Frugal Café Blog Zone

Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on September 16, 2011

“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”

~ James Beard

FOOD. GLORIOUS FOOD.

Some weeks seem longer than others, but dependably, Friday always arrives. And with that arrival, another posting of fabulous food photographs and frugal recipes.

When they’re available, recipes and recipe links will accompany select “Fab Food Friday Fotos,” with a guarantee that at least one thrift-minded recipe will always be included in the post.

Kick back and decompress…

Ham Pilau & Chutney | Photo credit: WordRidden, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Photographer/cook and webmaster WordRidden provided the recipe and link for Ham Pilau & Chutney — the recipe for Basque Chicken a la Delia a la Jessica also sounds heavenly:

My grandmother’s recipe – which can be found here.

Ham Pilau & Chutney Recipe

* 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
* 1 cup onion, chopped
* 1 cup celery, chopped
* 2 medium bell peppers, chopped (I use red and green, but any color will do)
* 2 cups cooked ham, cubed
* 1/2 T. powdered allspice
* 6 whole cloves
* 3 bay leaves
* 1-1/2 cups long-grain rice
* 1 small can tomatoes in juice (410g/14.5oz)
* Salt and pepper to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon of salt)
* Liberal dash of Worcestershire sauce

Heat the oil in a heavy pot (ideally, a casserole or Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and peppers and sauté about 10 minutes, until the vegetables have started to soften. Add the cubed ham and sauté another 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir everything together. Cover the pot and bring the ingredients to a boil rapidly over high heat, then turn the heat to low and cook covered until the rice is tender (about 30 minutes). That’s it!

The ham adds a nice smoky flavor to the pilau, but you could also make the dish with shrimp, chicken, or just vegetables. If you leave out the ham, you’ll probably need to add a bit more salt to taste. Pilau holds very well, which makes it a party/picnic/potluck favorite. You can make it ahead of time, freeze it if you need to, and reheat it in the oven or a microwave.

Pilau is very easy to make, but I do have a few tips for sure-fire success. Whatever you do, don’t stir the rice as it’s cooking. You can fluff it with a fork, but if you stir it, it will turn mushy —- and you want separate, firm grains of rice, not risotto. Ideally, you shouldn’t even take the lid off to take a peek until at least 20 minutes have gone by. There’s very little liquid in this recipe, so the rice essentially steams in the pot. But the rice will only cook if the lid is on and the steam has built up inside the pot. So sit back and relax, have a nice glass of wine, and resist the urge to poke at the rice.

New England-style Clam Bake | Photo credit: Arnold Gatilao, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Green Globe Artichokes, Castroville, California | Photo credit: Nate Gray, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Hazel Milk | Photo credit: Vrangtante Brun, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

On making this unusual medieval beverage, photographer/cook Vrangtante Brun wrote:

Medieval beverage made from hazel nuts — it’s ever so easy. Crush nuts, pour boiling water over, leave to cool, strain. Voilá… (And you may want to cheat by adding some honey while hot).

Funny Egg Face on Toast | Photo credit: evris28, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Steamed Broken Rice with Green Onion Infused Oil | Photo credit: sierravalleygirl, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Photographer/cook sierravalleygirl provided this information:

Steam broken rice lightly dressed with green onion infused oil. Inspired by the same dish offered at the Slanted Door.

It’s rice, but tastes different than regular rice probably due to the “broken” nature.

Broken rice gives such pleasant mouth-feel/texture and jasmine of course offers the aroma.

Tamale Pie | Photo credit: scubadive67, Filckr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

The easy recipe for this Tamale Pie was provided by photographer/cook scubadive67:

Recipe courtesy of: Campbell’s Simply Delicious Recipes Cookbook

* 1 lb (450 g) ground beef or turkey
* 2 tsp (10 ml) chili powder
* 1 can Campbell’s condensed tomato soup
* 1 cup (250 ml) chopped green pepper
* 1 cup (250 ml) whole kernel corn (sweet corn)
* 1/2 cup (125 ml) salsa or taco sauce
* 1/4 cup (50 ml) water
* 1 pkg (240-340 g) corn
* 2 boxes corn bread mix

Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). In 10-inch (25 cm) skillet over medium heat, cook meat and chili powder until meat is browned, stirring to separate meat. Spoon off fat.

