I always get a bit of a shock when I realise that September looms and summer is almost over. We have had a wonderful year, a good Spring with no late frosts and high winds to damage the blossom before it set and we escaped all the high temperatures and thunderstorms. It has been a good growing season and we can look forward to wonderful crops of fruit and vegetables.
I'm writing this towards the end of July and at the moment my meals are mainly salads but my mind is coming round to winter cooking. I have another thought at the back of my mind as well. I'm sure you've all noticed that the price of basic ingredients has gone up faster than inflation and wages are falling behind. Time to remind you all of the benefits of cheap food and slow cooking.
Have you noticed that the supermarkets never sell cheap cuts of meat? If so, you are mistaken because they do but as ingredients of expensive ready made meals. The food processors love cheap meat and the only place you can buy the economical cuts is at your old-fashioned butcher. He loves selling things like shin beef, oxtail, neck end of lamb and skirt because when he buys a carcass he has to sell all of it! You'll get a pleasant surprise when you cook the meat because it has more flavour than anything the supermarket sells. The trick is to cook it slowly.
Our ancestors knew all about slow cooking and using cheap meat. They also understood that cooking thoroughly was the best way to make the meat safe even if they knew nothing of microbes. They started a good stew first thing in the morning and left it on a slow stove all day. By the time they came home from work, dinner was ready! Today, unless you have a solid fuel stove you have to invest in a slow cooker, you'll save the cost in no time and give yourself a huge saving in time.
Do me a favour and try this. Take your biggest pan, put a splash of olive oil in and plenty of chopped onions and cook until soft. Then drop in some cheap meat, anything will do, cut into bite sized pieces. Cook fairly quickly until the meat has coloured, put in a drop of water and a splash of vinegar and then fill the pan with any vegetables you like. Pop it on the stove or in the slow cooker and leave it alone all day. It doesn't need to be boiling, it will cook even at low temperatures. When you come back at night you will be greeted by a lovely smell, this means that your stew is cooked thoroughly and ready for dishing up. Then work out how much it has cost and compare with ready made meals. I promise you will be converted and you have the benefit of knowing exactly what you are eating.
The best stew in the world!
I've been watching a chap from Barrow in Furness on Youtube who calls himself the Baldy Food Guy. He does comparisons between products- e.g. Morrisons v Hollands pies. He's hyper active and is expanding his repertoire by getting a Ninja Air Fryer. I wondered if anyone had used one. I think I remember Cathy mentioning them a while ago?
