Recipe review: Carrot, cumin and kidney bean burgers from A Girl Called Jack

One of my absolute favorite blogs is http://www.agirlcalledjack.com. Jack Monroe is a hero--she taught herself to cook on a tiny budget and her recipes are incredibly inventive and delicious. I'd been meaning to try some of them for a while, but they're in British measurements and the battery for my scales was dead and I kept forgetting to get a new one. Well, a new one has since been acquired, so I'll be trying more and more of Jack's recipes.

This one for carrot, cumin and kidney bean burgers was an obvious place to start, since it's one of her most popular. I made the recipe exactly as directed, only the bean mixture seemed a little bland when I tasted it, so I added a few pinches of salt and a grind of pepper before I assembled the burgers.

We ate them on homemade hamburger buns with some mayonnaise, ketchup, thin slices of cheddar, and some raw baby spinach. They were wonderful, with a deep, rich, savory flavor. In spite of Jack's warning that they're fragile, they didn't fall apart at all. Quite often veggie/bean burgers do fall apart, or get squished between the buns so much that they ooze out the side, but this didn't. Plus, if you don't put cheese and mayo all over them, they're vegan, and would be great for serving to vegan guests. This recipe really couldn't have been easier. Definitely one to add to our staples!

Recipe review: Miracle Mac 'n' Cheese from Budget Bytes

While reading Epicurious recently, I came across to a link to Budget Bytes, a site for budget recipes. I have spent many hours of my time trawling the internet for frugal recipes, and until now I haven't been that impressed. People seem to think that cooking frugally must include using nasty things like cans of cream of something soup, which look like vomit and smell like cat food and I don't even know what they taste like because I don't want to eat that stuff. The terribleness of frugal recipe websites was part of my inspiration for starting this blog. Well, Budget Bytes solves this problem brilliantly. Beth, the woman who writes the website, makes almost everything from scratch, and her recipes look cheap, delicious, and, best of all, entirely free from canned soups. I think she must be an amazing cook. All these recipes look like they work. I hate recipes that don't work.

The first recipe I tried was Miracle Mac 'n' Cheese. I was skeptical at first, because I didn't see how it could work. You're supposed to boil macaroni in milk? Seriously? I tried it just because I was convinced it would be a giant flop. But it was amazing! Just as easy as making the radioactive orange mac and cheese out of a box, and infinitely better. As the pasta simmers in the milk, the starch it releases helps the milk to thicken. Then you stir in your cheese and seasonings at the end. 

This is not just a time-saving recipe, it's actually the best macaroni and cheese I've made. I've been on a quest to find the perfect recipe, and I'm not at all averse to making a cheesy bechamel if that's what I have to do. But this is so, so much easier and less messy. The result is every bit as smooth and comforting as you want macaroni and cheese to be, but it doesn't sit heavily in your stomach the way some recipes do. Since the sauce doesn't have flour, it's not the giant starch trip it might otherwise be, and because of this you don't need a huge amount of cheese for it to taste good.

The only thing I'd do differently next time is to halve the amount of Dijon mustard, which did overpower the flavor a bit. However, it was still delicious, and Baby B happily ate it even though I didn't stir in any pieces of ham (her favorite food in the world). I think you could easily add a handful of frozen peas at the end, or some lightly steamed broccoli. Next time I think I might add a pinch of both thyme and nutmeg for extra savoriness.

Week's meal plan, February 7 2014

Breakfasts: steel cut oats with frozen berries and plain yogurt

Lunches: peanut butter sandwiches, apples, carrot and celery sticks.

Snacks: raw fruits and vegetables

Desserts: grapes

Dinners:
1) roast chicken with sides of steamed broccoli and peas
2) homemade pizza with leftover chicken, ham, rosemary, and mozzarella, side of steamed broccoli
3) America's Test Kitchen roasted ratatouille (not available online) with a simple risotto (makes enough for two meals)
4) macaroni and cheese with ham, peas and broccoli (makes enough for two meals)
5) some kind of lazy dinner involving soft-boiled eggs on top of basmati rice, side of peas...?

This week's groceries:

Fruits and vegetables:
Broccoli crowns 0.63
2 lbs carrots 0.98
2 zucchini 0.57
1 head celery 0.98
Eggplant 1.78
3.25 lb Gala apples 3.19
1.3 lbs onions 1.27
1 head garlic 0.48
2.73 lb green grapes 7.86

Bulk:
0.15 lb rosemary 0.39
0.2 lb cumin 0.71
0.02 lb thyme 0.57
0.68 rotini 0.57
1.38 lb rotini 0.57

Meats:
1 small chicken 7.39
2 ham steaks 1.98

Frozen:
1 lb green peas 0.95
12 oz frozen mixed berries 1.84

Dairy:
Organic Valley 2% milk, half a gallon 3.46
12 oz evaporated milk 0.98
Nancy's low fat yogurt 2.37
1 lb Tillamook medium cheddar 4.98
Frigo part skim mozzarella ball 3.68
Free range eggs 2.46

Etc:
28 can diced tomatoes 0.78
Sara Lee 100% whole wheat bread 1.98

Total: 56.33

Observations: This was moderately economical, but I guiltily wonder if we shouldn't eat so many grapes. Then again, Baby B loves them, and am I going to fuss at this child for loving fruit?

