frugal recipes – Frugal in SA http://frugalinsa.com Homemaking & Living on a Budget in South Africa Mon, 17 Apr 2017 05:48:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.3 Tomato & Black Beans Salad http://frugalinsa.com/tomato-black-beans-salad/ http://frugalinsa.com/tomato-black-beans-salad/#respond Sun, 05 Feb 2017 10:22:06 +0000 http://frugalinsa.com/?p=1567   On a hot summer’s day there is nothing more refreshing than a delicious salad to cool you down. The Tomato & Black Beans salad is one of our favourites, especially in summer, although we make it all year round – we enjoy it so much! Very often we have the Tomato & Black Beans […]

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Tomato & Black Beans Salad

 

On a hot summer’s day there is nothing more refreshing than a delicious salad to cool you down. The Tomato & Black Beans salad is one of our favourites, especially in summer, although we make it all year round – we enjoy it so much! Very often we have the Tomato & Black Beans salad as a meal on its own with just a slice or two of warm, freshly baked and buttered bread. However, this salad can be a delicious accompaniment to any meal though, for example, the Spicy Chicken Livers.

 

For this Tomato & Black Beans salad recipe it’s best to use ripe jam tomatoes as they are much sweeter than ordinary ripe tomatoes. We use whichever type of tomatoes we have at home but if you manage to get some jam tomatoes on a really good special then you should definitely give those a try! The sweetness of jam tomatoes balances well against the more acidic ingredients in this salad: the onions and the vinegar.

 

The Tomato & Black Beans salad will cost you approximately R22.00 to make if all the ingredients are bought on special. This recipe yields several generous servings.

 

So here’s what you need to make this deliciously refreshing Tomato & Black Beans salad on a hot summer’s day, or any day!

 

Ingredients:

 

4-5 ripe Tomatoes, cubed

1 large Onion, finely chopped

2 fresh Jalapeῆo chillies, finely sliced, seeds and all

1 tin Black Beans, drained

(Or use any type of tinned beans in brine)

4 Tbsp. White Vinegar

(Or use Apple Cider instead if you prefer)

3 Tbsp. Olive Oil

(Or use Sunflower or Avocado Oil if you prefer)

Salt and Pepper to taste

 

Method:

 

In a salad bowl combine the cubed tomatoes, finely chopped onions, sliced Jalapeῆo chillies and drained Black Beans. Mix well. Now you are ready to add the dressing. Try mixing the suggested amounts of vinegar and oil in a cup and keep adding to your salad, stirring and tasting of course until you are happy with the taste. You might need to adjust the oil and vinegar amounts to suit your taste. Serve immediately and enjoy!

 

Serving suggestion: enjoy this Tomato & Black Beans Salad with a serving of delicious, Spicy Chicken Livers.

 

Tomato & Black Beans Salad served with Spicy Chicken Livers

 

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Spicy Chicken Livers http://frugalinsa.com/spicy-chicken-livers/ http://frugalinsa.com/spicy-chicken-livers/#comments Sun, 29 Jan 2017 09:43:28 +0000 http://frugalinsa.com/?p=1560   Spicy Chicken Livers may not be everyone’s cup of tea but we love this dish! A small serving of spicy chicken livers is very filling and can be enjoyed with a variety of staples: bread, rice, pasta or even pap. It’s easy to prepare and in less than 30 minutes’ cooking time you too […]

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Spicy Chicken Livers

 

Spicy Chicken Livers may not be everyone’s cup of tea but we love this dish! A small serving of spicy chicken livers is very filling and can be enjoyed with a variety of staples: bread, rice, pasta or even pap. It’s easy to prepare and in less than 30 minutes’ cooking time you too can enjoy a plate of delicious and wholesome spicy chicken livers.

 

Chicken livers, although quite high in cholesterol, contain almost no fat and no carbohydrates. Chicken livers are rich in folate, vitamins A and B12 and small servings of chicken livers from time to time can be a healthy addition to your diet. We don’t cook this meal very often but when we do, we thoroughly enjoy it!

