Save money – make your own Stick to your food budget by making simple, homemade versions of your weekly essentials and pantry staples words and recipes GOOD FOOD TEAM
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rom fresh bread to easy pasta sauce, swapping just a few ready-made products for homemade alternatives can knock pounds off your weekly shop. Most of these recipes are made using storecupboard ingredients, so they’re quick to make at home, and also help you reduce your plastic waste and cut down on your consumption of ready-made foods.
A jar of pasta sauce can come in handy if you’re short on time, but with the right ingredients, you can make a homemade version in the time it takes to cook the pasta. Tomato sauce is a great base – swirl it through cooked spaghetti and you’ll have dinner on the table in 15 minutes. It can be used in a multitude of other ways, too: add olives, capers and parsley for a puttanescastyle sauce or chillies for an arrabbiata; mix with mascarpone, cooked chicken and mozzarella for a creamy pasta bake; or use on pizza bases. If you can find bunches of basil or other soft herbs at a reduced price, you can make a batch of homemade pesto – that’s often more cost-effective than buying jars, plus, you can use up herbs that are slightly past their best. Pine nuts are traditionally used to make pesto, but you can add almonds or cashews instead. And, while fresh pesto doesn’t keep for as long as jarred, you can freeze it in portions. Satay sauce can be made in minutes – use it to marinate chicken, toss through noodles and stir-fries or dress a salad. A jar will keep in the fridge for up to a week. If you’re a fan of salads, you can also make classic French dressing: mix extra virgin olive oil with red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and a pinch of sugar with seasoning. Shake together just before using each time. 16 BBC Good Food Middle East February 2023
Homemade pesto MAKES 250ml jar PREP 5 mins COOK 15 mins EASY V
50g pine nuts (or use almonds or cashews) 80g basil or other soft herbs 50g grated parmesan or vegetarian alternative 150ml olive oil 2 garlic cloves
1 Heat a small, dry frying pan over a low heat and toast the pine nuts until golden, shaking the pan occasionally. 2 Put the nuts in a food processor with the basil, parmesan and olive oil. Peel the garlic and add this, then whizz until smooth. Season. Will keep in a sealed jar in the fridge for a week. PER SERVING (1 tbsp) 88 kcal • fat 9g • saturates 2g • carbs 0g • sugars 0g • fibre 0.1g • protein 1g • salt 0.04g