Macaroni cheese with broccoli, ham, and peas

I am on a quest. Two, actually. One is for the perfect veggie burger (I came pretty darn close with my chickpea burgers). Another is for the perfect macaroni and cheese recipe. 

I didn't like macaroni and cheese as a child. My parents used to make it with a cheesy bechamel sauce, which I found too rich and heavy. I have a certain fondness for that electric orange Kraft boxed stuff, but only when I have a hangover, and I don't have those any more now that I'm a responsible adult. 

Then I discovered this recipe, which not only tastes better, but is rather easier than making a bechamel. I adapted it from an America's Test Kitchen recipe, making a few changes and additions. The original called for tabasco sauce, which I found overpowering (plus, I much prefer sriracha). It also had three cups of cheese, which I found overwhelming. I made it a few times to get it right, and I think I managed.

Additionally, I find this a useful vehicle for getting my daughter to eat enough. I figure she's pretty good at regulating her appetite, and I never force her to eat when I think she hasn't had enough, but I've noticed that she's always in a better mood the next day if she eats a decent amount of dinner. Most people's kids will eat anything if you douse it with enough cheese, but mine isn't a cheese addict, although she likes it. Instead, Baby B will eat whatever if it has little pieces of diced ham in it. I know ham is not exactly health food, but if you use it in small amounts as a condiment, it's better than making it the focus of the meal. I mean, macaroni and cheese is hardly health food either, so.......

Serves 4 exceedingly hungry people, or stretches to two meals for our little family of two adults and one toddler.

2 cups rotini or other pasta shapes

2 oz butter (around 50g)

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar

a 12-oz can evaporated milk (don't use the non-fat stuff, it doesn't work)

1/4 teaspoon sriracha

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 ham steak, cut into tiny pieces

1 cup broccoli florets

1/2 cup frozen peas (no need to defrost)

pinch of thyme

salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until not quite al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, steam the broccoli lightly, adding the peas at the last minute to flash-defrost.

Mix the eggs and half the evaporated milk with the sriracha, garlic powder, thyme, and mustard, adding a few good grinds of pepper. 

When the pasta and vegetables are ready, drain them and place them back in the pasta pot with the butter over low heat until the butter melts.

Now add the eggs/milk mixture, together with half the grated cheese. Raise the heat to medium, and cook, stirring, until the sauce starts to thicken. Gradually add in the rest of the evaporated milk and cheese until the sauce is thick, hot, and creamy. Add the pieces of ham and heat through.

Pizza

I never go out for pizza. There really isn't any pizza I can get in my town that tastes as good as homemade. I think there's this myth about pizza that in order for it to be any good, you have to have a pizza oven and a pizza stone, etc etc. Well, that just isn't true; I don't have either and mine turn out pretty well. Pizza stones are pretty cool, but they cost money and take up space, and I have neither, so I make my pizza on a baking sheet. I know that authentic pizza dough is supposed to be thrown up in the air until it forms enchanting and perfectly even circles, but I'm terrible at this, so I use a rolling pin. If any Italian nonnas are scandalized by this, they are welcome to come to my house and make my pizza for me. Until then, I am totally unrepentant.

Making pizza dough is really much easier than you think it is. I use a half recipe of my basic bread dough, top it with a simple sauce and whatever vegetables and meats you like, and some grated cheese. It doesn't take that long. If you want, you can make the dough ahead of time and freeze it, provided you have room in your freezer. (Mine is tiny, so I wouldn't.)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 teaspoon instant yeast granules

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup warm water

1 1/2 cups bread flour (plain will work if you don't have bread flour)

Sauce:

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon (freshly) ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Toppings of your choice: some suggestions--1) thinly sliced cooked potato, rosemary, and roasted garlic; 2) cubed cooked chicken and sliced tomatoes; 3) sliced cooked ham with sliced mushrooms and shredded raw spinach (make sure it's dry)....

plus a couple of handfuls of freshly grated mozzarella, and, if you like, freshly grated parmesan

First, make your dough. Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl to form a dough, and knead it for 2-3 minutes, adding more flour if the dough seems sticky. Leave to rise in a warm place until the dough has risen to twice its original size. (It doesn't matter if you don't let it rise this long. 30-40 minutes should do the trick.)

While the dough is rising, make your sauce. Mix the ingredients in a small bowl, stirring until smooth.

Now preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a 9x13 baking sheet by lining it with baking paper. Knead your dough briefly to get the air out of it, then roll it out into a rectangle with a rolling pin and place it on the baking sheet.

Spread the sauce evenly over the crust, then your toppings, then your cheese. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the underside of the crust is lightly golden. Leave for 5 minutes before cutting into slices.

Variation: if you are feeling particularly gloomy and want to indulge yourself, you can make stuffed crust pizza. Just roll mozzarella string cheese sticks into the edges of the crust, and pinch the edges to seal. Then add the sauce, toppings, and cheese and bake as normal.

Healthier variation: replace half the flour with whole wheat flour and a teaspoon of baking powder (to reduce any possible heaviness to the texture).