Frugal Pie

This is a delicious way of using up leftover meat and potatoes. I often will use any drippings or gravy instead of the broth, and I'll also make use of any leftover vegetables, popping them in at the last minute instead of cooking them again. Frugal can also mean delicious.

2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) butter or bacon fat
1 onion, diced (TO DO: Measure the total quantity of veg and meat)
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
Optional 4oz mushroom, diced
1 Tbsp flour
1 cup broth (can be liquor from the roast)
¼ cup milk
1 sprig thyme, rosemary or sage
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
8 oz cold cooked red meat
1 lb potatoes (cold or already mashed, or see Step 7)

1. Sauté onion, celery, and carrots in butter until cooked through and starting to brown, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mince the meat by hand into small but recognizable chunks.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
4. Add flour to the sautée mixture, stirring well. Cook one minute, at least, or until well browned. This is important - cooking the flour in the buttered vegetables means the flour is absorbing all the liquids and fats in the pan, then cooking so that when you make the sauce, it will have carried all the lovely browning flavour with it, and it won't taste floury. 
5. Dump the broth and then the milk into the vegetable mixture and stir thoroughly. Add the thyme, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until the broth thickens and gets bubbly. 
6. Mix in the meat and put in a pie plate or casserole dish.
7. If they're not already mashed, prepare the potatoes with 3 Tbsps of milk or cream, and butter, to taste, along with a pinch of salt.
8. Layer the mashed potatoes on top of the meat mixture and put in the hot oven for 35 minutes or until the top browns.

Merguez Pasta Sauce

In buying grass-fed free-range mutton and lamb, we've gotten a chance to try out the merguez sausage everyone's been talking about. Frankly, I don't see what the fuss is about but, since we got some in our box of meat, I wanted to find the most delicious way of eating it, and by George, I think I've found it.
Since the sausage tends to be fatty, cooking with wine and tomato helps to both match the flavour and cut the fattiness.

Good for 4 people as a main course.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb Merguez sausages cut into bite-sized pieces OR squeezed out of the casing and crumbled
2 garlic cloves or 2 Tbsps garlic scape paste
1 cup red or white wine
1 Tbsp tomato purée (optional)
1 can (400g) diced tomato
1 lb dry linguine (recommended)
2 Tbsps pesto
½ tsp salt (or to taste)
Permesan to serve

1. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan and cook the sausage until well browned. If the sausage is very fatty, drain off most of it.
2. Add the garlic (or scapes) and cook another minute.
3. Add the wine and reduce at least by half but preferably until almost gone, like a quarter cup or so.
4. Add the tomato and salt and simmer until the sauce thickens.
5. Start the salted water to boil while the sauce simmers.
6. When the pasta is al dente, drain. Add the pesto to the sauce.  Mix in the cooked pasta, or ladle on top.
7. Serve with parmesan and freshly ground pepper

Roasted Italian Sausage, Fennel and Red Peppers

This is wonderful. The result is the smoky roasted flavor of the broiled veg and meat coupled with the sweet, flavourful drippings that make up the intoxicating sauce. It's nice to have a bit of Commons Bread on hand to sop up the hot juices.
You can play with the ratios of vegetables. I tend to prefer less red pepper as it is a strong flavour compared to the fennel, and I love fennel so I tend to add more of that than others may like.
NOTE: The outer layer of fennel bulbs tend to be a bit tough but you don't want to discard it completely because a: it's yummy and b: it's a lot of the vegetable that is wasted. All you need to do is, with a paring knife, peel away the skin of the top layer and the flesh underneath is as sweet and lovely as the rest.

1½ lb hot or sweet Italian sausage links
1 or 2 red peppers cut into 2-inch pieces
2 med-to-small fennel bulbs, quartered and cut into 2-inch-wide pieces. See NOTE
1 large onion, quartered and cut into 2-inch pieces
¼ cup olive oil
½ tsp salt

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Score the sausage lengthwise to split them open.
3. In a large bowl, toss together all the remaining ingredients (I do this with my hands to make sure I get everything really well covered with the salt and oil).
4. Place the sausage on a large baking sheet, cut-side down. Dump the oily vegetables on top, shifting everything around to have things on a single layer (you likely won't succeed but that's ok). It's ok if the sausage is partially exposed.
5. Broil 6-8 inches from the heat source, until the exposed parts of the sausages are browned and the vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes. With a spatula, flip everything over and stir, then broil until the sausage is just cooked through and the vegetables are softened, about 8 to 10 minutes more.
6. (Optional) Serve sprinkled with fennel fronds.

Cinnamon Plum Torte

A quick and wonderful cake, it takes a lot of fresh plums. If you have a glut of the fruit, this is a good recipe to use them all up! The juices of the plums create a centre to the cake that has a custard-like texture.

