- Family Food – weekly series
- Budget meals from a local chef – turn two cuts of chicken into three meals
- Feed a family for £5
- Affordable health food
Feed A Family For £5
CARING Cooks of Jersey provide meals or the skills and tools to make meals that are healthy, balanced and on a budget, to help improve nutrition within Jersey families.
Their services are completely free of charge, and are supported through charitable donations and fundraising.
Full-time working mother of two – and founder of Caring Cooks of Jersey charity –Melissa Nobrega gives her top tips of the week on how to feed a family of four for just £5.
Inspired by the charity’s Community Cooking Programme, Melissa decided to see what she could make for £5.
Many other Caring Cooks are now also doing the same and posting their budget meals on the charity’s Facebook group – inspiring many more to do the same.
Lasagne
Ingredients
Bolognaise sauce:
- Pack of beef mince
- 1 courgette
- 1 onion
- Caring Cooks of Jersey provides free meals or the skills and tools to make meals that are healthy, balanced and on a budget, to help improve nutrition within Jersey families.
- Call 07797 787577 or click here for more information
- 1 carrot
- 1 stick of celery
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 beef stock cube
- 2 tablespoons of tomato purée
- 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
White sauce:
- 1 tbs butter
- 1 tbs plain flour
- Approximately 300ml milk
Lasagne sheets
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C and chop the onion, carrot and celery into small cubes, and fry in a saucepan with the mince until the vegetables are softened and the mince is brown. Make sure to break the mince up with a wooden spoon.
- Chop the courgettes into small cubes and add to the sauce with the garlic, tomato purée, stock cube and chopped tomatoes. You may need to add a little water if the sauce needs it. Simmer until all the vegetables are soft, approximately 15 minutes.
- While the sauce is cooking, melt the butter in a pan, then add the flour, cooking it through for a couple of minutes. Gradually add the milk whisking and stirring to avoid lumps forming, until the sauce is thickened, then remove from the heat.
- Start preparing the lasagne, by putting a little of the white sauce on the bottom of an ovenproof dish (making sure you keep the most of it for the top of the lasagne), then put a layer of lasagne sheets, then top with the bolognaise sauce. Repeat, then top with a final layer of lasagne sheets, then cover with the remaining white sauce. You could add some grated cheese on top if you want to at this point.
- Cook in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Moroccan Chickpea and Aubergine Stew
Ingredients:
- 2 sweet potatoes (medium sized)
- 2 white potatoes (medium sized)
- 3 carrots
- 1 aubergine
- 1 courgette
- 1 onion
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tbs Moroccan tagine paste
- handful of raisins (optional)
- 1 tsp sugar or honey
- 1 tbs tomato purée or sun-dried tomato paste
- 2-3 cups boiled water
- 1 unwaxed lemon
- fresh mint leaves
Serves 4
Method
- Finely dice the onion and fry in a little olive or coconut oil until softened. Chop all the remaining vegetables into small, evenly sized pieces and add to the onion over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chick peas, tagine paste, tomato purée, honey, raisins and two cups of boiled water. Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer with a lid on, stirring occasionally until all vegetables have softened (about 30 minutes).
- Add more water as required. Remove lid and turn up heat for the last few minutes to achieve a thicker sauce. Top with fresh lemon zest and mint leaves and serve with your choice of couscous, rice or quinoa.
- Any leftovers are delicious reheated and piled up on wholemeal toast or a jacket potato.
- If youre short on cooking time, pop all the ingredients into a slow cooker and leave for 8-10 hours on an all-day setting while youre at work.
- When you arrive home the house will smell amazing and dinner will be served instantly.
Chef’s Budget Meals
As part of our Family Food series, local chefs are asked how to turn a key ingredient into three family meals.
This week, we gave Chris Lister, chef at El Tico in St Ouen, two popular and affordable cuts of chicken to see what he could rustle up for a family:
Lemon and thyme chicken thighs
Ingredients
- 2 packs chicken thighs
- 2 lemons
- 5 cloves garlic
- 300ml chicken stock
- 6-7 sprigs of thyme
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- pepper
- butter
Method
- Pre-heat oven to 180C and place chicken thighs into Pyrex oven tray. Dissolve chicken stock in jug of hot water and crush garlic, half and squeeze lemons, bruise thyme, oregano and pepper and add to stock.
- Pour over chicken and cover with foil before placing in oven for 45 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake for further ten minutes to brown the top. Remove chicken thighs, lemon wedges and pour stock into sauce pan and remove any excess fat from the top and discard.
- Bring the cooking liquor to the boil whisk in a knob of butter and check seasoning before serving the lot with some boiled rice.
Cajun Chicken Wraps
Ingredients
- Soft corn tortillas
- Iceberg lettuce
- Cucumber
- Tomatoes
- Chicken fillets or breasts cut into strips
- Cajun seasoning
- Lemon juice
Suggested accompaniments:
- Yoghurt or sour cream
- Hot sauce
- Salad dressing
- Cheese
- Fries or minted Jersey Royals
Method
- Dice or slice the tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce and place in separate bowls.
- Season the chicken with cajun spices and pan fry or grill chicken when cooked give a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Warm tortillas in microwave or place in foil and into oven for a couple of minutes and then place all in the middle of the table and get involved.
One-pan Monday brunch Tico hash
Ingredients
- Leftover roast potatoes chopped
- Pulled leftover roast chicken
- Chorizo
- Sun blushed tomatoes
- Spinach
- Fried egg
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Heat a non-stick pan and dice and fry chorizo in a little olive oil.
- Add chicken and diced potatoes when hot add sun blushed tomatoes.
- Add spinach till wilted and season with salt and pepper.
- Pour onto plate, wipe pan clean with kitchen roll and place pan back on heat add a touch of oil.
- Crack an egg or two and fry sunny side up. When cooked, place on top.
