Corn Soup

I'll admit it doesn't look like much in all its beigeness, but corn soup is one of those cheap and easy throw together soups that takes almost no time to prepare and cook and it taste delicious. As sweet and light as you need it to be in Summer while still being a great canvas to carry a bit of stodge in Winter, it's a versatile little bowlful for any time of the year.

Ingredients

2 roasted red peppers, chopped*
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tbls vegetable oil
4 cups of sweetcorn (fresh or frozen)
3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup of milk or cream
salt and pepper to taste

* For roasted red peppers you can either take two red peppers and char them on a grill until black, pop them in a plastic bag for ten minutes or so and then remove all the skin and innards, or you can do like I do and keep a jar of roasted red peppers in the fridge. They're even cheaper than buying fresh most of the year too.

• Start by sweating the onion in a large pan in the oil over a low heat until they soften, adding a little salt to the onion helps it release its juice a little quicker.
  
  
• Once the onions have softened, add the red peppers and sweetcorn and stir to combine.
  
  
• Add the chicken stock, bring the soup up to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the corn is tender.
  
  
• Remove the soup from the heat and blend. I use a stick blender for this because I like this soup pulpy with a few chunks but if you prefer a smooth soup use a blender or food processor.
  
  
• Transfer the soup back to the pan, add the milk or cream and season to taste. Bring the soup back up to a simmer and serve.
  

I like to use quite a lot of black pepper when I make this for a warmth that builds up to heat while I'm eating, but you can also add some fresh chili if you like.

The soup is also good with some crumbled crispy bacon stirred through, or add some cooked cubed potatoes and a handful of leftover shredded chicken on cold days for a more substantial meal.

You can also make a large pot of this soup and keep in the fridge for easy lunches all week, just leave out the milk when you first make it. Blend the soup and store in the fridge, then add a splash of milk as you reheat each bowlful.

Crowd Pleaser Chicken

I've made over a hundred pieces of this chicken today and didn't even break a sweat doing it.


When Summer rolls around my favourite meals are often the quickest and easiest to throw together and this chicken fits the bill perfectly.

Another plus is that it tastes even better served at room temp than it does hot which takes the pressure off the cook to have everything ready at the same time and in the full heat of Summer it can be left to marinade over night and baked first thing in the morning when turning the oven on isn't as big an issue as it is in the evening.

Firstly I want to deal with the chicken. Use whichever cuts of chicken your family like best but keep in mind that this marinade tastes best when used on the darker meat so it's best to stick with drumsticks or thighs. Once you have your chicken in front of you, make two deep cuts in each piece of meat. If you are cooking this chicken and planning to serve some to children its worth pointing out that it is quite spicy. What I always do is choose 2/3 smaller cuts of chicken for Chloe and don't score those, then before I give it to her I remove the skin. The skin allows some of the sweetness and the smallest amount of heat to seep into the chicken but protects it from the bulk of the spice and it means I don't have to marinade and cook two separate batches of chicken. Chloe loves it and she's generally a very anti-spice child.

Ingredients

3lb chicken pieces (roughly 20 pieces depending on size)

3 tblsp dark brown sugar
1 tblsp paprika (smoked, sweet or regular)
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

4 tblsp oil of choice

Place all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and add the oil to make a loose paste.

Add the chicken pieces and use your hands to turn and coat each piece of chicken thoroughly. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge to marinade for at least an hour or you can leave it over night.


Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Place a wire rack over a large roasting pan or tray and load it up with chicken pieces. The rack isn't absolutely necessary but it does save you having to turn the chicken once or twice while it's cooking. Bake the chicken in the oven for 35-40 minutes, then remove it from the oven and leave to rest for at least 10-15 minutes or better yet, leave it to cool completely before serving.

And enjoy.


And even a couple of pieces for the kiddies too.

Cheap Eats

The time is very nearly here. I've been helping a friend out by covering her maternity leave while Chloe is at school, but in less than two short weeks that will come to an end which means that if I'm not selling I won't be earning.

What better time to start cooking and enjoying cheaper meals and Summer really is a great time to cut back on food spending. We're lucky enough to have a bunch of fresh herbs and veggies in the garden that I'll be making use of and you can't beat the cheaper cuts of meat like chicken legs and wings, pork ribs and the humble burger cooked up on the barbecue.

I'll also be posting more recipes as I come up with ones I'm happy with and ones I'm confident will work for everyone. I'll be cooking only with foods in season as they'll be the cheapest and the most tasty and looking at ways of adding lots of flavour for as little money as possible using things like pork belly.

I've already a handful of great, cheap recipes here I can rely on for basic things like chapatis which help to fill out any meal, as with any breads like soda bread, focaccia and fake-accia, a quick knock up which lies somewhere between soda bread and the traditional yeasted bread.

I'll cover breakfasts, soups, salads, sides, main dishes and sweets all in an effort to find good, enjoyable food and cut the cost of our food bill at the same time.

Hopefully there won't be too many failures along the way.