The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: Sonorous Epithet on May 12, 2014, 09:04:08 AM
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Peasant food is some of the cheapest and tastiest food. But it takes knowledge and skill to cook from scratch in order to save some scratch (so to speak).
Please share some of your secrets for scratch cooking with cheap ingredients like rice, oats, potatoes, tomatoes, yams and sweet potatoes, lentils, black beans, white beans, pinto beans, red beans, chickpeas, polenta and corn/maize, cheap greens, cheap cuts of meat, and even offal.
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Have you taken a look at www.budgetbytes.com ?
That site has a lot of easy recipes that are pretty cheap, but I am a vegetarian so stuff is cheaper to begin with...
I also highly recommend red lentil curry. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/red-lentil-curry/
You can make a big batch of this and do lots with it. I even mix in plain yogurt with it some times and it's so tasty! DW and I also will take corn taco shells and make pseudo tacos with them.
You can always make up some potatoes as well and just eat those :)
Anything taste wise you would prefer to learn about?
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WTF is peasant food?
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In the United States, pork is much cheaper than beef or chicken. E.g. this weekend I made a fancypants dinner for mother's day, the main protein of which was mushroom stuffed bone in pork chops ($4/lb at my local supermarket).
People don't like to make pork as much because it usually comes out dry when you cook it through, and medium rare pork isn't as pleasant (or as safe) as medium rare steak.
But there is an easy and tasty solution that will let you serve this cheap meat and keep it moist and tasty - brine. Soak your pork in water with lots of salt, sugar, and whatever whole spices you'd like (I did black peppercorns, coriander, and mustard seed). Leave it to soak for a few hours (more for thicker things like a tenderloin), and then cook as you normally would.
For the above mentioned pork chops, I breaded them with egg and breadcrumbs and then seared them on one side in a cast iron skillet, flipped them, and tossed them in the oven for 10 minutes or so.
Served with some mashed potatoes and a salad with homemade vinaigrette, I had a very fancypants meal for 3 for a total of about $15 - and leftovers which are my lunch at work today.
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ooooh I will have to try brining pork! I too am always surprised by how much cheaper than beef it is... and our favorite roast chicken recipe involves brining in buttermilk, which makes basically the moistest, most delicious chicken ever, so I'm sure pork would be awesome!!
we also have an awesome crockpot pork taco recipe involving orange juice. not sure that counts as peasant food but it's soooo good.
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WTF is peasant food?
Traditional foods eaten by the lower classes. See: pea soup, polenta, trotters, chow kawy teow, etc. Often meatless, and usually made with very inexpensive ingredients. Frequently very tasty.
Also can change over time. At one point in the US lobster used to be considered a workingman's food, because it was so plentiful and a bottomfeeder. Now, it's more rare and considered a delicacy.
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ooooh I will have to try brining pork! I too am always surprised by how much cheaper than beef it is... and our favorite roast chicken recipe involves brining in buttermilk, which makes basically the moistest, most delicious chicken ever, so I'm sure pork would be awesome!!
we also have an awesome crockpot pork taco recipe involving orange juice. not sure that counts as peasant food but it's soooo good.
Brining pork makes it awesome. After brining with sugar, salt, pepper corns, allspice, star anise and rosemary I put it in a cast-iron skillet that has been preheated to 450F, flip after a couple minutes or so and shove in the oven until done. Its amazing
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WTF is peasant food?
Traditional foods eaten by the lower classes. See: pea soup, polenta, trotters, chow kawy teow, etc. Often meatless, and usually made with very inexpensive ingredients. Frequently very tasty.
Also can change over time. At one point in the US lobster used to be considered a workingman's food, because it was so plentiful and a bottomfeeder. Now, it's more rare and considered a delicacy.
For purposes of this discussion, I would define peasant food as being inexpensive right now.
I don't want to wind up embittered at lobsters for their upward mobility, scowling at them in their tank as they waggle their antennae with an air of nonchalance. You think you're too good for me now, huh, lobster?!
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I love making homemade noodles. Last year my mom gave me the noodle roller that she received as a wedding pressent twenty-five years ago and had never used, and I've been making homemade noodles at least once every two weeks ever since. They don't save much money if you compare prices to the $1 per pound sale noodles (I can make about the equivilent of 1 lb. dried linguini for $.85), but the quality is much higher. Chewy dried noodles aren't even comparable to tender homemade noodles. Plus, there's more variety than you would imagine with homemade noodles. You can use different flours, eggs vs. water, oil or no oil, or add an alkalai to acheive different textures and flavors. Obviously, you can also make different shapes for different purposes. Plus, homemade noodles freeze very nicely in well floured individual portions. They go directly from freezer to boiling water with almost no increase to boiling time.
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WTF is peasant food?
Traditional foods eaten by the lower classes. See: pea soup, polenta, trotters, chow kawy teow, etc. Often meatless, and usually made with very inexpensive ingredients. Frequently very tasty.
Also can change over time. At one point in the US lobster used to be considered a workingman's food, because it was so plentiful and a bottomfeeder. Now, it's more rare and considered a delicacy.
It's regional, too. The first thing that came to my mind when I saw the thread title was greens, crowder peas, and hoecakes (which are cornbread batter, fried).
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I have never had a problem with dry pork as long as I get chops "bone in." Our fave recipe is to lay out the chops in a shallow baking pan, cover with a light coating of ground corriander, then spoon some brown sugar over them, and squirt with lemon juice, then bake for 25 minutes... they come out tender and juicy with a lemon sugar glaze. For some reason, no one in my family ever fried porkchops, so I thought that was the weirdest thing when I first heard about that...
I also do my pork roasts in a crock pot. I don't brown them first as no one in my family likes the crusty outside bits. I thrown in a whole pork shoulder, add in onions, celery and spices and enough water to cover and then basically boil for about 6-7+ hours (I use high setting) and end up with so-tender-you-don't-need-to-chew pork roast. And there have never been any issues with this cooking method, and it makes the most divine pulled pork barbeque with a bit of sauce. But lately, we eat the pork roast either as is with a bit of salt and pepper and some side veggies, or we make pork sandwiches with cheese and mayo. I let the initial roast cool, and then use my hands to pull off all of the meat and discard the bones and fat and drain the liquid (we're not big on making gravy, but the liquid does make a lovely brown gravy if that's your thing)
We do a fried rice using whatever vegetables are on hand and it is especially wonderful for any veggies that I forgot about in the fridge and have gotten sad and wilted. We use brown rice instead of white to be a bit healthier. But the unfortunate secret to it being awesome is bacon grease. ;) So it's a small amount of grease, fry up whatever meat (usually chicken, but sometimes shrimp, but sometimes we just leave meat out completely) then add in veggies for a few minutes to soften slightly at the end and then set that aside, scramble a few eggs into a little more grease, add in the rice and some green onion (or regular onion chopped) and then add a bit more grease (usually ends up with around 4 tablespoons total) and the meat/veggies, and add in some soy sauce to taste.
I also do a bean soup over rice. But I buy hamhocks if I don't have a hambone and cook the beans FOREVER (at least 4 hours after a soak) and at the very end, I'll throw in any greens in the house... this is usually kale or spinach, and add some chopped tomatoes (either a can with the mild chilies or fresh toms if I have them) and then serve over brown rice. If I got a deal on any kind of sausages (I buy meats when they clearance and then freeze) then I chop them up and add them while the beans are cooking and won't add the hamhock.
Oh! Something I grew up on - great northern beans (white beans) cooked with a hamhock until they are mushy, then add salt and pepper and ketchup. It's a bit like pork n beans. But really good. But really weird. One of my comfort foods tho.
Love budgetbytes' Dragon Noodles.
Lately, I've been doing homemade pizza margahrita (or whatever) using the crust recipe from here:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quick-and-easy-pizza-crust/detail.aspx
Use spaghetti sauce, mozzerella, roma tomatoes (sliced), black olives and spinach. AWESOME and tastes so much better than store bought.
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Cabbage! It's cheap, and you can do SO much with it. My favourite recipe is this one for Braised Cabbage: http://nomnompaleo.com/post/1356598429/worlds-best-braised-green-cabbage (http://nomnompaleo.com/post/1356598429/worlds-best-braised-green-cabbage)
But be warned, it takes about 3 hours. Totally worth it, if it's a weekend, and you're puttering around doing other stuff, and can check in on it every 45 mins or so.
Also, sliced up, sauteed in a pan - I usually toss in about 1/2cup of water or broth, and pop a lid on it, since it tends to burn before it softens otherwise. Add in some cooked chopped bacon, onions and cooked rice, and it tastes just like my grandfathers cabbage rolls, but without all the work!
Cabbage soup is great too - Not that tomato-y "diet soup" crap - Basically just add more broth at the end to the above recipe. And a ham hock, if you've got it :)
And slaws! Oh the slaws :) Basic coleslaw dressing is just mayo with a little vinegar, sugar and spices ( I like lots of salt and garlic, personally) But there's a million recipes out there if you'd like something a little different.
Casserole too! I've done a sauteed cabbage and finely chopped ham, topped with the root veggies of your choice. Can also add rice to this to bulk it up.
Sorry, I guess these aren't really recipes, as much as meal ideas, but I'm not much for following recipes, so it's hard to get one out of me. I just wanted to share my intense and confusing love of cabbage ;P
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I think my go-to peasant food is red beans and rice, especially with a nice, crispy pone of cornbread- delicious!
