Jack Monroe's weekly shop will make three meals a day. Some items, such as cornflakes, from the £10 shop, are for breakfast; others, such as apples and yoghurts, are for snacks. Below we print her main meal recipes for one week.
All recipes serve 2, except the burgers and chilli which serve 4, and provide the basis of the next day's lunch. Most of the lunches, not printed here, are simple soups. From this shop, there is rice, pasta, cumin and chocolate left over for the next week.
Monday: chickpea and peach curry, with rice, pitta and spiced spinach potatoes
SERVES 2 (PLUS LUNCH FOR 2)
chickpeas 1 x 220g tin
onion ½
small red chilli 1 grown on my window ledge
peaches 1 x 410g tin
chopped tomatoes ½ carton
fresh coriander grown on my window ledge
cumin ½ level tsp
chicken stock cube 1 crumbled
For the spicy potatoes with spinach
potatoes ½ a can
tinned spinach 2 tbsp, drained
cumin a pinch
Drain the chickpeas and rinse them vigorously. Pop them in some fresh water in a saucepan, and bring to the boil. Boil rapidly for a good 10 minutes to boil out any toxins, and reduce to a simmer.
Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the onion, and finely chop the chilli. Add to a saucepan with a little of the juice from the peach can, and cook gently on a very low heat. Take care not to let the onions brown or the burnt taste will permeate through the whole curry.
Chop the peaches and add to the onions and chilli, with a little more juice from the can.
Pour the chopped tomatoes over the peaches and onions, add chopped coriander, cumin and a finely crumbled stock cube and stir in.
Reduce the heat down to low, and allow to cook gently for at least 20 minutes. This thickens the sauce and melds the flavours together. If the sauce becomes too dry, add more juice from the peaches, or a small cup of water. If chopped finely enough, the onions will disappear into the sweet spicy sauce.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas, and tip into the sauce. Stir to heat through thoroughly.
Serve with spicy potatoes with spinach (a sort of mock aloo saag), a toasted pitta bread and some boiled rice.
For the potatoes, preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Drain and rinse the potatoes and add to a roasting dish with a little oil or a few sprays of cooking spray on greaseproof paper. Toss the potatoes with drained spinach and a pinch of cumin, and roast for 15 minutes to gently crisp the outsides of the potatoes. Can also be done in a sauté pan.
Tuesday: bacon casserole
SERVES 2, PLUS PASTA SAUCE FOR 2 ON SATURDAY
cooking bacon 500g, fat trimmed off
lemon juice of ½
onion ½
red wine vinegar 4 tbsp
chopped tomatoes 1 carton
chicken stock cube 1 crumbled
fresh thyme 2 sprigs (or dried if available)
Dice the bacon and place in a cold saucepan with the lemon juice. Bring to a low heat to seep the fat from the bacon, to give you something to cook with. Seal the edges of the meat, stirring occasionally.
Chop the onion and add to the pan. Add the red wine vinegar and cook off until the pungent smell has evaporated.
Add the chopped tomatoes, crumbled chicken stock cube and thyme. Let it bubble for a few minutes and stir well to mix in the stock cube. Cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes, adding a cup of water if necessary.
Serve with rice or mash (half a tin of new potatoes, mashed). Freeze leftovers for pasta on Saturday.
Wednesday: cheating tomato and bean soup
SERVES 2, PLUS PASTA SAUCE FOR 2
baked beans 1 can
onion ¼ finely chopped
chopped tomatoes 1 carton
sliced carrots in water ½ a can
chicken stock cube 1 crumbled
thyme or rosemary a sprig
Pour the baked beans into a colander and rinse the cheap salty sugary sauce thoroughly from them. Add to a saucepan with the onion, chopped tomatoes and carrots. Crumble a chicken stock cube over the top, add the rosemary and a mug of water. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes. When heated through and the beans are softened, pulse in a blender until smooth. I reserve a few tablespoons of this and freeze it in an ice cube tray as a simple pasta sauce for a quick lunch.
Thursday: carrot, cumin and kidney bean burger with pitta and lemon and spinach rice
And there's an additional recipe for carrot, cumin and kidney bean soup.
SERVES 4
red kidney beans in water 1 can
sliced carrots in water ½ can
onion ½ finely chopped
cumin ½ tsp
fresh coriander a handful chopped
oil a splash
flour 1 heaped tsp
For the lemon and spinach rice
rice 70g per person
lemon juice of ½
chicken stock cube ½ crumbled
tinned spinach 1 tbsp drained, to taste
Drain and rinse the kidney beans in cold water. Put in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Add the tinned sliced carrots. Bring to the boil, then simmer on a medium heat for 10 minutes.
In a separate pan, add the chopped onion, cumin and coriander. Drizzle a little oil over, and cook gently on a low heat to soften. When the kidney beans and carrots have softened – test one with a fork, it should mash easily with medium pressure – drain and add to the spiced onions. Mash together with a masher or fork until you have a smooth thick puree, with a mashed potato consistency. Stir in a heaped teaspoon of flour to bind, or refrigerate the mixture for at least an hour.
Heat a little oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Shape some of the bean and carrot mixture into a ball about the size of a golf ball. Place into the pan and flatten gently with a fork or spoon to make the burger shape. Cook for a few minutes on one side, before turning over gently. They need to be handled with care in the early stages of cooking as they can be quite fragile.
When cooked on both sides, serve hot. Serve in a pitta bread, with lemon and spinach rice.
To make the lemon and spinach rice, boil the rice according to the packet instructions. Add the juice of half a lemon to the cooking water, with half a crumbled stock cube, and drained tinned spinach to taste.
At the same time, make a carrot, cumin and kidney bean soup. Put a tin of carrots into a saucepan and cover with water. Add half a stock cube, crumbled, and a pinch of cumin. When forming the balls to make the burgers, add two to the soup mixture. Blend until smooth.
Friday: Mumma Jack's chilli
SERVES 4
red kidney beans in water1 can
onion ½, diced
chilli 1, finely chopped
red wine vinegar 4 tbsp
chopped tomatoes ½ a carton
chicken stock cube ½ crumbled
cumin ½ tsp
dark chocolate 2 squares
Drain and rinse the kidney beans in cold water. Put in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
Meanwhile, peel and dice the onion and add to a sauté or frying pan with the finely chopped chilli.
Add the red wine vinegar and cook off to remove the vinegar smell. Pour over the chopped tomatoes, crumbled stock cube and cumin, and simmer on a low heat.
Drain the kidney beans and add to the sauce. Add the chocolate and stir until the beans are coated and the chocolate has melted. Serve with 70g plain boiled rice per person.
Saturday: pasta with bacon, tomato and chilli
Defrost the leftovers from Tuesday's bacon casserole thoroughly. Cook 70g pasta per person according to packet instructions. Heat through the casserole and toss through the pasta.
Sunday: mushroom soup
SERVES 2
onion ½, chopped
red wine vinegar 4 tbsp
mushrooms 100g
chicken stock cube 1 crumbled in 300ml boiling water
fresh thyme or rosemary 2 sprigs (or dried if unavailable)
Peel and chop the onion, and add to a saucepan with the red wine vinegar. Cook on a low heat until the vinegar smell has disappeared.
Break up the mushrooms and add to the vinegar and onions.
Pour over 300ml chicken stock and add fresh or dried thyme or rosemary.
Simmer all together for 20 minutes, until the mushrooms have softened. Blend until smooth.
