BACON JAM FOR SMALL HOUSEHOLDS. wholly indulgent, not for anyone with blood pressure issues

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An outrageous, sophisticated savoury spread...

'Breakfast in a Jar'?
'Wow! Best thing I've ever eaten' 'Sweet & savoury'

Warning: this recipe is not suitable for people with blood pressure issues  (a lower salt alternative is offered  in Onion Tomato Jam - bottom page) 

 
This popular extraordinary condiment was first posted nearly 5 years ago and remains one of the Blogger's favourites.

It is a sensational culinary experience: a salty, sweet, tangy onion-y concoction studded with bacon bits; it has multiple layers of fabulous flavour. 

It's absolutely marvellous on toast, with hard cheeses like smoked cheddar or a creamy cheese like brie.  It can replace mayonnaise in sandwiches.

It is a financial indulgence.  And though we're in the middle of a cost of living crisis 67goingon50 strongly believes we still need our once-a-week treats if we're not going to go bananas.  

Thus the recipe has been halved to reduce cost and calories.  (But if you're entertaining others, the original recipe is here.)

Bacon jam has been around for awhile, but mostly in upmarket delis and restaurants with prices to match.  This recipe* is great value AND is lower in sugar and free from added preservatives.  

The jam can be stored in the fridge until the expiry date of the bacon but honestly?  It won't last that long.

Cost: £3.50'ish
Makes: 1 cup 

Ingredients:
     125-187gm/4.5-6oz back bacon that has some fat

        

Bacon & Onion Jam

    1 med onion diced (1 cup)
    1 large cloves garlic, grated 
   
     1 tbsp soft brown  sugar
   25ml maple syrup 
   35ml-1.2oz  white wine vinegar
   15ml/1/2oz brandy, whiskey or fresh fruit juice  
     I/2 mug strong coffee

   
     coarsely ground pepper

Method:

PENSIONERS' DELIGHT: CURRIED FISH 'PIE': vegan option; prep ahead; low fat, stovetop

Easy, Healthy and flavourful fish 'pie'...

first posted 2015; updated 2022

Delicate and delicious, Skinnier Curry Seafood Rice with green beans

67goingon50's curried seafood and rice  is the perfect comfort food as we move back to Daylight Savings Time.  The curry is very warming, with a creamy low-dairy richness, is subtly layered with spices, and is filling yet easy to digest.  

67's wallet-friendly version uses frozen fish and dried, not fresh, spices.  Garden variety plain yoghurt reduces cholesterol.  Using brown instead of white rice makes increases the healthy rating.  

It's easy to put together; the sauce can be prepared in advance and the dish assembled later.  

The recipe is for 2 but is easily doubled.  

Oven baked fish curry casserole

Note: this version is cooked on the stovetop;

the more complex original version was oven baked.

Cost: max £3
Feeds: 2-3, easily doubled
  
Ingred:

   2/3 cup easy-cook basmati rice (white is fine but brown is healthier) 

   1 tbsp oil 

   1 med onion, finely sliced or grated
   1/2 tsp chilli flakes OR 1/2 green chilli, de-seeded & minced
   2 garlic cloves, grated or minced (opt)
   1/2 tsp dried ginger OR 1 inch/2cm piece peeled ginger, grated
   1 tbsp wheat or spelt flour
   1.5- 2 tbsp mild Madras curry powder
   1/2-1 tsp brown sugar
   1/4 tsp 5-spice powder (opt)
   1 bay leaf
   1/4-1/2 tsp salt
   1/2 tsp cracked black pepper  
   

   2-3 tbsp dairy or plant yoghurt (to taste)
   300 ml stock (pref) or water
     

   juice and zest of 1/2 lime (OR lemon juice - zest is optional)
   cornflour & cold water

   300-400 gm total of defrosted coley, pollock or other white fish in bite size chunks plus (if you're feeling flush, extra optional seafood) OR chickpeas, butterbeans  or firm tofu 

Cost: depending on protein, well under £5

Feeds: 2-3
 
Method:

UPDATED WALLET-FRIENDLY FISH

Updated Oct 2020

FISH HAS BEEN A SOURCE OF HIGH QUALITY PROTEIN, PROBABLY SINCE THE DAWN OF MANKIND...

Brixham Fish Market, Devon
Courtesy of Geograph:  © Copyright Chris Talbot and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

...when it was no doubt caught by hand.  That's not very likely nowadays, unless you live near a river, lake or the sea.   

Fresh fish is expensive and worries about sustainable fish stocks mean fish prices, including frozen, have been rising inexorably.  

Getting your twice-a-week fish intake isn't easy but stores like M&S offer 3-fer-offers at under £10 and fresh fish market stalls can be budget-friendly. 

The big thing in restaurants as we struggle with the cost of living crisis is serving fish heads and other bits and pieces thawe might not ordinarily consider for supper (which, by the way, the Asians have been doing for centuries!).  67 does not want to be confronted with a fish head for supper but using it for stock...it would certainly enhance your intake of good vitamins and minerals.  

Notwithstanding the cost, the benefits of eating fish - especially if you are older - make it worth your while to spend a little more on fish, less frequently. 