Stir in soup, pepper, corn, salsa, and water. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover; cook 5 minutes. Pour into 2-quart (2 L) casserole. Prepare corn muffin mix according to package directions; spoon evenly over soup mixture.

Bake 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center of muffin mixture comes out clean.

Makes 6 servings.

Here are some of the things that I’ve done to tweak this recipe, for my taste.

I’ve diced up a jalapeño and added half to the soup mixture and half to the muffin mixture. If I’m feeling in the need for some heat, I’ll use an Habanero. Instead of using green pepper, I use diced onion. Grate some cheese into the muffin mixture.

I’ve found that using Jiffy Corn Bread mix, works the best. It’s cheap and a little sweet, I also use 2 boxes. Seems to have better coverage over the soup mixture.

Brazilian Drinks | Photo credit: beedieu, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Grilled Baby Potatoes | Photo credit: MacQ, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Photographer/cook MacQ describes these grilled baby potatoes:

My first attempt. Boiled them first for about 10-15 minutes, then rolled in olive oil, salt, pepper, finished on the grill with high heat.

Coney Taco & Coney Dog, Z Georges in Ypsi | Photo credit: Rex Roof, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Pesto Pasta Salad Bento | Photo credit: I Love Egg, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Description of the pesto pasta salad bento provided by photographer/bento creator I Love Egg:

Pesto Pasta Salad Bento

Okay, so I cheated on the pasta

Bought a container of pesto from Trader Joe’s for $2.69 and a packet of whole wheat pasta with flax seeds added for 99 cents. I was extremely surprised at the high protein and fiber content of the pasta, as well as the lack of whole- wheat flavour — definitely a winner As for the pesto, I figured it was much costlier (for me) to buy some fresh basil and pine nuts…it’s not like I used the whole jar all at once, so I’ll call it an investment For pesto pasta salads (doesn’t that sound soo weird!?)

Inside green container on right: Parmesan cheese, almond, chopped sun-dried tomato mix.

Top tier: apple rabbits, meatballs, kamoboko, edamame

Greek Goulash | Photo credit: PJ Faere, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Photographer/cook PJ Faere provided the link to the Greek Goulash recipe:

I got this recipe from the Food Network, one of Rachael Ray’s 30-minute meals. It took right about 30 minutes to put together.

Mini Key Lime Cheesecake | Photo credit: Shaw Girl, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Fettuccine with Pine Nuts & Brussels Sprouts | Photo credit: itsonlythat, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Toasted Garlic & Five-Onion Soup | Photo credit: She Who Shall Not Be Named, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Thrifty, tasty, toasted garlic and onion soup… what’s not to love? Photographer/cook She Who Shall Not Be Named provided the recipe for this luscious soup — don’t leave out the bacon, as it really enhances the flavors:

Toasted Garlic and Five-Onion Soup

* 1 slice bacon, diced small
* 4 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/4 leek, sliced
* 4 scallions, sliced
* 1 shallot, sliced
* 1/2 white onion, sliced
* 1/2 vidalia onion, sliced
* 1 head garlic, sliced
* 8 sprigs thyme, minced
* 1 bay leaf
* 3/4 cup white wine
* 3 cups chicken stock
* 1 small backing potato, peeled, and diced small
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* Salt and black pepper

Place a 3-quart chefs pan over medium heat and add diced bacon. Cook until crisp and then remove bacon bits.

Add the olive oil, leeks, scallions, shallots, white and Vidalia onions, and garlic. Allow the onions and garlic to caramelize, about 15 minute. Stir in the thyme and bay leaf.

Deglaze the pan with white wine. Be sure to scrape the fond off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

Pour in the chicken stock and bring the soup to a boil. Add the diced potatoes. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes and onions are tender.

Puree the soup with a hand held emersion blender. Stir in the cream and adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper. Garnish with bacon bits and serve hot.

Serves 4.

Peanut Butter Sundae | Photo credit: vsmoothie, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Pantry Basics, Making Homemade Chicken Stock | Photo credit: Olga Massov, Flickr, creative Commons, some rights reserved

Cheap and simple instructions for making your own chicken stock are at Olga Massov’s Sassy Radish food blog.