I used (rehydrated) dried small red beans, but you can use a few cans of kidney beans in a pinch.
The key is a good base of chopped onions, garlic, and celery (traditonally you put green peppers in it as well, but I hate peppers so I leave them out). Add bay leaves and cajun seasoning. I use 1/2 water and 1/2 chicken stock for my cooking liquid and let it simmer for a long time until the beans are soft and the broth is thick. It's and awesome and cheap meal. You can make a huge pot and it freezes beautifully.
If you are feeling extra special, you can brown some andouille sausage or kielbasa in the pan, remove it, and then sautee the oinions in the fat left behind. Put the sausage back into the beans just before you serve it.
Oh man...my mouth is watering!
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also...
http://earlyretirementextreme.com/post-your-1-2-recipes.html
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Plus, homemade noodles freeze very nicely in well floured individual portions. They go directly from freezer to boiling water with almost no increase to boiling time.
Totally +1 for making your own noodles! I have never tried freezing them though, can you share how you do it? do you twirl them into little nests and freeze on a baking sheet? or is there a better way to do it?
I love this thread! I immediately thought of leftover stale bread. I make a no knead recipe without salt and it comes out very close to Tuscan bread. Once it is dried it can be used for crostini, panzenella, bread soup, sauces, ravioli filling, french toast, bread pudding...
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I'm a fan of the paleo 'Transylvania stockpot'
6 ounces bacon, cut crosswise into 1 inch pieces (or same amount of finely chopped pancetta)
1 large onion, thinly sliced or chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 small green cabbage (or 1/2 large), cored, cut into wedges, then sliced
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 can (28 ounces) finely copped tomatoes or 3 fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 cups chicken broth
1 cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or both)
2 bay leaves
1 pound smoked kielbasa
in a large pot, cook bacon over medium heat until bacon begins to crisp, stirring every few minutes. Add onion and garlic, sauteing until onions wilt and are translucent
Add cabbage, paprika, and black pepper and stir to mix. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring a few times.
Add tomatoes with their juice, broth, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Raise heat to medium-high, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover,
and simmer about 45 minutes.
Add sliced kielbasa and heat through.
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To the general public, these foods are about as dead as the word "peasant". Today's peasants, whom I suppose would be the working poor, seem to tend towards the fast food dollar menu when they want to "eat cheap".
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I've always loved the sliced red cabbage served in Turkish kebab shops here (it's tangy and almost sweet)and I finally found a recipe for it.
Chop up a red cabbage finely, leaving out the toughest parts
put the cabbage in a collander or sieve and spend about 3 minutes crushing it up with your hands (like wringing out a cloth)
sprinkle salt liberally over it
leave for 30 minutes covered in salt
toss it with about a tablespoon of lemon juice and let sit for another 30 minutes (you can also put some olive oil and .
The result will last for about a week in the fridge and is awesome.
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I roast slices of cabbage, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt & pepper.
We make must-go potatoes. We've got a Kamado style grill, known for retaining heat a really long time. In addition to whatever protein is being grilled, we fill in the empty space with potatoes, that then get turned into twice baked potatoes that can cook in the residual heat after the fire is extinguished. The toppings are what ever meat, veggie, bean, cheese and herb odds and ends are still in the fridge. This is my Irish version of must-go soup. The fully prepared potatoes are lunch or dinner for some other night in the week. I'll stuff mushrooms this way, too. And if I've neither mushrooms nor potatoes, the odds and ends go Into quiche.
Hands down, the best cookbook (that isn't really a cookbook, more of a philosophy of food book) is Tamar Adler's book Everlasting Meal. You can learn from her book how to cook whatever happens to be cheap, abundant and in season at the farmers market.
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Plus, homemade noodles freeze very nicely in well floured individual portions. They go directly from freezer to boiling water with almost no increase to boiling time.
Totally +1 for making your own noodles! I have never tried freezing them though, can you share how you do it? do you twirl them into little nests and freeze on a baking sheet? or is there a better way to do it?
Little nest method is what I use. I can't vouch for how long the last since mine are usually gone within a few days. Just make sure to flour the noodles generously.
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I think the key to any of these "peasant" foods is a really good aromatic base, with onion, garlic, celery, carrots etc. That creates the flavour base that the rest of the dish feeds off, as a lot of the cheap filler type foods (beans, rice, lentils etc.) are pretty bland. Getting the vegetable base right, and with plenty of flavour using cheap spices, leads to an infinite variety of filling, tasty foods, most of which can be cooked in bulk and frozen.
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DW and I do 'Russian Salad' which is cubed boiled potatoes with carrots, sliced boiled eggs, tuna fish, and olives, served warm. It's easy to make, lasts a week, and reheats pretty well. You can sub ham for tuna if you want -- and add mayo -- but those options make it less healthy.
We also do the Brazilian staple meal: Rice, black beans, fried egg or two on top. High in protein, too.
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My favorite cookbook in this subject is called "More with Less". It is part frugality, part using fewer of the earth's resources.
My favorite recipe from it lately is a cabbage stir fry. Sauté a thinly sliced cabbage (half a cabbage if it is large) in 2 T. Butter. When almost done, crack in two eggs, and cook until the eggs are done (stir if you want, or leave the eggs whole). Salt and pepper to taste.
It doesn't sounds like much, but it is so yummy and cheap. We serve over brown rice if we have some cooked, or eat plain for a quick dinner. I thought I didn't like cooked cabbage (I am a big fan of fermented cabbage- that is a great peasant food for sure) but this recipe convinced me that I love cooked cabbage when it is done well.
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Plus, there's more variety than you would imagine with homemade noodles. You can use different flours, eggs vs. water, oil or no oil, or add an alkalai to acheive different textures and flavors. Obviously, you can also make different shapes for different purposes. Plus, homemade noodles freeze very nicely in well floured individual portions. They go directly from freezer to boiling water with almost no increase to boiling time.
As part of my drive to eat more vegetables, I make noodles from flour semolina and cooked spinach (it has enough moisture in it that you don't need to add water).
Peasant food tend to be basically vegetables, so these are my preference. I love Turkish recipes http://www.turkishcookbook.com/
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Another big fan of cabbage here.
1. Quarter a small to medium green cabbage - cut the core out if you feel fancy
2. Cut 4 strips of bacon in half
3. Put each cabbage quarter on it's back on a piece of tinfoil big enough to wrap it in. Drape 2 half slices of bacon over the quarter and pepper liberally (chile flakes are good too).
4. Wrap up and toss in the oven for 45 minutes or so, until easily pierced with a fork.
Also, Unstuffed Cabbage. (http://southernfood.about.com/od/groundbeefrecipes/r/unstuffed-cabbage.htm) I think my husband was secretly sick of this by end of the winter.
Another one to try is green lentils cooked with butter, onions, carrots and homemade stock.
Giant pan of roasted root vegetables, possibly with cut up kielbasa in it. Root vegetables tend to be dirt (ha!) cheap and all play well together, aside from beets staining everything they touch.
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I am a lazy peasant.
I cook a pot of brown rice and a big pot of pinto beans and make these into meals for the next few days. Roll rice and beans into burritos, toss rice and beans over lettuce/veggies and add salsa for a taco bowl. Eat rice and beans with hot sauce and jalapenos. Scramble rice and beans with eggs. Just keep eating rice and beans.
Super easy and way cheap.
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I'm a fan of the paleo 'Transylvania stockpot'
6 ounces bacon, cut crosswise into 1 inch pieces (or same amount of finely chopped pancetta)
1 large onion, thinly sliced or chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 small green cabbage (or 1/2 large), cored, cut into wedges, then sliced
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 can (28 ounces) finely copped tomatoes or 3 fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 cups chicken broth
1 cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or both)
2 bay leaves
1 pound smoked kielbasa
in a large pot, cook bacon over medium heat until bacon begins to crisp, stirring every few minutes. Add onion and garlic, sauteing until onions wilt and are translucent
Add cabbage, paprika, and black pepper and stir to mix. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring a few times.
Add tomatoes with their juice, broth, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Raise heat to medium-high, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover,
and simmer about 45 minutes.
Add sliced kielbasa and heat through.
Transylvania must be a whole lot like Poland . . . because I'm pretty sure I've had that at my grandmother's.
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We cook some Mexican peasant food. These are my two favorites that taste amazing and cost very little:
Enfrijoladas:
Corn tortillas-homemade is best and cheapest of course. Lightly fried makes it really good.
Beans (again, best homemade)
Cheese-I like using queso fresco but cheddar or mozzarella work great also
Milk
onions
Seasonings: Salt, pepper, cumin
Toppings: Anything you have, but we like to use cabbage, jalapenos, cilantro, salsa and avocado
In a large pan caramelize the onions. Add the beans and seasonings. Use a potato masher to roughly mash the beans for a semi-re-fried bean texture. Add milk to beans to thin them out. In a baking pan, put a thin layer of beans on the bottom. Place a tortilla on top of beans. Put beans on half the tortilla and then some cheese and fold in half. Top with beans to keep folded. Repeat until pan is full and top with remaining beans and more cheese. After baking cover with toppings and enjoy.
