Decent meals (for two) for a fiver
Discussion
Inspired by AE's steak thread and an old book "Gourmet food for a fiver" by Jason Atherton I thought a similar thread might be interesting. Not thinking anything fancy (although thats welcome), just thinking of really tasty inexpensive stuff you can do either quick when you get in from work or slave over at the weekend.
The names in the title really and I think to be fair if an ingredient is only likely to be used in the dish posted it needs to include its full cost so no "pinch of saffron" when the saffron costs £4.99.
What other limitations are realistic for most?
ETA: I would encourage multiple dishes that break down to a fiver or less, ie. buy a whole chicken and make two or three meals all under a fiver but not... "find yourself a goat".
The names in the title really and I think to be fair if an ingredient is only likely to be used in the dish posted it needs to include its full cost so no "pinch of saffron" when the saffron costs £4.99.
What other limitations are realistic for most?
ETA: I would encourage multiple dishes that break down to a fiver or less, ie. buy a whole chicken and make two or three meals all under a fiver but not... "find yourself a goat".
Edited by 21TonyK on Sunday 10th July 16:23
Good thread idea, I haven’t costed it out yet, but I had beef olives in the slow cooker this weekend, & trying to explain to someone overseas what they were I resorted to Wikipedia, this was the result that Wikipedia gave though & I thought “wow that looks cheap & tasty!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rinderroulade
I’m going to buy a pack of those thin quick cook steaks from Tesco & have a play about with stuffing.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rinderroulade
I’m going to buy a pack of those thin quick cook steaks from Tesco & have a play about with stuffing.
I reckon ‘Sticky Chicken’ would come in on budget:
A Hairy Bikers recipe.
Ingredients
Serves 2
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 tbsp of tomato ketchup
1 tbsp red or white wine vinegar
1 tbsp runny honey
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
flaked sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Line a large baking tray with foil. Place the chicken thighs on a board and carefully trim off as much visible fat as possible. Season with freshly ground pepper.
Put the ketchup, vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce and dried chilli flakes in a medium non stick saucepan and bring to a simmer over a low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chicken thighs until they are thoroughly coated with the sauce.
Place them on the baking tray and cook in the oven for 15 minutes.
Remove the chicken thighs from the oven and brush them with any sauce that his dripped onto the baking tray. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the coating is glossy. Serve the chicken hot or cold.
I serve it with some rice which I put a table spoon of curry paste stirred in & a scrambled egg to make a kind of egg fried rice.
Obviously all the sauces cost a lot but you use so little its only really the meat & rice, thighs are £2.60 for 8 so it’s only £1.30 for the meat as you use 4 & freeze 4.
It’s really nice. We have it once a week.
A Hairy Bikers recipe.
Ingredients
Serves 2
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 tbsp of tomato ketchup
1 tbsp red or white wine vinegar
1 tbsp runny honey
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
flaked sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Line a large baking tray with foil. Place the chicken thighs on a board and carefully trim off as much visible fat as possible. Season with freshly ground pepper.
Put the ketchup, vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce and dried chilli flakes in a medium non stick saucepan and bring to a simmer over a low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chicken thighs until they are thoroughly coated with the sauce.
Place them on the baking tray and cook in the oven for 15 minutes.
Remove the chicken thighs from the oven and brush them with any sauce that his dripped onto the baking tray. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the coating is glossy. Serve the chicken hot or cold.
I serve it with some rice which I put a table spoon of curry paste stirred in & a scrambled egg to make a kind of egg fried rice.
Obviously all the sauces cost a lot but you use so little its only really the meat & rice, thighs are £2.60 for 8 so it’s only £1.30 for the meat as you use 4 & freeze 4.
It’s really nice. We have it once a week.
Can’t beat beans on toast right?
Really tasty & inexpensive, I use supermarkets own & make Masala Beans.
This link shows it done well https://www.instagram.com/reel/CeYDd41DKqq/?igshid...
I tend to add black pudding also when cooking & some slices of smoked ham on the toast before putting on the beans
£0.95- Black pudding 2 slices (half pack)
£0.75- tin of beans (Heinz £3for 4)
£0.15 - fresh chilli from a pack of 4
£0.10 - red onion
£0.20 - turmeric & garam masala
£0.45- fresh coriander (half pack)
£0.60 - 50g of cheese (I grate a smoked hard cheese)
£0.30 - 4 slices of toast
£1.00 - half pack of wafer thin smoked ham
Really tasty & inexpensive, I use supermarkets own & make Masala Beans.
This link shows it done well https://www.instagram.com/reel/CeYDd41DKqq/?igshid...