Roast Pork & Cast Iron Fried Oysters, John's BBQ Restaurant, Ontario | Photo credit: Sifu Renka, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Watermelon at Farmers' Market, Dallas, Texas | Photo credit: Rdoke, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Double Trouble Chocolate Fudge from Fudge Kitchen | Photo credit: Chocolate Reviews, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Photographer Chocolate Reviews wrote:

Go on, you know you just want to get your chops around some lovely, sweet, fudge! Find out how it tasted here.

Boss Coffee | Photo credit: Transparent Reality, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Oatmeal Bread | Photo credit: Bacon and Tofu, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

I veganized the recipe at Food.com using soy milk in place of milk and agave nectar in place of honey.

The recipe calls for the use of a bread machine, but I am old school, so I did everything by hand. Delicious.

Beef and Veggies | Photo credit: sweet_mustache, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

The original recipe calls for lamb, but is made here with beef — photographer/cook sweet_mustache provided the original recipe and explains how she changed it up:

Beef & Veggies Recipe

The original recipe is from here.

* 250g (about 9 oz) lamb cubes
* 3 tbs diced tomatoes
* 1 cup hot water
* 3 tbs vegetable oil
* 3 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
* 1 small carrot, sliced
* 1 large onion, sliced
* 2 garlic cloves, sliced
* 1-1.5 cups beef broth
* 3 tbs crushed tomatoes
* 3 tbs oil or melted butter
* 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
* 1/2 tsp oregano
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F. Cook the lamb over medium heat in a pot until browned. Add the diced tomatoes and hot water. Simmer until the lamb softens.

Meanwhile, lightly fry the potatoes in oil over medium heat. Set aside.

Fry the carrots and onions, after a couple of minutes, add the garlic. Continue frying until the garlic becomes fragrant.

Spread the lamb on the bottom of a medium casserole dish. Layer the fried vegetables on top.

Whisk together the beef broth and crushed tomatoes. Add to the dish. Drizzle the oil or butter over the top. Sprinkle the herbs, salt and pepper over the top. Cover the dish.

Bake for about 25 minutes then let stand for 5 more before serving.

I made several changes. For some reason both places I looked were out of cubed lamb, so I used beef. I also used grated carrots instead of chopping my own. Lastly, I added doubled the amount of diced tomatoes and strained them from the water after cooking the beef. I also doubled the whole recipe.

Roasted Green Onions | Photo credit: naotakem, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Fishies at Market, Gelderland, Netherlands | Photo credit: StimpsonJCat, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Lemon, Garlic, & Spring Onion Broccoli with Steak | Photo credit: manne, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Here’s photographer/cook manne’s recipe for lemon, garlic, and spring onion broccoli, which is also posted at the food blog Tummyrumble.

There are many other recipes at Tummyrumble I’m itching to make, most particularly Swedish Browned Cabbage and Chicken, Rhubarb, & Onion One-Pot Stew:

Lemon, Garlic, & Spring Onion Broccoli Recipe

* 1 broccoli head, cut to bite sized florets
* 1 lemon, zested then sliced
* 1 bunch of spring onions, sliced diagonally
* 1 romano pepper, cut in strips
* 3 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
* Bit of salt and black pepper
* Big knob of butter or splash of olive oil

Bring enough water to cover all the veg in a pot to boil in the kettle.

Place all the ingredients except the butter, salt and black pepper in the pot and add the boiling water. Boil for 7-8 minutes.

Drain the water using a colander, while the veg is draining, melt the butter in the pot (or just add the olive oil). When melted, put the veg back in the pot and toss to give it a nice sheen. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Plate up. For an added lemony hit, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the veg (from a new lemon, obviously, as the one that’s been boiled has shared all its flavour with the veg) or add some more decorative zest on the top.

Serve with a nice fish fillet, or a glorious piece of steak.

Serves 2.

Eskimo Sled Dessert | Photo credit: feministjulie, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Quick dessert — from photographer/cook feministjulie:

Eskimo Sled Dessert

Had a leftover, unopened row of lady fingers in the cupboard from when i made tiramisu 2 months ago. I spread two cookies with Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread, for those who don’t know it), then topped them with two scoops of Haagendas vanilla frozen yogurt, strawberry slices and a tiny burst of fresh mint!

