Homemade Food Items rather than bought Part One

I am slowly starting to figure out those items I want and need to keep in my fridge and Pantry as a priority and on a regular basis.  If needs be I am setting too and preparing these for myself more and more and starting to slowly relinquish so much reliance on the supermarkets and bought products.  Ingredients I will buy. Some of it is a learning curve, sometimes it is really hard work, but at least you know what is going into things and there are no nasties and I am enjoying doing it.  Only starting small with a view to building up a preparation day at the beginning of each month. You do have to plan ahead a little bit and sometimes make things for a certain dish/general use, but gradually, things are starting to work in this respect for me.

Butter and derivatives

We do not like artificial spreads and I tend to use Butter but I will not pay through the nose for it and where we can we try and source it when the price is really good and then store it in the fridge. When I had the freezer I used to store it in there. If I can get hold of the cream then I am not averse to making my own Butter either, but these opportunities for me are few and far between.  Never mind have to make the best of what comes your way at any given time.  I would by preference make my own, but realistically as I have limited space in my fridge, and do not have a freezer to store my home-made butter in, I am to some extent limited as to what I can do at the moment.  However, that does not stop you having a go if you have more facilities and opportunities available to you than I do at the present.

When and if you make Butter yourself you will be left after initially draining the butter into a bowl with a liquid which is known as Buttermilk.  This can be used in baking like scones, pancakes and also chocolate chip cookies and in soups, it can be drunk on its own. You can store this in a bottle in the fridge for up to a week

Ghee

Butter for cooking can sometimes be a problem for us as well so this month I am trialling making my own Ghee to store in the fridge for use when I am cooking.  Something else that will be very useful. I find it gives more flavour to my food although I do not use copious amounts, I do cook with it on a regular basis.  I often mix a little light olive oil in with butter for cooking when I use it.

Homemade Peanut Butter

I just love this and have posted about this before.  Two bags of salted peanuts and a little Sunflower oil and I have a large jar of peanut butter for eating and using spread on bread and in baking.  It is a little thicker and grainier than bought peanut butter and lasted me well over three months but I think it is fab. Plus you can choose whether you have it really smooth or chunky.  Lovely on freshly buttered bread.

I am going to experiment with other Nut Butters too.

Pork Dripping

When I cook roast pork, (as I will be doing tomorrow), I add in a packet or two of lard to the roasting tray with the meat.  This helps me provide tasty fat for roasting potatoes through the rest of the month and sometimes for just bread and dripping.  I decant the cool but still liquid fat into jam jars with lids until set and then pop into the fridge.  I use the fat for roast potatoes and for breakfasts.  The potatoes are boiled for a little while, then scuffed up with a fork, and popped into the nice pork dripping.  Adds so much more flavour to the roast potatoes without the expense of buying in Goose fat (currently about £5 a jar).  I like Goose fat - I just do not like the price.

Mushrooms

G is Bipolar and has a love of Mushrooms.  Supposedly, the are very good for keeping the mood even with people who suffer from this condition.  It seems to work with G, as well as eating regularly and proper home cooked meals.  It is very telling if we have had too many scratch meals, as he seems to get very morose.

Rather than pay full price, I buy the mushrooms when they are reduced where I can and then preserve them. We buy them fresh. 

Problems usually occur towards the end of the month usually due to dwindling pennies and then choices have to be made as to whether or not they are a necessity. For me meat tends to take priority over mushrooms. Saying that though I have found a way that works for us in that we need not be without the mushrooms and have a ready supply to hand when I need them. They are preserved by cooking them with some onion, and then being preserved under lard.  I then store them in the fridge. We like them and have been pretty pleased with the results. This way is working for us.  It requires some pre-planning at the beginning of the month where I do a lot of preparation of fresh items that we do use and which we can go to at the end of the month to add to what we have and to feed us.  It is a means to an end, a half-way house created from an ingredient which I am not paying full price for. Sometimes buying them like this produces a 40p saving per tray. Any mushrooms can be used and I am looking to preserve some Oyster mushrooms in due course this way on.  Food of any sort that is preserved and put up helps cover all eventualities but still feeds you.  Very important in view of the fact that I do not have a freezer.

