One of the tenents of frugality, at least as far as I see it, is to not let anything go to waste if at all possible. That's why I use everything, and make something like a roast chicken or bacon for breakfast, go that extra mile. In that spirit, here are some tips for things that you might not know you have or how to use them....
by Joanne Rigutto
1) Liquid fats - One of the wonders of the kitchen and a great substitute for butter. When you roast a chicken, you'll get some liquid in the bottom of the pan if you do things right. This holds true for not just chicken, but for beef, pork, turkey, just about any meat you can roast. When you take the meat and vegetables out, you will have a layer of liquid fat floating on top of the juices. This is liquid gold. Something you couldn't get at the store, no matter how hard you tried, and something that, for taste, is irreplacable. My advice - skim off this fat and save it. You can freeze it and it will last for over 6 months if sealed properly. Us it as a substitute for butter in recipes for noodles, breads, or you can fry potatos and other vegetables in it. It will add a subtle flavor to your recipes that you can't get from any other fat or oil.
2) When you fry your bacon, save that fat. It's great used in savory recipes, for frying potatos, or you can substitute it for butter when making a roue. You can also use other reserved fats from roasting.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Basic Egg Noodles
Here is a recipe I've been using for a while. If you'd like richer noodles, try substituting heavy whipping cream for the milk and the fat from a roast chicken for the butter, the amounts stay the same.
2 1/2 cups flour
2 large eggs
1/2/ cup milk
1 T melted butter
Salt and pepper to taste, or not as you wish.
Dried herbs as you see fit. You probably won't tast the herbs until the next day.
Place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center.
Place the eggs, milk, butter, salt and pepper, and herbs if you're using them, into a small bowl. Whisk.
Pour the wet ingredients into the well you've made in the flour and mix with your hands untill combined and form a dough ball. Cover the bowl and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Pull off small amounts and form into balls 2-3 inches across. Roll with a rolling pin or run through a pasta machine untill the dough is between 1/16 - 1/8 inch thick. Cut into noodles 1/4 inch wide and hang on a rack to dry for 20 - 30 minutes.
Bring 4 quarts water to a rolling boil. Add some olive oil and salt. Put the noodles into the water and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or untill the desired tenderness is acheived - if you're going to store the cooked noodles in the refrigerator, you want them a bit on the firm side as they will soften overnight. Remove the noodles when done, drain well, place in a bowl and toss with extra virgin olive oil or sesame oil. Cover bowl and store in the refrigerator or use immediately in soups, with sauce, etc.
If stored in the refrigerator, the cooked noodles will keep for several days.
2 1/2 cups flour
2 large eggs
1/2/ cup milk
1 T melted butter
Salt and pepper to taste, or not as you wish.
Dried herbs as you see fit. You probably won't tast the herbs until the next day.
Place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center.
Place the eggs, milk, butter, salt and pepper, and herbs if you're using them, into a small bowl. Whisk.
Pour the wet ingredients into the well you've made in the flour and mix with your hands untill combined and form a dough ball. Cover the bowl and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Pull off small amounts and form into balls 2-3 inches across. Roll with a rolling pin or run through a pasta machine untill the dough is between 1/16 - 1/8 inch thick. Cut into noodles 1/4 inch wide and hang on a rack to dry for 20 - 30 minutes.
Bring 4 quarts water to a rolling boil. Add some olive oil and salt. Put the noodles into the water and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or untill the desired tenderness is acheived - if you're going to store the cooked noodles in the refrigerator, you want them a bit on the firm side as they will soften overnight. Remove the noodles when done, drain well, place in a bowl and toss with extra virgin olive oil or sesame oil. Cover bowl and store in the refrigerator or use immediately in soups, with sauce, etc.
If stored in the refrigerator, the cooked noodles will keep for several days.
Roast Chicken Soup
By Joanne Rigutto
When you roast a chicken, unless you have several people to eat it, you may be stuck eating chicken for a while or freezing the leftovers and risk them disapearing into the black hole that a freezer can become....
In the interest of 'Waste not - want not' I usually use the leftovers for chicken salad and soup. The chicken salad recipe can be found ....here. But there's still soup.
Here then, is my recipe for roast chicken soup.....
1 roast chicken carcass with meat
Roast vegetables including sweet potatos, regular potatos, carots and onion
Leftover chicken gravy
Leftover stuffing
Chicken broth or stock to cover
Pick the carcass of as much meat and fat as you can and place the meat and fat in a crock pot.
Put all of the leftover roast vegetables in the crock pot.
