Just curious who else is living super frugal

[ScottnLydia]

I know we used to soak the chicken wishbone in vinegar so we could twist and bend it. Wonder if you could do that with your bones, or if that would leach out all the calcium. I know when I simmer my chicken bones long enough, I can grind them in my magic bullet, but that would take forever for the amount of bones you are talking about.

Yeah, I would want to keep the calcium in for the chickens. I think I would need something like a rock crusher or hammer mill to pulverize these. Seeing those pieces of spine out there is sort of a hoot though, 'till trash day. Thanks for the ideas, though!

 

[DennisK]

Hay Scott! Shepherd’s pie – I have been on a search for a recipe I sampled many years ago. I use to work for a computer company in San Jose, and they had a cafeteria that was run by a very good cook. One day, they were offering shepherd’s pie for lunch. I had never had lamb; so I ordered a plate and I was carried away by how wonderful and fulfilling the meal was. Since then, I have been trying to replicate that recipe – without success! It seems there are as many versions of this dish as there are cooks! Jennifer tried my latest attempt and claimed that is was quite good, but it was not nearly as good as I remember that dish from the cafeteria.

 

[ScottnLydia]

Lydias lamb pie will haunt you like a lost love, for sure! Since it's you, she'll share her recipe, but only you!!! No-one else can read this!

2 pounds of lamb. trimmings from ribs, shoulder, neck, etc.,diced. Not leg. Salt and pepper and brown on both sides. Brown the meat in small batches! It takes longer, but it browns better.

1 onion, 2 to 4 garlic cloves (to taste), and 2 carrots, minced fine (in food processor). These go in after the meat comes out to loosen the "fond" or browned bits from the meat from the bottom of the pot. Cook 'till soft, then remove.

Add 4 Tablespoons butter (or 2 Tbl butter + 2 Tbl Olive Oil) when melted, add 4 Tablespoons flour and stir. Cook 'til golden,add back the meat and veg, stir well, then add 4 Cups Stock (Lamb or Chicken). Add 1 to 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Tomato paste, 1 Tbl dried Parsley, 2 Bay Leaves, and 1 Teaspoon Thyme.

Bring to a simmer, then place in the oven, covered, at 350 degrees for 1 hour, then turn down to 250 for another hour. She says, "Until the meat is melting tender." Stir during this time, and taste for seasoning.

While it's cooking, you can peel and cube, 2 each, carrots and potatoes, and cook them in water until tender (not real done, but soft). When the filling comes out of the oven, add the drained carrots and 'tattys'. Remove the Bay Leaves. We do this part a day ahead, and let sit overnight in the fridge.

Lydia's pie is 'English' style, that is, in a crust, with top and bottom. We roll out the bottom crust into a pie plate, fill it and cover it with top crust, just like a fruit pie. Sprinkle with a little coarse salt and pepper on top, cut some steam hole, and bake @ 350 degrees for about an hour or until golden and the filling is bubbley.

The traditional Shepherds Pie would just be the filling in the pie plate with mashed potatoes on top, but we like the crust!

Next week; Lamb shanks, braised in wine and garlic, with orzo!!!

 

[bluejeans]

i will tell you one thing that will make your life easier if you dont have one , if your like us and live over a hundred miles to one of those big grocery stores like safe way ..


get a good electric pressure cooker.


this way when you can buy those big sacks of pinto beans and realy make use of all those garden rutabagas and such you been harvesting..

talk about easy to use and time saving .. You will wonder how you did with out one.. ,,

 

[bluejeans]

correction i meant to say a round trip to one of those large grocery stores for us .is over a hundred miles .

 

[galanie]

Gosh yes. After finally deciding to try cooking dry pintos in my mom's old pressure cooker (not electric but still it's a pressure cooker, and still in great shape) I wondered why on earth I hadn't done that before. Not only a time saver but they really came out better than they do after soaking all night and cooking for hours the traditional way.

 

[Lexiluke]

I am but my wife is not. So it is a wash.

 

[DennisK]

Lydias lamb pie will haunt you like a lost love, for sure! Since it's you, she'll share her recipe, but only you!!! No-one else can read this!


Thanks Scott and Lydia! I haven’t tried giving the pie a crust before – I don’t know why as it sounds good! I have always had a problem with the topping of potatoes anyway as I don’t have a broiler and I can’t brown the topping in a conventional oven. The only lamb I have left is one shank, but we are scheduled to do the shopping tomorrow; so I will pick up some chops at Costco. I had been using ground lamb – maybe that is a problem because you never know from where, on the lamb, the meat comes.
We are budgeting for fencing materials so that we can create an area for lambs. We look forward to the day we will be able to bring in our first sheep. For now, we have been preparing for this spring’s planting. We tried establishing a field of alfalfa, but I don’t think it will work out for us as there hasn’t been enough rain this season. We will need to bring in irrigation. We will be trying again.

 

[ScottnLydia]

Whenever you buy lamb, ESPECIALLY at Costco, be sure it is AMERICAN LAMB!!! Australian or New Zealand lamb (at least every time I've had it) has always had a strong "muttony" taste! Perhaps because they butcher wool type breeds that are high in lanolin, which flavors the meat.

Shoulder would be good, or shoulder chops. Not leg or loin chops, too expensive and would be dry anyway.

Good luck!

 

[DennisK]

Whenever you buy lamb, ESPECIALLY at Costco, be sure it is AMERICAN LAMB!!! Australian or New Zealand lamb (at least every time I've had it) has always had a strong "muttony" taste! Perhaps because they butcher wool type breeds that are high in lanolin, which flavors the meat.

Shoulder would be good, or shoulder chops. Not leg or loin chops, too expensive and would be dry anyway.

Good luck!

Thanks for the info, Scott. Lamb is a difficult meat to find in my area. When it is found, it is quite expensive. Costco seems the only reliable source. I did score a whole lamb when I participated in a local 4H auction at the county fair, but that is all gone now. I really need to raise my own lambs!