Frugal Foodies, thread 2! Favourite leftover dishes, avoiding waste, menu ideas.

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Hey everyone!

1st thread is here

Hope that link worked! I’ve never done it that way before...

💐 and 🍰 and ☕️ to all!

Love that yeast, @weeds!

I’ve played freezer roulette (my cheapo labels won’t stick!) and think I’ve accidentally eaten the curry sauce for tonight as soup for lunch and got carrot and parsley soup to go with the aloo tikki I am making! Doh.

Anyone got a nice chapatti/roti type bread recipe?

That's impressive yeast growth *weeds and I say that as someone who grows microbes for a living.

Oh no Purple how annoying! Amusing that you didn't realise though, all freezer food seems to turn an anonymous red-brown no matter what colour it went in.

I like making yoghurt flatbreads - 250g each plain greek yoghurt and SR flour, pinch of salt. Mix together, leave to rest 20 mins, roll out with oil, fry in a pan, brush with melted garlic butter if you want to gild the lily.

Fig yeast also coming along nicely, it started at 200ml this morning.

Igneococcus, I guessed from the user name!

I used to be an extreme microbiologist hence the igneo bit but I'm working with more moderate microbes now.
The company I work for was originally founded to supply yeast to bakers, we still do that, but now do pretty much anything else that involves yeast or bacteria as well. We have actually started producing bakers yeast in facilities where we usually do other strains just to keep up with the current demand.

Noted on the ottolenghi tomatoes & yogurt.

I've noticed last night I've a litre (!) of uht milk dated today, NO idea what to do with it. I was thinking a roux sauce probably cheese flavoured to go with pasta but as I've still no scales I'm worried that won't work (been years since I made roux from scratch!)

Any thoughts/ideas?

Even a roux would need used immediately though I'm stumped!

You could make scones too! Or there’s something called a warm milk cake (I think it’s an American thing?), or maybe pancake batter to use over the next couple of days?

You should be able to make a roux without exact measurements. We quite often eyeball it.

But unopened UHT milk will be fine well past the date (like at least a week or 2, probably more).

justhungry.com/2006/01/perfect_roux_an.html - hints on roux here, with easy guide on quantities of butter/flour and milk.

Shared this on the baking thread but I'm so pleased with myself I'm going to post it here as well 😂

Ohhh that’s fab!

All the breads/flatbreads/baguettes/pasties and cakes on this thread look so good!

If the UHT milk is unopened it will keep for weeks past its BB date. Its heated to ultra high temperature (UHT) and aseptically filled, so basically sterile.

What a great thread!
I’ve been doing quite well at using up random ingredients from the fridge/freezer/cupboard since lockdown began.
I’m not usually very competent in the kitchen but having more time to plan and organise myself is definitely helping.
Last weekend I used up 4 jars/bottles of honey that had solidified and made a cake.
I have a terrible habit of chucking some random-lurking-in-the-fridge-and-needs-using-asap ingredient and it often ruins whatever I was making . I need to learn the science behind what works and what doesn’t or maybe I just need to stick to recipes better

Fig one has, now, reached the magic doubled in size point, do time to reward it with a snack.
Apparently it's traditional to give starters a name, so this one is Cofig19, but haven't come up with one for the raisin version yet. Any ideas?

How about Lorraine? Lorraine Hansberry was the playwright who wrote a Raisin in the Sun. First African-american woman to have a play on broadway! She was a starter for sure

I'm very wary of using the milk much past its date. I'm not a fan of uht milk anyway.

What about once opened how quick would I need to use?

Once opened about 5-7 days in the fridge, treat like normal milk after opening.
Honestly, you don't need to worry unopened, it's got a year life, ambient stable, a few more weeks will make no difference. The reason you can keep it at room temperature is because any microbes were destroyed by the heat process, it's 121C, rather than 72.5C which is normal pasteurisation. That will destroy pathogens, bug not the bacteria that will cause spoilage, so has to be kept in the fridge.
UHT nukes everything, then it's filled in an enclosed chamber, with filtered air and the packaging is treated with peroxode before filling.

Liking Lorraine as a suggestion

Ooooh, pains me to do it but I've thrown out a yellow pepper. When I opened it the inside was covered in brownspeckles. Not worth chancing it.

So instead of stuffed peppers plural, I'll be having one chopped roast green pepper with red onion, mushroom, tomato and halloumi. Maybe blobbed with granary breadcrumbs and pesto.

Milk is really obvious to know if it’s bad. It just smells and tastes awful.

I’ve been shopping and bought some lovely looking focaccia reduced. Think just going to abandon the Indian plan for tonight and eat that with a pasta salad.

Even I would have happily used that pepper. Shame.

I will try and get my head around the milk issue. I am thinking due to lack of scales to add packet sauce mixes to my delivery due tomorrow as these are pre-measures and all I have to measure is the milk.

Next quandary is how to juggle the making sauces up and using them as can't have 3 big pasta and sauce dishes in one day! Can these sauces be made up and reheated?

Eg if I made up a cheese sauce can I store in fridge and use up at a later date? Or does it have to be used day of making?

Can see myself having pasta/veg and creamy/milky sauces 3 days in a row! Ohhh the constipation!

I've an aubergine I was debating making a veggie moussaka with anyway.

Wish I felt more confident with all this.

Brown flecks on the pepper were likely perfectly fine - if I could have scraped off the top layer of the inside membrane I would have still used it.

Our dinner smells so good. We’re rendering down the fat from smoked pork belly, together with onions and mushrooms. Yum.

Ok currently in my fridge that I'd like to use up/is at or past date:

Cherry tomatoes
Uht milk
Peppers
Aubergine
The jam I made

I also have in the fridge (prefer to use fresh before longer life stuff but some of this has long dates)

Milk - long life & standard opened

Cheese - went a bit mad buying this early on as I do love an easy supper of crackers and cheese and I LOVE cheese:

Dairylea triangles & processed slices which seem to last forever!

Cream cheese - not far behind the above for longevity

Grated cheddar,sliced emmental and sliced German smoked - good dates on them until opened

Brie - shortest dated of the cheese, love Brie, use it on pizza and in omelettes as well as on crackers or bacon & Brie toasties

Pineapple cottage cheese - I generally eat as is or on crackers it's gotta be used next few days

Quorn - I know not to everyone's taste but I do like it and use it a lot.

Bacon

Sliced fillets

Pepperoni - add to pizzas or have on crackers n cheese dated tomorrow

Deli/sandwich slices - chicken, ham, turkey flavour. I occasionally have in sandwiches but more usually use on crackers n cheese nights or else tear into strips and mix into pasta dishes last minute for a protein boost

Mushrooms, garlic, shallots....I usually have plenty fresh veg in.

So hit me with some ideas? Can't get my brain to work

If it had been one or 2 spots I'd have risked it, but this just looked not quite right.