IN SEASON DRIED HERBS AND SPICES...
Though freshly made stocks are preferred, stock cubes are a must for any culinary emergency. Crumble into a bolognese for a deeper fl avour or use to make delicious gravy in a hurry – good stock is also the key ingredient in any homemade soup.
Whilst most herbs are better plucked fresh from the plant, a few dried herbs and spices are very useful, and actually work much better in their dried form. Bay leaves are a perfect example of this as fresh bay can impart a slightly bitter taste. Dry your own by hanging a fresh branch and leaving in an airy spot for two weeks. Then place in your cupboard in an airtight jar until needed.
There are dozens of spices too that as an eager cook, you might like to keep on your rack or in your store cupboard. Whole spices like cloves, cinammon sticks and cardamon will keep their fl avour much better than ground and you can roast and grind fresh as you go. Caraway and cumin seeds are very useful as part of your collection to jazz up Sunday lunch. Whilst cumin seeds complement roasted carrots beautifully, caraway seeds are a great addition to roast pork – simply rub into the skin with plenty of salt prior to roasting.
COOKING ON A BUDGET
After all the extravagance of Christmas, we tend to slow down and spend less. But a cheaper food budget does not mean the quality of what you eat needs to suffer, you just need to be savvier. Slow cooking is a great way to create delicious dishes from the cheaper cuts of meat.
Here’s our guide to those cuts: Mutton: Virtually any cut of mutton is cheaper than its lamb equivalent and all of it can be used in slow cooking. Mutton has a more prominent flavour compared to lamb. Lamb: Scrag/Neck End - generally sold as quite boney chops, which are used in lamb hotpots or curries. Breast - this is generally a fattier cut but also one of the cheapest and is very versatile. You can cook it on the bone, but mainly it’s sold as a stuffed boneless joint.
Beef: Brisket - usually sold as a boneless joint and trimmed of any excess fat. Ideal for slow cooking or pot-roasting. Shin - because of the amount of connective tissue, this is the toughest cut of beef. But when cooked slowly it has fantastic flavour. Mince - an incredibly versatile cut; use to make burgers, meatballs, chilli or Bolognese. Pork: Pork Belly - although pork belly has become popular in recent years, it is still one of the cheaper cuts of pork. It is quite fatty and delicious slow cooked. Hand of pork - this is an old fashioned cut but we still offer it at our counters. It is a delicious large shoulder joint on the bone and perfect for pot-roasting. Pork hock - this is the pork equivalent of the lamb shank. Braised slowly is the best way to cook this meaty cut.
Bridge Farm Shop, Pylle, Shepton Mallet BA4 6TA 01749 830138
www.jonthorners.co.uk Butchery counters - Farrington’s Farm Shop, Frome Valley Farm Shop, Street Co-op, Whiterow Farm Shop
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Chicken: Chicken leg - legs are much cheaper than chicken breast and are ideal for stews, casseroles and curries. Whole chicken - it can often work out cheaper to buy a whole chicken and then use it for several dishes. You can roast, boil or cook in the slow cooker. Once cooked, use the chicken in a number of dishes such as pies, casseroles or risottos.
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