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!

Forgot the recipe...
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/11958/flapjack-cookies

Do double for a sensible amount and space them out well so they don’t melt into one giant cookie like mine!

Crab crumble - from the Hidden Hut, Portscatho:

• crumble topping: mix 100g plain flour, 50 ground almonds, 50g grated parmesan, salt & pepper and rub in 50g butter
• simmer 200ml milk and 200ml single cream (or 400ml gold top) with a peeled onion cut in half, 2 cloves, 4 black peppercorns, 2 bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then set aside to infuse for 15 mins, then strain into a jug.
• in the milk pan, melt 50g unsalted butter and stir in 60g plain flour to make a roux, then slowly add the strained milk to make a white sauce. To this, add 400g white and 200g brown crab meat (or the meat of two whole crabs, if you're doing it yourself), 1Tbsp chopped tarragon, 2tsp mustard powder, 3 egg yolks, juice of a lemon and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt & pepper, spoon into a dish, top with the crumble mixture, dot over 50g butter and bake at 220c for 25-30 mins. You can also use the white sauce/crab mixture to pile on toast and then bake under the grill as crab rarebit!

Here is the crab tart recipe: www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/8568729/Crab-tomato-and-saffron-tart-recipe.html

And here is basically what I do for crab pasta:

• Put the pasta on to boil - usually I do linguine so start the pasta off first as the sauce and pasta will be done at the same time
• heat about 4Tbsp olive oil (it will look like a lot), 2-3 thinly sliced garlic cloves, 2 finely sliced red chilies over a low heat for about a minute, add a large glass white wine (250ml), increase heat and cook until reduced by half. Add 300g brown crab meat and 100g butter and heat through until the butter is all melted.
• save a mug of the pasta cooking water before you drain, then toss the hot pasta through the crab mixture with some pasta water. Toss, toss, toss over the heat until the pasta is completely coated and the sauce is glossy, then turn the heat off. Add 100g (or more to taste) of white crab meat, about 20g chopped flat leaf parsley, salt and pepper and a generous squeeze of lemon.

Sqeeeee! Fish box arrived. 2kg mussels, 2 dozen scallops (with coral!), and 4x fillets each of haddock, cod and monkfish(!!!!!!!!!). I have frozen all of the latter to eat over the next weeks to liven up the pantry meals - we'll have the scallops tonight with pasta and asparagus, and the mussels for lunch tomorrow steamed with fennel, white wine and parsley.

@Xiaoxiong ohhhh that sounds fantastic!👍

But...I thought we were getting photos of the unboxing! 😔😔

I was entirely serious when I said I would enjoy it just as much as I’d ordinarily enjoy a handbag unboxing.

Um...I did take photos...I just didnt know if everyone would want to see...!! I will upload.

Oh yay!! You have no idea how excited I am right now!! 🤣

It came by FedEx, a large white styrofoam box filled with ice packs...

And inside we had the mussels (with slits in the plastic so they could breathe), cleaned scallops, and 3 different kinds of fish fillets!

No plans at all for the fish fillets yet. Maybe a fennel and olive relish for the haddock...

Have you got a recipe for the fennel and olive relish? That sounds lovely.

Yep - fry a bulb of finely chopped fennel with garlic just until cooked but still crunchy. Mix with 50g tin of anchovies, chopped capers and olives, dash of balsamic vinegar, a few tablespoons of good olive oil, and torn up herbs - fresh mint for preference but basil or parsley work too. Good relish on the side of any fish or plainly cooked veg like courgettes and tomatoes.

Lovely, thanks!

That seafood and fish haul! ❤️❤️❤️ Thanks for the photos! I love monkfish, so fantastic in fish soups and stews.

The fennel relish sounds great, I’m so tempted to make it! But, I’ve only got one fennel bulb and I also really fancy the freshness of a fennel and orange salad...decisions, decisions...

@Dinosauratemydaffodils thanks I'd appreciate that

@Magnarocks with those ingredients I'd make a sort of sausage "shepherds pie", casserole the sausages & veg in the stock, cook & mash the potatoes and top the "pie" with that and some Parmesan?

I have to say, I love virtual cooking for other people...endless creativity and no washing up!! haha so true!

