There’s a million “recipes for dinner tonight” articles at the tip of your internet fingertips but inspiration is never a bad thing to stock up on in the kitchen I say. Many of those lists also seem to get more and more impersonal and predictable as time goes on and if you’re deranged enough to already be here reading my ramblings, you might find it an interesting (or terrifying) peek into how I cook in my own kitchen. Or it could just be a recipe train wreck. Here’s my stab at the idea.
As part of the ongoing experiment, I recruited the farm neighbour and her crew as guinea pigs into “The Great Budget Pantry Project”. I’m so far out of touch with how normal humans shop for groceries I wanted to collect some field data from real people about how and where shrinking food budgets are going these days. She unwittingly agreed to let me inspect her shopping cart and receipts before realizing what a shopping madman I am. Poor woman. I’m sure we can find her a recovery group after a few afternoons of me mucking about in their kitchen cupboards.
For most it boils down to what I’m calling ‘meal certainty’. In other words having the ingredients, the time, and the cooking knowledge to get something on the table, guaranteed, in an hour (or usually less) after setting foot in the kitchen on a tired weeknight. Without that confidence in skills or pantry, a cook is doomed to fall into a meal making rut or worse, succumb to the temptation of a quick stop at the takeaway or ready-meals counter on the way home blowing the budget in the process.
I have a very dear friend in food who once distilled it perfectly. He said “From your daily schedule to the smart phone you carry to the food you eat, there’s a whole industry of people out there trying to convince the public that they’re out of time. In reality they’re just trying to profit from their own brand of convenience product”. His career is dedicated to breaking down that false reality in food with the cornerstone being that people have to learn how to shop and cook for themselves to gain back their lost quality hours. Time, cost, and education are inextricably intertwined but that doesn’t mean you can’t unravel them into a solution that gives you the best of all worlds.
So it’s in that box of recipes which form a pillar of better food where I can hopefully help with some of my own goofy ideas. Every family has a memorized list of ‘go-to’ recipes they make regularly, especially when they’re tired, pressed for time, or uninspired to cook out of the comfort zone. Astoundingly, experts believe that’s as few as five dishes in many cases despite the endless torrent of cookery information pumped out on the internet – some good, some bad – this post included. If I can merely broaden your meal ideas out a bit, I’m sure the details will fall into place.
Pick a favourite celebrity chef and they’ve probably already done a ‘quick meals’ cookbook. I’m not an exacting recipe follower personally but I always take some degree of inspiration from any I read into my own kitchen. Other cooks take comfort in a by-the-numbers recipe and that’s perfectly fine if you’re working from well vetted sources. Mainstream cookbooks in print get tested and retested by many hands so I tend to prefer them but in this brave new digital world you can find valid nooks and crannies packed with ideas even if they do sometimes need tweaking to fit your table. As you gain your own kitchen confidence you’ll find a fitting place on the spectrum of precision to freehand cookery.
Farm Neighbour (FN) has more than average but admits she could still use additional ‘safety’ recipes in the repertoire to prevent panicked grocery stops on the way home that are killing the budget. After a great time abusing her kitchen and laughing with her boyfriend about the gravy-in-a-can she has stashed at the back of the cabinet last weekend, I gave her some homework. I think it’s a good exercise for any home cook whether they’re watching the budget or not. The assignment is to list those recipes that you know you can make without thinking and with ingredients you always have on hand save for perhaps a small number of weekly fresh buys. Simply having your own personal quick list taped to the wall as an inspirational reminder will speed dinner along on Tuesday nights.
Since it’s only fair to do the same assignment myself, over the afternoon cup of tea I came up with my top regular meals without putting much thought into the list. Of course that’s the idea. These are dishes you never really have to think about at the stove if your pantry is prepared. This haphazard recipe inventory is all over the map, wildly incomplete, and will of course be different than yours but feel free to chime in with glaring omissions or personal favourites in the comments. If any pique your curiosity, let me know and I’ll type up any missing details. Or just invite you to dinner.
Gratin
Potato prep is under five minutes using a food processor. Even less if you leave the peels on for texture. Hefty and rich enough for an entree on its own, ground meat can be sautéed with spices and added before baking if trying to appease carnivores. Fresh herbs can change it every time but you can also slip in other veg like cauliflower or parsnips to add variety.
Pasta Carbonara
The classic made with bacon or for a twist, use mushrooms instead. Ready before the pasta is cooked. Add frozen peas to really make traditionalist Italians furious. The creamy sauce is mostly about technique rather than lumping in heaps of cheese.
Crunchy Tex-Mex Tacos
A tired old standby can be refreshed by adding veg to the filling and better toppings to the table when serving. Crispy corn tortillas get filled with simmered mushrooms, onions, chiles, and (if desired) any sort of ground meat. Homemade taco spice unifies them all and a fresh chile sauce blended in minutes the day before adds kick. Usual topping suspects of cheddar, tomatoes, and lettuce are fine but branch out with a quick pickled cabbage, Mexican crema, or fire-roasted salsa. Take the cheese a new direction by making a sauce using evaporated milk spiced with cumin and jalapeños. Add dayglow orange colour to satisfy teenagers. Make flat tostadas by frying your own tortillas or re-toast those old chips for a heaping plate of nachos better than any sports bar. With only a little forethought, the whole spread can be ready in an hour.
Beans & Rice
An insanely simple and filling classic from New Orleans, “Red Beans & Rice” is rooted in the trinity of onion, bell pepper, and celery. Smoked sausage gets stretched to feed a crowd cheaply. Or skip the beans and make ‘dirty rice’. Change the spices and add an egg to make the gallo pinto seen all over Central America as a staple meal any time of day.
The Big Salad
When greens are cheap or in the garden, the big salad can be topped with everything from beans to tuna for added protein making it into a meal. Dress it up as much as you like with devilled eggs, croutons, fresh mozzarella, grilled pears, brie wedges, etc. Homemade dressing of course. Or try a chilled pasta salad laced with olives, salami, and pickled peppers in the heat of summer. Grilled chicken over baby spinach with shredded fennel and citrus dressing. Cobb salad with diced ham, cheddar, and avocado. Fresh corn and garden tomatoes. You get the idea. There’s a million of them. Don’t forget quirky classics like Waldorf or Melon & Feta.
Baked Mac & Cheese
A classic made with evaporated milk for stability and leftover bread crumbs toasted in browned butter. Add bacon, herbs, or mushrooms to change it up. Only takes a few ounces of cheese to serve four in one easy tray bake.
Tagine
Classic slow simmered chicken or lamb with olives, preserved lemons, and Moroccan spices in a funny looking pot if you own one or Dutch oven if you don’t. Traditional additions include raisins or other dried fruit, chickpeas, & root veg. Served over rice or couscous because the sauce is the best part.
Vegetable Stew
A chunky stew of opportunity served with fresh crusty bread is simple and filling. Will work with any veg you have to hand if you keep tinned tomatoes in the pantry. Flavour trickery with soy and nutritional yeast means you don’t even need stock. Simmer chicken wings and backs beforehand for carnivores if desired but not necessary for great flavour. Add beans for a protein boost.
Pizza Not-In-A-Box
Best if the dough is made the day before and allowed to rise in the fridge but can also be made with dough risen only briefly with the right tricks. Sauce is merely tinned tomatoes whizzed with spices in the blender. Top with anything and everything but try new ideas you can’t order from the local takeaway like pesto, eggs, or freshly-made goat cheese.
“Colorado” Burritos
Fat tortillas filled with spicy beans and rice rolled with jalapeños, salsa, & Mexican crema. Eat them wrapped as portable hand food or plate them up topped with shredded cheese, lettuce, or a quick pickled cabbage. Refresh yesterday’s chicken or pork simmered briefly in chile sauce to add to the filling as desired.
Kung Pao Anything
If you have the gong bao sauce already made in the fridge, you can make Kung Pao anything in about ten minutes. Chicken, broccoli, crispy beef, etc. Served over rice to complete the meal.
Shepherd’s Extra Veg Pie
The classic shepherd’s pie but with a much higher proportion of root veg. Sage brings it all together. Half a pound of ground meat can feed four with a pie bulked out using mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and rutabagas. Can be a double crust or topped with freshly made mash.
Thai Green Curry
Use a fresh curry paste whirred up from chiles, onions, lemongrass, and coriander leaf in mere seconds. Add coconut milk to simmer anything from chicken to tofu for a complete meal. Fluffy jasmine rice soaks up the incredible sauce and any leftover with coconut milk makes a sweet pudding after.
Grilled Soft Tacos
Soft corn or flour tortillas with grilled mushrooms, onions, & meats. Salsa, Mexican crema, and quick pickled onions complete the flavour. A hefty batch of tomato and cumin enhanced Mexican rice and/or a pot of refried beans blended with the same flavours on the side will satisfy even the hungriest dinner table. Guacamole when avocados are in season adds a real treat.
Eggplant Parmesan
If the breadcrumbs are already in your freezer, herbs and parmesan turn them into a coating in seconds. Fat slices of eggplant satisfy as well as chicken but that’s an option too. Sauce can be no-cook blender fare in seconds or the rare quality tinned versions work here thanks to a forty minutes of unattended baking time that pull the flavours together.
Biscuits & Gravy
Not just for breakfast, homemade buttermilk biscuits are easily mastered with ten minutes prep and a creamy milk gravy made with deeply spiced mushrooms or sausage turn this into a meal. Eggs any way on the side make it protein complete.
Bao (Steamed Buns)
Leftover meats can be shredded and mixed with hoisin, soy, and toasted sesame to fill little steamed buns that need less than an hour rising. Chopped fresh chiles in the mix perk things up as much or as little as you wish and steam cooking makes it nearly impossible to screw up. The same sauce inside makes a great dipping sauce outside and you can whip together a quick pickle of cucumber, carrot, & coriander leaf to park on each bite.
Pot Pie
A creamy filling rich in potatoes, carrots, and peas comes together in minutes with a hefty dose of peppercorn and sherry. Double or single crust as desired or top with quick spoon dumplings. Can turn into a chicken, pork, or beef pie with just a bit of yesterday’s leftover roast dinner shredded into the mix. If you don’t have homemade crusts parked in the freezer already, which you really should, store-bought all butter puff pastry can be used in pinch.
Big Pot O’ Chili
Rich in spice and tomatoes, you can make a fine veg version with mushrooms, onions, and carrots in a hurry with a few flavour tricks. Piles of beans add protein and soak up the chile flavours well. Load in ground meat or use bulgur to grab those same flavours and give a texture familiar to chili fans. One huge pot can last a few nights or freeze surplus for later instant meals. Chili dogs to chili burritos, not even a spoonful will go to waste.
Gyros, Falafel, & Wraps of Opportunity
If you light the barbeque for a meal one night, make a batch of pitas over the cooling coals and grill off a pile of sweet onions to use with leftover meats later in the week for gyros. Getting that smoke onto a spare ingredient or two works wonders. Classic ‘doner kebab’ meatloaf with shredded onion and spices can also be prepped beforehand and frozen to bake off when the gyro mood hits. To make vegetarians love you, whirr up garbanzos with onion and herbs for fried balls of falafel to fill your smoke-kissed flat breads. Or if cauliflower is lurking around looking for a use, roast it with oil and lemon as a filling and make a paprika cream sauce to deglaze the pan. Almost any pita creation can be completed with garden pickings and tsatziki yogurt sauce which stirs up in seconds.
Chicken Fried Anything
Simple flour coating and frying is fast if you get the right cut of meat and tenderize it properly. The meal trick is to utilize the pan dripping to make amazing gravy to go on the mashed potatoes you make after.
Leek & Potato Soup
The reason this filling soup is seen everywhere in the UK is because it’s cheap, easy, and impossible to screw up. Make it chunky, load it with freshly ground black pepper, and serve with quickly made soda bread hot from the oven.
Indian Curry
Make your own spice blend fresh from the hundreds of variations possible and curry becomes child’s play. Madras to vindaloo, root veg to chicken, if you slow simmer anything in Indian spices for an hour it becomes tasty. Make rice on the side perfumed with cinnamon and cardamom and toss a packet of poppadoms on your heated baking stone to crisp them up in seconds.
Quiche
I already have homemade pie crust in the freezer so it’s a few eggs in the blender with cream and a quick saute of mushrooms, onions, or any other leftover veg to make a quiche that bakes while I toss together a side salad. A few rashers of bacon (or just bacon drippings) will flavour the whole thing for carnivores and leftovers make a quick lunch tomorrow.
Quick Fish Fry
With those breadcrumbs you’ve saved in the freezer you can coat and fry most any fillet of firm fish without much thought and avoid those dodgy frozen fish fingers. Get creative and add everything from olives to capers to herbs in the coating mix. Deglaze the pan with wine and lemon for an easy sauce or go Asian with ginger, garlic, & soy. Pan seared green beans win over chips (french fries) any day.
Risotto
Technique is everything with risotto but is easily mastered with a bit of practice. Best with homemade stock and creamy Arborio rice but can actually be made with any variety you have handy. Mushroom or broccoli ends work great, even better with plenty of Parmesan and crusty bread. A quick Caesar salad on the side is usually my choice.
Fresh Green Bean Pot
A Southern US tradition when the spring garden is in full swing, fresh green beans and new potatoes are simmered with bacon drippings and onions. The resulting ‘pot liquor’ is fabulous with cornbread fresh from the oven. Add cheese and chiles to the cornbread if you’re in a fiesta mood.
Pad Thai
Flash cooked noodles get an easy peanut sauce and lots of citrus-laced additions. A million variations are possible with a few key pantry ingredients like fish sauce and sambal. Even the noodles can change with what’s already on the shelves – rice, egg, wheat, or buckwheat. This is miles beyond instant ramen.
Aloo Gobi
A traditional curry of potatoes and cauliflower, it’s hefty enough to satisfy and cheap enough to feed a crowd with rice or naan on the side. Stir yogurt, coriander leaf, and lemon together for a tart lift when serving. Chop together a cucumber, mint, & tomato side salad to cool things down with next to no added effort.
Roast Corn Chowder
One of the simplest yet most filling pots you can make, especially during high corn season. Roasting the corn for five minutes and adding smoky paprika makes for deep flavour. Add leftover chicken or fried tortilla strips for even more texture. Serve over a giant baked potato with extra cheese or sour cream for a complete entree plate.
Fried Rice
Yesterday’s rice works better than freshly cooked. Quality soy sauce, a spoonful of good chile paste, fresh ginger and garlic are the key flavours. Add an egg, frozen peas, diced carrot, and a handful of mushrooms to make this better than takeaway. Hard Chinese sausage (lap chong) can be diced and added or a mere two ounces of ground meat can be included to feed four. The tiniest measure of toasted sesame oil goes a long way here. Change up the spicing to make nasi goreng found everywhere in Malaysia. Flash fry baby bok choy or any other Asian green in the same wok afterwards to layer on top.
Spanikopita
With a bit of practice, ready-made phyllo dough can be layered with garlic-sautéed spinach, feta, and (optionally) spiced ground meat in minutes. A quick lemon dipping sauce and heaps of couscous with roast peppers can be whipped up while it bakes. A cucumber and tomato side salad matches perfectly.
Goulash Pot
Hungary rightfully lays claim to this sometimes soup, sometimes stew creation with lively debates on what constitutes ‘authentic’ ingredients. What isn’t up for debate is that it’s rich in beautifully sweet paprika. I make a one-pot simmer of simply potatoes and peppers spiced like a traditional meat goulash many nights but if left over stewing cuts of free range meat are around they might find their way in as well. As long as you use a quality stock, it will taste great after an hour-long simmer no matter what’s in there. Accompanying crusty bread is a necessity and a vinegar-laced cabbage slaw on the side makes for a quick counterpoint.
* This is part three of my short series on food budgets. Last week’s post that started this conversation includes some of my top picks for bargain pantry staples and you can also read my grocery shopping commandments for tips on smarter shopping.
