The Thrifty Cookbook: 476 Ways to Eat Well With Leftovers (49 page)

Chicken or pork
Simply replace the beef with strips of these meats instead. If using pork, then consider substituting strong wild mushrooms for the cultivated ones. Or you could reconstitute some dried mushrooms in a bowl of warm water according to the instructions on the packet – squeeze them well before adding to the dish. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and some finely chopped dill.

Spinach and lamb
Leave out the mushrooms. Wash a large bunch of spinach and cook quickly in just the water clinging to its leaves, until wilted. Squeeze out excess liquid and chop roughly. Add to the stroganoff right at the end, with a grating of nutmeg.

Tomatoes
My mother made a version of this dish by cutting out the flour and paprika and replacing the stock and cream with a can of chopped tomatoes and a teaspoon of tomato purée, which made it not a stroganoff at all, but tasty all the same. Add the tomatoes and tomato purée to the cooked onion and simmer for 7-10 minutes, until reduced and thickened. Then add strips of beef and heat through thoroughly. Serve with chopped parsley.

Fricassée is the name given to a mixture of meat or vegetables fried in a light sauce. This recipe pairs chicken with its closest friends, garlic, lemon, rosemary and wine. It’s quick and summery and is at its best served with a half-and-half mix of basmati and wild rice, plus a green salad. If there is anything left, consider using it as a pie filling (see
pages 115
-
19
).

Serves 2

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teacups (about 200g) cooked chicken, torn into pieces about 4 x 2cm

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

a sprig of rosemary or a good pinch of dried rosemary

3 tablespoons dry white wine

juice of ½ lemon

zest of ½ lemon, taken off in long strips with a zester

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the chicken and cook over a medium heat for a minute to warm through without browning too much. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook, stirring, until the garlic is tender but not browned. Add the wine and leave it to bubble for half a minute, so that the alcohol evaporates, then turn down the heat and simmer slowly for 5-10 minutes, until the liquid has reduced slightly.

Transfer the chicken to a serving plate with all its juices. Return the pan to the heat and add the lemon juice and zest. Simmer gently for a minute before pouring the whole lot over the chicken.

Crunchy vegetables
Raw green beans or finely sliced fennel would be nice added to the pan and cooked until tender before the chicken goes in. If you have leftover vegetables, add them after the wine.

Mushrooms
Add a heaped teaspoon of chopped thyme to the chicken at the start. Finely slice a handful of mushrooms and add them at the same time as the chicken pieces.

Red cabbage
Add finely sliced red cabbage to the pan right after the chicken and substitute red for white wine.

I love the noise of liquids sizzling as they hit the hot wok and the sound of the metal spatula scraping against the sides. Both simply shout that supper’s nearly ready (and that there won’t be much washing up). Whatever ingredients you are using, if you can pick up a pack of bean sprouts or a can of water chestnuts on the way home, both will add the nutty crunch that makes these dishes irresistible.

Bottled Chinese sauces such as black bean, yellow bean or oyster will all add extra flavour. You’ll need to check the instructions on the bottle, as each brand or type needs more or less cooking and they vary in strength. As a rule of thumb, when stir-frying for 2 people you should use 2-4 teaspoons of sauce: too much will be overwhelming, so err on the side of caution to begin with.

There is a handful of things to bear in mind when stir-frying:

First: have all the ingredients prepared upfront. Once you start cooking, the point is speed.

Second: heat the wok before adding the oil. This prevents food sticking.

Third: make sure the oil is shimmering hot (but not smoking) before adding the ingredients, or they will become oily and limp.

Fourth: be quick and definite about adding ingredients and tossing them briskly in the hot oil with a metal spatula or a wooden spoon.