Chilequiles:
Homemade or store bought corn tortilla chips (we like to bake the tortillas in the oven with some olive oil to make it less greasy)
Homemade salsa: We usually make it in the food processor just for this with canned or fresh tomatoes, onions, serranos, a habanero and cilantro
Cheese: Queso fresco, mozzarella or any cheese
After making the salsa, heat it in a large pan. Put chips into the salsa until they are soft but not soggy. Top with cheese and enjoy.
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Fun thread! I'm Lebanese and Italian, so basically I grew up in a peasant food paradise.
Fattoush- This is basically Lebanese chopped salad, known to some as peasant's salad, and we ate it a lot growing up. The vegetables can vary greatly and usually there is a big variety, the idea is taking the last nubs of whatever vegetables are around and combining them. The dressing makes it, usually you use sumac, molasses, lemon juice, parsley, and garlic.
Hummus- Of course classic and so cheap to make. Chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, I also like to roast some peppers and add them in.
Labneh- Cheap Lebanese cheese that you make from yogurt. Usually served with oil, spices, and pita.
Falafel- Again, cheap ingredients- chickpeas, etc. You can add in vegetables as well.
Moudardara- This is a lentil rice dish, you can spice it however you want but it is traditionally served with onions. I don't love onions so I use smoked paprika, tumeric, and garlic.
Gnocchi or Gnudi- Gnocchi is easy to make, and with potatoes as the first ingredient it's super cheap. Gnudi is quicker but a bit more expensive, instead of potato you are using ricotta.
Polenta- Classic and so easy. You can fry it, bake it, make it into a loaf (with mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes, mmm)! I like to eat it with pesto or marinara.
Poor Soup- I don't know if this is a formal Italian dish, but it's something we ate a lot. It's essentially Ministrone with farro and zucchini in it.
Tomato Bread soup- need i say more? Load it with garlic and fresh basil.
Also, pickles. Not just cucumber pickles either, Lebanese people pickle EVERYTHING. And it's all amazing.
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This is a good topic to talk about this month because of the "Live Below the Line" Challenge which is currently in progress. It's an international challenge to see if you could live on $1.50 of food each day (the poverty line) for five days.
Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/LiveBelowtheLine
The community has a ton of recipes that are surprisingly good.
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I've fallen in love with the bo ssam recipe from Momofuku. Its a cheap cut of pork, goes with everything, and makes enough to feed a family of four for the better part of a week
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/magazine/recipe-momofuku-bo-ssam.html?_r=0 (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/magazine/recipe-momofuku-bo-ssam.html?_r=0)
Also the ginger scallion sauce is amazing and also goes with everything.
Lentils have been a great cheap protein for us too. We can get locally raised organic lentils for the same price as store bought from our growers coop.
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I love peasant dishes. Smoked ham hock, cabbage, onion, rice, water will feed a crowd for pennies. Sausage is true peasant food, best used sparingly to give the dish body and flavor. Boiled tongue, sliced thin in a salad or diced for tacos. Beans, rice, greens, little bacon or sausage. Cajun cuisine is an excellent example of po' people food.... celery, bell pepper, onion for aromatics, tomatoes/okra optional, little bit of meat/seafood, roux made from fat/flour cooked lovingly for a long time, thinned with water or stock, all this served over rice. Chinese peasant food....potatoes, not rice! Served with veggies and a little bit of meat. I've read many old novels depicting pioneer families from the 16th, 17th century subsisting on corn mush served with sorghum molasses and milk...game meat when lucky. My grandmother's dishes were very frugal for the most part. Boiled chicken and veggies with dumplings cooked on top the liquid. My elderly MIL who provided all the cooking for her father's farm when she was a teenager still to this day serves a huge bowl of mashed potatoes, AND handmade egg noodles along with a roast and lots of gravy. Dense calories were necessary when plowing the back 40! Souse and head cheese, not often seen anymore, arose from that same snout to tail philosophy that guided our more frutal ancestors.
It is a pity that today's peasants, (working poor), for the most part lost touch with that rich heritage/tradition of nutritionally dense, flavorful, super frugal cuisine. I think the 50's and their introduction of low value convenience foods did a lot of damage to our national eating habits.
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Great post! I really need to work on our grocery bill!
Here is a great recipe for white beans: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2010/12/new-orleans-style-white-beans.html Even my 5 and 7 year old love it with smoky salt served with brown rice.
Red beans and rice recipe also loved by the fam: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/02/vegan-red-beans-rice/
Easy recipe for refried beans: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/29/recipe-easy-slow-cooker-refried-beans/
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My peasant/cheap foods are
Pasta Sauce - pan fry with some oil lots of diced carrots, leeks and onion. When these are soft add in a couple of tins of tomatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes. Blend together and then add a small amount of butter and teaspoon of sugar. I usually portion and freeze. Serve with pasta, yum.
Shepherds Pie - fry lots of onions, diced carrots and peas. When soft remove from pan. Fry minced beef, when cooked add back veg. Cover in gravy (I use bisto). Again portioned and froze. Serve this with mash potatoes.
Coddle - this is an Irish recipe and we ate it a lot as kids. It's a base of potato soup which when cooked you add onion, carrots, sausages and bacon to. Then boil it up until everything is cooked. Serve it with more potato preferably mashed (us Irish love our potatoes :))
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My favourite is ham rib soup/stew: boil a rack of ham ribs with stock, Scotch broth mix (a mix of lentils, beans & oats), shredded cabbage, diced turnip, potatoes, onion & carrot, for about 2 hours until everything is soft and the meat falls off the bone. You can take the ribs out and boil the remaining vegetables until it's basically a chuky stew and serve with bread or blend the veggies with more stock and re-add the meat to make a hearty soup. I rack of ribs & a pile of veg usually costa me around £6 but I can get 8 portions from that, so thats 75p per meal.
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More great ideas are the forks over. Knives website and book, and artisan bread in five minutes a day. The artisan website has some great looking of foccacias and pizzas using basic dough.
A quick favorite is lentil soup
Sauté a chopped onion, add a few cloves of minced garlic, four cups vegetable stock, some chopped carrots, a cup of lentils, a teaspoon of Rosemary and simmer. When lentils are tender add a cup of chopped spinach. You can add more or less veggies depending on what you have in the fridge.
Learning to make breads and tortillas can save a ton of money, way cheaper and you have control of what goes in them. Also,spend a little time learning to reconstitute dried beans. Huge money savers. You will eliminate a lot of fat, sugar and chemicals too.
Great websites everyone who posted
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WTF is peasant food?
Traditional foods eaten by the lower classes. See: pea soup, polenta, trotters, chow kawy teow, etc. Often meatless, and usually made with very inexpensive ingredients. Frequently very tasty.
Also can change over time. At one point in the US lobster used to be considered a workingman's food, because it was so plentiful and a bottomfeeder. Now, it's more rare and considered a delicacy.
Actually last summer lobster dropped below lean ground beef for a while (95% lean 4.29/lb, lobster $3.99/lb) of course lobster includes the weight of the shell, etc.
Soup is my go-to. Leftover meat, veggies, throw in a grain, maybe a bean and wait. Turns out pretty well surprisingly often given how little consistency I do for ingredients.
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My dad did his slum gum: fry small amount of broken up ground meat along with diced onions, garlic, and carrots, season to taste. Add water, a small pasta, tomato paste or sauce.
Also: layer sauerkraut in an iron skillet and place several pork chops or pork steaks (seasoned) over the kraut. Bake.
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WTF is peasant food?
Traditional foods eaten by the lower classes. See: pea soup, polenta, trotters, chow kawy teow, etc. Often meatless, and usually made with very inexpensive ingredients. Frequently very tasty.
Also can change over time. At one point in the US lobster used to be considered a workingman's food, because it was so plentiful and a bottomfeeder. Now, it's more rare and considered a delicacy.
For purposes of this discussion, I would define peasant food as being inexpensive right now.
I don't want to wind up embittered at lobsters for their upward mobility, scowling at them in their tank as they waggle their antennae with an air of nonchalance. You think you're too good for me now, huh, lobster?!
If this forum had upvotes, you would get mine good sir.
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I made amazing soup last night
sautee 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2-3 carrots cut in coins, 1 chopped sweet potato, 1-2 T curry power, cumin, pepper
add 8 cups broth (made with Better Than Bouillon)
1 bag yellow split peas
cook ~45 min
Add half bunch chopped kale, 1 can coconut milk
Cook another 5-10 min
Makes ~ 7 servings of deliciousness
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WTF is peasant food?
Traditional foods eaten by the lower classes. See: pea soup, polenta, trotters, chow kawy teow, etc. Often meatless, and usually made with very inexpensive ingredients. Frequently very tasty.
Also can change over time. At one point in the US lobster used to be considered a workingman's food, because it was so plentiful and a bottomfeeder. Now, it's more rare and considered a delicacy.
Actually last summer lobster dropped below lean ground beef for a while (95% lean 4.29/lb, lobster $3.99/lb) of course lobster includes the weight of the shell, etc.
Yep, the price did drop, but it's still considered a delicacy and a staple on many fancy menus, where (non-ethnic restauarants aside) a lot of these other dishes are not. Unfortunately, they predict supply will decrease this year and correspondingly, the price will rise. Your comment actually drives home my point that "peasant food" isn't a stable list of item, but rather dependent upon what is cheaply available to you at your location at that point in time. Someone in California will have a different idea of it than I do in New England, and similarly the US perspective differents from that of say, India. It's similiar to the idea of buying in season (but incompasses more than veggies as that phrase suggests).
