make do kitchen

In light of last weeks post, I thought I would share what has been going on in this kitchen of mine this week. Keeping on with the frugal theme to make do and to make the most of everything.

I've started fortnightly shopping.  I obviously didn't organize myself well enough though, as at the end of the first week, I'm running out of white flour, milk and eggs.  I'm trying to stay away from the supermarket as much as possible. But with the huge shortage of local eggs right now, and no local dairies or other suppliers of milk, there is not much choice.

Left to right : Jerusalem artichokes, macadamias, carrots, potatoes, potato skins and zucchini (not seen are carrot tops, tomatoes and squash)

A kind neighbour gave us beautiful fresh carrots, pumpkin, giant squash, potatoes, tomatoes and zucchini. That afternoon I cranked the oven up to almost full and roasted much of that produce, tossed with olive oil and sea salt.  I fried the green carrot tops with olive oil and garlic. I toasted some macadamia nuts. Most ideas I picked up from this book. You then have on hand enough vegetables to make your dinner times far easier. The vegies are already done. You can mix with olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt a little sprinkling of fresh herbs for a salad. This week I have added them to pasta, risotto and sandwiches. They also make the most delicious snack (especially those potato skins). Pies and frittatas are also the cards.

Everything was decanted into recycled glass jars and popped into the fridge. As the book says, that way you can see everything in there.

I haven't been cooking many sweets lately. The cake above was a basic butter cake made from wholemeal spelt and rapadura sugar with a little of last years feijoa jam spooned into the middle. This picture shows me serving mine with cream. Not really necessary, but an affordable little luxury.

Saturday morning breakfast was Jamie Oliver's Breakfast Crumpies (an oven baked cross between crumpets and Yorkshire pudding) from this book. I ate mine with butter, sliced banana, maple syrup and a little cream. The rest of the family were a little less adventurous and preferred butter and jam.

I made ricotta again. I ran out of white vinegar and substituted apple cider, unfortunately it's not the same. But added to other ingredients that are stronger in flavour, it is fine.

Leftover risotto became zuppli (rolled in balls, dipped in flour egg and homemade breadcrumbs then fried).

Leftover soup has been an afternoon snack, rather than sweet baked things.

Eating frugally, to me, has not been about being deprived. It is eating a little more mindfully. It is about eating fresh, whole food. Making things from scratch. Wasting no part of it. In a way, it has been forcing me to be a little more creative in this kitchen.



How have things been in your kitchen?