Chicken soup elaborated with seasoned croutons and parsley

Having picked some shards of meat from the carcass of the satsuma chicken (which were originally intended for a noodle soup), they were left over in the fridge.  Some ready-bought chicken soup was elaborated with this extra meat, some home-made croutons and some home-grown parsley.

Ingredients (Served 1)

carton Covent Garden Chicken Soup (reduced from £1.50 to 68p)

leftover chicken pieces

leftover bread bun (any bread will do)

fresh chopped parsley (grown in pot on terrace)

salt and pepper

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Add the chicken pieces to the soup and heat.

To make the croutons, slice the bread and fry in a little olive oil, generously seasoning with salt and pepper and making sure not to burn.

To serve, scatter the croutons on top of the soup, and then generously garnish with parsley.

Total cost - 68p

Satsuma roast chicken with roast vegetables and potatoes

A half price whole chicken was simply roasted along with some limp vegetables left over in the fridge,

and some tired sprouting potatoes. The satsuma was also left over, and included for a 'novel twist'.  It didn't add flavour to the chicken, but was a nice subtle addition to the flavour of the accompanying vegetables.

Ingredients (Served 2)

Whole chicken (reduced from £3.75 to £1.87)

5 small leftover carrots

1 courgette (reduced, 3 for 10p, and leftover)

1 1/2 red onions, leftover

2 large potatoes, leftover

2 twigs rosemary

leftover satsuma

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Place whole chicken into roasting/pyrex dish.

Wipe olive oil over the skin and season with salt and pepper.

Follow instructions to cook chicken -
25 mins every 0.5 kgs at 190 plus 25 mins is about right.

Cover the chicken with foil and put in the oven.

Meanwhile peel, cut and par boil the potatoes.

Prepare the vegetables - peel, and cut.

With about 40 mins left total cooking time-

Drain the potatoes and shake in a pan with a lid until fluffy.  Add salt, pepper and butter then put in a hot roasting tray in the oven.

Take the foil off the chicken and squeeze satsuma segments over it, dab with a little butter and sprinkle about a teaspoon of brown sugar over it.

Put all the vegetables around the chicken and add some dabs of butter to them and add generous sprigs of rosemary.

Roast all for the remaining time and serve when cooked (let chicken rest, covered in foil, before carving.)

Jamie's Thai Green Chicken Curry

Having some reduced chicken in the freezer and a jar of thai green chilli paste in the cupboard, and finding a bag of fresh coriander for 10p, it seemed the perfect opportunity to make Jamie Oliver's 'Ministry of Food' Thai Green Curry.

Having been sceptical about the Ministry of Food project, I actually think the cookery book is inspirational and due great respect - saccharine 'pass it on' sentiments aside, the way he introduces basics (eg a basic omelette, a basic stew) and then suggests different ways with them is very useful.  There are are also some 'standalone' recipes of which this is one. 

Phenomenally quick, easy and delicious - the lime juice, coriander and coconut milk is a must, but the chicken and vegetables could be substituted with pretty much anything else.  A fresh chilli is important if you like an authentic kick of heat.

Ingredients (Served 2)

2 chicken breasts (6 reduced from £5 to £2.27) - 75p

half jar thai green curry paste (39p) - 20p

8 asparagus tips (left over)

half bag mange tout (£1.30) - 65p

red chilli (reduced from 70p for 5 to 50p) - 10p

tin coconut milk - £1.74

juice of half a lime (35p) - 18p

bag coriander (reduced from 67p to 10p)

rice

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Slice chicken into strips and fry in sesame/groundnut oil until cooked.

Add curry paste and stir through thoroughly.  Add aparagus, mangetouts, finely chopped red chilli, stir through and pour in coconut milk.

Stir well and bring to the boil.  Then turn the heat down a little and cook for a few minutes. 

Squeeze lime juice into the pan and add chopped coriander.  Save some for garnish.

Serve with boiled rice, in a bowl.

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Total cost: £3.72

Although this is very close to Jamie's recipe, I should point out that it is not a faithful transcript.  As with all recipes, it changed according to taste and convenience!

Alice Planel's Dinner Exchange - Food Justice Dinner Parties

Lucy Siegle, The Observer, Sunday 4 July 2010

"Cooking for 42 strangers who've never met was exhilarating," says Alice Planel, "but a few too many. Now I stick to a maximum of 30 guests." In the goodwill version of Come Dine With Me, once a month Planel feeds strangers entirely from waste food: "donations" predominantly from organic sellers at New Covent Garden Market, where she is a familiar and persuasive presence. And this waste makes for a luxurious menu that has recently included quinoa, rice and kale fritters, and aubergine and flaked-soya bake on a sweet tomato coulis.
The Dinner Exchange (http://www.thedinnerexchange.zzl.org/) menu is not available in advance because Planel hasn't got a clue what food she'll find for that night. She seems to thrive on the unpredictability of her ingredients, and on bringing waste to the table in a convivial, non-worthy atmosphere. "Food can be nutritious even if it doesn't look good," she says with feeling. "It is extraordinary that when we are surrounded by people with limited access to nutritious food we're dumping so much, often because it doesn't conform to ridiculous aesthetic ideals." Her aim is to raise awareness of food waste while also reducing it.

There is no set fee at Dinner Exchange, : "From the outset I didn't want to charge £50 or some costly sum." So , instead, Planel asks for a donation. She has been earning around £250 a sitting, which she donates to food justice organisation FareShare – it can then buy " 300 meals" with it. Although a seasoned dumpster diver (one who raids the skips of supermarkets to retrieve perfectly edible food), Planel doesn't serve her dinner guests anything rescued from a bin. "They just might not be as comfortable with the idea as I am," she reasons.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/04/lucy-siegle-innovator-alice-planel-dinner-exchange

'Reduced' green salad with vegetarian cheese-burgers

Very simply inspired by reduced ingredients, and supplemented with bread buns, cheese slices and some left over lettuce and onion.  The salad is spicy, zingy and sweet.  Quick and tasty.

Ingredients: (Served 2)

4 bread buns - 80p

4 Linda McCartney burgers - (reduced to 25p)

4 cheese slices - 40p

For the salad:

half a left-over lettuce

2 courgettes, shaved with a potato peeler - (reduced to 10p for 3) - 7p

handful fresh corriander - reduced to 43p

bag of rocket - reduced to 50p

a little finely chopped red onion (left over)

For the dressing:

olive oil (as needed)

lemon juice (few drops)

balsamic vinegar (tsp)

whole grain mustard (tsp)

brown sugar (little sprinkle)

ground black pepper (a little)

sea salt (a little)

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Total cost £2.45