I think it also tends to involve the heavier use of spices (although not required). The only concern is really in balancing the nutrition so you are not eating solely rice, bread, pasta or similar.
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Red lentil hash:
Caramelize onions, season with seasoned salt, throw in some chopped up leftover baked potatoes. Let it get all nice and brown on the bottom. Add some cooked red lentils. Eat with a fried egg or two. That can keep me going all day.
Beans and greens:
Caramelize onions, season with seasoned salt and cumin. Add in some cooked beans - I like pinto. Get them fried and a little crispy. Add in some washed greens, stems removed (turnip and mustard greens work well). Let the greens wilt a bit. Maybe sprinkle with a little lemon juice if you have part of a lemon on hand.
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Suggestions I grew up on:
Carrot mash: cook carrots, add cooked potatoes, mash them. You can freeze it, but its best to thaw it in the fridge if you do. Not my favourite, but surely eatable.
Pasta: tomato sauce, whatever veggies need to desappear, ground beef...
"Cold plate": a mix of whatever was ready to pick in the garden with boiled eggs or hamrolls plus cold potatoes
the trick to let old bread desappear: or croque monsieurs (bread plus ham plus cheese, put between a grill) or cut it into little parts and add butter and herbs
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Red lentil hash:
Caramelize onions, season with seasoned salt, throw in some chopped up leftover baked potatoes. Let it get all nice and brown on the bottom. Add some cooked red lentils. Eat with a fried egg or two. That can keep me going all day.
Ermagahd, I need to make this like right now.
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Almost forgot my morning staple. Steel cut oats. I read lots of military history and porridge was one of the peasant and battlefield staples. Of course, I have the luxury of cooking it in my fancy pants zojurishi rice cooker and adding raisins and cinnamon.
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I made amazing soup last night
sautee 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2-3 carrots cut in coins, 1 chopped sweet potato, 1-2 T curry power, cumin, pepper
add 8 cups broth (made with Better Than Bouillon)
1 bag yellow split peas
cook ~45 min
Add half bunch chopped kale, 1 can coconut milk
Cook another 5-10 min
Makes ~ 7 servings of deliciousness
this sounds reeeeallllly good. (and easy and cheap) thanks!
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Almost forgot my morning staple. Steel cut oats. I read lots of military history and porridge was one of the peasant and battlefield staples. Of course, I have the luxury of cooking it in my fancy pants zojurishi rice cooker and adding raisins and cinnamon.
I never thought of oatmeal in the rice cooker. That sounds great! (Mine was maybe 12 bucks and is decidedly not fancypants, but it sure does cook rice!)
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Almost forgot my morning staple. Steel cut oats. I read lots of military history and porridge was one of the peasant and battlefield staples. Of course, I have the luxury of cooking it in my fancy pants zojurishi rice cooker and adding raisins and cinnamon.
I never thought of oatmeal in the rice cooker. That sounds great! (Mine was maybe 12 bucks and is decidedly not fancypants, but it sure does cook rice!)
Mine actually has a porridge setting and instructions how to cook it. I also use the slow cooker a lot, but that was a cheapie. Baked potatoes that I can later load up with veggies or chili I do every week or so. Dried beans are super easy too. I like to boil the beans for a few minutes in water on the stove than turn the burner off and let this sit for a spell. I rinse well and throw in the crockpot with more water, turn to low and within four or five hours a cheap pot full of beans. Much healthier and cheaper than salted ones from the can.
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Collard greens, anyone? Cheap in season. Easy to grow yourself.
http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2010/03/collard_greens.html
I also like breast of lamb which tends to be quite cheap.
www.lindystoast.com/2007/03/stretching_a_bu.html
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My family is full of meatatarians. For meat, we mostly stick to pork loins, boston butts (pork shoulder), chicken breasts/legs/thighs/quarters. Those can all be purchased for under $2/lb and often $0.50 to $1/lb for the bone in, skin on cuts. These cuts are delicious roasted or broiled in the oven (depending on cut) or stewed in a pot or crockpot for shredded taco meat or nacho topping, or for shredded pork/chicken chili. After you figure out how to make shredded pork or chicken at home, it seems silly to pay $10+ for shredded pork carnitas or a shredded chicken taco plate at a Mexican retaurant (when you know the 4-6 oz of meat would cost $0.50-$1 cooked at home).
If I'm making taco filling or chili, I'll often toss in some veggies like potatoes, corn, beans, celery, carrots, or whatever I have on hand.
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I made amazing soup last night
sautee 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2-3 carrots cut in coins, 1 chopped sweet potato, 1-2 T curry power, cumin, pepper
add 8 cups broth (made with Better Than Bouillon)
1 bag yellow split peas
cook ~45 min
Add half bunch chopped kale, 1 can coconut milk
Cook another 5-10 min
Makes ~ 7 servings of deliciousness
This sounds amazing.
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Almost forgot my morning staple. Steel cut oats. I read lots of military history and porridge was one of the peasant and battlefield staples. Of course, I have the luxury of cooking it in my fancy pants zojurishi rice cooker and adding raisins and cinnamon.
I made some of this last night in the CrockPot - I call it my "10-cent breakfast":
1 cup steel cut oats
4.5 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Then I added:
1 chopped apple
Cinnamon (bought at Costco, like, 5 years ago - still half full!)
Splash of pure vanilla extract (also from Costco!)
Cooked on high for 3 hours, stirred once. It made 11 generous 1/2 cup servings. I put a couple servings in the fridge, then froze the rest in 1/2 cup portions in sandwich bags. Freezing doesn't seem to affect the texture at all. I usually thaw overnight, throw 'em in a bowl with additional cinnamon sugar and a sliver of butter, and nuke 'em for 2 minutes. YUM.
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Also can change over time. At one point in the US lobster used to be considered a workingman's food, because it was so plentiful and a bottomfeeder. Now, it's more rare and considered a delicacy.
See also: oysters in Victorian London.
Potatoes and sausages are what I think of when I hear 'peasant food', in a sort of Provence way. For example:
Toad in the hole
Bubble and squeak (mashed up root vegetables fried in little cakes)
Lentils cooked in a rich stock with diced vegetables (usually carrots), served in a soup plate with sausages on top
Mash on top of anything to turn it into a pie
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"What's available bean and grain salad" from Lorna Sass.
It's more of a rule of thumb rather than an actual recipe. I've modified this over the years - 4 parts of a cooked grain + 1 parts cooked bean, add available chopped veggies, 1 or more flavor punches (capers, olives, pickles, seaweed, fruit, what have you odds-n-ends).
Douse liberally with dressing (for us, oil and vinegar, usually).
Salad can be put on top of greens, tucked into breads, added to broth, etc. Supposed to last a week but I can't vouch for that. It never lasts a week at our house.
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This isn't quite peasant food, but I thought I would share my recipe for balsamic vinagrette. This is fun and easy to whip up in single servings. We almost never buy store bought dressing because this is so tasty again and again.
1 part balsamic vinegar (1/2 Tbsp for two people)
2-3 parts extra virgin olive oil (more oil if you have strong vinegar)
a squirt of Dijon or horseradish deli mustard
salt and pepper
a couple cloves fresh minced garlic
Beat until the mustard starts to emulsify a bit.
I plan on trying out adding a healthy dash of paprika in my next batch.
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This isn't quite peasant food, but I thought I would share my recipe for balsamic vinagrette. This is fun and easy to whip up in single servings. We almost never buy store bought dressing because this is so tasty again and again.
1 part balsamic vinegar (1/2 Tbsp for two people)
2-3 parts extra virgin olive oil (more oil if you have strong vinegar)
a squirt of Dijon or horseradish deli mustard
salt and pepper
a couple cloves fresh minced garlic
Beat until the mustard starts to emulsify a bit.
I plan on trying out adding a healthy dash of paprika in my next batch.
I make the same dressing! I also add a little splash of Maple syrup to make it a balsamic/mustard/maple dressing.
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This isn't quite peasant food, but I thought I would share my recipe for balsamic vinagrette. This is fun and easy to whip up in single servings. We almost never buy store bought dressing because this is so tasty again and again.
1 part balsamic vinegar (1/2 Tbsp for two people)
2-3 parts extra virgin olive oil (more oil if you have strong vinegar)
a squirt of Dijon or horseradish deli mustard
salt and pepper
a couple cloves fresh minced garlic
Beat until the mustard starts to emulsify a bit.
I plan on trying out adding a healthy dash of paprika in my next batch.
I make the same dressing! I also add a little splash of Maple syrup to make it a balsamic/mustard/maple dressing.
Ooo, Imma try dat!
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Beans soup and corn bread or red beans and rice
Ramps (wild leeks in WV) it’s funny to see these on the menu at fancy restaurants.
Love fried cabbage in sesame oil, sea salt and my favorite spice (S&B Nanami Togarashi). It’s a mix of chili pepper, orange peel, black/white sesame seed, ginger and seaweed.
Hoppin john
-1 whole Large Onion, Diced
-4 cloves Garlic, Minced
-1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Diced
-2 stalks Celery, Diced
-A can of Black-eyed Peas
- Salt And Pepper, to taste
-Red Pepper To Taste or chopped jalapenos
- Box of dirty Rice cook with Chicken Broth
-a bag of collard greens
-hot sausage cut up in bites
Cook everything then toss together
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from : jr1029 on May 14, 2014, 01:01:11 PM
I made amazing soup last night
sautee 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2-3 carrots cut in coins, 1 chopped sweet potato, 1-2 T curry power, cumin, pepper
add 8 cups broth (made with Better Than Bouillon)
1 bag yellow split peas
cook ~45 min
Add half bunch chopped kale, 1 can coconut milk
Cook another 5-10 min
Makes ~ 7 servings of deliciousness
I just made this and it's mighty tasty! Thank you, jr1029, for sharing.
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This thread has been bookmarked! I eat red and/or sweet potatoes doused with Valentina hot sauce a little too often these days.
Vegetables are by far my favorite food group. Lately I've been experimenting with all the cheapest vegetables available at my grocer. Cabbage, onions, carrots, and celery are old standbys. Nopales, daikon radish, and chayote squash are my new favorites. Does anyone have suggestions for jicama? I tried it raw and steamed but didn't really enjoy it either way.
And hey, cream of wheat for breakfast? I cook it with water and almond milk and throw in some cinnamon, peanut butter, and raisins. About 30 cents a serving.
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This thread has been bookmarked! I eat red and/or sweet potatoes doused with Valentina hot sauce a little too often these days.
Vegetables are by far my favorite food group. Lately I've been experimenting with all the cheapest vegetables available at my grocer. Cabbage, onions, carrots, and celery are old standbys. Nopales, daikon radish, and chayote squash are my new favorites. Does anyone have suggestions for jicama? I tried it raw and steamed but didn't really enjoy it either way.
And hey, cream of wheat for breakfast? I cook it with water and almond milk and throw in some cinnamon, peanut butter, and raisins. About 30 cents a serving.
You should try potato bombs..core out the inside and stuff with food...tasty
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This thread has been bookmarked! I eat red and/or sweet potatoes doused with Valentina hot sauce a little too often these days.
Vegetables are by far my favorite food group. Lately I've been experimenting with all the cheapest vegetables available at my grocer. Cabbage, onions, carrots, and celery are old standbys. Nopales, daikon radish, and chayote squash are my new favorites. Does anyone have suggestions for jicama? I tried it raw and steamed but didn't really enjoy it either way.
ooh, what do you do with the chayote squash? we bought some this weekend because it looked funny, and grilled it up with our normal grilling veggies (summer squash, peppers, onions, etc.), but it ended up being a lot crunchier than everything else which was kinda weird. I repurposed the leftover grilled veggies (and steak, mmmm) for a breakfast hash yesterday, and diced the chayote up smaller and cooked it extra, which kinda helped... do you just leave it crunchy? any other suggestions for what to use it in?
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You should try potato bombs..core out the inside and stuff with food...tasty
Do you bake before or after stuffing?
ooh, what do you do with the chayote squash? we bought some this weekend because it looked funny, and grilled it up with our normal grilling veggies (summer squash, peppers, onions, etc.), but it ended up being a lot crunchier than everything else which was kinda weird. I repurposed the leftover grilled veggies (and steak, mmmm) for a breakfast hash yesterday, and diced the chayote up smaller and cooked it extra, which kinda helped... do you just leave it crunchy? any other suggestions for what to use it in?
I like to think of chayote as the vegetable version of an apple. Anything you'd do with an apple- eating it raw, dicing it into a salad, making vegetable pies with it (peasant food: pies, anyone? hundreds and hundreds of pies), or even "chayotesauce". I also tried quick pickling it with the daikon, which was pretty tasty. Minus the chayote, that hash sounds really good too. Never forget the humble hash.
Speaking of pies, has anyone had success with more portable peasant foods? Like samosas, gimbap, onigiri, spring rolls?
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Do you bake before or after stuffing?
After...here's a link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aUNmtSgB0c (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aUNmtSgB0c)
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from : jr1029 on May 14, 2014, 01:01:11 PM
I made amazing soup last night
sautee 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2-3 carrots cut in coins, 1 chopped sweet potato, 1-2 T curry power, cumin, pepper
add 8 cups broth (made with Better Than Bouillon)
1 bag yellow split peas
cook ~45 min
Add half bunch chopped kale, 1 can coconut milk
Cook another 5-10 min
Makes ~ 7 servings of deliciousness
I just made this and it's mighty tasty! Thank you, jr1029, for sharing.
I just made this too. I don't know. That was WAY too much coconut milk to my taste. Next time I'd start with maybe a quarter cup and up it to taste.
Of course, I also used yam leaves instead of kale. Perhaps they weren't bitter enough to offset all that coconut milk?
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Southwestern flavor stew:
black beans
corn
broth
cumin
salt & pepper
cooked chicken, beef, tomatoes, or potatoes and/or tofu (all optional)
Awesome alone or served with rice or pasta. I didn't know cumin by itself was so flavorful until I tried this. Also good with the addition of fresh cilantro and/or collard greens.
Edited- forgot to mention tomatoes.
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Does anyone have suggestions for jicama? I tried it raw and steamed but didn't really enjoy it either way.
My favorite way to eat jicama is to cut it into strips (about the size of a french fry) and top with lime juice and sliced mint leaves. mmmm!
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I didn't know cumin by itself was so flavorful until I tried this. Also good with the addition of fresh cilantro and/or collard greens.
There's something magic about cumin. It's my secret ingredient to everything. I've even seen meatloaf recipes that call for a healthy does of cumin.
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This is our favorite dish and we make it once a week. You need a slow cooker though.
1 large yellow onion
1.5 lbs of chicken breast or thigh
16oz salsa (Pace, El Paso, etc)
1 can of corn
1 pack of taco seasoning (1.25oz / 35g)
slice the onions into pieces and cover the bottom of slow cooker (We do this to avoid the chicken from sticking). wash and pat dry the chicken breasts and place it on top of the onions. pour the salsa all over the chicken. pour the can of corn atop of the salsa. spread the taco seasoning over the corn.
Layering goes like so ---- Bottom of the bowl -> Onions -> Chicken -> Salsa -> Corn -> Taco seasoning
gently mix the salsa, corn and seasoning without disturbing the placement of the chicken breasts. You can also mix those 3 ingredients in a large bowl prior to placement, I just don't have a bowl that large so I mix it in the slow cooker.
Cook for 8 hours on LOW. Around 7 or so hours later, shred the chicken pieces with forks. The chicken will shred like paper. Serve with some shredded cheese (Mexicana by Kraft is my fav), rice and sour cream.
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This is our favorite dish and we make it once a week. You need a slow cooker though.
1 large yellow onion
1.5 lbs of chicken breast or thigh
16oz salsa (Pace, El Paso, etc)
1 can of corn
1 pack of taco seasoning (1.25oz / 35g)
slice the onions into pieces and cover the bottom of slow cooker (We do this to avoid the chicken from sticking). wash and pat dry the chicken breasts and place it on top of the onions. pour the salsa all over the chicken. pour the can of corn atop of the salsa. spread the taco seasoning over the corn.
Layering goes like so ---- Bottom of the bowl -> Onions -> Chicken -> Salsa -> Corn -> Taco seasoning
gently mix the salsa, corn and seasoning without disturbing the placement of the chicken breasts. You can also mix those 3 ingredients in a large bowl prior to placement, I just don't have a bowl that large so I mix it in the slow cooker.
Cook for 8 hours on LOW. Around 7 or so hours later, shred the chicken pieces with forks. The chicken will shred like paper. Serve with some shredded cheese (Mexicana by Kraft is my fav), rice and sour cream.
This is very similar to my shredded taco chicken recipe. Except I use canned tomatoes with chilis because they are cheaper than salsa (and less sodium). Turns out just as well in a stockpot on the stovetop. Maybe 45 min-1 hr cook time (just until the chicken is flaking apart so you can shred). The chicken also freezes well for use later. I'll usually do a few pounds of chicken and scale up the recipe accordingly, then freeze half or more for later enjoyment.
It's great to reheat when random friends or family stop by and need a quick meal. Instant pop up taco bar anyone? :)
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16oz salsa (Pace, El Paso, etc)
I'm a salsa snob...I refuse to use pace or el paso. I can cut corners on so many things but this is not one.
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This is our favorite dish and we make it once a week. You need a slow cooker though.
1 large yellow onion
1.5 lbs of chicken breast or thigh
16oz salsa (Pace, El Paso, etc)
1 can of corn
1 pack of taco seasoning (1.25oz / 35g)
slice the onions into pieces and cover the bottom of slow cooker (We do this to avoid the chicken from sticking). wash and pat dry the chicken breasts and place it on top of the onions. pour the salsa all over the chicken. pour the can of corn atop of the salsa. spread the taco seasoning over the corn.
Layering goes like so ---- Bottom of the bowl -> Onions -> Chicken -> Salsa -> Corn -> Taco seasoning
gently mix the salsa, corn and seasoning without disturbing the placement of the chicken breasts. You can also mix those 3 ingredients in a large bowl prior to placement, I just don't have a bowl that large so I mix it in the slow cooker.
Cook for 8 hours on LOW. Around 7 or so hours later, shred the chicken pieces with forks. The chicken will shred like paper. Serve with some shredded cheese (Mexicana by Kraft is my fav), rice and sour cream.
