Wednesday 30 January 2013

One and a Half Onions ...

 
One and a half onions ... were all it took to give me the idea to make a Spaghetti Bolognese.   Sometimes I do a meaty one for Lovely Hubby and a Quorn version for me, but this time in the interests of good onion management I simply used a full pack of Quorn Mince and made sure I fully loaded the flavours so he wouldn't even notice his lack of meaty goodness.
 
A dash of Mushroom Ketchup, half a dozen Red Wine Cubes, a good half tin of tomato puree, a sprinkle of dried herbs, a splash of Worcestershire Sauce, lots of freshly ground black pepper and long slow cooking for the flavours to develop and it turned out a treat.  So much so I completely forgot to photograph the finished meal.  I can't even take a photo of the meal I had planned tonight.
 
 Using a full bag of Quorn Mince meant that there was plenty for generous helpings for both of us last night with lots of wholewheat spagetti and there should have been enough for tonights planned meal of a Mince Cobbler, but it was obviously so tasty that LH has taken the tub of leftovers to work with a pack of Ryvitas for dipping into as his lunch.
 
Oh well at least there are two onions left ...... what next I wonder :-)
 
 
 
 
I use my ice cube trays for many different things and in the interests of wasting nothing, yesterday the other half of the tin of Tomato Puree was spooned into an ice cube tray and popped into the freezer, a good tip for making the most of what you have.  Tins of tomato puree are usually so much cheaper than the squeezy tubes so I always buy whichever is on offer at the time and do this once a tin is opened.  The little cubes keep indefinitely in a tub in the freezer and you can add as many or as few as you want for the dish you are cooking.
 

 
 
I'm determined to make my £2 Housekeeping Budget go as far as I possibly can and every little money saver will help towards this.  Although Approved Foods are being sooooo cruel at the moment and tempting me with all sorts of wonderful goodies.  The latest thing to arrive in my email 'In Box' was the offer of our absolute favourite Cheese and Onion Risotto mix at 29p each or just 4 for £1.....I must be strong, I must be strong.  Of course it helps slightly that I still have ten packs of the wonderful stuff lurking in the store cupboard :-)  Use the link on the sidebar and nip on over yourself to see what other wonderful offers there are to be had.
 
Sue xx

20 comments:

  1. Red wine cubes, are they frozen red wine????

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    1. They are indeed.

      Whenever I have a tiny bit of wine left (not often...hic!!) I pour it into icecube trays ready to be added to dishes such as this, it gives a dish a lovely depth of flavour without having to open a bottle of wine especially.

      Sue xx

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    2. That is an awesome idea! I would have never thought of that.

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  2. Good tips re tomato puree and wine. Along with the grated cheese freezer tip, also picked up here, I can see they're things I'll do again and again.

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  3. I love the tip about tomato puree - am definitely going to be doing that! As you say the squeezy tubes are so expensive and am usually put off buying tins as so much goes to waste. Thank you!

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  4. I didn't even know that you can buy tomato puree in a tin! And what a brilliant tip about the ice cube trays. I always struggle when it comes to adding wine into dishes or saving any left overs from a bottle, as I don't drink and my hubby is a whisky man. But maybe buying a small bottle when next needed and putting the left overs into ice cube trays for next time. Thank you very much sue xx

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  5. Your post reminded me of one of those silly illustrations I saw on Facebook... "The recipe says to put in a cup of leftover wine. What's leftover wine?" But seriously, your tip about the tomato paste and wine is brilliant and I will follow suit next time I open a fresh tin. Quorn in the US is very expensive, being sold in the health food aisle, so have never tried it. Regular beef mince is cheaper.

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    1. Quorn is usually a bit dearer than mince but as a Veggie I don't eat mince anyway, so I tend to wait for when it is on offer '3 for the price of 2' or sometimes at just a £1 a bag, then I stock up and put it all in the freezer.

      Sue xx

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    2. Asda do their own version of veggie mince and chunks which are ok pricewise also.

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  6. Where do you buy tinned tomato puree from? What a good idea to freeze it.

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    1. It's usually in the supermarket next to where the squeezy tubes of puree are or near the tinned tomatoes, which are usually close by anyway.

      It's virtually ALWAYS cheaper than the tubes, look out for the supermarkets own brand labels they are even cheaper and taste exactly the same.

      Sue xx

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  7. I've never had Quorn. Hubby often takes a portion of leftovers for lunch but today I was lucky enough to get some !

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  8. Red wine cubes? Do you make them yourself or buy them?

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    1. Oops, sorry, just seen your answer above:-)

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  9. Really intrigued - what is Mushroom Ketchup ? Do you make that yourself? The spag bol sounds wonderful!

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  10. Thanks Sue I'll try freezing leftover tomato puree - I hadn't thought of that. I placed an Approved Foods order today (a mega load of naan bread on its way). The every little supermarket has its own version of Quorn mince(£3.50 for two packs). It worked well in chilli last weekend xo

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    1. The Naan breads are brilliant value aren't they, I have a carrier bag full in the freezer, so good for so many uses.

      Dipping in curry, a quick sandwich and our favourite at the moment an instant pizza base....yum, yum!!

      Sue xx

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  11. We make our Bolognese with Lentils (the green or brown ones not the red) as I can't eat the TVP Quorn substitutes. Some of my meat eating friends actually prefer it to their mince versions.
    If your readers are interested Cirio have started doing Tomato Puree in a pack of 4 tiny aluminum tins which are very economical and much less waste. I bought 2 packs in Sainsbury's before Christmas on introductory offer at a £1 though not sure what the normal selling price will be.
    Shame you have now finished the onions I have been intrigued to know what you will make next!!

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  12. Oops must have miscounted - but pleased that there is more to come - such good ideas not to be missed.

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