 

The total cost for the ingredients in this recipe comes to about R50.00 (excluding electricity). This recipe yields at least 12 servings of spicy chicken livers, which comes to just over R4.00 per serving. You just can’t beat this price of meat (protein) per serving! Here is how you too can make this amazing meal.

 

Ingredients:

 

2 x 250gr. Goldi Plain Chicken Livers

2 x 250gr. Goldi Peri-Peri Chicken Livers

2 Medium Onions, finely chopped

7-8 Tbsp. of Oil

1 ½ cups Water

Salt and Pepper to taste

Spray ‘n’ Cook

 

Method:

 

Defrost the chicken livers in the fridge for about 12 hours. Rinse the plain chicken livers under running water for just a few seconds and remove any sinew as this tends to make the chicken livers taste bitter and you don’t want that. Chop the chicken livers into 2-3cm squares or you can leave the chicken livers whole if you prefer.

 

Don’t rinse the Peri-Peri chicken livers under running water as these have already been marinated. Remove the sinew though and chop the chicken livers into 2-3cm squares or you can leave the chicken livers whole if you prefer. Reserve the marinade which you will use in cooking.

 

Finely chop the onions and fry until golden brown. Add the chopped chicken livers, both the plain and the Peri-Peri chicken livers, and fry for at least 10 minutes. Then add the Peri-Peri marinade, stir well and add the water. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to simmer on medium heat for about 20-25 minutes.

 

Serve Spicy Chicken Livers with bread, rice, pasta or pap and a side salad. Enjoy!

 

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Sausage Rolls http://frugalinsa.com/sausage-rolls/ http://frugalinsa.com/sausage-rolls/#respond Sat, 28 Jan 2017 16:13:43 +0000 http://frugalinsa.com/?p=1543   It’s much, much cheaper to make Sausage Rolls at home, and we often make a batch or two. A Sausage Roll is nice as a meal on its own with some gravy and salad on the side, and they’re also an inexpensive but convenient food to pack for picnics or road trips.   Sausage […]

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Sausage Rolls

 

It’s much, much cheaper to make Sausage Rolls at home, and we often make a batch or two. A Sausage Roll is nice as a meal on its own with some gravy and salad on the side, and they’re also an inexpensive but convenient food to pack for picnics or road trips.

 

Sausage Rolls are very easy to make at home. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you’ll know that I just love quick and easy recipes which make delicious foods! This Sausage Rolls recipe is just that with only two ingredients – a Puff Pastry roll and Vienna sausages, or any other kind of sausage that you prefer or have on hand.

 

The Puff Pastry roll can be purchased for R9.99 each when they go on sale (I prefer to use Today). The Vienna sausages will come to about R2.50 each when packets of Viennas (Enterprise Chicken & Cheese Viennas for example) go on sale as well. The total cost for this recipe is only R27.50 for 7 Sausage Rolls.

 

If you were to buy that many Sausage Rolls in the shops you would have to pay at least R16.00 per Sausage Roll, spending a total of at least R112.00 (Sausage Rolls do vary in price, as I’m sure you know, depending on where you buy).

 

Ingredients:

 

1 Puff Pastry Roll

7 Vienna sausages

1 Egg wash

Salt and Pepper to taste

Spray ‘n’ Cook

 

Method:

 

Defrost the Vienna sausages for 30-45 seconds in the microwave (depending on the strength of your microwave) and set aside. Defrost the Puff Pastry roll just enough so that it can be rolled out easily. I usually use a rolling pin to even and thin out the pastry just a little. Cut 7 pieces across the Puff Pastry. As you only need enough Puff Pastry to roll around each Vienna it would be a good idea to measure against the Viennas or the sausages that you are using and cut accordingly.

 

Sausage Rolls Collage

 

Roll each Vienna into a sausage roll. Cut one or two slits on the top of each sausage roll. Spray an oven tray with Spray ‘n’ Cook. Layer the sausage rolls about 3cm apart. Brush each sausage roll with egg wash and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 180 for about 25 minutes. Serve with a side salad. Enjoy hot or cold.