I have tinned green lentils and chickpeas, neither of which I have used before and no clue how to, when I tried googling recipes were for dried lentils or said they need rinsing in a sieve first? Which I don't have at the moment is that strictly necessary? Any recommended recipes/uses for these please?

Tinned chickpeas and lentils are dead easy to use. Just drain and chuck in to whatever you’re cooking. They are already cooked so you don’t have to worry about them being in for long enough so they’re not hard.

What are you thinking of making with them?
I often make chilli, bolognaise sauce, shepherds pie and moussaka with green lentils. Chick peas go in pretty much every curry I make. Also tagine. Any of that sound your sort of thing?

@Graphista you can use them in any recipe that uses the dried version, they just won’t need cooking down as much. Have you got a potato masher? You could maybe make a very rustic houmous with the chickpeas! I don’t usually throw away the liquid from the tin - I generally cook it down in whatever it is I’m making.

Oooh, the fish is here!! I was busy doing some actual work and missed its arrival.
Scallops and mussels - I really want moules mariniers now!
And all those fish fillets. Wow. I'm excited just to see the photos, you must be ecstatic!

@Graphista I think it was this one

dishingupthedirt.com/recipes/chickpea-mushroom-burgers-mustard-green-pesto/

Although I just used normal soy sauce.

Crabs have been ordered. Thinking crumble but will see.

Graphista any recipe for dried pulses, just ignore and soaking and pre-cooking instructions and just use the chickpeas / lentils from the point that the recipe asks them to be added to the pan.
You will need to drain them if you are going to use in a salad or similar ( you can just chuck the whole lot in for "wet" recipes).
Use a colendar or poor onto a clean t towel over a bowl, knot the corners and hang over the tap to drain.
Or pour into a bowl, run under the tap, swish gently, then tilt the bowl, using your hand to stop the pulses falling out, but the liquid to drain.
You can use chick pea water as a vegan egg substitute ( Google aqua faba for ideas).

Weeds I'm pretty pleased!! I think I'll do the fennel relish with either the cod or haddock, and make the monkfish into a Keralan fish curry with mango. Luckily I've frozen them all, to stretch it over the next couple of weeks (it's a once a month delivery).

I got some bulgur wheat in my food box which I've never used so googled and came up with this salad thing
Halloumi - the rest of the halloumi I'm going to turn into fritters with sweetcorn tomorrow and have with the rest of the salad

ClientQ tabbouleh? Yum

@Weedsnseeds1 vaguely! Probably not enough parsley to be traditional and I added garlic because well, everything needs garlic

Can't decide on tea, I have some left over tiger bread...

Ooooh fennel and fish! I do a lovely Mediterranean fish stew - cook fennel and onion and lots of garlic. Chuck in some tomatoes (I use a tin but you can peel and chop fresh in summer) and cook down, add chunks of white fish. Serve with a dollop of mayo and crusty bread!

Yes fennel pairs perfectly with fish, and I love it roasted. I’m sad now...just don’t know what I want to do with my fennel...(first world problem I know).

@purpledaisies I'm vegetarian so thinking lentils as a mince substitute in things like Bolognese, chilli (admittedly I make mine very mild), "shepherds" pie, moussaka type things

Also happy to have and eat in casseroles/stews, as a stuffing base for things like stuffed peppers or aubergine, or as a side with sausages or quorn fillets

I do like lentils but haven't used tinned before. I've mainly used for making soup but I am really not in mood for soup at the moment.

Chickpeas I've only had as humous or dried and eaten as a snack before now.

They mainly seem to be used in curries and stews? I like curries but again it has to be mild as spicy food doesn't agree with me but I have plenty of herbs and spices available to use plus stock and other flavourings

No op no potato masher - as you may have realised by now my kitchen is woefully ill equipped for anyone to actually cook in but I seem to be managing

@Dinosauratemydaffodils thanks I'll peruse that recipe

@Weedsnseeds1 again thanks for your knowledgeable guidance

Was originally thinking stir fry for dinner but I've corn on the cob and the bloody tomatoes need something doing with!

So now I'm thinking some kind of freezer dinner which will at least free up freezer space, I've some veggie Kiev thingys or...inspired by all you going on about fish! I have some veggie either fish cakes or fish fingers which I could have with chips and corn on the cob and as the oven will be on bung the tomatoes in once they're done?

Thoughts?