My sister is staying with us for a week and we’ve set out on a cooking – and eating – marathon.
We are cooking delicious meals that bring back memories of summers in Bulgaria, my mum’s kitchen and the smell of freshly chopped herbs.
Our regular readers know that we don’t do ‘extreme frugality’ well on The Money Principle. What I love is being a frugal artist. Regarding frugal artistry in food, it’s hard to beat traditional Southern European cuisine – think Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Italy and Spain. These people know how to eat for less.
So, I’m going to share some classics that can be prepared in the UK (and I’m guessing in the US). My sister is the chef; I’m just the messenger.
Tonight my sister has cooked green beans stew; it is nutritious (green beans are rich in folic acid and fibre), delicious (it tastes divine), cheap and takes under 30 minutes to prepare.
We have a winner all around.
This is how to make it.
Products
- 1 onion – 5 pence
- 2-3 table spoons of oil (vegetable or olive oil)
- 1 table spoon of flour
- 1 tea spoon of paprika
- 1 kg frozen green beans – 99 pence (ALDI)
- 1 table spoon of chopped fresh dill – 10 pence
- 150 g passata tomato (you can use tinned tomato as well) – 15 pence
Total cost: aprox. £1.50
Preparation
Chop the onion and fry in a large pot. When the onion is soft add the flower and stir, then add the paprika and fry for several seconds.
Add the frozen beans and the dill. Add a little bit of boiling water, cover the pot and let the beans defrost and soften. Add the tomato, cover and cook on medium heat until ready.
The stew is ready in about 20-25 minutes but check just in case: the batches of beans are different and it may take longer.
Serve with yoghurt and garlic; if you don’t like garlic or if you have a hot date after dinner have just yoghurt.
This recipe makes about eight portions of green beans stew; you can freeze what is left.
Still, eight meals for about £1.50 is not bad at all!
I remember a chicken soup my mother used to make. I never appreciated it when I was little preferring canned soup. The smell would remind me of my childhood. My wife makes it and it has taken on new meaning, I love it, probably because of the memories.