I tend to add black pudding also when cooking & some slices of smoked ham on the toast before putting on the beans
£0.95- Black pudding 2 slices (half pack)
£0.75- tin of beans (Heinz £3for 4)
£0.15 - fresh chilli from a pack of 4
£0.10 - red onion
£0.20 - turmeric & garam masala
£0.45- fresh coriander (half pack)
£0.60 - 50g of cheese (I grate a smoked hard cheese)
£0.30 - 4 slices of toast
£1.00 - half pack of wafer thin smoked ham
It will be interesting to see if recipe book style/selling will go back to how it was in the mi-80s. I still have eight books from Sainsbury's, which were not 'using our product' and contained many recipes in each book for really low cost and healthy meals.
Seem to remember going through each to see what I liked and what I, as a student, could afford to cook. I had a list of about 40-60 items as a result.
Seem to remember going through each to see what I liked and what I, as a student, could afford to cook. I had a list of about 40-60 items as a result.
AndyAudi said:
Good thread idea, I haven’t costed it out yet, but I had beef olives in the slow cooker this weekend, & trying to explain to someone overseas what they were I resorted to Wikipedia, this was the result that Wikipedia gave though & I thought “wow that looks cheap & tasty!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rinderroulade
I’m going to buy a pack of those thin quick cook steaks from Tesco & have a play about with stuffing.
Also known as 'alouettes san têtes', if that helps.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rinderroulade
I’m going to buy a pack of those thin quick cook steaks from Tesco & have a play about with stuffing.
I need to juggle multiple priorities, namely trying to eat healthily, cheaply, often at odd times of the day, and quickly. I haven't costed this but it will be cheap as mostly vegetable-based.
My approach is to spend a day or so a fortnight (that's today's job) pre-prepping a load of base ingredients which can then be combined with other things at the last minute, according to what's fancied, or available. Either to be used soon(ish) or for the freezer.
Right now this is big batches of:
- a spicy and garlicky tomato sauce, this one uses sweet pimentón
- roasted Mediterranean vegetables in garlic, herbs, and olive oil
- diced potato roasted in olive oil
- rigatoni pasta cooked very al dente and drizzled with olive oil to stop it clagging
I generally have eggs, chorizo, bacon, tinned fish, tinned chick peas, olives, cheese, various breads, herbs on hand.
So, from that lot I can make:
- patatas bravas (tonight)
- roasted vegetable pasta with olives and feta cheese
- spicy tomato pasta with frazzled chorizo
- frittata
- bruschetta / sandwiches / wrps with roasted vegetables and goats cheese
- all manner of salads, with a few tomatoes, leaves, olives, egg, anchovy, tuna, chick peas
- piperade
- nachos with salsa and cheese
- pitta bread pizzas
The possibilities are almost endless from some basic prep.
My approach is to spend a day or so a fortnight (that's today's job) pre-prepping a load of base ingredients which can then be combined with other things at the last minute, according to what's fancied, or available. Either to be used soon(ish) or for the freezer.
Right now this is big batches of:
- a spicy and garlicky tomato sauce, this one uses sweet pimentón
- roasted Mediterranean vegetables in garlic, herbs, and olive oil
- diced potato roasted in olive oil
- rigatoni pasta cooked very al dente and drizzled with olive oil to stop it clagging
I generally have eggs, chorizo, bacon, tinned fish, tinned chick peas, olives, cheese, various breads, herbs on hand.
So, from that lot I can make:
- patatas bravas (tonight)
- roasted vegetable pasta with olives and feta cheese
- spicy tomato pasta with frazzled chorizo
- frittata
- bruschetta / sandwiches / wrps with roasted vegetables and goats cheese
- all manner of salads, with a few tomatoes, leaves, olives, egg, anchovy, tuna, chick peas
- piperade
- nachos with salsa and cheese
- pitta bread pizzas
The possibilities are almost endless from some basic prep.
king butter do YOU need to put on a sarnie?AndyAudi said:
Can’t beat beans on toast right?
Really tasty & inexpensive, I use supermarkets own & make Masala Beans.
This link shows it done well https://www.instagram.com/reel/CeYDd41DKqq/?igshid...
I tend to add black pudding also when cooking & some slices of smoked ham on the toast before putting on the beans
£0.95- Black pudding 2 slices (half pack)
£0.75- tin of beans (Heinz £3for 4)
£0.15 - fresh chilli from a pack of 4
£0.10 - red onion
£0.20 - turmeric & garam masala
£0.45- fresh coriander (half pack)
£0.60 - 50g of cheese (I grate a smoked hard cheese)
£0.30 - 4 slices of toast
£1.00 - half pack of wafer thin smoked ham
Really tasty & inexpensive, I use supermarkets own & make Masala Beans.
This link shows it done well https://www.instagram.com/reel/CeYDd41DKqq/?igshid...
I tend to add black pudding also when cooking & some slices of smoked ham on the toast before putting on the beans
£0.95- Black pudding 2 slices (half pack)
£0.75- tin of beans (Heinz £3for 4)
£0.15 - fresh chilli from a pack of 4
£0.10 - red onion
£0.20 - turmeric & garam masala
£0.45- fresh coriander (half pack)
£0.60 - 50g of cheese (I grate a smoked hard cheese)
£0.30 - 4 slices of toast
£1.00 - half pack of wafer thin smoked ham
I read somewhere that pulses don't contain 'complete' proteins, and neither do grains, but if you combine the two together, they do. Interesting that so many of the world's cheap eats are based on this idea:
- beans on toast
- dal and chapatis
- refried beans and tortillas
- hummus and pita bread
Chorizo & chickpea stew.