 

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Pickled Beetroot http://frugalinsa.com/pickled-beetroot/ http://frugalinsa.com/pickled-beetroot/#comments Sat, 14 Jan 2017 19:14:47 +0000 http://frugalinsa.com/?p=1423   Pickled beetroot is one of my favourite side dishes, or as an addition to leafy green salads, especially in summer. Beetroot is plentiful at this time of year and you can usually buy it in bulk at your local greengrocer’s at a good price. I mentioned in my post Grocery Finds & Savings in […]

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Pickled Beetroot

 

Pickled beetroot is one of my favourite side dishes, or as an addition to leafy green salads, especially in summer. Beetroot is plentiful at this time of year and you can usually buy it in bulk at your local greengrocer’s at a good price. I mentioned in my post Grocery Finds & Savings in December that I bought a 5kg bag of beetroot for R29.00 which I used to make pickled beetroot for us. Although pickling beets is not a difficult process, it will require 2-3 hours of work in the kitchen so be prepared.

 

Pickling your own beetroot will cost you less than purchasing pickled beets in the shops. At the moment, a 750gr. jar of pickled beetroot costs on average R27.00. If you were to buy 4 ½ kg of pickled beetroot you would have to buy 6 jars in the shops which would cost you R162.00. I spent R29.00 for the beetroot and R19.00 for a 2-litre bottle of white vinegar, no name brand, which is really all you need to make pickled beetroot (adding garlic is optional). In total I spent R48.00 and saved R114.00.

 

Pickled beets will last several months if bottled properly and stored in the fridge so you can continue to enjoy the products of your labour over a longer period of time. This really makes the effort of pickling beetroot worthwhile. Here’s how to make pickled beetroot, the really easy way!

 

Ingredients:

 

5kg Beetroot

2 litres White Vinegar

Water

A few cloves of Garlic (optional)

 

Method:

 

You need to boil the beetroot and there are two different ways of doing this – boiling it on the stove or cooking it in the microwave.

 

If you plan on boiling the beets on the stove, wash them but do not peel. Add the beets to a pot of boiling water and continue to boil on fairly high heat until you can easily insert a knife or a fork into the beets and they feel soft. Remove the pot from the stove, strain the water and allow the beets to cool before peeling them.

 

If you plan on cooking the beets in the microwave, wash and peel them first. Microwave a few of them at a time in a suitable microwave dish with a lid. Don’t add any water. Allow up to 2 minutes for each beet, microwaving on high until you can easily insert a knife or a fork into the beets and they feel soft. Allow the beets to cool. In the meantime, sterilise the jars you’re going to use.

 

Once the beets have cooled down, they are now ready to be sliced, grated or cubed – you choose what you prefer. Bear in mind that beetroot which is finely grated or thinly sliced will absorb more vinegar and will therefore be more acidic. The opposite is true for thicker slices or cubes. If you are planning on adding garlic, use only freshly peeled garlic cloves and thinly slice or grate them.

 

Lastly, prepare the brine. For about 4 ½ kg of beetroot you’re going to need just under 2 litres of white vinegar. Measure the 2 litres of vinegar in cups then mix 2 parts (cups) vinegar to 1 part (cup) water. We find that this combination suits our taste but you might want to adjust that if you prefer slightly more acidic brine, or slightly less acidic.

 

Lay out the sterilised jars you’re going to use. Fill the jars with beetroot almost to the full, but not quite, packing the beets tightly, but not too tightly. Add the garlic if using. Top each jar with brine and close the lid. Store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

 

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Chili Con Carne http://frugalinsa.com/chili-con-carne/ http://frugalinsa.com/chili-con-carne/#comments Sat, 14 Jan 2017 18:58:13 +0000 http://frugalinsa.com/?p=1418     There are a lot of recipes out there for Chili Con Carne. A lot! And many of those recipes require you to cook the minced meat from scratch, which we normally don’t. If we have a little leftover Bolognaise Sauce for Pasta, which I usually cook in large batches and freeze, that’s what […]

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Chili Con Carne

 

 

There are a lot of recipes out there for Chili Con Carne. A lot! And many of those recipes require you to cook the minced meat from scratch, which we normally don’t. If we have a little leftover Bolognaise Sauce for Pasta, which I usually cook in large batches and freeze, that’s what we will use to spice things up a little (literally!) with this easy, cheap and super quick Chili Con Carne.

 

Using up the leftover Bolognaise Sauce for Pasta to make Chili Con Carne just makes this dish so much more flavourful. Sure, you could just have the Bolognaise Sauce with some pasta for dinner but if you’ve already had that two nights in a row – which sometimes does happen to us when I defrost a tub of Bolognaise Sauce – then it’s Chili Con Carne night for us which we so enjoy. Here’s how to make this simple meal.

 

Ingredients:

 

2 Ladles of Bolognaise Sauce for Pasta

1 tin Beans in brine (drained)

*you can use any beans that you like

1-2 Chili Peppers (to taste), finely chopped

¼ Tsp. Cayenne pepper

¼ Tsp. Chili Powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Spray ‘n’ Cook

1 Tbsp. Oil

 

*You can halve all the ingredients if you have a smaller amount of Bolognaise Sauce leftover and it will still yield a few reasonably sized portions.  

 

Method:

 

Spray a deep pan with Spray ‘n’ Cook, add the oil and allow to heat up. Fry the Chili peppers for a minute or two. Add the Bolognaise Sauce for Pasta, drained beans, spices and salt and pepper to taste. Cook on moderate heat for about 10-12 minutes and serve immediately.

 

Serve with:

 

A toasted, buttered bun or a slice of bread.

Rice or couscous.

Fried eggs.

Mashed or baked potatoes.

Pasta or noodles.

 

The last time we made Chili Con Carne with leftover Bolognaise Sauce for Pasta, we served it with a couple of ‘fancy’ fried eggs, as you can see in the photo. I honestly don’t know whose idea this originally was but it did its rounds on social media a while back and ever since then it’s been one of our favourite way of making ‘fancy’ fried eggs – I just love the taste. It also looks super appetizing on your plate!

 

It’s easy to make though. All you needs is a 2cm thick slice of green pepper. Slice the green pepper across to get a round shape. Heat up a frying pan a little, place the sliced green pepper, add a few drops of oil in the middle of the slice and allow it to heat up a little. Crack an egg inside and fry it. Use an egg lifter to remove it gently from the pan and onto a plate. It really goes well with a serving of Chili Con Carne and a slice of warm, buttered bread. Enjoy!

 

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Moroccan Shakshuka http://frugalinsa.com/moroccan-shakshuka/ http://frugalinsa.com/moroccan-shakshuka/#respond Thu, 08 Dec 2016 13:01:31 +0000 http://frugalinsa.com/?p=1217   This is a guest post by Harjeet Kaur who blogs over at Fire, Water, Food & Travel  Harjeet’s blog is filled with delectable and mouth-watering recipes and they are a must for any foodie to try!   I’m happy to have Harjeet as a guest on Frugal in SA. Thank you so much Harjeet […]

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Moroccan Shakshuka

 

This is a guest post by Harjeet Kaur who blogs over at Fire, Water, Food & Travel  Harjeet’s blog is filled with delectable and mouth-watering recipes and they are a must for any foodie to try!

 

I’m happy to have Harjeet as a guest on Frugal in SA. Thank you so much Harjeet for sharing this recipe with us. It looks absolutely delicious and I can’t wait to try this recipe on a budget!

 

Shakshuka is a Moroccan dish which resembles our very own Indian egg curry a lot. We make egg curry in an onion and tomato sauce too but our eggs are boiled and placed in the sauce, whereas in Shakshuka they are served sunny side up.

 

Shakshuka literally means ‘mixed.’ It invites innovation and as you can add pretty much anything in an omelet, you can add it to Shakshuka too. Shakshuka is a yummy combination of eggs, tomatoes, and spices well-liked across the Middle East and North Africa and now becoming popular across the globe. It is mainly a breakfast dish but then you can also have it for lunch or dinner – like I did!

 

Shakshuka

 

I first heard about Shakshuka from my daughter and I looked it up and found myriad recipes online, each different from the other. I realized that the recipe for Shakshuka is like most Punjabi dishes – very versatile. The eggs can be well done or left a bit runny, the sauce can be thick or thin, the vegetables can vary from red, yellow or green peppers, peas, mushroom, cheese, and the dish can be made vegetarian, dairy, or with meat but it’s always so scrumptious.

 

The best thing about Shakshuka is that it’s mostly made out of staples that you are guaranteed to have in your pantry, with the exception of peppers or basil which are optional. This means you’re pretty much ready to make a fantastic meal anytime of the day or week!

 

And if you are rushed in the mornings and want to make it for breakfast, the tomato base can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. You can reheat the sauce the next morning before adding the eggs and your healthy, nutritious and flavorful Shakshuka is ready. It is perfect with your morning cuppa or your 11am hunger pangs or in your lunch box, or for dinner or for every meal and snack in between. Soak it up with bread, or roti or naan – it tastes so good!

 

I love this recipe because it is easy, healthy and yet so scrumptious and gratifying.

 

Ingredients:

 

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 Onion, thinly sliced

5 large tomatoes, blanched and chopped finely

4 eggs

1 Green pepper, thinly sliced

2 Chili Peppers, slit in half

3 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced or mashed

2 Tbsp. crumbled Feta cheese or Cottage cheese

½ Tbsp. Red Chili Powder or Paprika

½ Tsp. Mixed herbs (optional)

½ Tsp. Chili flakes (optional)

1 Tbsp. minced Basil or Parsley

4 Basil leaves, fresh (optional)

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

 

To serve: Tortillas or Crusty bread or Pita Bread or Baguette

 

Method:

 

Heat olive oil in a skillet or pan over high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté. Add the chopped green pepper and sauté until slightly browned then immediately add tomatoes, chilies, red chili powder or paprika, chili flakes, mixed herbs and minced basil or parsley and stir to combine. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes then season with salt.

 

Blanched and peeled whole tomatoes are any day better than canned, puréed ones. I peeled them after blanching and chopped them finely. I like whole peeled tomatoes as they allow you to adjust the texture to suit your needs which makes the cooking part easier and adds a brighter colour and flavor to your food.

 

Now that you’ve got yourself a wonderful sauce that can be made well in advance, or even frozen for later, you can complete it into a meal, by adding a few eggs. Make four holes in the sauce with a spoon or spatula, then break the eggs directly into the holes. Cover the pan and let it simmer and steam just until the egg whites are barely set and the egg yolks are still golden and soft.

 

Preparing the Shakshuka

 

Remove from the stove then season with a little salt and freshly ground pepper and sprinkle fresh basil leaves, along with cottage cheese or feta.

 

Shakshuka must be served hot with Tortilla, Crusty bread, Baguette, Pita, Flatbread or Roti, to sop up all the flavorful sauce. Enjoy!

 

Shakshuka and Flatbread

 

 

Visit Harjeet’s blog Fire, Water, Food & Travel for more scrumptious, authentic recipes from India.

 

Follow Harjeet on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

 

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Millie Meal & Polenta Bread http://frugalinsa.com/millie-meal-polenta-bread/ http://frugalinsa.com/millie-meal-polenta-bread/#comments Sat, 10 Sep 2016 14:09:30 +0000 http://frugalinsa.com/?p=1121     This recipe is part of Take the Pantry and Freezer Challenge series on this blog, and I made this in Week 3 of the challenge.   This is a recipe I often make. It is fairly inexpensive if made plain but with additional variations (see below) it can cost you a bit more. […]

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Millie Meal and Polenta Bread

 

 

This recipe is part of Take the Pantry and Freezer Challenge series on this blog, and I made this in Week 3 of the challenge.

