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

[Ninkanink]

Hey everyone!

1st thread is here

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

💐 and 🍰 and ☕️ to all!

the daily ready steady cook

Excellent way of describing current food situation!

@judemom what is a pot roast? How is it different to a normal roast? I've always wondered this.

I have sausage rolls, corn on the cob and those blasted cherry tomatoes need using up.

I've a chore to do later will take around 3 hours so planning to start the cherry tomatoes off on a semi drying idea as suggested by several of you and this recipe:

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/semi-dried-tomatoes

Only thing is I've no jars, just foil trays or plastic tubs with lids. Which is best option and how long will they safely keep in it?

Plan is to use them with pasta or crackers and cheese or on toast over next few days.

I've a lot of mushrooms too due to a weird substitution, the small punnet I ordered wasn't available so they sent me TWO of the larger ones

I love mushrooms but even so...

Any ideas aside from stroganoff?

Shame your dinner was disappointing Nink annoying when that happens.

Use the plastic tubs, not foil Graphista should last about 3 weeks in fridge, as long as the oil is covering them
Mushroom pate?

I like mushrooms stir fried in garlic and butter on toast. I put them in pretty much most things-chilli, bolognaise, stir fry, casseroles, etc. There’s a bosh vegan bolognaise which is heavy on the mushrooms and very nice.

OMG. We have a "fish share" box coming tomorrow - monthly delivery of seasonal Cornish fish from some day boats down that way. No idea what's in it!! So excited as we haven't had fish in forever (I hate supermarket fish and refuse to buy it, usually buy from a local stall that sets up in a tent on our high street with fish up for Dorset that morning).

There's a Claudia Rodin recipe I'm thinking of searching out because I have some mushrooms. It's for pasta. You have very finely chopped mushrooms fried up and made into a paste with black olives. It's quite highly seasoned - anchovies maybe? Anyone, the key concept is that you serve that with the pasta and also with a spoonful of whipped cream, which gets busy melting in there as you're eating and generally enhancing the experience.

Ooh pate sounds nice - any suggested recipes?

Ooh, a fish box! I think we will need a detailed description and a photo when that arrives!

Ohhh yes i think I’ll enjoy a fish unboxing just as much as, maybe even more than, I enjoy a handbag unboxing! 😄

I dunno...I am still not in the mood to cook. We might just have fish fingers for dinner...

Tonight is Mary Berry's aubergine lasagna with the last of the tomato (and loads of hidden veg) sauce left over from last week and the aubergine in last weeks veg box. I'm looking forward to tomorrows veg box and have ordered a meat box for later in the week - last one kept us going for 3 and a bit weeks. I was really apprehensive about cooking from unknown deliveries but am starting to enjoy it (and am really really grateful to you all for your various ideas).

Joining in to share my delicious mushroom idea (well I liked it anyway!)
I simply cleaned some everyday white mushrooms, blitzed some old granary bread to breadcrumbs in the food processor and grated some Stilton. Then I just dipped the mushrooms in some egg and then in the cheese and breadcrumbs and baked in the oven.

@cricketmum84 I think that was part of the problem - it promised sooo much! And I confess I’d been missing fish so much I’d built it up to mythical levels of deliciousness. Never mind; we’ve got sea bass fillets in the freezer and they’ll turn out much nicer, I’m sure!

@Xiaoxiong I’m very envious - we live a long way from the sea and fish from a good supermarket counter is as good as it gets for us.

Going back a bit the muffins, fig tart and pot roast all look fantastic.

@Graphista a pot roast refers to roasting the meat in a liquid as opposed to just roasting dry or with a little bit of liquid.

Mushroom pâté sounds good, as does the mushrooms in cheesy breadcrumbs!

Aubergine lasagne...YUM! I’ve got two aubergines and it’s going to be difficult to choose what to make with them as I love them and I have many favourite dishes.

I’m going to have a cup of tea now and just chill for a bit, maybe call my daughters for a chat. Have a lovely rest of your day, everyone! 🌻

*I love mushrooms but even so...

Any ideas aside from stroganoff?*

Mushroom burgers?
When I was a student, I used to chop mushrooms, add butter, a pinch of salt and some oregano and then shove in the microwave until the butter melted. It's nice mixed through pasta with a spoonful of marmite or spread on toast.

Anyone got any fool proof crab recipes? A friend's husband is a shellfish fisherman and has started doing home deliveries.

The best crab recipe - cook. Eat with brown bread, slathered in salted butter and home made mayonnaise. Wedge of lemon on the side!

Fruit and veg is here 😍😍 apart from roasting - what else can I do with these two gigantic parsnips??

I love parsnip as a topping for spiced cottage pie - It goes brilliantly with curried lamb. Hmmm, what else...

carrot and parsnip cake/muffins

parsnip and orange spiced cake (recipe by Nadiya Hussain)

apple, parsnip and potato soup

parsnip gnocchi.

Parsnip puree. Boil parsnip, mash, salt, pepper, bit of cream ( or closest thing you have - yoghurt, soft cheese), butter and nutmeg or curry powder ( of the totally inauthentic British style, not one of your fancy pastes, or, God forbid, homemade with all the correct spices). Pop in a dish in the oven to warm through.

Dinosaur being married to a Cornishman I have some stonking crab recipes: about 5 different crab pastas (lemon and garlic; chili and coriander; tomato and white wine etc), a crab tart, a stonking crab crumble, crab rarebit, devilled crab dip...! Any of those take your fancy?? and there's always crab sandwiches!! or do a crab boil - crab claws in lemon and butter broth, scoop out, smash on table covered in newspapers, eat.

Today was DS1's first day of virtual school and we are all wiped out tonight so instead of tonight's worthy pearl barley risotto with feta (all pantry ingredients, no storecupboard stuff at all) and anticipation of tomorrow's fish box, when I expect an orgy of cooking will then ensue, I have ordered in Lebanese food. Hopefully there will be enough for leftovers for tomorrow's lunch, as the school timetable only allows 40 minutes for lunch and playtime and then it's back to lessons!!

I just can’t be arsed cooking any more. dinner was two slices of toast with Brie and a scone with jam.

@dementedma your dinner sounds fab.

Ours was so good. Crunchy and comforting, fresh and zingy.

Jumbo fish fingers in brioche buns, with tartare sauce, parsley and lemon. The salad was just leaves, baby plum tomatoes and cucumber dressed with olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, salt and pepper. But so tasty after not really having had salads for several weeks.

Can't beat a good fish finger sandwich, Ninkanink looks delicious!

I wouldn’t think of that as roasting that’s more...casseroling? Although that’s generally not a joint. Weird. It’s not something that’s really taken off in Uk is it. Why is that? As a veggie I’m curious how does a pot roast taste? Does it taste more like a roast or more like a casserole?

@Dinosauratemydaffodils ooh mushroom burgers sounds nice too. Not had burgers in AGES

But...having googled most recipes call for oats and/or breadcrumbs, neither of which I have/can do. I have chickpeas, cous cous would they work? Think the pate might be easier.

I regularly have them in stir fries or pasta but I have a LOT To use. Worried I’ll eat myself sick of them.

Parsnips - Mash inc as topping on shepherds pie type dishes, soup, casserole/stew

Sourdough pizzas here. Fig, feta and bacon on one, fennel, onion and salami on the other.

A pot roast is pretty much a casserole, really, although I suppose there might be some subtle difference. I’ve never looked it up to be sure. Or it could be an American term, their ‘casserolesk are not like ours.

• ‘casseroles’