¾ cup (PLUS 1 Tbsp sugar to sprinkle on top)
½ cup (4oz/114gr) butter
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
Pinch salt
24 halves pitted Italian (aka prune plums)
1 tsp ground cinnamon (or more, to taste)
Vanilla ice cream, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position.
2. Cream the sugar and butter until it becomes pale, almost white. 
3. Add the flour, baking powder, eggs, and salt and beat to mix well. 
4. Dump in a 9" or 10" ungreased springform pan (you can line with parchment paper if you like); the dough will be quite thick, so spread it evenly along the bottom with a spatula or wooden spoon.
5. 24 plum halves is a lot of material to stuff into a 9" or 10" springform pan; I stand them on end and arrange them in a spiral.
6. NOTE on aesthetics: While cooking, the dough puffs up significantly. Therefore, if you want the plum spiral design to show on top, do not press the plums down into the batter. Conversely, if you want a smooth top to the cake, do press the plums down, but not quite to the bottom to allow a layer of dough to remain between the plum and the bottom of the pan. 
7. In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and the remaining tablespoon of sugar to sprinkle over the plums.
8. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the center tests done with a toothpick. 
9. Goes very nicely with vanilla ice cream.

Poires et fromage bleu sur pâtes

Fruit and blue cheese with nuts is a classic light dish so I figured, hey, what would it be like with pasta! Well, let me tell you, I got some pretty positive reactions when I subjected others to it. The pear lightly caramelizes in the buttery good oil, lending a pleasant sweetness to every bite of lightly blue-cheese pasta.

Serves: 3 people @ 4oz of dry pasta per person

¾ pound pasta
¼ cup (2oz/58gr) butter
4 pears (2 lbs), peeled, cored and cut into ⅓" thick slices
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
4 oz Cambozola or other light blue cheese, cubed
½ + ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
OPTIONAL ⅓ cup chopped walnuts or pinenuts, toasted

1. If using, start by toasting the nuts in a dry pan, and set aside until the last step.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and wait until it begins to froth. 
3. Bring a pot of salted water to a rapid boil to cook the pasta.
4. Once the butter begins to froth, add the pears and cook until tender and beginning to brown but not soft, about 8 minutes; try to only turn them once to avoid breaking them (this is more for show than for taste). Set aside until the last step.
5. To the remaining butter in the pan, add the rosemary and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. 
6. Add the broth, cheese, ½ cup Parmesan and cream. Stir and simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 6 minutes. 
7. Dump the pasta in the sauce and toss until everything is coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Before serving garnish with the pear slices, the nuts and a sprinkle of the the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese.

Red Rice

This is the perfect accompaniment to refried beans. Of course, the chicken broth can be replaced by vegetable broth for a vegetarian version.

12 oz fresh tomato, cored
1 onion (6oz/170g)
3 jalapenos or ½ tsp cayenne pepper (for this heat-sensitive, this can be omitted)
2 cups white rice
⅓ cup oil
4 minced garlic cloves
Chicken broth (about 2 cups, subs veg broth for vegetarian)
½ tsp cumin
1½ tsp salt
½ cup fresh cilantro
1 lime cut into wedges

1. Run tomato and onion through a blender to pulverize. Measure out the quantity and add chicken broth until you get a total of 4 cups of tomato-onion-chicken broth.
2. If using: Remove ribs and seeds of jalapeno and mince.
3. Rince the rice under cold water for about 1½ minutes to remove starch for a light and dry cooked rice.
4. Heat the oil in a large pan with straight sides until a few grains of rice sizzle when they hit the oil. Fry the rice until it turns golden, about 7 minutes, adding the garlic partway through to get it to caramelize a bit. (NOTE the rice will likely glom together and get weird, just keep stirring and breaking up the clumps until it dries and stops sticking together and turns a light golden).
5. Add the cumin, cayenne (if using) and salt and stir constantly for about a minute before adding the pulverized veg the broth and pulverized veg.
6. Add the veg-and-broth liquid. Bring to a boil and cover. Stir after 15 minutes to combine everything back together (the veg will tend to separate to the sides), then cook another 5 to 15 minutes until the rice is perfectly cooked.
7. Stir in the jalapeno (if using) and cilantro; allow to rest, off the heat, for another 5 minutes.
8. Serve with lime wedges.

Simple crèpe omelette

Eggs are a delicacy unto themselves. Sometimes, I just want a simple egg dish, and Laura Calder's French-Style Omelette is exactly what will satisfy. There is nothing I feel needs altering about this recipe, in all its glorious simplicity. I like to have it on a slice of lightly toasted Commons bread.

French Style Omelette

1 tsp (4.7gr) butter

2 eggs

1 tsp chopped fresh herbs (such as basil, dill, thyme, chervil or parsley)

Salt and pepper

1. Melt the butter in an omelette or crêpe pan. 
2. Lightly whisk the eggs and pour them into the hot pan. 
3. When the bottom has just set enough to be lifted, gently lift up the edges, here and there, and, tilting the pan, let some of the runny part on top spill underneath. Do this until the top is set, but still a little slithery. 
4. Sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs. Season with salt and pepper. 
5. Then roll the omelette into log like a crepe and slip it onto a plate (or fold it a couple of times into a squarish slice and slip onto a lightly toasted piece of bread). 
6. Brush the top with extra butter, if you like, to make it nice and glossy. Serve.

Gingered Carrot Soup

I've made this soup several times, and find that there are no alterations required. Big thanks to Maxine Bonneau for creating such a lovely, smooth, sunny recipe for an easy, quick carrot soup.

2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) butter
2 onions (12oz), peeled and chopped
6 cups chicken broth (subs. veg broth for vegetarian)
1 lb 8oz carrots, sliced
2 Tbsps grated fresh ginger
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsps salt
¼ tsp pepper

1. In a soup pot, add butter and onions and cook, stirring often, until onions start to soften. 
2. Add the broth, carrots, and ginger. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer until the carrots are well on to tender.
3. In a blender or with an immersion blender, puree until smooth. (When I'm super picky, I like to first blenderize, then run through a strainer.)
4. Return to the pot and stir in the cream. Add the salt and pepper and reheat until quite hot. The heat will counterbalance the dollop of sour cream added as the finishing touch. 

Split Pea Soup

The chemistry in cooking is always fascinating. While it seems odd, adding oatmeal in the mix makes for a luscious, unctuous, creamy soup, unlike the grainy pea soups I've had. While perfectly good made fresh, like stew, the flavours really come out when re-heated on the second day.

2 slices of thick bacon (approx 20g) (or use the cooking water from boiling a ham or the braising liquid from pork steak stew, maybe with a little ham fat)
2 onions (12oz/340gr), chopped
Maximum 3 tsps. of salt (to taste, depends on broth or hock)
1 tsp of sugar
½ tsp of pepper
12 cups (3.5 quarts) cold water
2 cups of yellow split peas
4 oz (about 1 generous cup or 114g) of quick cook oats
Optional: 1 sprig thyme, 1 bay leaf and/or 1 large carrot

1. Cut the bacon into lardons.
2. Together, combine the lardons and the onion in a soup pot and cook, rendering the fat at medium heat, for about ten minutes.
3. Season with the salt, sugar, and pepper, then add the cold water and the peas.
4. If using, also add the aromatic(s) and/or the carrot.
5. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the peas become quite soft, about an hour.
6. Stir in the oatmeal and simmer for another twenty minutes.

Alcoholic Pasta

A complex yet comforting dish. Because they're roasted the texture of the mushrooms becomes more dense and meaty while the earthiness of the flavour sweetens. The sauce, generally pretty light, is perfumed by the alcohol and you'll swear there were herbs added to it.

Part 1 - the mushrooms
18oz mushrooms, thickly sliced in 4 pieces
2 Tbsps olive oil
Generous pinch of salt
Generous pinch of black pepper

Part 2 - the sauce
2 Tbsps olive oil
2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) butter
1 large onion, diced
¾ cup dry white wine
½ cup whiskey (Jack Daniels is fine)
¼ cup chicken broth
¾ cup heavy cream or crème fraîche
¾ tsp salt and pepper, to taste

Part 3 - combining it all
9oz chunky pasta such as penne, cooked al dente

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Put the mushrooms in a single layer on a cookie sheet and drizzle with the olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown and the liquid the mushrooms sweat while cooking has completely evaporated. Set aside.
2. In a large pot, heat additional olive oil along with the butter over medium heat. Throw in the onions and saute until beginning to turn translucent. 
3. Pour in the wine and whiskey and allow to bubble for a minute or two. 
4. Pour in the broth and allow the liquid to reduce by a quarter cup. 
5. Stir in the cream and reduce the heat to low. 
6. Add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper, and gently simmer to avoid any curdling, until the sauce thickens.
7. Toss in the cooked pasta, using a little hot pasta water if the sauce needs thinning. Taste for seasonings and serve immediately.

Italian Sausage and duPuy French Lentils

This is a lovely, hearty comforting dish, perfect for cold, snowy and rainy days. The trick to its success is not letting the sausage cook too much once sliced because they'll become tough.

1 cup duPuy lentils
3 cups chicken stock
1 small onion, peeled and cut in half (use the part of the onion with the root basal plate and leave it intact to make it easier to take out the onion afterwards)
2 to 3 sprigs fresh oregano or a generous pinch dry marjoram
1 bay leaf
3 mild Italian sausages
½ cup white wine
2 Tbsps olive oil
1 shallot, minced (or small onion)
¼  to ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ tsp salt and a few grinds of pepper

1. Put the lentils in a saucepan with the stock, onion, and oregano (or marjoram) and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Continue to simmer the lentils, uncovered, until al dente, approximately another 20 minutes. Pluck out and discard the aromatics.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet and prick the skins of the sausages. Brown the sausage on all sides in the oil. Remove from the pan and set aside. 
3. Add the shallot to the skillet and cook until translucent, adding a splash of oil if the pan is too dry. Add the wine and bring it to a simmer scraping up any fond. Continue simmering until the wine has mostly evaporated. Add the sausages, the parsley and the lentils, simmering until the desired sauciness is achieved, the lentils are tender, and the sausage has cooked through (internal temp should be 160°F).
4. Remove the sausage and stir in the salt and pepper.
5. Cut the sausage into sixths and reintroduce to the lentils, stirring to distribute.
6. Serve. with crusty bread.

Sausage and Bean Stew with Squash

1 lb dry white beans (4 cups cooked)
Sprig thyme
4 parsley stalks
1 onion, quartered
2 Tbsps + ¼ cup olive oil
3 to 4 Spicy Italian sausages (about 1lb) (any sausage will do, but add more chilli flakes if the sausages are mild)
2 Tbsps chopped fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 bay leaf
Optional (if you like it super spicy) ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
8oz sweet squash, cubed (if using other squash, only peel if the rind is thick and hard)
1 tsp salt +
¾ cup chicken broth
1 large tomato, cubed
2 oz grated parmesan

1. The night before, soak the beans in lots of fresh water.
2. Next day, drain the soaking water, add fresh and throw in the thyme, parsley and onion. Bring to a boil and cook 30 to 60 minutes (depending on how fresh the dry beans are) or until the beans are soft. 
3. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Toss the squash with the 2 Tbsps of oil and sprinkle with some salt. Pop in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, or until browned, occasionally shaking things up to avoid burning the bottoms. 
6. When the squash and beans are nearly done, in a large saucepan, heat the ¼ cup olive oil until it starts to shimmer. Shallow fry the sausages, rosemary, garlic and the chilli for one minute.
7. Add the squash and fry for a further three minutes or until the sausage has browned.
8. Remove the sausage and cut into quarters. 
9. Put the sausage back in the pan and add the beans, bay leaf and salt.
10. Add the broth and tomato, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.
11. Increase the heat for a rapid simmer and uncover to cook another 10 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.
12. Serve topped with grated Parmesan and a thick slice fresh buttered crusty bread on the side.
13. Like most stews, this dish is best on the second day once the flavours have blended and the beans soaked up more flavour.

PREFERRED INGREDIENTS: Turban Squash, Cassoulet Beans, Hidatsa Shield Figure Beans

Pasta Frittata

8 oz/4 cups cooked pasta (preferably fresh)
2 strips bacon cut into lardons (2 oz)
3 onions, chopped (16oz)
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
½ cup milk or crème fraîche
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese + ¼ cup
2 Tbsps chopped fresh parsley
2 tsps chopped fresh thyme or basil (or ¼ tsp dried sage)
1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil

1. Heat an 8" nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and when it just starts to sizzle, lower the temperature and add the onion. Cook stirring occasionally until the bacon just starts to brown and the onion is mostly caramelized (this can take a while). Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. Whisk together the eggs, egg whites and dairy in a large bowl. Stir in the Parmesan, herbs, salt and pepper. Add the onion mixture (if it's still hot simply add a little at a time and stir constantly to avoid the hot onions cooking the eggs into clumps). Add the pasta. Mix it up well to evenly distribute the onions, bacon and herbs.
4. Oil the pan, pour in the frittata mixture and place over medium heat for about 6 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle over it the additional ¼ cup Parmesan and bake for 20 minutes or until the custard has set.
5. Put under the broiler until the top starts to brown and bubble. 
6. OPTIONAL - flip over onto a plate to serve - if it doesn't stick, you'll have a lovely browned dome, like a pie, to cut into.
7. Serve immediately.

Spiced Ayurvedic Porridge

This is borrowed and slightly altered from Amadea Morningstar's "The Ayurvedic Cookbook". It is a satisfyingly flavoured breakfast dish which is also excellent to give a patient with a bad cold and no appetite for heavy foods as a supper.

Enough for 2

⅔ cup dry oat flakes, regular or instant
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup raisins (optional)
the seeds from 1 cardamom pod
¼ tsp cinnamon
⅛ tsp powdered ginger
2 cups water

1. Combine all the ingredients but the water in a small saucepan. After mixing briefly, add the water and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat to low and add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Leave uncovered and cook, simmering, for 2 to 10 minutes, depending on the type of oat flakes you use.
4. Serve as is or with ghee, butter, sweetener of your choice, and/or coconut.