In fact, this week I have suffered a horrifying realisation. Apparently, my (semi) regular beauty treatments, such as hair cuts and eyebrow waxing, may have to be axed from my lifestyle in order to afford... well, anything really. Whilst this may be an achievable possibility for some, I have (or rather, my eyebrows have) reached a point where I need desperate cosmetic intervention. To cut a long story slightly shorter, a friend of mine introduced me to the Land of Oz-like wonders of local markets. Here, I can have my eyebrows done for $10 (compared to the $22 my local salon is trying to charge). More importantly, I can also buy fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices for a quarter of the supermarket price PLUS get a free breakfast from all the free samples. Thus, a love affair begun.
Living by the fallback favourite of sustainability, 'Think Global, Buy Local', it's easy to acknowledge that buying produce from local markets is a good thing to do. And when you're literally seeing your vegie bill drop $20 a week whilst stuffing your face with free churros samples, it's even easier! Although I use market-bought produce in almost every meal, here are some of my recent creations.
Curried Sausages (feeds 2): Cooking time: 30-45 minsIngredients:
- 4 thin sausages (this dish works equally well with pork, beef or chicken sausages)
- 1/2 brown onion (keep the other half in the dairy section of your fridge- but don't forget about it!)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 carrot
- 1/4 cup, or a small handful of chopped broccoli
- 2 small red chillies
- 1 cup peas and corn
- 2 cups chicken/beef/vegetable stock (buying the stock cubs and mixing with boiling water is cheaper than buying cartons of stock)
- Curry powder to taste (don't buy from the supermarket, some markets will sell many different kinds of curry powder for a fraction of the price)
- 1/2 cup rice.
Method:
1. Cook sausages under the grill or in a pan. When done, transfer to a chopping board and cut into small bite-sized pieces.
2. Add chopped onion, garlic, carrot, broccoli and chillies to a saucepan. Cook until the onion is brown and soft.
3. Add curry powder (I usually use a touch more than 1 teaspoon) and stir until all the vegetables are coated.
4. Add stock and chopped sausages. Bring to the boil.
5. Simmer gently until the stock has reduced to a desirable amount of sauce.
6. Serve over steamed rice.
This next recipe is one of my favourites from my Mum's kitchen and has quickly become a favourite in my kitchen as well.
Pumpkin and Chicken Risotto (feeds 2 for dinner, lunch the next day and dinner the next night):
Cooking time: 45-60 mins
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 2 cups aborio rice (fat, risotto rice)
- 1 small pumpkin, cubed with the skin removed*
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 2 leaves sage (optional, but tasty - I really only use it because I have a sage plant)
- Parmesan cheese (the powdery stuff found in the pasta section of the supermarket, not the cold stuff in the dairy section)
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
2. Place pumpkin, chicken, stock and rice into an oven-proof dish.
3. Stir, cover with foil and bake for 30 - 45 mins until the stock is absorbed and the pumpkin is soft.
4. Mix in chopped sage leaves and Parmesan.
5. Serve!
*As my boyfriend will tell anyone who listens, it's important to remove the pumpkin skin. When I first made this dish from my Mum's recipe, she had forgotten to mention the skin needs removing. I assumed that like potatoes and carrot, removing the vegetable's skin was desirable but not necessary. It's necessary. Remove the pumpkin skin.
So get those little butts over to your local markets! Check out the fresh produce, adopt yourself a herb plant or just pinch some delicious free samples all morning.You may even like to donate your saved cash to my latest cause, 'Mel's Quarterly Hair Cuts' and stop me from having my hair cut by apprentices.
Hope you all enjoy my recipes!
(broke) Masterchef Mel
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