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Two delicious budget recipes for the cost of living crisis

May 13, 2022 Leave a Comment Filed Under: Budget recipes, Food, Italian food, Recipes, Shopping

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Smoked mackerel paté

So simple so cheap, pair with bread or crackers.
Course Snacks, Starters
Cuisine British
Keyword Budget gourmet, Pescetarian breakfast, Smoked Mackerel paté
Serves 5

Ingredients

  • 1 pack lemon and herb smoked mackerel filets from Lidl, skin removed. (£1.79)
  • 3 tbsp creme fraiche (lidl 45p)
  • 1/2 lemon, juice and zest (15p)
  • black pepper

Instructions

  • Blend the fish, cream and lemon juice.
  • Add the black pepper and serve chilled with bread or crackers.

caponata budget gourmet recipe pic: Kerstin Rodgers

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Caponata

Caponata is like a more interesting version of ratatouille with an agro-dolce or sweet sour vibe. It comes from Sicily. It can be eaten warm or hot, in winter or summer.
Course Vegetarian main course
Cuisine Sicilian
Keyword Caponata, Gourmet budget recipes, Vegetarian
Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 6 tbsp olive oil (18p)
  • 1 aubergine, sliced or cubed (49p)
  • 1 red peppers (deseeded, sliced) (45p)
  • 3 cloves garlic(3p)
  • 3 Bay leaves (garden, free)
  • 1 courgette, sliced(34p)
  • handful olives, black or green, (20p Aldi)
  • handful capers (15p Morrisons)
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar from Asda (5p)
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Heat up the olive oil in a deep pan on medium heat.
  • Fry the aubergines and peppers until soft.
  • Add the garlic, courgettes and bay leaves.
  • Add the olives and capers.
  • Add the vinegar.
  • Serve.

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MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

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msmarmitelover

Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
Apple rose blossom tarts with rose jam. Rose Appl Apple rose blossom tarts with rose jam.  Rose Apple Blossom Tarts

Serves 8

Equipment: 
Microwave
Cupcake or muffin tin

I use a red-skinned apple to make these, to get a hint of blush at the edges of the ‘petals’.

Ingredients:
4 Pink Lady or Royal Gala apples, cored, cut into quarters, sliced thinly into half moons
1 lemon, squeezed
1 pack all butter readymade puff pastry 320g, on a roll, cut into 8 strips about 6 cms long
100g of melted butter
1/2 jar of rose jam
1 or 2 tbsp cinnamon or cardamom, ground 
Pinch maldon salt
2 or 3 tbsp icing sugar

Instructions

Prepare a bowl of acidulated water (cold water with lemon juice) to prevent browning.
Core the apples, and cut them in quarters. Slice thinly into half-moons (a mandolin is useful for this). 
Put them into a large bowl of cold water with the lemon.
Microwave the bowl of sliced apples for 5 minutes until soft enough to bend slightly but not cook them.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Roll out the puff pastry. Divide into 8 sections by cutting the roll into quarters then halving each quarter. You will end up with 8 approximately 6cm strips.
Brush the strip with melted butter then paint with a layer of rose jam. You can then dust with either ground cinnamon or cardamom.
Lay the apple slices along the top of the pastry strip, overlapping them. Fold up the bottom half of the pastry strip to make an pleat with the skin side of the apple half moon poking over the top.
Roll up the folded pastry strips until they look like a rose made of apple at the top
Place ‘rose’ side up, in a buttered cupcake tin
Repeat until all are done and bake for 20 -30 minutes.
Using a tea strainer or small sieve, sprinkle with icing sugar.
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