This is quick, easy, on the £5 budget & absolutely packed with flavour.
Serves 4.
1 x spicy chorizo ring sliced into discs about the thickness of a £1 coin.
1 x large red onion halved & sliced.
1 x large red pepper chopped into strips
2 x cloves of garlic, chopped
2 x teaspoons cumin seeds
2 x teaspoons smoked paprika
2 x tins chopped tomatoes
2 x tins of chickpeas.
1/2 teaspoon Black pepper. (You shouldn’t need to add any salt)
Place the chorizo slices into a large dry saute pan & gently heat to cook on both sides. Remove the chorizo & set aside.
For maximum flavour, use the dark red fat from the chorizo to fry the onion, red pepper & garlic until soft. For a healthier option, discard the fat & add a lug of olive oil to the pan & use that to fry the veggies.
Add the cumin, paprika & black pepper to the vegetables & cook for another minute or two.
Return the chorizo to the pan, add the tomatoes & chickpeas & simmer for 10 minutes or so until the stew has reduced & thickened a bit.
Check the seasoning & serve with crusty bread, baguette, pittas, flatbreads etc etc.
This is quick, easy, on the £5 budget & absolutely packed with flavour.
Serves 4.
1 x spicy chorizo ring sliced into discs about the thickness of a £1 coin.
1 x large red onion halved & sliced.
1 x large red pepper chopped into strips
2 x cloves of garlic, chopped
2 x teaspoons cumin seeds
2 x teaspoons smoked paprika
2 x tins chopped tomatoes
2 x tins of chickpeas.
1/2 teaspoon Black pepper. (You shouldn’t need to add any salt)
Place the chorizo slices into a large dry saute pan & gently heat to cook on both sides. Remove the chorizo & set aside.
For maximum flavour, use the dark red fat from the chorizo to fry the onion, red pepper & garlic until soft. For a healthier option, discard the fat & add a lug of olive oil to the pan & use that to fry the veggies.
Add the cumin, paprika & black pepper to the vegetables & cook for another minute or two.
Return the chorizo to the pan, add the tomatoes & chickpeas & simmer for 10 minutes or so until the stew has reduced & thickened a bit.
Check the seasoning & serve with crusty bread, baguette, pittas, flatbreads etc etc.
dontlookdown said:
Red lentil and spinach dhal. In fact any number of dhals. Do require an initial investment in half a dozen spices - in big bags from Asian shops, no the tiny supermarket portions- but thereafter cheap as chips and utterly delicious.
Oh yes.Indian vegetarian food is fantastic. They’ve only had thousands of years in which to perfect it.
Heres a simple one that I do regularly, pork and fennel meatballs with spaghetti.
500g pork mince £2.25
1 slices of bread 4p
2/3 garlic cloves 5p
1/2tsp fennel seeds (whole jar) 85p
salt and pepper 3p
Tomato & chilli sauce (Aldi) £1.09
250g Spaghetti (whole pack) 69p
£5.00 but it actually makes enough for 4, you can either freeze the extra meatballs or just eat more! I've also included the whole cost of the fennel seeds as its not that commonly used in most households (think outside regular FD&R posters) but garlic is pretty much normal for most. You could always save more by making your own sauce but for a quick weeknight meal in half an hour?
Blitz the bread to crumbs with the garlic and fennel and add to the meat, season generously and mix throughly. This will make 12 x 40g meatballs, 3 per portion or 4 for parents, 2 for the kids.
Fry these off until browned, put the spaghetti on and then then add the sauce to the meatballs and simmer, let down with a bit of the pasta water at the end.
500g pork mince £2.25
1 slices of bread 4p
2/3 garlic cloves 5p
1/2tsp fennel seeds (whole jar) 85p
salt and pepper 3p
Tomato & chilli sauce (Aldi) £1.09
250g Spaghetti (whole pack) 69p
£5.00 but it actually makes enough for 4, you can either freeze the extra meatballs or just eat more! I've also included the whole cost of the fennel seeds as its not that commonly used in most households (think outside regular FD&R posters) but garlic is pretty much normal for most. You could always save more by making your own sauce but for a quick weeknight meal in half an hour?
Blitz the bread to crumbs with the garlic and fennel and add to the meat, season generously and mix throughly. This will make 12 x 40g meatballs, 3 per portion or 4 for parents, 2 for the kids.
Fry these off until browned, put the spaghetti on and then then add the sauce to the meatballs and simmer, let down with a bit of the pasta water at the end.
Gassing Station | Food, Drink & Restaurants | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff