. Cheap, value, been in the freezer for far too long, not 'welfare', I fear. I wasn't going to waste them by throwing them out, however, so I roasted them, used the meat from three of them (not an awful lot, I'm afraid) and then popped the last two plus leftover bones, skin, etc, in my slow cooker with some hot water with which I swilled out the roasting dish, some salt and a pinch of mixed herbs. It then simmered away on low for - well, it must have been about 36 hours altogether.
This morning I strained the stock through a fine sieve and separated the bits of chicken from the residual bones and so on. The stock went in the fridge and later, when it was chilled, I strained off the fat which I will use for chicken based dishes when needed. Then I ladled some of the stock into a pan and added the small shreds of chicken, keeping the bigger bits for another dish. I just heated it up to boiling, checked the salt (it needed a little bit more) and drank it as soup.
And you know what - Jack is right - it was absolutely delicious. So, so simple, so few ingredients and yet it was wonderful. Warm, intensely savoury, comforting and gentle on my still slightly iffy tum. And satisfying, very satisfying. So I'm sharing it with my blog readers.
Monday, 26 August 2013
Recipe: Cheese and onion drop scones: cheaper than chips
This is a Jack Monroe recipe and can be found here.
The instructions are very clear so I won't reproduce them.
It's very frugal at under 15p a portion (two drop scones from the ten that the mixture made) - less if you use value strong cheddar instead of value not-parmesan which is what I used.
The parsley was from the garden.
It's dead easy.
Best of all, they are absolutely scrummy, especially when fried in bacon fat. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. Well worth a try.
My changes: as mentioned, I used bacon fat instead of oil, not-parmesan and I added a good pinch of mustard powder.
You could make them smaller, bite sized, and they would look lovely!
Here's my breakfast - so delicious and filling too.
The instructions are very clear so I won't reproduce them.
It's very frugal at under 15p a portion (two drop scones from the ten that the mixture made) - less if you use value strong cheddar instead of value not-parmesan which is what I used.
The parsley was from the garden.
It's dead easy.
Best of all, they are absolutely scrummy, especially when fried in bacon fat. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. Well worth a try.
My changes: as mentioned, I used bacon fat instead of oil, not-parmesan and I added a good pinch of mustard powder.
You could make them smaller, bite sized, and they would look lovely!
Here's my breakfast - so delicious and filling too.
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