We make this too, but add a can of kidney beans too, which makes it tastier and bulks it out more
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This is our favorite dish and we make it once a week. You need a slow cooker though.
1 large yellow onion
1.5 lbs of chicken breast or thigh
16oz salsa (Pace, El Paso, etc)
1 can of corn
1 pack of taco seasoning (1.25oz / 35g)
slice the onions into pieces and cover the bottom of slow cooker (We do this to avoid the chicken from sticking). wash and pat dry the chicken breasts and place it on top of the onions. pour the salsa all over the chicken. pour the can of corn atop of the salsa. spread the taco seasoning over the corn.
Layering goes like so ---- Bottom of the bowl -> Onions -> Chicken -> Salsa -> Corn -> Taco seasoning
gently mix the salsa, corn and seasoning without disturbing the placement of the chicken breasts. You can also mix those 3 ingredients in a large bowl prior to placement, I just don't have a bowl that large so I mix it in the slow cooker.
Cook for 8 hours on LOW. Around 7 or so hours later, shred the chicken pieces with forks. The chicken will shred like paper. Serve with some shredded cheese (Mexicana by Kraft is my fav), rice and sour cream.
I do something very similar, only with three cans of beans and just half a pound of chicken. This bulks it up even though I leave out the corn. There are always enough leftovers that the next day I can add cheese and rice and have a second meal of Mexican dip.
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This is our favorite dish and we make it once a week. You need a slow cooker though.
1 large yellow onion
1.5 lbs of chicken breast or thigh
16oz salsa (Pace, El Paso, etc)
1 can of corn
1 pack of taco seasoning (1.25oz / 35g)
slice the onions into pieces and cover the bottom of slow cooker (We do this to avoid the chicken from sticking). wash and pat dry the chicken breasts and place it on top of the onions. pour the salsa all over the chicken. pour the can of corn atop of the salsa. spread the taco seasoning over the corn.
Layering goes like so ---- Bottom of the bowl -> Onions -> Chicken -> Salsa -> Corn -> Taco seasoning
gently mix the salsa, corn and seasoning without disturbing the placement of the chicken breasts. You can also mix those 3 ingredients in a large bowl prior to placement, I just don't have a bowl that large so I mix it in the slow cooker.
Cook for 8 hours on LOW. Around 7 or so hours later, shred the chicken pieces with forks. The chicken will shred like paper. Serve with some shredded cheese (Mexicana by Kraft is my fav), rice and sour cream.
We make this too, but add a can of kidney beans too, which makes it tastier and bulks it out more
Instead of salsa try Mojo. Add cilantro and a squeeze of lime if on hand, (excellent way to use up the cilantro that's gone limp).
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Go to allrecipes.com and you will find tons of recipes to make your own taco sauce. Those little packets are tremendously overpriced. There are way cheaper spices in the Mexican food section, even at walmart. You also might be able to find cheap spices at a farmers market, Mennonite or Amish food store- look around.
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I didn't know cumin by itself was so flavorful until I tried this. Also good with the addition of fresh cilantro and/or collard greens.
There's something magic about cumin. It's my secret ingredient to everything. I've even seen meatloaf recipes that call for a healthy does of cumin.
agreed! I use it SO much. another good one is smoked paprika... makes ANYTHING taste fucking amazing.
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from : jr1029 on May 14, 2014, 01:01:11 PM
I made amazing soup last night
sautee 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2-3 carrots cut in coins, 1 chopped sweet potato, 1-2 T curry power, cumin, pepper
add 8 cups broth (made with Better Than Bouillon)
1 bag yellow split peas
cook ~45 min
Add half bunch chopped kale, 1 can coconut milk
Cook another 5-10 min
Makes ~ 7 servings of deliciousness
I just made this and it's mighty tasty! Thank you, jr1029, for sharing.
I just made this too. I don't know. That was WAY too much coconut milk to my taste. Next time I'd start with maybe a quarter cup and up it to taste.
Of course, I also used yam leaves instead of kale. Perhaps they weren't bitter enough to offset all that coconut milk?
I should have mentioned, I used light coconut milk. Which would be equal to 1/3 - 1/2 can regular. (plus extra water). sorry!
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Go to allrecipes.com and you will find tons of recipes to make your own taco sauce. Those little packets are tremendously overpriced. There are way cheaper spices in the Mexican food section, even at walmart. You also might be able to find cheap spices at a farmers market, Mennonite or Amish food store- look around.
+1. Mennonite grocery stores are great for inexpensive but good quality bulk spices. When my spousal unit first made the "southwestern stew" that I posted about, I thought it had some kind of "taco seasoning" in it. Turns out it was nothing but cumin. (Now it sounds like I'm obsessed with cumin...)
Another dish if you like coconut milk:
Cook separately-
spinach or collard greens
lentils
bean thread noodles
Mix the cooked lentils with coconut milk. Plate it, then top with spinach, then top that with bean threads.
This would also be good seasoned with lime, chilis, and cilantro.
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from : jr1029 on May 14, 2014, 01:01:11 PM
I made amazing soup last night
sautee 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2-3 carrots cut in coins, 1 chopped sweet potato, 1-2 T curry power, cumin, pepper
add 8 cups broth (made with Better Than Bouillon)
1 bag yellow split peas
cook ~45 min
Add half bunch chopped kale, 1 can coconut milk
Cook another 5-10 min
Makes ~ 7 servings of deliciousness
I just made this and it's mighty tasty! Thank you, jr1029, for sharing.
I just made this too. I don't know. That was WAY too much coconut milk to my taste. Next time I'd start with maybe a quarter cup and up it to taste.
Of course, I also used yam leaves instead of kale. Perhaps they weren't bitter enough to offset all that coconut milk?
I should have mentioned, I used light coconut milk. Which would be equal to 1/3 - 1/2 can regular. (plus extra water). sorry!
Good to know! I'm eating it for lunch this week with steamed rice. That's helping to temper the sweetness and it tastes better as it ages. :)
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Instead of salsa try Mojo. Add cilantro and a squeeze of lime if on hand, (excellent way to use up the cilantro that's gone limp).
Mojo is really good. So is Tiger sauce, S&B - Nanami Togarashi, Maggi, Sazon Goya and
Finadene Sauce
http://www.food.com/recipe/finadene-sauce-38533 (http://www.food.com/recipe/finadene-sauce-38533)
I can't believe how many got this wrong and I lived in Guam. It's the basic's from the video but I also add half of lime no lemon, some ginger, garlic, honey. Only white vinegar.
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I know a recipe that certainly does NOT work. I tried taking uncooked wheat bread flour and mixing it with some water in a bowl to make a mush like substance. It did not taste very good even when I was really hungry, so I knew it had to be pretty bad. It would certainly qualify as peasant food, something someone in a third world country would eat.
MMM brought up the idea of drinking pure canola oil as a source of cheap low cost calories. I briefly tried it with olive oil, and the texture is a bit weird to get used to. I really was only comfortably eating the oil on a piece of bread, I just could not get used to drinking it straight from the bottle.
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I know a recipe that certainly does NOT work. I tried taking uncooked wheat bread flour and mixing it with some water in a bowl to make a mush like substance. It did not taste very good even when I was really hungry, so I knew it had to be pretty bad. It would certainly qualify as peasant food, something someone in a third world country would eat.
MMM brought up the idea of drinking pure canola oil as a source of cheap low cost calories. I briefly tried it with olive oil, and the texture is a bit weird to get used to. I really was only comfortably eating the oil on a piece of bread, I just could not get used to drinking it straight from the bottle.
When I was in Spain it would drive me nuts because they would put olive oil on everything. I would order a fish and boom olive oil, soggy French fries with olive oil.
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I know a recipe that certainly does NOT work. I tried taking uncooked wheat bread flour and mixing it with some water in a bowl to make a mush like substance. It did not taste very good even when I was really hungry, so I knew it had to be pretty bad. It would certainly qualify as peasant food, something someone in a third world country would eat.
MMM brought up the idea of drinking pure canola oil as a source of cheap low cost calories. I briefly tried it with olive oil, and the texture is a bit weird to get used to. I really was only comfortably eating the oil on a piece of bread, I just could not get used to drinking it straight from the bottle.
Bread flour, water, a bit of salt and a heat source and you could make a credible flat bread. Dip it in olive oil. Will sustain life for a while, but ultimately malnourishment will set in.
Drinking oil...too much and it encourages GI distress and rapid loss of fluids.
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I know a recipe that certainly does NOT work. I tried taking uncooked wheat bread flour and mixing it with some water in a bowl to make a mush like substance. It did not taste very good even when I was really hungry, so I knew it had to be pretty bad. It would certainly qualify as peasant food, something someone in a third world country would eat.
It's interesting the difference texture makes- cracked wheat eaten as a hot cereal/porridge with salt, butter, and a little sweetener is tasty peasant food.
Mush made from flour does sound unpalatable.
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Cannellini Bean Pasta - serves one
1 x cup pasta (any kind but try for quality)
1/2 x can of cannellini beans
1/8 x cup of extra virgin olive oil or to taste
1/8 x cup of parmesan cheese or to taste
2-3 x garlic cloves or to taste
1 x Tablespoon of capers (with the jars I get it's easier to pull them out with a fork)
Salt, pepper, favorite Italian spices, hot peppers, meat, misc. vegetables to taste.
