Beef Barley Soup

Beef Barley Soup
Originally uploaded by Simply Frugal

Beef broth	4 C
Barley	1/2 C
Onions	1/2 C
Celery	1/2 C
Mushrooms	1 C
Thyme	1/4 tsp

Finely chop onions. Coarsely chop celery. Slice mushrooms.
Bring broth to a boil. Add vegetables. Simmer 5 minutes
Add thyme and salt to taste.
Add barley.
Simmer, covered, about 30 minutes until the barley is tender.

Simple Cabbage Tomato Soup

Cabbage Tomato Soup
Originally uploaded by Simply Frugal

A wonderful winter soup.

Cabbage and Tomato Soup
6 servings

Cabbage	2 C
Tomatoes, canned	28 oz
Bacon	3 slices
Onion	1 C
Oil	2 Tbsp
Bay leaves	2
Allspice	1 1/2 tsp
Paprika	2 Tbsp
Brown sugar	2 Tbsp
Garlic	1 Tbsp
Vinegar, cider	1/3 C
Chicken stock	3 C

Saute bacon, bay leaf, and oil over medium heat until bacon is translucent.
Stir in cabbage and onion and saute 5 minutes.
Add allspice, paprika, brown sugar, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat and let vegetables steam gently in their own juices. Do not brown.
Add vinegar, tomatoes, and chicken stock. Add sufficient water to cover the tops of the vegetables.

Simmer 30 minutes, until cabbage is soft. Puree 1 or 2 cups, and stir back into pan. Taste for balance, and serve hot.

Simple Roasted Chicken

Roast Chicken
Originally uploaded by Annie Mole

Roasting a whole chicken can give you all kinds of bonus ingredients. In addition to the meat, there are bones and gravy. If you stuff it before you roast it, there's a side-dish of dressing. You can use the bones from the cooked chicken to make stock. In fact, if you roast them after the meat has been removed, the stock has a richer flavor. If I'm feeling especially frugal, I let the fat congeal and refrigerate it until I need to grease a casserole.

Simply Frugal Roast Chicken

Ingredient	4 servings
Chicken, whole	1
Giblets
Water	1 1/2 C
Bay leaf	1
Fat*	2 Tbsp
Onion, chopped	2 Tbsp
Bread*, diced	2 C
Celery	1/4 C
Basil	1/4 tsp
Thyme	1/4 tsp
Sage	1/2 tsp
Salt
Pepper	1/4 tsp
Flour	1 Tbsp
Milk	1 C

Wash chicken, and remove heart, liver, gizzard, and neck.
Place neck, gizzard, and heart in water, along with bay leaf and half the onion. Simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and reserve stock.
Chop heart, gizzard, and liver fine. Saute with remaining onion in fat for a few minutes.
Combine with bread, celery, basil, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper.
Pour stock over dressing to moisten.

Stuff interior of chicken just before the chicken is put in the oven. You can double the amount, and bake the remainder in a greased casserole dish.
Place chicken in oven.
Turn on oven and set to 350 ℉ Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Pour off liquid, and allow fat to rise to the top. Skim and reserve fat.
Add flour to pan drippings. Stir until flour is incorporated. Add milk for cream gravy, add the liquid from the roast for a thinner gravy. Stir over medium heat until gravy thickens.

After the meal, place carcass and bones in a plastic bag, and freeze until ready to make stock.

*Fat, Bread, Preheated Oven
Fat: the frugal cook uses bacon fat, chicken fat, vegetable oil, or butter.
Bread: the frugal cook uses left over bread, bagels, or cornbread.
Preheated oven: the frugal cook knows you do not need to preheat the oven if you are roasting meat.

Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup
Originally uploaded by Simply Frugal

A sturdy bean soup with Caribbean flavors.

CUBAN BEAN SOUP
Six servings
Buy: Black beans, pork loin (ham, dry sherry, fresh lemon)

	6 servings	2 servings
Black beans	2 C	2/3 C
Olive oil	2 Tbsp	2 tsp
Onions, chopped	1 C	1/3 C
Garlic	2 tsp	1 tsp
Pork shoulder	8 oz	3 oz
Tomato	1/2 C	3 Tbsp
Vinegar	2 Tbsp	2 tsp
Cumin	1/2 tsp	dash
Bay leaf	1	1/3
Pepper	dash	dash
Salt	1/2 tsp	dash

Wash beans well. Soak over night, drain soaking water. Cover beans with water and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer until soft, about 3 hours. Drain. Puree the beans. Lightly rinse the pan, and return beans.

Chop pork into small dice.

Heat the oil until a haze forms. Add the onions and the garlic and stir until soft. Add the cumin, bay leaf, and pepper, and stir for 1 minute. Add tomato, pork, sherry OR vinegar, and stir until mixture thickens slightly. Add to bean puree and heat for 15 minutes.

Serve garnished with slices of boiled egg and lemon.

Fancy Fixins
Use ham instead of pork
Use annatto oil in place of olive oil
Use fresh tomato in place of canned diced tomato
Use sherry instead of vinegar