 

This is a recipe I often make. It is fairly inexpensive if made plain but with additional variations (see below) it can cost you a bit more. We like the Millie meal and Polenta bread plain. We usually have it instead of regular bread with just about any serving of meat or vegetables. During the Pantry and Freezer Challenge we had it with Beef stew, for example. The Millie meal and Polenta Bread can also be enjoyed on its own, with a knob of butter spread on a warm slice of this delicious bread with a hot cuppa!

 

My husband’s favourite is to enjoy a slice of Millie meal and Polenta bread instead of plain toast with fried eggs and tomatoes for a hearty, absolutely delicious breakfast.

 

Millie Meal and Polenta Bread with Fried Eggs Tomatoes

 

Ingredients:

 

3 eggs

½ mug Oil

½ mug Milk

500 ml. Buttermilk (or Maas or Plain Yoghurt)

4 small cups* Cake flour

3 small cups* Polenta

1 small cup* Millie Meal

2 Tsp. Baking powder

Spray ‘n’ Cook

 

*I use small espresso cups.

 

To make this recipe even cheaper, you can choose to use 4 small cups of Millie meal instead of a combination of 1 cup Millie meal and 3 cups of Polenta. We just prefer the soft, moist slice when made with a combination of the two so I’m willing to spend a tiny bit more when making this recipe.

 

I also find that using Buttermilk gives the Millie meal and Polenta bread a much creamier texture. Using Maas is the cheapest option though but to be honest, I use whichever one – Buttermilk, Maas or Plain Yoghurt – I actually have in the fridge at the time (there are no extra trips to the shops for just the Buttermilk!).

 

Method:

 

Place all ingredients in a large bowl. If you are using any variation ingredients (see below) add those at this time as well. Use an electric mixer to mix all ingredients well, about a minute or two.

 

Spray a 20x30cm pan with Spray ‘n’ Cook, pour the batter and bake at 180 C° for 40 minutes, or until the bread comes away from the sides. Remove the pan from the oven, cover with a cloth and allow to cool completely. The Millie Meal and Polenta bread can keep for a few days but leave it covered with a cloth which will help retain some of its moisture. It can be enjoyed cold or heated up for 30 seconds in the microwave if you like.

 

Variations:

 

You may choose to add any of the following to your batter before baking:

 

  • 100gr. crumbled Feta cheese.
  • A handful of chopped Olives and 1 Chouriço sausage.
  • A cup of finely chopped, steamed Spinach.
  • A cup of finely chopped Chives.

 

Enjoy!

 

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Semolina Cake http://frugalinsa.com/semolina-cake/ http://frugalinsa.com/semolina-cake/#comments Thu, 08 Sep 2016 16:37:55 +0000 http://frugalinsa.com/?p=1110     This recipe is part of Take the Pantry and Freezer Challenge series on this blog, and I made this in Week 3 of the challenge.   There are many reasons why I love Semolina Cake:   A slice of this simple, yet moist and fluffy Semolina Cake is very refreshing on a hot […]

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Semolina Cake

 

 

This recipe is part of Take the Pantry and Freezer Challenge series on this blog, and I made this in Week 3 of the challenge.

 

There are many reasons why I love Semolina Cake:

 

  • A slice of this simple, yet moist and fluffy Semolina Cake is very refreshing on a hot summer’s day.
  • The ingredients cost about R35.00 (can you buy a whole tray of dessert anywhere for so little these days?!).
  • It is sweet but not that sweet.
  • Preparation is minimal and there is no mess!

 

Ingredients:

7 eggs

12 Tbsp. Semolina

6 Tbsp. Cake Flour

5 Tbsp. Sugar

2 Tsp. Baking Powder

1 litre Milk

1 cup Sugar (or a bit more, if you prefer)

2 Tsp. Vanilla Essence

Spray ‘n’ Cook

 

Method:

 

Bring the milk and 1 cup of sugar to boil, remove from the stove, stir in the vanilla essence and set aside to cool completely.
Separate egg yolk and egg whites. Whisk egg whites until the mixture is firm, and if you turn the bowl upside down the egg whites won’t fall out. Continue to whisk the mixture adding the sugar, egg yolk, semolina, cake flour and baking powder. Your mixture should have a creamy yet fluffy consistency.