Processed Vegetables for the Pantry shelf

Prepped veg for instance can go straight into a stew or a soup with a tiny bit of meat, but which provides a filling and substantial meal.  I have preserved carrots, carrot and swede, swede, potatoes, peas, peas and carrots in this manner.

Basil

I also have Basil under oil stored in the fridge for use with Italian style dishes.  This is layers of fresh Basil and salt until the jar is filled to the top and then filled with oil (I use a light olive oil for this although Virgin olive oil could be used. I was taught that Virgin olive oil should not be cooked with but should be used for dipping, dunking and dressing.  Each time you take some Basil out, add a little more oil so that the Basil remains covered.  You will get a lovely flavoured oil out of this as well.  For me well worth the doing.

Home made Stocks

Chicken, Ham, Beef and Vegetable stocks have been made out of bones, carcasses, vegetable peelings. Producing stocks that are tastier and with no salt in (as I do not use salt), for soups, casseroles, stews, gravies etc.  Making these yourselves is saving a lot of waste going to Landfill.

Souper Mix

Pam Corbin's "Souper Mix" from the River Cottage Preserves book, made from a mixture of vegetables and salt is very useful at giving more flavour to food and is even enjoyable as a hot drink in its own right.  I am a cook that concentrates on getting the maximum flavour from whatever I cook. Even though there is salt in this and that is the preservative here, I still prefer this than to the bought options.

Natural Yogurt

This has been part of my repertoire since I was 14 years of age.  I always used to make it at home and it is something I have made ever since.  It is extremely versatile in  home cooking and can be used for soaking chicken in (like Buttermilk), used as a pudding in its own right, as a breakfast with some fruit or indeed with Granola or Muesli, as a drink i.e. Lassi, Milk shakes, in cakes, mixed with Mint to make Raita it helps cool the hotter elements of a curry down.  If you drain natural yogurt, you will get a liquid off of the yogurt which is known as Whey.  This can be kept in a bottle for up to a week and can be used in general cooking, and in baking.  Do not waste it as it is a valuable resource makes baking lighter and is full of nutrients.

Mayonnaise and Herb Mayonnaise

Easily made in the jar you are going to store it in, blitzed in either a blender or immersion blender with no nasties in.  You can also make your own dips in this way.  Keeps in the fridge for three to four days as well.  However Mayonnaise tends to disappear quickly in this household.

Breadcrumbs, Croutons, Stuffing Mixes, Sauce Mixes

Made from unused stale bread or from reduced loaves from the local shop.  Will keep for at least three months after being dried.  You can dry in the residual heat of the cooker in a tray.  Each time the cooker is put on the bread will dry. It is ready when nice and crisp.  Can be kept in a jar in the Pantry.  Alternatively pop into a food dehydrator, as can Croutons. You can also dry pre-crumbed.

Leftover Pannetone, or Fruited Bread like Tea Cakes/Tea Loaf

Can also be turned into Bread and Butter Pudding of different flavours.

Blackberry, Lemon, Orange, Grapefruit or Lime Syrup

Made with sugar, and fruit but fermented and not cooked or exposed to heat at all.  Produces a lovely flavourful syrup for drinking or using in puddings.  I keep this in the fridge.

Fermented Lemon and Honey

Ideal for teas and for when you are feeling under the weather with a sore throat/cold.  Very soothing.

Fermented Garlic and Honey

Yet again for colds but I also use this a lot in general cooking as well to give a lot more flavour especially to chicken dishes.

Five Spice Honey

I add in a couple of whole Star Anise (or more) to a standard jar of honey and then use this to glaze chicken, especially if I am going to make a stir fry with the remains of the chicken.  This sits quite happily on the Pantry shelf.

Just a few of the things that help me from the fridge or the Pantry.  There are a lot more that I do besides.

Do you do anything like this to help ease the pennies along.

Hope everyone has a lovely evening, been very cold here today.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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