If you have any stuffing and/or leftover gravy place that in the crock pot too.
Put the bones, and cartilage in a jelly strainer bag or piece of cheese cloth and tie into a bundle, you can use a piece of cotton cooking string to tie the neck of the bag closed. Place in the crock pot. The jelly strainer bag or cheese cloth will make removing the bones and catrilage easy when the soup's done.
Cover with chicken broth. Put your crock pot on high and simmer for several hours. Occasionally, agitate the soup with the bag of bones. When the soup nice and hot, season with salt and pepper, remove the bag with the chicken bones*, and serve the soup and vegetables over home made egg noodles.
* If you're using a jelly strainer bag empty the bag, rinse in the sink, then wash with the laundry. You can wash the bag, dry and save for the next batch of soup. If you use a piece of cheese cloth, just throw it away, it'll probably fall appart if you try to run it through the washing machine.
When you roast a chicken, unless you have several people to eat it, you may be stuck eating chicken for a while or freezing the leftovers and risk them disapearing into the black hole that a freezer can become....
In the interest of 'Waste not - want not' I usually use the leftovers for chicken salad and soup. The chicken salad recipe can be found ....here. But there's still soup.
Here then, is my recipe for roast chicken soup.....
1 roast chicken carcass with meat
Roast vegetables including sweet potatos, regular potatos, carots and onion
Leftover chicken gravy
Leftover stuffing
Chicken broth or stock to cover
Pick the carcass of as much meat and fat as you can and place the meat and fat in a crock pot.
Put all of the leftover roast vegetables in the crock pot.
If you have any stuffing and/or leftover gravy place that in the crock pot too.
Put the bones, and cartilage in a jelly strainer bag or piece of cheese cloth and tie into a bundle, you can use a piece of cotton cooking string to tie the neck of the bag closed. Place in the crock pot. The jelly strainer bag or cheese cloth will make removing the bones and catrilage easy when the soup's done.
Cover with chicken broth. Put your crock pot on high and simmer for several hours. Occasionally, agitate the soup with the bag of bones. When the soup nice and hot, season with salt and pepper, remove the bag with the chicken bones*, and serve the soup and vegetables over home made egg noodles.
* If you're using a jelly strainer bag empty the bag, rinse in the sink, then wash with the laundry. You can wash the bag, dry and save for the next batch of soup. If you use a piece of cheese cloth, just throw it away, it'll probably fall appart if you try to run it through the washing machine.
My Favorite Chicken Salad
By Joanne Rigutto
I love chicken salad. It's great in a sandwich, as a side, with vegetables, or on a salad with greens. And it's a great way to extend the use of a roast chicken. I usually like to roast a chicken, then the next day, use the breast for chicken salad and turn the rest of the carcass, along with the left over roast vegitables and onion, into soup. I can usually get 8-10 meals out of a 5# chicken that way, and we keep from getting 'sick' of chicken. This recipe is great with turkey also, and would be equally as good with guinnea fowl.
This is a simple, basic recipe to which you can add your own flourishes and seasonings. I season everything to taste, and where I can I use actual measurements, such as for the celery, onion and amount of chicken. Where there are no fixed measurements, such as for the seasoning, start with 1/8 t of each (except for the salt and pepper) and add from there.
1 whole breast from a roasted chicken
1/2 head celery including the leaves from the heart stalks
1 small yellow onion
1/2 - 3/4 cup Mayonaise
1/2 tablespoon Coarse ground mustard
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste (I like sea salt but any salt will do)
1/4 bunch cilantro leaves chopped
Seasonings - start with 1/8 teaspoon and add from there if you'd like more
Garlic granules
Onion granules
Italian dry spice mix - oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, sage.
Cumin
Corriander
Curry powder
Chop the celery coarse and chop the onion and cilantro fine. Cube the chicken breast. Combine in a large bowl with the mayonaise and mustard. Add the seasonings and mix. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Enjoy!
I love chicken salad. It's great in a sandwich, as a side, with vegetables, or on a salad with greens. And it's a great way to extend the use of a roast chicken. I usually like to roast a chicken, then the next day, use the breast for chicken salad and turn the rest of the carcass, along with the left over roast vegitables and onion, into soup. I can usually get 8-10 meals out of a 5# chicken that way, and we keep from getting 'sick' of chicken. This recipe is great with turkey also, and would be equally as good with guinnea fowl.
This is a simple, basic recipe to which you can add your own flourishes and seasonings. I season everything to taste, and where I can I use actual measurements, such as for the celery, onion and amount of chicken. Where there are no fixed measurements, such as for the seasoning, start with 1/8 t of each (except for the salt and pepper) and add from there.
