101 things to do with mince (Emergency Dinners)

Member Name: jeanjeannie

Product:	Emergency Dinners
Date:	17/11/01 (9465 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cheap, quick, nutritious

Disadvantages: none

After I gave up work to have our daughter we were very hard up. I was the higher salary earner and times were tough in the days before credit cards when, if you didn’t have the cash, you couldn’t spend.

But we didn’t starve by any means and I became quite clever at making very cheap ingredients add up to a tasty meal. One of my mainstays was mince – beef, pork, turkey or lamb; I didn’t often mince the meat myself, as I could not afford the joint in the first place. The main tip I would give you is, if you cannot afford the leanest mince then just tip the meat into a sieve after it is browned & drain off all the fat.


Here are just a few that might inspire you to stop buying ready made meals which are not only expensive but not that nutritious. I am not going to give you quantities or strict cooking instructions as I’m sure you can, like me, guess at it.

1.Mince rissoles.
Minced meat – whatever you like
1 onion finely chopped, crumbled oxo cube, herbs, fresh or dried, tomato ketchup, mustard to taste, salt & pepper. Combine ingredients in a bowl, bind together with an egg; take a large spoonful of mixture, roll it in a ball, flatten it & then coat with breadcrumbs. Shallow fat fry until brown and slightly crispy on the outside. Serve with mustard mash or any vegetable to your liking.

2.Cottage pie.
Minced meat, finely chopped onion, crushed garlic clove, grated carrot, stock cube, dash of wine if open- ha ha..
Fry onions & garlic, add mince & brown. Sprinkle with a little flour to thicken. Add stock, carrots, seasoning bring back to boil & simmer gently until cooked & sauce has thickened. Put in bottom of a casserole dish, top with mash. Sprinkle top with grated cheese and put in oven on a high heat until cheese is brown & bubbling.

3.Pasta sauce
Minced meat, finely chopped onion, garlic, chopped bacon if you have the odd rasher. Tinned tomatoes, sherr
y, tomato puree.
Fry off meat, onions & garlic. Add sherry to deglaze the pan (that’s gets all the nice flavourful bits off the bottom. Add chopped tinned tomatoes & puree, & seasoning. Bring to boil & simmer very, very gently for as long as possible. Best made the day before & reheated as this enhances the flavour. Serve with pasta & a green salad & garlic bread.

4.Lasagne
Use sauce as above & layer up with Lasagne sheets & a white sauce. Add a little grated cheese to the sauce & sprinkle the rest on the top. Cook in a moderate oven until top is nicely browned. A little nutmeg can also be sprinkled on the top to get the real authentic Italian taste.

5.Mince Cobbler.
Minced meat, onion, carrots, parsnips, herbs, tomato puree or ketchup, seasoning, stock.
Fry off meat & onions, add diced carrots, parsnips & then add stock & tomato puree. Bring to boil & simmer gently until cooked. Add herb dumplings made from self-raising flour, dried herbs & suet (twice the quantity of flour to suet). & Simmer for at least another 20 minutes. Serve with potatoes of choice & a green vegetable. This can be made either in a saucepan Or in a casserole in the oven.

6. Minced meat Pie.
Prepare as for shepherd’s pie making sure the mixture is quite thick. Cool, place in a deep plate & cover with short crust pastry. Glaze with a little milk & cook in a hot oven for about ½ hour.

That will do for today – only another 95 to go. Please let me know if you like these & if you would like more.
There is no great mystique in preparing good wholesome food. As my cookery writer friend in America says – “Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon”

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