Fish is:

• heart-friendly
• an improver of  brain development
• linked to lower cholesterol in some studies 
• either low in fat (white fish) or a good source of essential fatty acids (oily fish)
• full of vitamins and minerals
• environmentally, 'a good thing' because fish (i) have less sophisticated nervous systems and (ii) swim freely (if not factory farmed) 

But in our increasingly complicated inter-dependent world, fish also:

• can contain toxic materials like mercury and plastic
• are diminishing due to over-fishing

That's why Governments recommend restricting intake to two portions a week.  Child-bearing women and young children are recommended to eat fish low in mercury: tinned tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish (coley).  Portion size per serving is 6 oz/170 gm; less for children.

  
In the UK, the fishing industry recommends buying fish in season, when it's abundant and cheaper.  For a guide to which fish is in season and when, go to: http://www.wingofstmawes.co.uk/wholesale/seasonal_fish

                                     ***

Given a choice - and budget - at least one of 67's weekly fish dishes is fresh: salmon, mackerel in season, bream or sea bass. Cod and chips is a very occasional treat, though a portion is nearly enough for two!  

Supermarkets are savvy when it comes to fish. Waitrose - which has twice won the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) for sustainable fish - frequently offers fresh fish at a good discount on some Fridays.

Otherwise, frozen fish - slightly less expensive than fresh - is just as nutritious as fresh.  Waitrose offers the frugal ('ish) frozen coley (currently 6 portions £6) and pollock (both white fish)  as well as salmon, haddock and cod. Iceland does a selection of frozen squid rings, mussels and King prawns  -- perfect in soups and in noodle soup bowls; prices according to packet size.  It also does more than acceptable frozen salmon fillets, farmed and wild. 

Smoked mackerel is still a relatively budget-conscious choice in some supermarkets and who can resist smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels?  There's usually a tin (or 2 or 3 of tuna in the cupboard from M&S but also Sainsbury's.    

Some of 67goingon50's recipes using fish :

FISH

Fresh Fish
Steamed Salmon, Bak Choy & Potatoes one-dish meal
Ginger & Soy Fish, ten-minute wonder

Luxury Fish Pie with White Wine Sauce:  indulgence, alternative/supplement to  Christmas Meal
Mackerel in paper parcels, healthy in the extreme!

Oriental Salmon: delighttuly healthy, simple prepm can replace fresh with frozen fish
Salmon Nicoise Salad
Sea Bass, Chinese Style, an Indulgence:  delicately gutsy flavours   
Sweet Chilli & Ginger Salmon, Healthy, budget-friendly

Frozen Fish
Unfried Fish & Chips, crunchiness without fat
Fish Burgers, a change of theme for burgers

Luxury Fish Pie with White Wine Sauce:  indulgence, alternative/supplement to  Christmas Meal
Phyllo Bites, Sensational: Triple Duty: Vegan, fish, meat
Seafood Corn Chowder 
Oriental Prawn Omelette, also known as Egg Foo Young
Seafood Salad, Portable, Super-healthy, 1/2 the price of delis
Sweet Chilli & Ginger Salmon, Healthy, budget-friendly
Smoked fish 
Portable Mackerel Rice Salad
Peppered Mackerel a la Nicoise)
Smoked Mackerel, Egg & Potato Salad 
Veloute of Smoked Haddock

Tinned 
Tuna Fried Rice, particularly frugal
Fabulously Frugal Fishcakes, kids can make these 
Creamy Tuna Casserole with Crunchy Topping, great holiday recipe
Tuna Salad Italian Style, healthy, delicious, satisfying 

Sardine Cheese Toasties: Favourite high school midnight snack: unusual  but grows on you

Deli Fish

Calamari & Mixed Veg: low-cal salad;as gorgeous to eat as it is to look at




This information was compiled and edited by the Blogger and may not be re-produced without written permission.  B Lee/Bright Sun Enterprises accept no liability for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. Please feel free to link to this site.

CELERIAC: 67GOINGON50 FAVOURITE RECIPES

The root vegetable Celeriac is never going to win a beauty contest but scores high on taste, texture and satisfaction...

first posted 2022/updated 7/25

Versatile root vegetable: serve as soup, casserole veg, fries or mash 

New crop English celeriac which, greengrocers report, is at its peak have arrived at Pomona greengrocers opposite Belsize Park tube.

Celeriac is one of the ugliest of vegetables but makes wonderful eating.  Served raw in salads, it's super crunchy and mildly sweet.  Cooked, it's a bit like potato but much lower in calories, with a delightful flavour and texture.

Not cheap, but not outrageously expensive either, a large 1 kilo celeriac will cost under £3.  

But it goes far.  It plays many wonderful roles -- delicious unusual salads, creamy soups, casserole veg, fries or mash.  

And it can sit in the bottom of the fridge, wrapped in cling film, for a few weeks without spoiling. 

The following are 67goingon50's favourite recipes for celeriac:

 CELERIAC & APPLE POTAGE

(No.1 fav of all time) 

                            Silky, delicate, heavenly Vegan soup...                                    

CELERIAC & HAM/PASTRAMI TOAST TOPPER/SALAD

A sandwich topper that is a revelation and one of the best: lower-carb grated celeriac mixed with a mustardy mayo and shards of ham or pastrami

CELERIAC GUILT-FREE FRIES

If you're on a low-carb diet but craving potatoes, this root vegetable is a great substitute...there's no need to hold back.  Easy peasy from the oven or air fryer.

These recipe have been adapted by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced without the author's written permission