Bargain food (part 2)

It appears that readers like to hear how I regularly rummage in the reduced section of supermarkets with the best of them so here it is… the next installment of my Bargain food thread.

As before, the challenge is to create meals inspired from these special offer findings. To begin, I happened to stumble on a small treasure of reduced items by being in the right place at the right time when I popped in to pick up something on the way home from a meeting. Nothing mind-blowing but definitely useful – a bag or organic spinach down to 49p, fresh baby plum tomatoes at 39p, fresh egg noodles down to 39p and a bag of large courgettes for just 49p.

Of course, this is just the beginning so the next morning I set off on my quest for additions to create actual meals. First off, I find a pack of fresh prawns, substantial enough for two and a reasonable £2.80 and a £1 bag of bell peppers they are so versatile and always a safe bet. Meal number one is born – sweet and sour prawns with the fresh noodles.

There are two other vegetables that I love to cook with – red onions and spinach. As the spinach is at it the end of its peak, I want to use the whole bag so for the second dish so opt for a vegetarian option. I already have a red onion in the fridge, plus the red and yellow peppers so I’m going to go for a red Thai vegetable curry.

I find a pack of garlic and coriander naan breads for 60p and then for an extra touch, I pick up a £1 bag of new potatoes. Rather than boil them, I pop them in the oven and the results are perfect – baby baked potatoes.

These two meals have achieved my target of using up all the bargains with no waste. And as the third meal is falling on a Sunday evening, it’s time for a lazy treat – fabulous barbecued ribs, half price at just £1.50 and plenty for two with chips and a pepper, red onion and tomato side salad.

Home comforts

There’s nothing quite like sitting on your sofa, looking out at the darkness through the raindrops on your window and knowing that you don’t have to leave the house.

It’s the long holiday weekend, beginning with the rudimentary Thanksgiving dinner. Part of the enjoyment is an 'all hands on deck' approach and it's not long before a developing aroma of turkey, roasted vegetables, stuffing and gravy seeps from the kitchen as pre-dinner drinks are served.

While many dash off to the shops for Black Friday sales and offers, I like to think of the day as simply being an extension of time out, with dinner being an impromptu leftover creation.

On this occasion, it’s a heart-warming sausage casserole, which is made for a simple base of tinned tomatoes, a red onion and gravy granules and can be adjusted to incorporate whatever’s in the fridge. A couple of jacket potatoes are at hand, as are the remaining Yorkshire puddings (because I am self-confessed Yorkie pudding fiend).

Saturday is equally as miserable weather-wise so more comfort food is in order and what can’t fail to make it special but homemade bread? When I was growing up, I was (and still am) a big fan of The Good Life, so take great delight in enjoying organic basics and the satisfaction of eating something that you’ve created from scratch. The slices of bread are then rubbed with a simple garlic and butter mix and toasted, to provide a great accompaniment to tonight's lasagne.

All in all, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable holiday weekend and good preparation for the forthcoming festive month of December.

The harbour beach

(written for Groovy Reflections)

“Oh! I do like to be beside the seaside
I do like to be beside the sea!
I do like to stroll upon the Prom, Prom, Prom!
Where the brass bands play:
Tiddely-om-pom-pom!"

The day had arrived. My two sisters and I all pile onto the back seat of our family car and look back at the stack of suitcases and beach bags behind us. We’re on our way!

Every year in May, we would take our annual holiday in Tenby, west Wales, in the same maisonette overlooking the harbour. My dad would park the car at the kerb outside and we’d climb up the steps into the familiar smelling hallway and take the stairs up to the next floor.

The living room had a wooden staircase that led up to the bedrooms, which was slatted, meaning you could see (or at that age maybe fall!) between each stair. There were two paintings on the wall, of homeless children sitting in the street, reminiscent of the images described in the song Matchstalk Men & Matchstalk Cats & Dogs.

My parents’ bedroom was at the front of the building and had a small iron balcony outside the window where you could look out at the beach and imagine the adventures that lay ahead over the next two weeks.

Once unpacked, we’d put our swimming costumes and towels into a beach bag and venture down to the sand. The harbour is small and there is always a cluster of small fishing boats moored in the shallow waters, which you could navigate in between in a rubber dingy. Sometimes, large jellyfish would get washed up on the sand overnight and we'd hop over them on our way into the water.

The town is small and centred around five stone arches. The first was built by the Normans in the late 13^th century, the others added later to allow more traffic to pass through.  There was a Woolworths, a few others shops, pubs and bakeries and the Tenby Rock Shop. Its window displayed an array of sticks of rock and a selection of sugared masterpieces, including the traditional egg and bacon on a paper plate. We'd visit at the end of the holiday to stock up on presents to give to our school friends when we returned home.

