Categories
British European Fish Prawns Recipes Salmon

Salmon and Prawn Fish Pie

frugal living, thrifty, healthy meals, fish, pie, potato

There are many potential misconceptions one stumbles upon when writing about frugal food. The delusion that bothers me the most is that many people, frugal or otherwise, assume that to be economically prudent one must always eat the least expensive ingredients. Of course, such an approach will almost certainly allow one to attain their financial goals, however, it can also be an extremely dull path down which to venture. In fact, there are many ways to be thrifty but to also enjoy the finer produce in life. This salmon and prawn fish pie is a case in point – no one would immediately assume it is a frugal recipe, but that it is. As your school teachers no doubt informed you, one must never read a book by its cover.

Categories
European French Healthy Eating Recipes Special Diets Vegan Vegetarian

Ratatouille

Ratatouille

The difference between a mediocre Ratatouille and an exceptional one is its consistency. When making this classic French dish, it is important to keep the chunks of vegetable (or rather, fruit) intact. Ratatouille doesn’t require as much cooking as some appear to believe, but it does take time to perfect it. Spend your time wisely in the preparation and an exceptional ratatouille will almost certainly follow, boil it or stew it and your guests can expect to receive soggy, limp and unimpressive ingredients – no matter how good they taste.

Categories
Autumn European Healthy Eating Italian Recipes Seasons Special Diets Vegetarian

Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagne

frugal spinach

It is my firmly held belief that butternut squash is one of the most enjoyable ingredients available in the autumn – it is simply delightful. Its name seems almost too perfect; when cooked to perfection it has a buttery quality and a sweet, nutty flavour. Moreover, its colour is so vibrant and so quintessentially autumnal that it really couldn’t belong to any other season. Happily, beyond these qualities it also works very well in many of the different types of food eaten at this time of year – soups, casseroles and rustic bakes. I already have so many recipes that make use of this fruit; it’s almost embarrassing that I should upload another! For a few more ideas, please see these delightfully frugal posts: butternut squash and sage risotto and butternut squash and leek soup

Categories
European Italian Recipes

Smoked Bacon and Ricotta Ravioli with Apple Sauce

As promised, little over a week ago, here is my post for homemade ravioli and what good ravioli it was too! As expected, it turned out to be a little trickier than my previous attempt at tagliatelle, but as you can see, the end result wasn’t entirely offensive. The only reason ravioli is made more difficult than average pasta is that one must roll one’s dough out to the pasta machine’s thinnest setting, which only serves to pique one’s chances of manhandling it. Still, after a couple of tribulations, we were each faced with a scrumptious plate of rather interesting pasta.

Categories
Dairy-Free European Healthy Eating Italian Recipes Vegetarian

Homemade Tagliatelle with a Lemon and Thyme Dressing

A couple of weeks ago, my girlfriend bought a pasta machine. It was really inexpensive – around £20 – and of surprisingly good quality. So, since the machine itself was rather economical and pasta making is something I’ve wanted to do for quite a while, I decided to write an entry on the process. Firstly, it must be said that although the process can get a little fiddly, it is relatively easy. Strangely, it feels more like an activity than any other type of cooking in which I’ve ever partaken. As such, though it takes a little time and ample dedication, it never really feels like a chore. In fact, you almost forget that any end product will come of your efforts.