 

Lightly oil a 20x30cm pan with Spray ‘n’ cook then pour the batter. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 190 C° for 45 minutes, or until the cake comes away from the sides and the cake springs back when you touch it lightly. Remove the cake from the oven. Use a ladle to immediately start pouring the cooled milk mixture evenly and watch the cake absorb all the liquid.

 

Refrigerate the Semolina cake for at least 2-3 hours before serving. Even when cooled there will be a tiny bit of milk left over here and there at the bottom of the pan and you will see this as you slice the cake. Slurp it up – it tastes good. Enjoy!

 

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Beef Stew http://frugalinsa.com/beef-stew/ http://frugalinsa.com/beef-stew/#comments Thu, 08 Sep 2016 16:11:09 +0000 http://frugalinsa.com/?p=1096     This recipe is part of Take the Pantry and Freezer Challenge series on this blog, and I made this in Week 3 of the challenge.   As with most recipes I’ve featured during the Pantry and Freezer Challenge, I often use this Beef stew recipe. I do have several types of recipes that […]

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Beef stew

 

 

This recipe is part of Take the Pantry and Freezer Challenge series on this blog, and I made this in Week 3 of the challenge.

 

As with most recipes I’ve featured during the Pantry and Freezer Challenge, I often use this Beef stew recipe. I do have several types of recipes that I like to use for this dish, but this one is by far the simplest and takes the least amount of effort. It is a very economical dish too and for about 2kg of stewing beef I can make at least 10 servings each for 2 adults. A meat dish doesn’t really get any cheaper than that!

 

How to choose the right cuts of meat

 

There are always plenty of specials on stewing meat at both supermarkets and butcheries. When choosing where to buy, or what cut of meat to buy, I find that the usually cheaper cut of beef Shin has the most flavour and tends to be the juiciest and softest when cooked. I also prefer to choose packets of meat that I can see have recently been cut and packaged (as opposed to thawed) and those that have the richest, reddest colour to it (never pale red or with a greyish tinge to it).

 

The meat should have some fat on it as this is what helps give the beef stew its flavour, but you don’t want it to have too much fat, so choose as best as you can according to what you can afford. I’ve never in my life bought beef fillet and tried to make stew with it precisely because it has no fat on it, and even if I could afford it I’d still think it would be a waste of money trying to cook beef stew with it, to be quite honest! Cheaper cuts of meat stewed for several hours are soft, tender and juicy and never chewy.

 

Ingredients:

 

2 kg Stewing Beef, cut into 3-4 cm cubes

4 Onions, finely chopped

2 Carrots, grated or thinly sliced

2 tins Tomato & Onion mix

2 tins Whole Tomatoes

(You can substitute both tomato & onion mix and whole tomato tins with the same amount of homemade Tomato Sauce).

2 Sachets Tomato Puree

2 Sachets Spicy Beef Goulash spices

(You can substitute this with 3 Tsp. Paprika, 2 Tbsp. Aromat, 2 Tsp. Crushed Chillies or Cayenne Pepper, 2 Beef stock cubes, 2 Tbsp. Meat Spice)  

½ mug Sunflower Oil

Royco Beef Stew mix to thicken, and for extra flavour

(You can use Maizena or Cake Flour to thicken instead)

Salt and Pepper to taste

 

For this amount of stewing beef you will need to use a large pot or you can split all the ingredients above and cook the beef stew in 2 smaller pots at the same time.

 

Method:

 

Place the stewing beef on a large oven tray and brown the meat in a pre-heated oven at 180 C°. The meat should be done in about 20-25 minutes. You might need to turn the meat over once or twice during this time. The meat will release its own rich gravy which will add to the flavour of the beef stew.