There are three main beaches – the South, harbour and North. Located between the South and harbour lies the home of the Tenby lifeboat; originally founded in 1852. Adjacent to the lifeboat house is a mound, on which stand the old cannons once used to defend the town when it was under attack. We’d climb up onto their bases and shimmy up to the end, our legs dangling high above the ground as we looked out to sea.

In the evenings, we’d take a walk along the pathway between the harbour and North beach, jumping over the iron bollards used to moor the boats as we went. At the other end, was an amusement arcade we called the Bing-A-Bong (because the sounds that rang out from the machines and rides). We’d play the tuppenny pusher and watch our parents master Pac-Man and the fruit machines. Then after it was dark, we’d walk back along the seafront to the sound of the waves hitting the sea wall and we’d go to bed, full of anticipation of what lay ahead the following day.

Tuk Tuk

If you’ve been out for a few drinks with friends in the Bayswater area, Tuk Tuk is a perfect pit stop for a cheap eat before you go home. The noodle restaurant is relatively small but the service is fast, ensuring a steady turnover of customers until late into the night. The tables are positioned closely together but this is not imposing and if anything, adds to the atmosphere.

The staff are welcoming and drinks arrive swiftly. A bottle of house wine is a reasonable £10.50 and the accompanying menus illustrate that food is equally as good value for money. We opt for a starter of Thai fishcakes which are served with a chill dip. They are cooked nicely, with a slightly crisp coating and a lovely fragrant soft filling

Mains are equally rewarding, with Thai green chicken curry, which our waiter is happy to bring seconds of egg fried rice to finish. The sweet and sour dish has a lovely glaze and is a welcome addition to the table.

All in all, this is a great little west London eatery - great, fast service and excellent value for money.

A taste of the Caribbean

I like blogging about food. Whether I’m eating in a restaurant or cooking it myself, I have the pleasure of enjoying the meal followed by the creative buzz that derives from writing about it. I’m not reviewing for a Sunday newspaper but I still get the satisfying reward from people telling me that they enjoying following it.

Today it’s a Caribbean fish, sweet potato and spinach curry. It’s a one saucepan recipe, will serve four but can be stretched to serve more easily. On this occasion, I’m using white sweet potatoes and for the fish, fillets of Pollock (one per person).

Instead of chilli powder, I’m adding my favourite West Indian hot pepper sauce which you can buy for about £1 in most supermarkets and Asian stores. As you only use a little, the bottle lasts for ages and can be used in all sorts of hot and cold recipes.

The method plays out in reverse of that described in my Thai chicken curry blog. That is, you start with the onion and spices then add the vegetables and then finally the fish as it cooks quickly.

So, fry an onion and add an orange pepper, some curry powder and the hot sauce. Stir in and add a tin of tomatoes (I like to throw in one or two fresh ones too) and a large sweet potato, which is first cut into small cubes. Next, add coconut milk and vegetable stock and leave to simmer until the potato is softened.

This is a great dish if you are having guests over because the first steps can all be done before they arrive and the base left to cool until you’re ready to eat. About ten minutes before serving, cut the fish into chunks and add to the saucepan, along with the fresh spinach and then leave to heat through fully. Give it a final stir and there you have it. A taste of the Caribbean.

T(ha)ime to improvise...

It’s the weekend so there’s no excuse. I can do this. Now, I’m not one of these people who can whip up anything amazing without first consulting a cookery book, but I know enough to figure out what goes with what.

Following on from my last post about the wonders of cheap living, there’s a tray of chicken breasts in my fridge that were scooped up in the reduced section for a mere £1.65, There's also a pack of creamed coconut so I’m thinking curry, maybe Thai.

The great thing about Thai food (at least, for me) is that you can follow a basic procedure and, unless you do something horrifically wrong, generally come out with a result that appears far more impressive than it actually is.

It’s basically a three step process. Fry meat, add vegetables, add spices (ultimately incorporating the ‘guess quantities, try not to get it wrong’ technique).

In my case, I fry chicken, add red and yellow peppers, red onion and a courgette and fry some more. (I’m not sure of the timeframe – stop when they look cooked but not unconscious is a ballpark).

Then step three. Here, anything goes (keeping the 'try not to get it wrong' aspect in mind). I transfer everything into a saucepan as the frying pan is getting a little overcrowded. Add curry powder and creamed coconut and mix well. I like spicy food so finish with a good dose of chilli then stir in fresh egg noodles.

Finally, find chopsticks in the kitchen drawer to create the feel that you’re in a posh restaurant and there you have it - Thai chicken curry, just how it looks in the photo.

Bargain food

I love a good bargain. And I also love food. So this week I decided to have a bargain inspired recipe week. I set off to the supermarket with a single mission in mind – to find ingredients on offer that would inspire recipes.