Truly heavenly.

Perfectly Smoked Prime Rib Roast | Photo credit: Jeffery Love, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Chile Rellenos Strata with Smoked Paprika Sour Cream | Photo credit: Island Vittles, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

The recipe for this filling, meatless dish is posted at Island Vittles, with this intro:

PLEASE. Do not mistake this for a casserole — you would be very, very wrong. Although loosely based on a secondhand account of an LA Times recipe for a Chile Relleno Casserole from 1990, this little beauty here is to be referred to as a strata. Layers of cheesy, chile goodness baked in the oven…

It started with a loose game plan, and ended in complete, very tasty, success. Perfect for a filling meatless meal (although you could easily incorporate a layer of ground meat — but trust this wife of a MEAT EATER — no one will miss it).

It’s already a new favourite in this kitchen. An easy weeknight meal —- the only finicky step is whipping the egg whites —- but it only takes a couple of minutes with an electric hand held beater, and ensures the cooked custard is light, not scrambled.

Phyllo Pear Marscapone Dessert | Photo credit: wynlok, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Salad & Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo | Photo credit: George Kelly, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

The recipe photographer/cook George Kelly used for the black-eyed pea gumbo is posted on FatFree Vegan Kitchen food blog.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Candied Carrot Ribbons, & Crystallized Pansies | Photo credit: distopiandreamgirl, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Indian Chicken Pie | Photo credit: snapperwolf, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Photographer/cook snapperwolf described this East Indian Chicken Pie:

A recipe from new idea slightly modified to exclude pastry and make it more like a shepherd’s pie. Chicken thighs with balti paste, coconut cream, onion, zucchini, eggplant, peas, and spinach with a topping of sweet potato mash.

Potato Latkes with Sour Cream & Spinach/Goat Cheese Salad | Photo credit: Molly Sauter, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Here’s the recipe — visit Molly Sauter’s blog for more background info on these potato latkes, which she adapted from Joy of Cooking… another terrific, money-saving post on her site is one on remixing leftovers:

* Two medium-ish red potatoes, washed and grated.
* One smallish onion, finely chopped. (You could grate the onion like the JoC says, but grating an onion with a hand-grater is one of the most painful cooking experiences I have ever had that doesn’t involve the letting of blood. But perhaps you have more manly eyes than I.)
* Two largish carrots, tops off, washed and grated.
* Three eggs
* Two tablespoon flour
* One and one quarter teaspoons salt
* Lots of butter
* Sour cream or applesauce! (for toppings)

Take your grated potato, wrap it in a clean dishrag or paper towel, and wring the water out over the sink. Combine the potatoes, carrots, onions, flour, salt, and eggs in a bowl.

Take a large frying pan, place over a high flame and throw on a generous amount of butter (or vegetable oil for the health conscious. But really, health conscious people should not be making latkes anyway). There should be sizzling. Drop the latke goop into the sizzling butter one spoonful at a time from not too great a height (if you fancy the shade your skin is now), and flatten to make pancakes of two to three inches in diameter. Fry about five minutes on each side and turn the flame down to medium if you notice scorching. Add more butter between each round of latkes.

As the latkes come off the pan, set them on a paper towel to drain. Soon you will have a piles of delicious wonderfulness, and all your neighbors will come to your door for one. And you should give them one, because you are not a terrible person and you have at least six more latkes then you should reasonably eat. (These things exist only as conveyances for butter and sour cream. Really, you should share.)

I served these with a fresh spinach and goat cheese salad, topped with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, whole grain mustard, sea salt, and lemon zest.

Beautiful Raspberry | Photo credit: giniger, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Lemon Olive Oil Cake | Photo credit: jumanggy, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Indonesian Dinner | Photo credit: jun0ka, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Deviled Eggs with Horseradish & Black Pepper | Photo credit: lucylarou, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Photographer/cook lucylaru found this jazzed up recipe for deviled eggs at Epicurious:

Deviled Eggs with Horseradish and Black Pepper

For the same party as the Baked Cheddar Olives, I decided to make deviled eggs. I was thinking of making something else but didn’t have any recipes with me when I went to Trader Joe’s. It seemed easier to make the deviled eggs than to run to the store again. When I’d been poking around Epicurious for deviled egg recipes, I’d come across this one. I remembered that the only things I needed for it was horseradish and more eggs (I had the rest).

J’s didn’t have horseradish but it had wasabi mayonnaise, which I thought might just be crazy enough to work. It did. Just substitute the same quantity of wasabi mayo for the horseradish. Again, everyone loved these.

A&W Root Beer Float, 'All American Food,' in Okinawa | Photo credit: Andy Jien, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Friggitello Incrosta (Mild Peppers Filled with Cheese) | Photo credit: Belle Baita B&B, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

The recipe and additional photos for this divine-looking Friggitello Incrosta — Friggitello or any mild peppers, filled with a cheese mixture and baked under a light, airy egg blanket — is provided at Bellabaitaiview.

Popcorn Brownies | Photo credit: camknows, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Too clever! Photographer/cook camknows gives a brief description of these popcorn brownies:

While not super crazy, these brownies were super creative. Made to look like popcorn, they had white frosting with red sprinkles and yellow-colored marshmallows.

Braised Baby Bok Choy | Photo credit essgee51, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Photographer/cook essgee51′s recipe is posted at the Omnomnominal food blog, and also wrote, “Quick, light and delicious. Would become a staple if I could find a steady and cheap supply of baby bok choys.”

Rabbit and Thyme Casserole, with Braised Lentils and Bacon | Photo credit: qatsi, Flickr, Creative commons, some rights reserved

Edamame & Radish Salad | Photo credit: bark, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Stunningly simple-to-make salad — instructions from photographer/cook bark:

Edamame & Radish Salad

* 8 oz edamame
* 4 oz radish chopped up (I think slices would look nicer, but i hate cleaning the food processor)
* 1/4 c of rice wine vinegar
* 1 T. olive oil
* 1/2 cup of chopped up cilantro
* Salt and pepper and just a little shake of ginger & a little squirt of lemon

Throw everything in a bowl and stir it up.

Super easy.

I sprinkled some little tomatoes on top ’cause if I don’t eat them, they’re going to go bad soon.

Tostadas de Salmón con Queso Piamontés y Mejillones al Vino Blanco (rough translation: Roasted Salmon with Cheese and Mussels Piedmontese White Wine) | Photo credit: cecies, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Wild Mushroom Pasta, Oliverio Restaurant, Los Angeles California | Photo credit: Muy Yum, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Photographer Muy Yum’s description of the wild mushroom pasta:

Chitarra spaghetti with wild mushrooms and cheese. This became a vegetarian alternative from the regular menu for the options on the DineLA menu.

BBQ Sea Bass & Peppers on the Beach | Photo credit: Emily Heath, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

About this BBQ sea bass, photographer Emily Heath shared:

This fish was absolutely divine, I urge everyone to barbeque fish as often as you can!

Concord Grapes on the Vine, Wine Country, Harpersfield, Ohio | Photo credit: kuddlyteddybear2004, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Eggplant Sandwich - Eggplant, Roasted Red Pepper, & Swiss on Artisan Bread Grilled on Stovetop | Photo credit: JillOW, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Vintage Libby's Tomato Juice Ad, 1957 - 'When 35-23-35 is the goal...' | Photo credit: emisanboo, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Food photos selected and posted are credited and have Creative Commons-licensed content with some rights reserved for noncommercial purposes, unless otherwise noted.

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Past three months of Fab Food Friday Fotos posts:

BBQ Beer-Can Chicken, Best Caramel Corn, Revithosoupa, Zucchini Cookies, Dirty Rice & Shrimp, Pumpkin Curry, Salads, Tandoori Chicken, Split Pea Soup, Smoked Fish Cakes, Corn Pudding, Recipes, & More

Mocha Marshmallows, Chicken & Rice, Spanish Lentil & Mushroom Stew, Chocolate Cake Waffle Batter, Eggplant Risotto, Rustic Chicken & Pancetta Stew, Baked Crab Cakes, & Easy Recipes

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