 

Heat the oil in a large cooking pot and sauté the onions. Add the grated carrots and sauté for a few more minutes. Add the meat with all the gravy to the pot, mix well and continue to fry on high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Then add the tomato & onion mix, whole tomatoes, tomato puree and all the spices. Continue to fry on high heat for another 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.

 

Add as much hot water as you’d like to have and don’t worry that the whole mixture seems very diluted at this stage – it will thicken as it continues to cook. Bring the stew to the boil then reduce heat to moderate and allow the stew to simmer for about 3 hours. You will probably need to top up with water every now and then but be sure to use hot water to do that.

 

Use the Royco Beef Stew mix to thicken, following the instructions on the packaging. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve the beef stew with your choice of staples and vegetables. This recipe will freeze well. Enjoy!

 

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The Pantry and Freezer Challenge Week 3 http://frugalinsa.com/pantry-freezer-challenge-week-3/ http://frugalinsa.com/pantry-freezer-challenge-week-3/#comments Thu, 08 Sep 2016 16:10:17 +0000 http://frugalinsa.com/?p=1086     Welcome to the Pantry and Freezer Challenge Week 3 update! Last week was an easy week in our kitchen. In fact, it was a bit of a lazy week as I made only one large batch of one of our favourite meals and a few smaller meal portions as I continued to use […]

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Pantry and Freezer Challenge week 3

 

 

Welcome to the Pantry and Freezer Challenge Week 3 update! Last week was an easy week in our kitchen. In fact, it was a bit of a lazy week as I made only one large batch of one of our favourite meals and a few smaller meal portions as I continued to use up the items in our pantry and freezer.

 

Once again for breakfast during the week, we had Melba toast with homemade Marmalade. The Melba toast is now finished and the last jar of marmalade is almost finished too. So we moved on to the one packet of Millie meal porridge in our pantry for the next couple of days. Over the weekend I once again whipped up one of our favourite and very quick, cheap and filling breakfast meals – baked beans with fried eggs on toast (you can find my recipe for Baked Beans & Eggs here) and I used up the last 2 tins of baked beans in our pantry for this.

 

The one large batch of food I made was beef stew. I made 2 quite large pots of Beef stew in one go and for this recipe I used up the 2 kg stewing beef we had in the freezer, which yielded about 10 meal portions extra for freezing and will last us a while. I also used the 2 packets of Spicy Beef Goulash seasoning as well as 1 tin whole tomatoes, 2 tins tomato & onion mix and 1 tin my homemade Tomato Sauce in this recipe. You can find the Beef Stew recipe here.

 

As the beef stew is such a versatile recipe and can be enjoyed with a variety of staples and vegetables that one can almost never tire of all the possible combinations, I decided to use ½ packet of polenta to make Millie meal bread for us to enjoy as our staple with a portion of beef stew during the week. You can have a look at this super easy Millie Meal & Polenta Bread recipe here. Preparation time for the Millie bread is minimal, all the ingredients are mixed together at once and it bakes in about 45 minutes, ready to be enjoyed straight from the oven!

 

We also had another go at making the 2nd packet of Prawn Crackers which we nibbled on here and there. I also managed to use up the hake fillets we had in the freezer as well as the fish batter which was enough for 2 meals during the week with potato salad and some greens. The fish batter powder has been in the cupboard for quite a while now so I’m glad we’ve finally managed to use it up!

 

Hake Greeen Beans Potato SaladHake Greeen Beans Potato Salad Pantry and Freezer Challenge week 3

 

And finally for dessert I used up ½ packet of semolina and made Semolina cake which we enjoyed during the week. This recipe, again, is a really quick recipe of about 5 minutes preparation time! While I enjoy cooking and baking, having a variety of tried and tested recipes with minimal prep time is an absolute life-saver for me on a very busy day during the week. You can have a look at the Semolina Cake recipe here.

 

What did you prepare for lunch, dinner and dessert last week? I always love to hear from my readers.

 

Stay tuned for Lessons Learned from the Pantry and Freezer Challenge!

 

This post is part of Take the Pantry and Freezer Challenge series on this blog.

 

If you’ve enjoyed this blog post, please share it with others!

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