Clever ways to love your leftovers, including budget- and eco-friendly tips
Harissa lamb chilli
A multi-purpose big batch recipe, with a similar vibe to chilli con carne. Try on rice or couscous, or roll into tortillas with salad.
■ Serves 10 ■ Prep 30 mins plus heating from frozen
■ Cook 1 hr
11/2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp olive oil
3 onions, halved and thinly sliced
3 x 400g packs lean lamb mince
2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp each paprika and ground cinnamon
11/2 tbsp ground coriander
3 tbsp harissa
3 red peppers, deseeded and cut into large chunks
2 x 400g cans chickpeas, drained
2 x 20g packs coriander, most chopped, a few leaves left whole to serve
500ml beef or lamb stock, using 2 cubes
1 Heat a large non-stick wok or pan, tip in the cumin seeds and toast for a few seconds. Remove the seeds. Add the oil to the pan and fry the onion for 5 mins until starting to colour. Add the mince, ginger and garlic, then cook, breaking up the mince with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink. Drain any excess liquid or fat.
2 Stir in the tomatoes, toasted cumin, remaining spices and harissa. Add the peppers, chickpeas, three-quarters of the chopped coriander and the stock. Cover and cook for 40 mins, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened. Cool, then stir in the remaining chopped coriander.
PER SERVING 357 kcals, fat 19g, saturates 8g, carbs 17g, sugars 7g, fibre 5g, protein 28g, salt 1.2g
fill it up
Many supermarkets sell refill packs for branded items. It’s good for the environment to reduce packaging, but if you're looking to save money, not all the offers are that much cheaper. Washing-up liquid only saves around 10p a litre, but instant coffee could save almost 60p per 100g, so calculate before you buy.
Audit your appliances
A geriatric chest freezer in the garage could cost as much as £600 a year if it’s an old model. A smart meter is a great way to see how much your gadgets are costing you. If you can track down appliances that are draining your electricity, that’s a big annual saving.
Too full of beans
Q HELP! I’ve grown more runner beans than I can eat – even the neighbours don’t want any more. What’s the best way to freeze them? Should they be blanched first?
A You can freeze runner beans raw, but blanching will help them keep for longer. Prepare as you would for cooking, then put them into a large pan of boiling water. When the water comes back to the boil, time for 11/2-2 mins. Tip into a colander and run under cold water to stop them cooking and to set their colour. Drain, then pat dry and pack into freezer bags. Press lightly to exclude as much air as po