Cook the pasta per instructions. While the pasta water is starting to boil, open, rinse, and drain, the cannellini beans in a collander. They smell bad coming out of the can but don't taste like it after you rinse them. Reserve half the beans for a later meal. Chop the garlic fine and add to skillet with olive oil. Lightly brown the garlic in th oil on about 1/3 heat for 2-3 minutes then add the drained beans, capers and extra stuff you like and warm for an extra minute or so then set aside. Drain the pasta and throw it in the skillet and mix it with the beans and oil. Serve and top with parmesan cheese, pepper, salt to taste.
Top Ramen Deluxe - serves 1
1 x Top Ramen Package (oriental is best IMO)
1 x Teaspoon peanut oil or any other traditional oriental cooking oil
~1/3 cup x Misc. finely chopped vegetables you like- mushrooms, peas, broccolli, etc. If frozen, defrost first.
Add the oil and vegetables to a small saucepan and stir fry around on high heat a bit till they're semi cooked. Carefully add ONE cup of water and heat to boiling. Add the noodles and flavor packet and cook three minutes. Pour into a bowl to eat at a table or eat out of the pan over the sink bachelor style.
Quasi Authentic Roast Beef Muffuletta sandwich
1 x Authentic Muffuletta roll (if you can get them. If not just go for a quality french bread)
1 x Beef gravy packet
~1/4 lb Roast Beef
Cook the gravy per the instructions. Once its ready stir in the roast beef until it's thoroughly warmed. Pour over the open face of the bread. Do not expect to eat it without a fork. Typically no condiments of any kind are used for this type of muffuletta.
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Not so much a recipe, but I decided to try making my morning porridge (oatmeal) in my rice cooker today.
Winner! Set and forget, no mess, and I now have a week's worth in the fridge ready to microwave each morning. The initial impetus was the fact that the crappy solid element stove in the house we bought has led to me burning the porridge every morning since we've been here, and it was either find another way or budget for new saucepans. I miss my gas. :(
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Top Ramen Deluxe - serves 1
1 x Top Ramen Package (oriental is best IMO)
1 x Teaspoon peanut oil or any other traditional oriental cooking oil
~1/3 cup x Misc. finely chopped vegetables you like- mushrooms, peas, broccolli, etc. If frozen, defrost first.
Add the oil and vegetables to a small saucepan and stir fry around on high heat a bit till they're semi cooked. Carefully add ONE cup of water and heat to boiling. Add the noodles and flavor packet and cook three minutes. Pour into a bowl to eat at a table or eat out of the pan over the sink bachelor style.
Quasi Authentic Roast Beef Muffuletta sandwich
1 x Authentic Muffuletta roll (if you can get them. If not just go for a quality french bread)
1 x Beef gravy packet
~1/4 lb Roast Beef
Cook the gravy per the instructions. Once its ready stir in the roast beef until it's thoroughly warmed. Pour over the open face of the bread. Do not expect to eat it without a fork. Typically no condiments of any kind are used for this type of muffuletta.
Top Ramen Deluxe: Never ate much Ramen until I was stationed in Korea. There was a Korean woman that worked in our shop that would make us ramen. Mostly for breakfast because we were hung over (best hang over remedy) but it did alert supervisors. Ever since then I liked eating it but will add extra veggies. Best ramen I had was "Nissin Cup Noodle Cheese Curry" it ridiculously good.
http://www.theramenrater.com/2014/02/09/1307-nissin-cup-noodles-cheese-curry/ (http://www.theramenrater.com/2014/02/09/1307-nissin-cup-noodles-cheese-curry/)
Muffuletta: What about the tapenade?? It's a weekly staple here
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I can't tell you how much the humble egg has become part of my diet since buckling down on my budget. You can almost always find them for about 99 cents a dozen if you follow the Sunday ads (and aren't afraid to do a little light grocery shopping at Walgreens and CVS where the are almost always on sale!)
Yes, you can scramble, boil, fry, poach, all that but I highly suggest learning to make a classic French omelette (Omelette Roulee). Saute bits and bobs of leftovers - meats, veg, pasta, almost anything - in one pan, and a paper thin omelette in the other. Once both are done, fold together and voila!
http://chefdruck.com/2012/05/how-to-make-a-french-omelette-roulee-with-the-help-of-julia-child/
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Moujadara (not traditional at all but what we call it since that is what the recipe started out as)
1 cup lentils cooked in chicken broth seasoned with garam masala
1 large onion sliced up and caramelized in butter until golden brown
Mix together and add a dollop of greek yogurt to each bowl as eating.
We actually will go so far as to cook up a 2nd onion as the flavor of the caramelized onion is why we eat this dish. The original recipe uses no garam masala and calls for rice. Takes a long time to make, but worth it.
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Some things I do to get heaps of flavor in relatively inexpensive ways are:
-keeping a small herb garden. Some are perennials and/or grow like weeds (mint is a well-known example). Use whole mint leaves in salad; make sauces; put a little mint and chili powder on a fruit salad... and of course, mint juleps. All things that are classy enough to be found in a very respectable eating and drinking establishment!
-Cooking with heaps of onions and garlic. Especially when reviving leftovers. Ginger and chilies also. (Heaps of health benefits from all these as a bonus)
-I need to make a habit of zesting all the citrus that passes through the kitchen. A small amount will usually make a dish pop, and it freezes... (when there's a glut of the stuff, or it's not the nicest for consumption, it'll go into DIY household products). And in the summer - lemoncillo.
-Cooking meat on the bones, and using bones in soups and stocks. Homemade chicken stock is so flavorful and has so much body that it needs hardly anything to turn it into a meal. (Esp eggs or barley)
-Using fresh spices (buying a little at a time from a bulk section with good turnover; it can be extremely cheap and flavor can fade fast); a little bit can go a long way. Also - a spice kit with a couple spice mixes is awesome when hiking/backpacking/traveling/living on the cheap...
-Having heaps of ways of cooking potatoes. They also take very little to turn into a meal. I bake a bunch at a time, and then we fry the leftovers into really tasty and nicely browned hashes with whatever we have in the fridge. Great way of using up leftovers, super-versatile.
-Ditto cooking eggs heaps of ways. Almost every dish can be topped with a boiled, fried, or poached egg. (I learned this backpacking! Way more common in other countries, to an American.) They're the closest thing to a single perfect food, I reckon, and are awesome at staving off hunger. (Also the perfect cheap snack on the go to eliminate impulse snacks or meals.)
When I need to make breakfast for a small group, I often make a scramble with onions, veggies (bell peppers especially), leftover bits of sausage or bacon... potatoes, avocado, tortillas... good every time.
-Reading cookbooks from all over the world. I get stacks out of the library and flip through them. I might get a few ideas from each one. Also a great way to come up with a totally new way to use up leftovers. Amish and Scandinavian cookbooks are two good examples, as they both make rather simple dishes into feasts.
-No secret here, but loving beans helps ;) I had a perfect meal that was just beans I cooked up with some garlic and onions sauteed in olive oil and butter. With some fresh parsley on top, maybe a squeeze of lemon. Actually, that's pretty much my master recipe for many things I make - onions, garlic, butter, olive oil, lemon, parsley.
-Using a combination of fats for more flavor. Any combo of butter, olive oil, and pork fat is gonna be great. I render schmaltz from the fat off stock bones, and it is awesome for cooking potatoes. Bacon fat is great for cooking so many things - still have yet to try it in warm salad dressing but it sounds good. A little fat can go a long way, and fat is flavor, baby. Have yet to cook with much coconut oil but definitely will give it a go.
-Recently read about carrot-green chimichurri. Good to see that overlooked parts of veggies that usually go into the compost are getting a bit of limelight. Beet greens are pretty common now, for example.
-Fermentation and pickling. Dill pickles, kimchi, pickled onions etc. So much flavor for humble vegetables and vinegar.
- Baking bread on cold days - if only because of how happy it makes people. Doesn't have to be anything flash or made with any expertise. Cooking is how I stay warm.
And on... and on...
On a different note, one thing I see people do is miss the point of "peasant cooking" and end up spending more money on a dish that's meant to be frugal. For example - I know people who regularly throw out bread that's going stale, but then buy fancy loaves of bakery-fresh bread to toast in the oven and make into breadcrumbs or croutons or use in meatloaf or whatever. (And they buy the whole loaf of bread for this purpose, and end up throwing half of it out...)
I definitely think the overall point is to use what you have or what's easy to overlook... books on kitchen hacks and tricks are great reading and would make MacGuyver proud. Old memoirs are a favorite of mine.
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waynesmate, that was an awesome post! Thanks.
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Cheers, I thought of a few more:
-Using parmesan rinds in soups (pasta e fagioli is a good example) for flavor as well as saltiness.
- Similarly, using small amounts of very strongly flavored salty condiments like anchovies, fish sauce, soy sauce, chili sauces, and vegemite (umami bombs, as the foodies say). A little goes such a long way and you get heaps of flavor in addition to the salt. I use vegemite in my beef stews, swedish meatball gravy, chilis, shredded beef... It's very unlikely anyone will be able to identify there's a little vegemite or fish sauce behind the big flavor.
-Condiments in general can be big in peasant food. If you eat a fairly repetitive diet based on staples, pickles, chutneys, hot sauces, etc all go a long way to keeping things interesting and waking up the taste buds, while also preserving the garden harvest. I imagine it was a point of pride for a family to have a variety of pickles and preserves.