1 whole breast from a roasted chicken
1/2 head celery including the leaves from the heart stalks
1 small yellow onion
1/2 - 3/4 cup Mayonaise
1/2 tablespoon Coarse ground mustard
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste (I like sea salt but any salt will do)
1/4 bunch cilantro leaves chopped
Seasonings - start with 1/8 teaspoon and add from there if you'd like more
Garlic granules
Onion granules
Italian dry spice mix - oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, sage.
Cumin
Corriander
Curry powder
Chop the celery coarse and chop the onion and cilantro fine. Cube the chicken breast. Combine in a large bowl with the mayonaise and mustard. Add the seasonings and mix. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Enjoy!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Lets get cooking!
In addition to growing food, I love to cook it.
Well, that is the whole point now isn't it? To grow food yourself, fix meals out of it, sustain yourself and be as independant as possible?
Toward that end, I thought I'd start this new blog to run in conjunction with the Frugal Farmer blog. I believe in frugality in everything I do, at least as much as is possible, and this extends to cooking as well.
I intend for this blog to be a place where people can learn about my cooking techniques and methods and I can learn from all of you.
One of the things I've noticed in my cooking is that what I like to eat usually takes a while to fix. It's not unusual for me to spend several hours, or all day in the kitchen, watching a movie, or two or three..., enjoing a glass of wine or beer, or two or three...., and hanging out on the net, checking out a blog, or two or three.... ;-)
I enjoy cooking, and anyone who knows me can see I also enjoy eating. Unfortunately, my schedule doesn't allow time everyday for me to be able to cook the type of main dishes I like. So, when I do my cooking, which is usually on the weekends, I like to make large batches. You'll notice this in the recipes I will be posting.
I invariably end up eating the same thing all week, or I'll freeze single servings either in zipper top bags, or my personal favorite, left over plastic containers that something else from the store came in. Yet another form of frugality, I almost always shop not just by price, and product, but also by the container it comes in. I always ask this question - can I use the jar, tub, tin, etc. for something else? I even do this when I shop for laundry detergent - will the plastic container be sturdy enough and is it shaped right for a feed scoop? If not, I'll wait and find a container that will, unless I'm completely out, then I'll buy a small ammount of detergent to tide me over untill I can find something in a suitable container.
I know, it's odd, but that's me. For years people have been saying, 'Yep, she's something else...we just haven't figured out what yet.'.
For some of my other recycling/reusing habbits, please check out my farm blog and companion to this blog, The Frugal Farmer
Thanks for stopping by and hope to see ya'll again.
Until next time -
Joanne Rigutto
Well, that is the whole point now isn't it? To grow food yourself, fix meals out of it, sustain yourself and be as independant as possible?
Toward that end, I thought I'd start this new blog to run in conjunction with the Frugal Farmer blog. I believe in frugality in everything I do, at least as much as is possible, and this extends to cooking as well.
I intend for this blog to be a place where people can learn about my cooking techniques and methods and I can learn from all of you.
One of the things I've noticed in my cooking is that what I like to eat usually takes a while to fix. It's not unusual for me to spend several hours, or all day in the kitchen, watching a movie, or two or three..., enjoing a glass of wine or beer, or two or three...., and hanging out on the net, checking out a blog, or two or three.... ;-)
I enjoy cooking, and anyone who knows me can see I also enjoy eating. Unfortunately, my schedule doesn't allow time everyday for me to be able to cook the type of main dishes I like. So, when I do my cooking, which is usually on the weekends, I like to make large batches. You'll notice this in the recipes I will be posting.
I invariably end up eating the same thing all week, or I'll freeze single servings either in zipper top bags, or my personal favorite, left over plastic containers that something else from the store came in. Yet another form of frugality, I almost always shop not just by price, and product, but also by the container it comes in. I always ask this question - can I use the jar, tub, tin, etc. for something else? I even do this when I shop for laundry detergent - will the plastic container be sturdy enough and is it shaped right for a feed scoop? If not, I'll wait and find a container that will, unless I'm completely out, then I'll buy a small ammount of detergent to tide me over untill I can find something in a suitable container.
I know, it's odd, but that's me. For years people have been saying, 'Yep, she's something else...we just haven't figured out what yet.'.
For some of my other recycling/reusing habbits, please check out my farm blog and companion to this blog, The Frugal Farmer
Thanks for stopping by and hope to see ya'll again.
Until next time -
Joanne Rigutto
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