Risotto is a classic Italian dish and for good reason – it manages to satisfy four out of the five senses to spectacular effect. However, risotto is notorious for being a little laborious, so it can often be refreshing to embark on something easier, lighter and quicker. Whereas risotto takes half an hour or so to perfect, this smashingly named orzotto is ready in as little as half the time. Of course, the texture won’t be quite the same, but it’ll certainly be delicious.
Dedicating an entire post to a recipe for scrambled eggs may, at first, seem a little extravagant and not at all frugal. However, when you taste these decadent, silky eggs and realise just how much nutty flavour brown butter is able to instil in your breakfast, you’ll be glad that I have. The problem with this recipe is that once you’ve made it once, you’ll want to make it again and again – the syndrome, I believe, is called pringleitis – a dangerous case of not being able to stop “popping” once you’ve started. Terrible though this may seem, there are far more unfortunate curses in existence and you’ll soon come to terms with it and the spare tyre you have unwittingly thought it best to store around your midriff – healthy eating this is not.
Being able to identify and prepare the cheaper cuts of meat is one of the many paths to becoming truly frugal. As my tips section explains, meat is the main culprit behind the lack of frugality these days. Indeed, if you’re going to be excessively carnivorous, you may as well do it economically. Not only this, but the cheaper cuts are often the most flavoursome; lamb bread and pork hand are evidence of this. The reason for their relative lack of expense is the fact that they can often take a while to prepare or cook. Lamb breast is also considered to be too fatty by most people. However, one must remember that the cooking process has the added effect of melting most of the fat present in meat; this makes its use entirely optional.
During the last few months, I believe FrugalFeeding has undergone a reasonably subtle change of direction. If asked for a synonym of the word ‘frugal’, I believe most people would, somewhat wrongly, pluck the word ‘cheap’ from their vocabulary. However, the word frugal is slightly more nuanced than its usual usage might suggest. As the tagline for this blog might suggest, a rather more suitable synonym would be ‘economical’. I believe this recipe encapsulates my slight change in thinking really rather well. Olive tapenade is unlikely to win any awards for being the cheapest, or most necessary, culinary creation. However, this recipe provides an economical solution to one’s desire to indulge in this rather punchy side-dish. If bought at a supermarket, tapenade bears a rather exorbitant price. A price which no man, or indeed woman, in their right mind would be happy to pay. Make tapenade at home, however, and one’s monetary misdemeanour is lessened somewhat. This means that although money has been spent on something which isn’t necessarily necessary, the refusal to buy sub-par and overpriced tapenade has resulted in sound economic policy. Congratulations, you are now on your way to becoming Chancellor of the Exchequer – a position which is perhaps less esteemed than it was in the days of Gladstone.
Pappardelle appears to be ‘pasta of the month’, the internet is awash with it and one can see why. Its appearance is so warm and comforting – perfect for pairing with a rich, buttery sauce. Indeed, the name Pappardelle is a derivation of the Italian verb ‘pappare’, which means to gobble. This is, in my opinion, incredibly apt considering winter pasta dishes of this variety are intended to be rather homely and comforting. Perhaps this yearning for comfort food is one of the reasons I’m very close to being addicted to mushrooms.