The Amish, for example, are known for relatively simple cooking, but also the "seven sour, seven sweet" rule - "seven different kinds of sweet condiments, jams, spreads or preserves, and seven different kinds of pickles, chow-chow or whole spiced vegetables" on the table. (Copied from some website).
-Game would definitely be prominent in peasant foods. Venison, moose, pheasant, duck, rabbit etc. I'm a huge fan of eating invasive pests myself, so for example, killing a wild boar for food is going to be an environmentally friendly act almost everywhere in the world. During a very frugal time, I shot a squirrel and we ate it. Tasted just fine (a bit stringy cuz it was an old male) and I would definitely eat it again in a pinch.
-In true frugal fashion, many peasant meals are not necessarily what we would consider the most balanced. Fueling up was the priority, so I don't think people fretted too much about going heavy on the fat or carbs. I see a lot of fat-on-starch and starch-on-starch dishes. American farmers used to eat a breakfast that would put Man vs. Food to shame, and then finish it off with homemade pie. A thick layer of fat floating on top of a soup would've often been prized, rather than scooped off. On the other hand, you might see dishes that are ridiculously healthy gut bombs, combining quite a few different whole grains, legumes, and beans in one bowl, with some herbs, greens, and spices. (I believe this is common in the middle east and north africa?) Meant to fuel a person on for a good long time at low cost.
-On a boozy note, I think sangria fits in perfectly here, as it originated as a way to doll up cheap wine. Now people pay decent money for it at restaurants and such, which is a bit crazy really! As is buying a nice bottle of wine for sangria.
Now that I think of it, sangria is very mustachian!
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- Similarly, using small amounts of very strongly flavored salty condiments like anchovies, fish sauce, soy sauce, chili sauces, and vegemite (umami bombs, as the foodies say). A little goes such a long way and you get heaps of flavor in addition to the salt. I use vegemite in my beef stews, swedish meatball gravy, chilis, shredded beef... It's very unlikely anyone will be able to identify there's a little vegemite or fish sauce behind the big flavor.
I did this and I absolutely agree! Was making a "throw together whatever I can find" fish stew when we moved house the other week and the salt was in a box. Pick a box, any box, but I couldn't find it. So I used the vegemite.
Will be doing that again absolutely. :)
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- Similarly, using small amounts of very strongly flavored salty condiments like anchovies, fish sauce, soy sauce, chili sauces, and vegemite (umami bombs, as the foodies say). A little goes such a long way and you get heaps of flavor in addition to the salt. I use vegemite in my beef stews, swedish meatball gravy, chilis, shredded beef... It's very unlikely anyone will be able to identify there's a little vegemite or fish sauce behind the big flavor.
I did this and I absolutely agree! Was making a "throw together whatever I can find" fish stew when we moved house the other week and the salt was in a box. Pick a box, any box, but I couldn't find it. So I used the vegemite.
Will be doing that again absolutely. :)
Nice, sounds good! A lot of people are basically afraid to try vegemite/marmite/etc (or were tricked by a cheeky Aussie into eating a heap of it in one bite) which is a shame. It's loaded with B vitamins, so great for vegetarians and has so much flavor. So good for bumping up the beefy flavor in things, especially.
A few cheap recipes with vegemite:
-A quesadilla with vegemite, cheddar, and sliced onion. I've won some people over to vegemite on this one.
-Toast with butter, vegemite, cheddar, tomato, and onion (pickled or not) - broil till cheese is nicely browned. Simple and awesome.
-Vegemite and boiled egg sandwich, with or without lettuce
Yum.
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Vegemite on toast with a poached egg on top is awesome as well.
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My wife is from Indonesia, so plenty of rice, noodles, and small amounts of meat with lots of sauce and sambal. Egg & tofu omelette with spicy peanut sauce is a mainstay.
I grew up in India, so make dal. rice & yoghurt. Most curries also give a good cost/ flavour ratio. Boiled eggs in curry with rice = cheap & healthy.
We also went on a cooking course in Italy for a major wedding anniversary, and picked up these major tips for italian food:
- cook the vegetables & olive oil together from cold for your base. (Just slow cooked thinly sliced vegetables (onions/ zucchini/ whatever is fresh) make a great omelette!)
- Stop cooking the pasta 2 minutes early, drain & finish cooking in the pasta sauce. Allows the sauce to penetrate into the pasta.
- Everything goes into the stock/ gravy pot.
Baked custard made from scratch using microwave is fast, cheap, and healthy desert (egg/ milk/ sugar & flavouring to taste)
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Can you say more about making baked custard in the microwave?
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Top Ramen Deluxe - serves 1
1 x Top Ramen Package (oriental is best IMO)
1 x Teaspoon peanut oil or any other traditional oriental cooking oil
~1/3 cup x Misc. finely chopped vegetables you like- mushrooms, peas, broccolli, etc. If frozen, defrost first.
Add the oil and vegetables to a small saucepan and stir fry around on high heat a bit till they're semi cooked. Carefully add ONE cup of water and heat to boiling. Add the noodles and flavor packet and cook three minutes. Pour into a bowl to eat at a table or eat out of the pan over the sink bachelor style.
Quasi Authentic Roast Beef Muffuletta sandwich
1 x Authentic Muffuletta roll (if you can get them. If not just go for a quality french bread)
1 x Beef gravy packet
~1/4 lb Roast Beef
Cook the gravy per the instructions. Once its ready stir in the roast beef until it's thoroughly warmed. Pour over the open face of the bread. Do not expect to eat it without a fork. Typically no condiments of any kind are used for this type of muffuletta.
Top Ramen Deluxe: Never ate much Ramen until I was stationed in Korea. There was a Korean woman that worked in our shop that would make us ramen. Mostly for breakfast because we were hung over (best hang over remedy) but it did alert supervisors. Ever since then I liked eating it but will add extra veggies. Best ramen I had was "Nissin Cup Noodle Cheese Curry" it ridiculously good.
http://www.theramenrater.com/2014/02/09/1307-nissin-cup-noodles-cheese-curry/ (http://www.theramenrater.com/2014/02/09/1307-nissin-cup-noodles-cheese-curry/)
Muffuletta: What about the tapenade?? It's a weekly staple here
Tapenade only goes on other types of Muffulettas, like ham. Those are good but not necessarily easy to make. Even the roast beef version stretches the thread topic a bit because good and cheap Muffuletta bread is kind of hard to get. My mom's from New Orleans and she gave me the roast beef recipe. I don't argue with her about things New Orleans - she gets really sniffy.
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I make pork bone broth.. after finishing pork chops, I save the bones and can reboil them a few times to make soup. Then add pretty much any veggies into it and maybe some noodles. It's a cheap delicacy in Chinese cooking.
Baked or steamed veggies with butter or olive oil works wonders too. I lived off of this when I studied abroad in Europe where food prices were insane. Had to add butter to the veggies in order to somewhat meet my daily caloric requirements (and lost about 20 pounds in my 5 months over there.)
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Here's one I like...
Servings: 4
1 can chickpea or mixed beans ($1)
1 can corn ($1)
1/2 red bell pepper ($0.50?)
1/2 green bell pepper($0.50?)
1/4 red onion ($0.50?)
tbs olive oil ($0.05)
tsp balsamic vinegar ($0.05)
chopped cilantro ($0.25, or grow your own)
salt & pepper, to taste($0.01)
Bowls of baby spinach, or your favourite leaves of choice. ($2.00?)
Rinse beans/peas and corn.
Chop bell peppers to same size as corn. Dice red onion. Chop cilantro.
Add olive oil, balsamic vinegar and mix. Season to taste.
Let sit for at least 20 minutes... this is one of those dishes that gets better over time. The next day is actually ideal - the salt will draw out moisture and you'll have enough vinaigrette at the bottom of the bowl to lightly dress the salad.
Spoon on top of bowl of spinach.
All the nutrients you need in a meal and comes out to about $1.50/serving.
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-Recently read about carrot-green chimichurri. Good to see that overlooked parts of veggies that usually go into the compost are getting a bit of limelight. Beet greens are pretty common now, for example.
Thanks for this! I was just yesterday looking at my maturing crop of carrots and thinking that I needed to query the interwebs for things to do with those lovely organic carrot greens. This will be one of them!
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Make your own PIZZA! There are a lot of 5 minute yeastless doughs you can make. A large cheese pizza is a couple of dollars. We'll usually add any leftovers or veggies we have in the fridge.
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I just came across these great (and FREE!) cookbooks and wanted to share. They're beginner-friendly and she's priced out the cost per serving: http://www.leannebrown.ca/cookbooks/ (http://www.leannebrown.ca/cookbooks/)
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The Leanne Brown cookbook looks very good! Thanks.
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So many. My newest favorite is called Maqluba. It's is a Palestinian chicken and rice dish that I saw on Parts Unknown, and went looking for the recipe. The best recipe I've found is here:
http://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/magluba-up-side-down-chicken-rice/
Just ignore the ethnic/religious comments following the recipe.
The Baharat spice mix is important, you can find a good recipe for that here:
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/23018/baharat+middle+eastern+spice+mix
If you buy a whole chicken and cut it up yourself, and skip the pine nuts, you get a huge delicious pot of food with tons of leftovers for about $10.